2000+ calorie eaters- how "clean" do you eat?

Pick a random day of the week...sometimes it's all home cooked unprocessed foods. But the other day I ate 600 calories worth of Reese's cups.

You win some, you lose some.

What does clean even mean?

I eat over 2000 calories and eat "clean" however it is you're defining it meaning I primarily eat foods without labels and cook nearly everything I eat. The definition of clean is really different, for me I try not to include boxed foods whether whole grain or organic, etc.

Maintenance here, and I try to stick to the 90/10 rule. 90% is clean food, 10% can be junky. It's a nice balance, I use the 10% mostly for social purposes (have a beer, birthday cake, etc).

Clean to me basically means "nutritious". No sweets, salty snacks, alcohol, snack bars, etc. Fajitas, hamburgers, lasagna are all clean in my view!

My calorie whoppers are mainly the classics: avocado, peanut butter, whole wheat bread, and (chocolate) milk.

I eat about half of my meals by the standard definition of "clean". A lot of Greek yogurt, salads, beans, whole grain breads and heathy fats like almonds and avocado. But I also eat a LOT of Mexican food out. I'm on track to hit hot status on chipotles rewards program every month. Chipotle isn't clean eating but the bowl/salad I get is surprisingly micronutrient dense. I also eat street tacos a few times a week because they are delicious and macro friendly. I don't often eat sweet things, I usually replace sweet treats with alcohol on the weekends.

When I'm bulking and around 2500 cals a day I mostly just up my fats a ton to hit my calories. I find that the macros that iifym spits out for me are unattainable for me without eating a lot of processed carbs and refined sugars. I don't think my fitness level is at a point where my carb-fat ratio matters much so I'm kinda whatever about it.

I'm at 2,500-3,000 a day at the moment (track and weights 5-6x a week does that to you!).

2,000-2,500 calories healthy, 500 calories of "eh, whatever I live only once".

Looking forward to more comments here. I'm at 2200 myself, and it's hard! Also, I'm a vegetarian-- so a little extra challenge.

I snack on nuts a lot, but if I'm being junky it's usually granola bars and veggie burgers, that kind of thing. I buy healthier brands, but I'm not gonna pretend there's no sugar or salt in those things.

EDIT: Just to elaborate-- I am a pretty firm believer in "everything in moderation." If my friends want to get froyo, I get froyo, I just watch my portions and stick to the fruit and nut toppings. I just try to be strickter with my everyday meals.

I eat 3000+ cal. Its a lot easier to hit that when I don't worry to much about where the cals are coming from.

I don't consistently track but have in the past enough to discover with that amount of wiggle room I generally get 1g/pound protein without needing any supplements.

This isn't to say I gorge on crap all the time, but I do have things others may consider cheats on a pretty much daily basis.

If we're being honest, I definitely don't eat very clean at all. I found I had much more anxiety about food when I was try to hit macros and eat only clean foods. Now I'd much rather eat cleaner foods during the day and save room for a cookie or some ice cream before bed.

"Clean" Eating for me: Eating most of what I need from the outer aisle of the supermarket. Fresh foods. Oldfashioned Oats, Rice, Bagels.

For bagels, I go with Thomas brand - because they're not store brand they tend to have more accurate nutritional labeling. They're also not refrigerated which means they'll go bad like normal bread. Most importantly, they taste the best to me and my family.

To make up for calories, I incorporate protein shakes, specifically, Mass Gainers. At a whopping 500+ Calories per scoop, it's an easy way to make up calories that you couldn't otherwise eat in a day with nutrient-dense, calorie-light foods.

I average 2000 (give or take 50-100) and eat very clean on not-so-strict keto. So lots and lots of green veggies, eggs, organic meat, wild caught fish. A few low sugar fruits regularly and once in a while high sugar fruit, sweet potatoes and beans/chick peas. Nuts (all types), flax, chia and coconut oil contribute the most to my calorie count. Also the once in a while full cream milk and cheese though I rarely eat dairy. Oh and spices! But I should probably eat less...

I eat around 2000 kcals/day, and the only processed foods that make up a significant part of my diet are things like canned beans and canned tuna. I generally follow the 80/20 rule, and IMO frozen waffles are part of the 20% regardless of whether they're whole grain, organic, gluten free, or whatever.

Does "clean" just mean the more expensive/organic/hippie version of any given food?

I eat 2300 calories a day and yep I eat clean, I prep everything I eat. The only processed food I have is protein powder fro the most part. I have slightly larger portions of food like my yummy Greek yogurt with blueberries or add in more olive oil when I cook or I add prosciutto to my morning breakfast. Or make up guacamole. I focus on whole foods and having more of the stuff I love.

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On training days I eat about 2000cal.
My main meals are mainly wholefoods (eggs/oatmeal breakfast, leftovers/"healthy" takeout for lunch, meat/veg/carb for dinner) but I'll use the extra calories for stuff that I love, like soul food.... a latte, share a pastry with a friend, have some icecream after dinner, put some butter on my veg, that kind of thing. Sometimes a bowl of cereal.

I eat around that amount as a predominantly whole foods vegan. I eat larger portions of brown rice, beans/legumes, lots of fruits, vegetables, oatmeal, avocado, nuts and seeds.

I eat 2500-3000 a day and keep it mostly home cooked and whole foods for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and daytime snacks. I save after dinner calories for something that at least feels like a treat. Sometimes it's just berries and yogurt, sometimes it's pancakes, sometimes it's a full blown ice cream sundae. I can't cut out everything junk food-y because, for me, that way lies food madness and grocery store meltdowns.

Nuts, nut butters, coconut products, full fat dairy, dark chocolate, avocado, eggs. Fats are friends.

Hasn't been hard for me to get a "clean" 2k calories. Just eat your normal food but...more, haha. So instead of 1 chicken breast, 1/2C rice, 1C broccoli, have 1 chicken breast with avocado or cheese, 1-2C rice, 1C broccoli. Add sauces to stuff. Cheese and avocado go with everything.

You definitely don't need to eat Ben and Jerry's or any sugar to reach 2k calories.