Can I still get lean without IIFYM diet?

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Famof72015
Famof72015 Posts: 393 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
I feel like I was doing soooo good in my own, THEN I started researching and. Whole new world of IIFYM women appeared and I got sucked in and it's really just pissing me off. Like I get the hang of it but I really don't want to be that meticulous when it comes to food. Can I still get lean lose body fat and just watch my food intake? Might sound silly but I have it in my head that these women's 6 packs and body compositions are because they are counting their macros.... I'm fairly new into weight training, just started squats up to 95 - sets and deadlifts 95- 5 sets. I'm. 34 year old Mom to 5 kids ages 8,5,4 and twins 13 months old. I'm down to 125-128 and I have as of last week 21% body fat from a caliper reading. I think I'm doing good. I just would hate to slow my progress and not have my muscles POP because of it. I am figured by my online coach to have 1530 calories and I believe 170 carbs, 45 fat and 115 protein. Any help would be appreciated or opinions, validation. Thanks!

Replies

  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    edited January 2017
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    counting macros is just a way of controlling your calories, you change your macros just as you would calories when your goals change (increase to gain, decrease to lose). you don't have to, but ensuring you have minimum amounts of protein and fat will benefit your health and body composition as you lose weight.
  • Famof72015
    Famof72015 Posts: 393 Member
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    I do count calories so as long as I'm checking to make sure I'm getting adequate amount of protein and fat I should be OK?
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
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    Famof72015 wrote: »
    I do count calories so as long as I'm checking to make sure I'm getting adequate amount of protein and fat I should be OK?

    yes - think of your protein and fat as minimums. eat at least that amount of those, then fill the rest of your calories with whatever you like. you might find your body responds better to lower carb/higher fat, or vice versa. Or that you feel more satisfied with higher carb/lower carb, more protein or fat - everyone is different!
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    Famof72015 wrote: »
    I do count calories so as long as I'm checking to make sure I'm getting adequate amount of protein and fat I should be OK?

    That's how i do it. Trying to to get spot on macros stresses me out too much.
  • Famof72015
    Famof72015 Posts: 393 Member
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    Oh my gosh. It's just mind boggling and almost doing a reverse on me.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    Famof72015 wrote: »
    Oh my gosh. It's just mind boggling and almost doing a reverse on me.

    Keep to your calories and try and get as close as you can to your protein and fat goals and let carbs fall where they may.
  • Famof72015
    Famof72015 Posts: 393 Member
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    How much protein and fat do you guys aim for does nine sound about right?
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
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    Christine_72 wrote: »
    Famof72015 wrote: »
    I do count calories so as long as I'm checking to make sure I'm getting adequate amount of protein and fat I should be OK?

    That's how i do it. Trying to to get spot on macros stresses me out too much.

    i'm the opposite - I see it as a game, like a jigsaw puzzle :) during comp prep i'll be diligent about hitting the macros set by my coach. when i'm not on prep, I can be more relaxed about where the numbers fall.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    edited January 2017
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    Famof72015 wrote: »
    How much protein and fat do you guys aim for does nine sound about right?

    9? or "mine"? i think your macros sound ok

    if thats what your coach has given you, stick to that so they know what you're doing!
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    I've got mine set at % 40/30/30 C/P/F . Today I'm way over in fat, and under in protein. Some days it's the opposite lol You're macros sound fine to me. My only hard and fast rules are to not go under 100g of protein or under 50g of fat.
  • Famof72015
    Famof72015 Posts: 393 Member
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    So you guys don't count your macros that but you count your calories? She is an online coach and I check in with her once a week. I wish I could afford a personal trainer in the town I live in but unfortunately I can't in with five kids I can't make it to the gym so I work out at home and my husband has a lot of workout equipment I just wish I had a better idea or help to get more lean and still build some muscle. What are some good Avenue exercises you guys recommend I do a lot of playing I'm up to four minutes
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
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    Famof72015 wrote: »
    So you guys don't count your macros that but you count your calories? She is an online coach and I check in with her once a week. I wish I could afford a personal trainer in the town I live in but unfortunately I can't in with five kids I can't make it to the gym so I work out at home and my husband has a lot of workout equipment I just wish I had a better idea or help to get more lean and still build some muscle. What are some good Avenue exercises you guys recommend I do a lot of playing I'm up to four minutes

