+ 8 Do you think eating clean is actually harder than working out every day?
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. For most people, staying consistent with workouts is tough but honestly, I feel like eating clean is even harder.
You can push yourself for an hour in the gym, but when it comes to food, it’s like a battle that lasts all day long. You can train hard, do cardio, lift weights, but if your diet isn’t under control, it feels like all that effort goes to waste.
For me, the real struggle isn’t motivation to work out it’s controlling those random cravings, saying no to snacks, or just sticking to a simple, healthy meal plan when everyone around is eating whatever they want.
So I’m genuinely curious what’s harder for you personally?
Do you find it easier to train regularly or to keep your nutrition clean and consistent?
And if you’ve managed to balance both, what helped you the most?
Would love to hear how others deal with this.
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FalconnSolid post, man!
You nailed the real struggle workouts are tough, but nutrition is a 24/7 grind.
I’m curious though how do you stay disciplined when cravings hit?
Like, do you have a go-to strategy or mindset shift that keeps you from giving in?
100% the diet and prepping food constantly. Training is my favorite part about my day. I also agree with what someone said once you are on a cycle i feel like my discipline is more strict as i dont want to waste any of the shit im putting in my body
Anabolic_FreakIt's the diet, 100%. The gym is only an hour or two, the kitchen is a 24/7 job. Funny thing is, it got way easier for me once I was on cycle. When you're running gear, the motivation to not waste a single calorie on junk is insane. You know every clean meal is building something.
PainPunisher100% agree man. The gym is the easy part, it's one hour of discipline. Diet is 24 hours of temptation.
Dieting is hard as fuck!! Training is easy to do consistently. I got into this world through powerlifting not body building so diet was never truly on point. I meal prep but only 3 meals out of 5meals a day. The other meals aren’t fast food tho just whatever my wife makes. Powerlifting and dieting don't mix well and losing progress in lifts is tortuous . I’ve tried to count calories and macros but it absolutely sucks! I love to eat. It’s something I really need to work on bc deep deep down inside I want to experience the look and feel of a 6pack.
IDK man the other project manager who's desk is next to mine is a fat slob of a 5' troll like he is double fisting ice-cream cones right now. But he has a hot wife where as my 6'6" self with my vascular six pack has been single for a year and a half. I also truly enjoy being super strong but for the sake of my knees and health I can't weigh more than 260-270 lbs anymore. Tracking is not super hard it's just like getting stronger you take small steps I recommend tracking protein till its not something you even think about then start with total calories after that it all kinda falls in line on its own.
The 3 meals I prep for the day puts me at almost 150g of protein. Whatever meal the wife makes for dinner will always consist of protein. I feel confident saying a hit 200mg consistently. I say tracking sucks but it isn’t the core of the issue. Really what it comes down to is lack of self control when it comes to quantity.
I told my wife I wanted a sick pack but she says it’s unattractive. She def likes the round shoulder traps and neck but says she likes the belly. Of course my insecurities won’t allow me to believe it but hey maybe she’s being honest.
I was sitting at 275lb as a natty. Definitely not shredded had a belly but chest and legs were popping. Most people thought I was 230ish and would be surprised when I told them how much I actually weigh. I’d like to get back to 270 in better condition. I’ve been sitting at 230 for way too long. Goal is to get to 200lbs and work my way up from there. But that shit ain’t happening unless I diet for real.
Diet for sure. I have a huge appetite. My friends would call me the garbage disposal.
Tirz really helped me slim down but I also loss some muscle mass too. Now I’m enjoying eating more veggies (the ones I like, lol) and making sure I get enough protein. I don’t count calories or manage macros. I’ve just been eating less and healthy 80 to 90% of the time.
Diet is way harder. My biggest problem is they leave out piles of crap food at work and I have to walk by hundreds of left over Empanada or other delicious unhealthy crap they gave to the night shift all day.
Short answer… hell yeah!
Blasting’s fun, training’s therapy … but staying clean, dieting tight, and keeping routine locked in?
That’s the real hardcore part. That’s what separates the boys from the built. Still learning and still improving…
I could train 2 hours a day but I would end up destroying myself lol. Diet is 100 percent harder but I've always had a huge appetite
Eating period for me is the hardest thing, people say just eat but it's not that simple. I don't have much of an appetite most of the time, so I'm forcing food down just to maintain.
I think the most important thing you can do is eliminate the sugar. Drinks and other foods have sugar all over in them. Eating whole foods and lean meats is key and I find it easier to do as time goes on and only buying whole foods.
