iifym

JanetReyna

I need H E L P!!!
mkay, I weigh around 195 and my height is 5'6, or 5'7. Since I just started with IIFYM I'm having a hard time measuring everything out and idk if I'm making it even more complicated. This is what my trainer told me to write down- Maintenance calories- 2414 Fat loss- 1900 124 carbs 175 protein 78 fat! She said we are going to try out how it works. But I think it's too much calories for me and I need to lose fat and weight not gain it. Idk... Ive never done this before and I'm confused!!!

nordlead2005

I'm not a fan of IIFYM, as I like flexibility. I have macro goals, but I don't hit them every day, nor every week. I come close every week though, but if I have a single high fat week I really don't care (same with any other macro). Protein is the only one I make sure I hit a minimum of (no chance I ever have super low fat or super low carbs).

If you are just starting, you may find it easier just to track calories and let the macros land where they fall. Over time you can start making sure you hit a minimum with protein. If you care after that, track all the macros.

As for how many calories you should eat, well there are ways to calculate a close estimate. As a 20 year old female with the stats above, your BMR is ~1,680 (according to MFP's calculator). If I assume you are lightly active, then you can eat ~2300 calories + exercise calories every day. That is pretty close to your trainers estimate of 2414 (I'm assuming it is TDEE). It looks like your trainer has you on a goal to lose 1lb/week.

So, what do you do with these estimates? Try them out, if you lose 1lb/week, the estimate was correct. If you lose less/more, then you eat less/more so you hit your goals.

NOTES:
BMR = basal metabolic rate, or essentially how many calories you'd burn sleeping all day
MFP = MyFitnessPal
TDEE = Total Daily Energy Expenditure, or essentially how many calories you burn in a 24hr period

Sued0nim

Jarettzy18 wrote: »

I need H E L P!!!
mkay, I weigh around 195 and my height is 5'6, or 5'7. Since I just started with IIFYM I'm having a hard time measuring everything out and idk if I'm making it even more complicated. This is what my trainer told me to write down- Maintenance calories- 2414 Fat loss- 1900 124 carbs 175 protein 78 fat! She said we are going to try out how it works. But I think it's too much calories for me and I need to lose fat and weight not gain it. Idk... Ive never done this before and I'm confused!!!

2414 is quite high maintenance but ok if you're sure that's right

And you are going for a 500 cut which is a lb a week

Personally I think that's far too much protein ...I'd cut that to 0.64g protein and 0.35g fat per lb bodyweight to reach at a minimum, assuming your are doing some progressive resistance work to help preserve your musculature in defecit that amount of protein is sufficient for cell repair

I can post the studies if you want

It basically boils down to, at 195lbs

124g protein minimum = 500 cals
68g fat =614 cals

So that's 1114 calories of your allowance ...eat the rest however you will..getting a wide spread of fresh brightly coloured vegetables and some treats

Hth

tara_means_star

Women are often afraid to eat too many calories but consider that many experts are saying that if you restrict your calories too much, you're body will not want to shed fat as easily. It can still be done obviously, but it is healthier and better for your body and long term weight loss success to cut your calories by only about 20%, which is approximately where you're trainer told you to be at. Personally, for me, we have approximately the same stats--weight, height, etc... I generally eat between 1700-1900 calories per day but choose not to eat back any exercise calories.

SezxyStef

[quote="nordlead2005;34443008"]I'm not a fan of IIFYM, as I like flexibility. I have macro goals, but I don't hit them every day, nor every week. I come close every week though, but if I have a single high fat week I really don't care (same with any other macro). Protein is the only one I make sure I hit a minimum of (no chance I ever have super low fat or super low carbs).

If you are just starting, you may find it easier just to track calories and let the macros land where they fall. Over time you can start making sure you hit a minimum with protein. If you care after that, track all the macros.

As for how many calories you should eat, well there are ways to calculate a close estimate. As a 20 year old female with the stats above, your BMR is ~1,680 (according to MFP's calculator). If I assume you are lightly active, then you can eat ~2300 calories + exercise calories every day. That is pretty close to your trainers estimate of 2414 (I'm assuming it is TDEE). It looks like your trainer has you on a goal to lose 1lb/week.

So, what do you do with these estimates? Try them out, if you lose 1lb/week, the estimate was correct. If you lose less/more, then you eat less/more so you hit your goals.

NOTES:
BMR = basal metabolic rate, or essentially how many calories you'd burn sleeping all day
MFP = MyFitnessPal
TDEE = Total Daily Energy Expenditure, or essentially how many calories you burn in a 24hr period[/quote]

IIFYM is the very definition of flexible.

