IIFYM
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Tomk652015 wrote: »Tomk652015 wrote: »IIFYM sounds utterly complicated and labor intensive
Nope. I have 1500 calories a day. I count my calories using a food scale and then check the macro %s. If it looks like my breakfast/lunch are wayyyy too heavy in one macro, I will just pick something else for dinner that will even out the %s. So if, come dinnertime, I'm at 80% Carb, 10% fat, 10% protein... I will have something that is higher in protein and fat for dinner so that it gets close to 50% carb, 30% protein, 20% protein.
ya but there is 3 of us eating dinner...i'm not really free to just eat anything...per say. kinda but not totally.
I am also cooking for my husband and kids.
If I need more protein for the day, I just get a larger helping of whatever protein I've fixed us all for dinner. Sometimes I have to skip the mac and cheese.
It's not that complicated.0 -
I think for basic weight loss then CICO would be what you want because in theory you can eat nothing but Twinkies and you will still lose as long as you are in a deficit. Not saying you will have the best body composition or health in general, but you will lose. IIFYM works because it makes you cognizant of what your food is made of. You need protein for muscle maintenance/building, fats for hormone regulation and carbs for energy. It truly is a great education in nutrition because yes you can eat what you want, but you still must make it fit your macros. Doubtful you could live on a fast food diet and make IIFYM work.0
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It sounds to me like this is practiced with varying degrees of strictness.0
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I think for basic weight loss then CICO would be what you want because in theory you can eat nothing but Twinkies and you will still lose as long as you are in a deficit. Not saying you will have the best body composition or health in general, but you will lose. IIFYM works because it makes you cognizant of what your food is made of. You need protein for muscle maintenance/building, fats for hormone regulation and carbs for energy. It truly is a great education in nutrition because yes you can eat what you want, but you still must make it fit your macros. Doubtful you could live on a fast food diet and make IIFYM work.
More and more fast food places offer options like lower fat dressings, egg white sandwiches, higher protein options, fruit for sides -- someone who wanted to could probably find a way to make it work.0 -
IIFYM (Flexible Dieting in non-bro speak) is typically goal based and structured around TDEE and general requirements for gaining weight, losing weight and/or reverse dieting. You can ballpark it to fit whatever CICO you have going on.
It's been an absolute game changer for this guy as it's liveable and guilt free... aka: SUSTAINABLE.
The MFP Premium makes IIFYM ridiculously easy. Instead of checking your nutrition and macro chart, it's got all the goals front and center and subtracts as you enter food:
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Well it sounds like some people have rigid (that word has negative connotations but I don't mean it that way) targets for each macronutrient & some people just kind of keep an eye on this or that macro. I'm not knocking it. Just observing. I HAD assumed that iifym would mean careful adherence to all macro goals.1
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IIFYM (Flexible Dieting in non-bro speak) is typically goal based and structured around TDEE and general requirements for gaining weight, losing weight and/or reverse dieting. You can ballpark it to fit whatever CICO you have going on.
It's been an absolute game changer for this guy as it's liveable and guilt free... aka: SUSTAINABLE.
The MFP Premium makes IIFYM ridiculously easy. Instead of checking your nutrition and macro chart, it's got all the goals front and center and subtracts as you enter food:
where is that screenshot from? I have premium...i think! how can you tell0 -
ohhh i got you. change your diary to nutrients. got it.1
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Well it sounds like some people have rigid (that word has negative connotations but I don't mean it that way) targets for each macronutrient & some people just kind of keep an eye on this or that macro. I'm not knocking it. Just observing. I HAD assumed that iifym would mean careful adherence to all macro goals.
Some people do it that way, too, which there is nothing wrong with. I just want to make sure I'm hitting my minimum protein/fat requirements.
I love carbs, don't get me wrong, I just feel like protein and fat are more important (for me), and if I hit protein and fat and still have calories left over for carbs, I will likely have ice cream or something (giving me more fat and slightly more protein) rather than pure carbs because ice cream is life.1 -
Alyssa_Is_LosingIt wrote: »Well it sounds like some people have rigid (that word has negative connotations but I don't mean it that way) targets for each macronutrient & some people just kind of keep an eye on this or that macro. I'm not knocking it. Just observing. I HAD assumed that iifym would mean careful adherence to all macro goals.
