At a basic level, the concept of clean eating is about eating whole foods that have undergone minimal to no processing. Clean eaters are eating foods as close to natural as possible. And I actually really love this concept. The idea of eating whole, healthy and unprocessed foods sounds great to me.

What I don’t love though, is how the concept of “clean eating” demonizes anything that isn’t unprocessed or as close to its natural state as possible. Clean eating make it seem like anything aside from animal and plant proteins, fruits, veggies and unprocessed grains are a no-no, and if we eat them, bring on the fat gain!

The thing is, every single time I’ve seen someone try to eat clean and cut out all the “junk” it has backfired. Majorly. And the backfire usually means a hardcore binge with a side of guilt.

I was talking to one of my 1:1 fat loss clients about this exact thing the other day. She was telling me that whenever she tells herself “I’m not eating sweets anymore” sweets become all she wants! So often when we tell ourselves “no” we start craving and eating foods we don’t even actually like just to satisfy the craving. For me, this was where my Pop-Tart habit came from. Do I like Pop-Tarts?  I guess…they’re ok, but they’re not something that’s usually worth the splurge to me. A donut on the other hand? Worth it. 100%

Let me just be clear, those foods listed above aren’t the healthiest options for us by a long shot. But they’re also not the worst. And we certainly shouldn’t be thinking that if we eat them we’re destined to be overweight and unhealthy for the rest of our lives like some clean eating fanatics would like us to think.

In fact I’d argue the opposite. I think when we allow ourselves to eat the foods we love, keeping moderation and hunger cues in mind, without the guilt, without the rules, without the restriction, we open ourselves up to actually enjoy the way we eat- a novel concept to lots of dieters- it certainly was to me! Because yes, bread, beer, donuts, pizza, pasta, candy AND fat loss can coexist. And they can coexist really, really well.

Fat loss and a healthy diet does not mean misery.

It doesn’t mean going to extremes.

It doesn’t have to be restrictive.

It doesn’t have to make you hate your life and want to dive into a pint of Ben & Jerrys.

Eating for fat loss and optimal health can be completely enjoyable, favorite foods included, and no pressure to perfect and eat “clean.”

Chasing a clean eating lifestyle is one of the major downfalls I see my clients have before we start working together. They want to eat perfectly and they’re actually scared to eat the foods they love because they’ve been telling themselves “no” for so long they feel like they have no control over those foods once they do cave. But once they learn the balance, once they learn the art of moderation and how simple fat loss can really be, they can say goodbye to restriction, goodbye to perfect and hello to absolute food freedom and lasting fat loss.

If you’re ready to drop the rules and start having fun with fat loss and loving the way you eat, I have FOUR spots open in my 1:1 coaching program, Fresh, Fit & Fearless. If you’re struggling with nutrition, bingeing, how to eat in moderation or if you’re a diet hopper who is sick of the chase, this program has your name written all over it. Just imagine going to all of those holiday parties this season not having to worry about overindulging or blowing your diet…because you won’t be on a diet anymore and you can make literally anything fit into your new and improved lifestyle.  Let’s make that a reality!