OP when I started losing I was 205 and your height...2400 sounds about right to maintain...

Even now at 145 during the summer that's what I maintain on.

Currently maintenance is around 2200 as I haven't totally stopped my cardio and doing HIIT.

JanetReyna

I just started out but I think what she gave to me to eat is too many calories. I feel so dumb I never understood this and I honestly just want to educate myself and loose weight. I am tired of feeling uncomfortable in my body.

scolaris

Yeah I lose eating 17-1900 too. I'm 5'6' and only a little under that weight currently. Sometimes i eat some exercise calories too. I walk a lot.
I think most average size adult women grossly underestimate what they can really burn about as much as they grossly underestimate how much they were actually eating in order to get heavy. Once I started paying attention & measuring out my food the question became not 'why have I gradually gained 5 lbs a year for 12 years?' but rather 'why am I not 600 lbs and have my own TLC show?'
Only exceedingly petite, elderly, and/or sedentary people need to go to 1200 to lose.

tara_means_star

It doesn't sound like what she gave you is too many calories. If you follow the eat-as-few-as-you-possibly-can diet mentality you run the risk of yo-yo dieting and crashing your metabolism. If you eat below your maintenance calories, you will lose weight. If you try to eat too far below your maintenance calories you'll mess yourself up. Start at 1900 and just see if you start losing. Expect your weight loss to be slow, because if it's not then your not healthy and having a much greater chance of seeing the fat return plus some.

coachmer_

nordlead2005 wrote: »

I'm not a fan of IIFYM, as I like flexibility. I have macro goals, but I don't hit them every day, nor every week. I come close every week though, but if I have a single high fat week I really don't care (same with any other macro). Protein is the only one I make sure I hit a minimum of (no chance I ever have super low fat or super low carbs).

If you are just starting, you may find it easier just to track calories and let the macros land where they fall. Over time you can start making sure you hit a minimum with protein. If you care after that, track all the macros.

As for how many calories you should eat, well there are ways to calculate a close estimate. As a 20 year old female with the stats above, your BMR is ~1,680 (according to MFP's calculator). If I assume you are lightly active, then you can eat ~2300 calories + exercise calories every day. That is pretty close to your trainers estimate of 2414 (I'm assuming it is TDEE). It looks like your trainer has you on a goal to lose 1lb/week.

So, what do you do with these estimates? Try them out, if you lose 1lb/week, the estimate was correct. If you lose less/more, then you eat less/more so you hit your goals.

NOTES:
BMR = basal metabolic rate, or essentially how many calories you'd burn sleeping all day
MFP = MyFitnessPal
TDEE = Total Daily Energy Expenditure, or essentially how many calories you burn in a 24hr period

the whole basis of IIFYM IS flexibility in what you eat to work towards meeting your specific goals..

nordlead2005

To the two responses above. CICO is even more flexible than IIFYM.

If I have 20 grams of carbs and 10 grams of fat left and 0 grams of protein left, good luck finding a snack that fits both what I want to eat and my macros.

If I have 170 calories left and can choose whatever I want, that is flexibility.

Toria718

2400 maintenance sounds about right, i agree it seems you are set to lose 1 lb per week. I eat 1500-1900 per day depending on my exercise and mood. I have been losing around 1.5 lb per week, I am also 56 and currently weigh 186 but mid september i was 195. It is definitely doable, the protein does seem a bit high, I eat around 110-120g per day with a minimum of 80...I like to run, it helps fuel me.

nordlead2005

Jarettzy18 wrote: »

I just started out but I think what she gave to me to eat is too many calories. I feel so dumb I never understood this and I honestly just want to educate myself and loose weight. I am tired of feeling uncomfortable in my body.

My estimate is in line with your trainers. Try it out and see what happens. I guarantee you that if you actually eat that many calories (no logging errors), that you will not gain fat and in fact will lose close to 1lb/week.

xKoalaBearx

I look at IIFYM like this: I look at the protein and fat as minimums, and as long as I hit those two minimums, I'm good for the day. And since reaching my fat minimum is easy, all I really end up focusing on is hitting my protein minimum.

Then the rest is CICO. It's worked for me. Went from 200 lbs to 140 lbs in 8 months and have been maintaining since June.

coachmer_

nordlead2005 wrote: »

To the two responses above. CICO is even more flexible than IIFYM.

If I have 20 grams of carbs and 10 grams of fat left and 0 grams of protein left, good luck finding a snack that fits both what I want to eat and my macros.

If I have 170 calories left and can choose whatever I want, that is flexibility.

true, but not all goals are attainable simply by CICO; pure and simple weight loss, sure. as a heavy lifter, i personally prefer IIFYM.