Some people do it that way, too, which there is nothing wrong with. I just want to make sure I'm hitting my minimum protein/fat requirements.
I love carbs, don't get me wrong, I just feel like protein and fat are more important (for me), and if I hit protein and fat and still have calories left over for carbs, I will likely have ice cream or something (giving me more fat and slightly more protein) rather than pure carbs because ice cream is life.
what to you eat to get your fat content without blowing the calories out of the water?
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Tomk652015 wrote: »Alyssa_Is_LosingIt wrote: »Well it sounds like some people have rigid (that word has negative connotations but I don't mean it that way) targets for each macronutrient & some people just kind of keep an eye on this or that macro. I'm not knocking it. Just observing. I HAD assumed that iifym would mean careful adherence to all macro goals.
Some people do it that way, too, which there is nothing wrong with. I just want to make sure I'm hitting my minimum protein/fat requirements.
I love carbs, don't get me wrong, I just feel like protein and fat are more important (for me), and if I hit protein and fat and still have calories left over for carbs, I will likely have ice cream or something (giving me more fat and slightly more protein) rather than pure carbs because ice cream is life.
what to you eat to get your fat content without blowing the calories out of the water?
Here's a screenshot of my diary where I was pretty spot-on with my macros:
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Well it sounds like some people have rigid (that word has negative connotations but I don't mean it that way) targets for each macronutrient & some people just kind of keep an eye on this or that macro. I'm not knocking it. Just observing. I HAD assumed that iifym would mean careful adherence to all macro goals.
Oh, no- wasn't getting defensive, just trying to understand the context.There's definitely ballpark ranges but it's really about aligning goals and TDEE, so it'll vary by person. Most people start with a basic protein requirement and then play with fats and carbs to their liking and energy needs.
IIFYM should mean a relatively strict adherence to your macro goals in most cases but that's the beauty of it- flexibility in swapping macros if needed. Protein, based on goals, tends to be the rigid baseline.
That said... like any eating regimen, there's definitely those that misinterpret/play fast and loose.1 -
Tomk652015 wrote: »Alyssa_Is_LosingIt wrote: »Well it sounds like some people have rigid (that word has negative connotations but I don't mean it that way) targets for each macronutrient & some people just kind of keep an eye on this or that macro. I'm not knocking it. Just observing. I HAD assumed that iifym would mean careful adherence to all macro goals.
Some people do it that way, too, which there is nothing wrong with. I just want to make sure I'm hitting my minimum protein/fat requirements.
I love carbs, don't get me wrong, I just feel like protein and fat are more important (for me), and if I hit protein and fat and still have calories left over for carbs, I will likely have ice cream or something (giving me more fat and slightly more protein) rather than pure carbs because ice cream is life.
what to you eat to get your fat content without blowing the calories out of the water?
Thing is, you generally start with calories, then build out your macros to fit those calories.1 -
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Tomk652015 wrote: »Alyssa_Is_LosingIt wrote: »Well it sounds like some people have rigid (that word has negative connotations but I don't mean it that way) targets for each macronutrient & some people just kind of keep an eye on this or that macro. I'm not knocking it. Just observing. I HAD assumed that iifym would mean careful adherence to all macro goals.
Some people do it that way, too, which there is nothing wrong with. I just want to make sure I'm hitting my minimum protein/fat requirements.
I love carbs, don't get me wrong, I just feel like protein and fat are more important (for me), and if I hit protein and fat and still have calories left over for carbs, I will likely have ice cream or something (giving me more fat and slightly more protein) rather than pure carbs because ice cream is life.
what to you eat to get your fat content without blowing the calories out of the water?
Thing is, you generally start with calories, then build out your macros to fit those calories.
^^This.
I forgot to mention that part. LOL
No problem!
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Tomk652015 wrote: »is it better for weightloss than just plain ole cico? if so why? convince me. and by the way, i'm a high protein eater right off the start..lots of grilled chicken.
As mentioned before, it's really irrelevant to weight loss...it's not a diet plan to lose weight necessarily...people utilize the concept to lose weight, maintain weight, and gain weight...the concept was born out of the fitness industry, not the diet industry...and more specifically the body building industry.
