The All Junk Food Diet vs. Clean Eating (Lyle McDonald on "Excluding the Middle") | Ep 356

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Influencers claim you can get shredded eating nothing but junk food. At the same time, clean eating gurus demonize a single cookie (or even broccoli!) as though it's poison. Both miss the point entirely.

This false dichotomy creates an all-or-nothing mindset that undermines your success. When we operate at extremes, either "if it fits your macros" with zero regard for food quality or rigid clean eating that moralizes every bite, we set ourselves up for an unhealthy relationship with food. 

The research consistently shows that the sustainable solution lives in the unsexy middle ground that nobody wants to talk about because it doesn't get views or sell weight loss programs.

Learn about Lyle McDonald's concept of "Excluding the Middle" and why the fitness industry's obsession with extremes traps you in cycles of all-or-nothing thinking that undermine long-term success.

Main Takeaways:

• Why both "if it fits your macros" junk food diets and rigid clean eating miss the point
• The research supporting the middle ground: 85% whole foods, 15% flexibility
• How rigid dietary restraint increases binge eating risk while flexible restraint improves outcomes
• The exact framework for implementing sustainable nutrition without moralizing food
• Why planning for flexibility (not spontaneous perfection) is key to long-term success

Episode Resources:

• Get 50% off Chef's Foundry P600 ceramic cookware (no PFAS, no Teflon, no microplastics)
• Lyle McDonald's "Excluding the Middle" article
• Try MacroFactor for free with code WITSANDWEIGHTS
• Episode: Why Macros Might Be All You Need to Streamline Your Nutrition

Timestamps:

0:01 - The false dichotomy of nutrition extremes
6:04 - All "junk food" diet
10:35 - 100% clean eating
15:28 - The middle ground
21:07 - 300 calories a day for enjoyment
22:27 - Flexible vs. rigid restraint (targets + guidelines)
24:19 - THIS is everything
25:30 - Planning for flexibility vs. spontaneous "perfect" choices

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