    I count my macros. to the gram, as i'm competing this year, and doing what my coach tells me. I don't have an issue with it, or find it difficult or stressful. I enjoy it.

    online coaches are just as capable of ensuring you get results as face-to-face trainers - they should be able to provide workouts using whatever you have access too, to get the results you want. leaning up and building muscle at the same time is not generally possible, unless you're new to lifting, or doing a recomp. these are things you should be discussing with your coach - that's what you're paying them for!

    (no idea what avenue exercises are...sorry)
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
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    You don't need to count your calories in order to lean out. I do try to hit my protein and fat minimums though. After logging so long I have a good idea how much protein I am getting, and fat is never a problem for me. Typically if you aim for protein: 0.6-0.8 g per lb, fat: 0.3-0.45g per lb and rest carbs you should be fine. I have never been super precise about my macros, even when I was tracking.

    While I personally have leaned out by not logging, I have loads of wiggle room because of my calorie burn and intake. The closer you get to your goal weight, it can be very helpful to pay close attention and accurately track your calories and macros. Again, not to say it can't be done, but it can actually be easier to get results.
  • Famof72015
    Famof72015 Posts: 393 Member
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    So do you think 130 g of protein is too much and 45 to 50 g of fat is too much? I'm about where I want to be weight wise now I just would like to get more lean but I do not want to count my macros right down to measuring catch up and soy sauce if I eat that down to a half a teaspoon of EVO to fry my chicken in...
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
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    Famof72015 wrote: »
    So do you think 130 g of protein is too much and 45 to 50 g of fat is too much? I'm about where I want to be weight wise now I just would like to get more lean but I do not want to count my macros right down to measuring catch up and soy sauce if I eat that down to a half a teaspoon of EVO to fry my chicken in...

    No. Your macros are fine.

    If you're close to your goal, you will likely need to be accurate with your calories/macros, and that involves measuring sauces and olive oil (fats are calorie dense. Eyeballing or disregarding it may mean adding many calories over the day/week)
  • tattygun
    tattygun Posts: 447 Member
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    If you're losing weight each week and you aren't training for anything serious such as a physique comp then I'd continue to do what you're doing. At this stage at least.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
    edited January 2017
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    You don't need to count calories or macros to get lean. IIFYM isn't really a diet, it's a concept...there is no one universally optimal macro ratio...a marathon runner is going to have a different optimal macro ratio than a body builder for example.

    IIFYM isn't that calculator or website...that site is just capitalizing on a popular concept. The concept itself was born out of the body building community and was a stock answer on bodybuilding.com to combat a lot of dietary bro-science and to answer questions like, "if I eat X, will I destroy may gains?" Answer, IIFYM.

    I am only generally aware of what my macros are from previous experience...but I log nothing and I can get lean just fine. It might matter more if I was trying to walk around 24/7/365 at sub 8% or something, but I'm not that guy.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    Famof72015 wrote: »
    So you guys don't count your macros that but you count your calories? She is an online coach and I check in with her once a week. I wish I could afford a personal trainer in the town I live in but unfortunately I can't in with five kids I can't make it to the gym so I work out at home and my husband has a lot of workout equipment I just wish I had a better idea or help to get more lean and still build some muscle. What are some good Avenue exercises you guys recommend I do a lot of playing I'm up to four minutes

    i count both..

    your macros should be about .6 to . 8grams of protein per pound of body weight; about .4 grams of fat and fill in rest with carbs..

    if you want to get lean you need a calorie deficit and keep protein high (almost 1 gram per pound of body weight in this instance) to preserve as much mass as possible...

    you really need to pick a goal and stick to it; re; get lean or add muscle. you can run a a few bulk/cut cycles, or just focus on a recomp.

    do you know your current body fat%?
  • Famof72015
    Famof72015 Posts: 393 Member
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    Around 21%....
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
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    I don't even log what I eat. It is possible, you just have to work hard, progress, and watch your body.

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