Being more strict with your macros (note that there is no universally optimal ratio...the "Y" is kind of important) can substantially influence fitness performance and recovery...that said, I do think people tend to get overly wrapped up in "exactness" and perfection...I always tended to have a pretty flexible floating range when I was tracking such things...2 -
Tomk652015 wrote: »Alyssa_Is_LosingIt wrote: »Well it sounds like some people have rigid (that word has negative connotations but I don't mean it that way) targets for each macronutrient & some people just kind of keep an eye on this or that macro. I'm not knocking it. Just observing. I HAD assumed that iifym would mean careful adherence to all macro goals.
Some people do it that way, too, which there is nothing wrong with. I just want to make sure I'm hitting my minimum protein/fat requirements.
I love carbs, don't get me wrong, I just feel like protein and fat are more important (for me), and if I hit protein and fat and still have calories left over for carbs, I will likely have ice cream or something (giving me more fat and slightly more protein) rather than pure carbs because ice cream is life.
what to you eat to get your fat content without blowing the calories out of the water?
If you hit your macros, you're going to hit your calories...your macros are what make up your calories...4 calories per gram of carbohydrate and protein...9 calories per gram of fat.0 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »Tomk652015 wrote: »is it better for weightloss than just plain ole cico? if so why? convince me. and by the way, i'm a high protein eater right off the start..lots of grilled chicken.
As mentioned before, it's really irrelevant to weight loss...it's not a diet plan to lose weight necessarily...people utilize the concept to lose weight, maintain weight, and gain weight...the concept was born out of the fitness industry, not the diet industry...and more specifically the body building industry.
Being more strict with your macros (note that there is no universally optimal ratio...the "Y" is kind of important) can substantially influence fitness performance and recovery...that said, I do think people tend to get overly wrapped up in "exactness" and perfection...I always tended to have a pretty flexible floating range when I was tracking such thing...
Yep, yep and yep. Flexible Dieting is a tactic, not necessarily strategy- and yes, very much tailored to fitness goals with flexibility (as you noted) being key... one that's often lost amongst a pretty common success metric based desire to "hit those numbers exactly". With a good program, there should always be some variance in those baselines.
Not that you needed a shout out but hey... I like your style, @cwolfman13.0 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »Tomk652015 wrote: »is it better for weightloss than just plain ole cico? if so why? convince me. and by the way, i'm a high protein eater right off the start..lots of grilled chicken.
As mentioned before, it's really irrelevant to weight loss...it's not a diet plan to lose weight necessarily...people utilize the concept to lose weight, maintain weight, and gain weight...the concept was born out of the fitness industry, not the diet industry...and more specifically the body building industry.
Being more strict with your macros (note that there is no universally optimal ratio...the "Y" is kind of important) can substantially influence fitness performance and recovery...that said, I do think people tend to get overly wrapped up in "exactness" and perfection...I always tended to have a pretty flexible floating range when I was tracking such things...
All of this.
Since I lift weights and am trying to maintain LBM during my weight loss, I aim for around .8g to 1g of protein per pound of LBM (which is an estimate, I don't know my exact LBM, but I have an okay estimate of the range I should be in).
Since I'm working in estimates, I don't stress if I'm over/under a bit on any given day. As long as I'm in range, I'm good.
It's not an exact science and I don't care if I hit every single one of my macros to the gram. Some days I'll be a bit over and some days I'll be a bit under - it all more or less evens out.0 -
Well it sounds like some people have rigid (that word has negative connotations but I don't mean it that way) targets for each macronutrient & some people just kind of keep an eye on this or that macro. I'm not knocking it. Just observing. I HAD assumed that iifym would mean careful adherence to all macro goals.
A serious bodybuilder and many athletes would probably be a lot more strict than someone who just wants a flexible diet like me. I know some bodybuilders who are religious in their macro target adherence and sports nutrition can be very specialized towards the individual athlete based on their sport and training cycle etc.
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Well it sounds like some people have rigid (that word has negative connotations but I don't mean it that way) targets for each macronutrient & some people just kind of keep an eye on this or that macro. I'm not knocking it. Just observing. I HAD assumed that iifym would mean careful adherence to all macro goals.
There's usually no need to focus on all three. If your protein tends to be low, by default your carbs and/or fat will be higher. So you eat more protein and less of another one. Simple carbs do not satiate me, making it hard to adhere to my calorie deficit when I have proportionally too many of them, so I focus on protein, and reduce carbs. Fat takes care of itself.
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