I have a big problem with it for the first week or so, after that I allow two bad meals a week. What’s funny is those meals don’t taste great. It takes me another week or so to get back to eating regularly. For the record, regular diet is pretty clean, but when I ramp up the drug dosages I eat like a fucking monk.
Instead of church, I usually just go off the rails on Sunday. Smashing whatever I want. But like you, it just not pleasing for some reason. I almost immediately start feeling bloated and like shit. Especially if I start drinking...
It’s exactly that, the 50-60 hot wings and blue cheese, dude order of onion rings and a milkshake sound great, but then my gut feels like straight trash, then I start farting. It’s funny how quickly the body adjusts to eating very clean. I’m boycotting McDonalds, for a little while now. I got a quarter pounder deluxe, has the veggies and mayo on it. I felt an explosive shit bubble hit me before I was even done eating the fucking thing, but it was tasty lol
Hahahaha
Every breakfast is a cheat meal for me. Just eggs, bacon, and sausage all day.
NattyGoneFacts. You can crush a workout but saying no to junk every day is real mental work. Prepping meals ahead made a huge difference for me
There is no way I could ever watch what I eat 24hrs a day, part of the enjoyment of training for me is the massive appetite it stimulates as usually mine is very poor. I enjoy food a lot and if I want carbs or proteins or fats or whatever I just eat it. I see the main important ones as proteins and carbs to aid lifting. I know powerlifting and bodybuilding differ massively in whats acceptable and what isn't, but I would still rather be happy and a bit fat than be lean and miserable and denying myself of something that makes me feel happy and satisfied. .
I love training but eating feels like a chore. Pushing past 250lb on a clean diet is much harder than training in my opinion. But im a bad person to ask because I was never a big eater. Now I just force feed and don't eat for flavor.
I think for most people diet does end up being the harder part of the equation, but I think overall it's pretty individual. For myself, eating clean isn't that much of a challenge at all. But the thing is I'm a little autistic and prefer to just eat the same thing everyday. When I eat clean I feel good. When I eat shit I feel like shit. So those things together I just eat about the same thing daily and make sure it's stuff that makes me feel good after the fact. I somehow never get cravings either.
Eating clean is not hard. Eating 3000+ clean calories is.
You do have to start getting creative when you're pushing the calories up lol When I was on blast and bulking earlier this year I was eating 5500-6500 a day and that was hard just in the sense of getting it all down. Just eating all day.
Yea. It's hard to wolf down that much chicken/rice/broccoli/oats. It becomes a much work as lifting. Gets pretty gross. Chewing that fucking chicken.
At some point you just have to throw it all in the blender and drink it down. There was some old school bodybuilder, can't remember his name, but he would blend some mix of canned tuna, protein powder, and milk. Putrid but he swore by it lmao
That's so gross haha. I couldn't do it. I'm not trying to pull an airliner with my teeth or throw a 500lb boulder. I'm good.
It was Marcus Ruhl and I had the recipe wrong but still lol
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwIu9CLEJW8
I eat clean with dirty and with hormones u r able too still be 8-10% bf
So no war whatsoever
Now if u competing thats a different story
stalliongeating clean is a damn war all day while the gym’s just an hour battle those cravings and snacks with everyone eating junk can derail everything for me training’s easier I can lock in and push but nutrition takes constant discipline like meal prepping in advance to stay on track control leads to freedom so plan your meals ahead and keep it simple high protein with controlled carbs what’s worked for you so far keep sharing how you tackle it.
Have eaten clean bb diet for years and gains were slow. Best physique I achieved was eating with a more relaxed attitude, whilst still trying to consume enough calories. I’ve struggled with carbs, always been able to eat loads of protein and fats, healthy or otherwise. Soon as I added fast acting carbs around workouts I saw a rapid improvement both with strength and hypertrophy.
LiftedGhostThat actually makes a lot of sense, bro. I’ve been super strict with clean eating too, and honestly progress felt stuck. Might try adding some quick carbs pre or post workout like you said seems like my body might be missing that boost. Appreciate you sharing your experience!
Carbs around a workout are night and day difference makers in my experience. I like adding dextrose to whatever I'm drinking though my session, and about halfway through my challenging days I have 60g of gummy bears. Makes a HUGE difference in how the second half of a long session feels. Even if you're in a deficit just timing what carbs you have close to your workout is worth it
Exactly this. Haribo and Dextrose timed correctly are game changers
stalliongI agree