Need advice on IIFYM

cindibutler80

I am just starting out and I wanted some advice. I am female, 24 yrs old, 5' 7", and 300 lbs. I have craving issues with ice cream and things that aren't good for me and I have portion control issues when it comes to food. I worry I am borderline diabetic and I already have heart flutters. I also have a bad disc in my back which prevents me from exercising when flared up. I would like to follow my macros along with calories so that I keep my lean body mass and feel full. I found formulas for IIFYM to figure up how much protein and fat your really need. According to my daily calorie goal, I would have to eat 105 grams of fat, or 50% of my 1930 daily calories MFP figured up for me to lose 1.5 lbs per week. That amount of fat seems extreme to me. My body fat% is 52.4 so I calculated that I have 142.8 lbs of lean body mass. I know exercising will help keep lean body mass, and I plan to do so but I have to start slow because of my back. Any suggestions or advice on eating based on IIFYM? Thanks!

Greenrun99

Just my 2 cents, but most of the problems you mentioned would definitely get better as you lost weight. As for 50% fat, not sure about that macro, I know some people do high fat.. but I would definitely try to get protein in there as a main macro if you are looking to keep your LBM during the journey.. I would try to hit 160g of protein.. Start off with walking if your back bothers you and (Even though its a IIFYM) I would cut out the drinking of calories (soda, juice, coffee with all the add ins) until you get the eating/calorie part down.

And I am guessing you used a TDEE method to get the 1930, so I wouldn't eat back exercise calories.

carolyn0613

Hi there

I think there are a couple of points I can make - firstly eating fat won't make you fat. It's excessive eating that does that. Though fat is moreish and can lead you astray with its deliciousness. But if you are following your calorie macro first and foremost then you will be ok

Second, eat unsaturated and polyunsaturated fat. The kind you find in olives, nuts, avocados. Not the kind you find in burgers - that's saturated fat which is just so bad for you.

Thirdly - exercise - walking is good. make time for a couple of walks a day and you will see differences in no time. Once you have got your fitness up and injury healed then you can move on to other exercises. But don't go excessive as it is too hard to keep up (been there so many times...). Also be brave and go swimming. You may not feel like getting into a costume but if you can swim, it will help esp in not aggravating your injury.

marypatmccue

SideSteel just posted this yesterday.

Recently there's been an increase in threads where someone posts about IIFYM with the assumption that IIFYM is a specific calorie or macronutrient setting.

This is happening because one of the websites promoting IIFYM also includes a calorie estimation tool and recommended macronutrient settings.

I'm only posting here to clarify some misconceptions at to what IIFYM actually is. I'm well aware that this has been done several times before on MFP but I'm doing it again because of the recent stream of threads that seemingly claim that IIFYM is a certain number of calories.

Suffice it to say, it's a philosophy about food selection and the strategy of looking at the diet as a whole rather than at individual food items.

You can read more here:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/817188-iifym

There are a couple of really great people here that practice and preach IIFYM. Steel is one, HelloitsDan... Both amazing resources. Both have their own groups where they discuss in detail. I'd suggest reaching out to one or both.

greentart

I think rather than currently focusing on exacts, you should focus on eating healthy. Get the cravings and binging under control, before trying to pinpoint and restrict your food even more. I find that it's easier to start small, but jump all in, rather than trying to do everything at once.

As far as your ice cream cravings, it's ALL mental. Some of it may have physical side effects (you REALLY want that ice cream), but it all comes down to YOU. You have the power to say no to it. YOU do. YOU have the power of your future, of your life, in your hands. Learn to say no, and to make the right choices.

Remember, you can do this!

cindibutler80

I appreciate the input. According to the formula I found, I should get 142 grams of protein per day, one for each pound of lean body mass. That I'm okay with. It was just the fat that seemed high. I prefer whole foods for overall health, it's just my cravings/binges that have me eating junk. I don't want to eat the bad stuff because it doesn't satisfy my hunger and it's not nutritious so I feel bad for 2 days after I eat it. I will try to shoot for these macros, which gives me about 90+ carbs per day...which will be hard, but carbs are what messes me up, so hopefully it will help to not have many. I will stick to healthy fats, not saturated. I love coconut oil, avocados, etc. I just didn't know if I was supposed to get that much fat in my diet. I will reset my goals and see if this is doable and helps me.

Cheechos

Hey Cindi! c: I'm currently following something similar to IIFYM, so I thought I'd pop in and give you my two cents.

First - Fat is awesome! It's a super great way to stay full for longer and when it's paired with protein and some vegetable fibers it's a total knock out. You'll hear a lot of argument over whether or not saturated fat is bad for you, so just go with your gut on that one. I personally think it's fine, so I include lots of animal fats in my own diet when I can.

Second - I totally agree with the advice greentart gave you. Doing IIFYM is great, but don't try to restrict too fast. Every time I've tried to do that in the past it's backfired on me. Just be careful and know where your limits as far as cutting down are, okay?

Third - If you have any questions for me, you know where I am. :] Good luck! I'm so glad that you're still here, asking for help, and moving forward. You can do it!