Not hitting fat grams for IIFYM

wifeoferp

Hi All- for those of you who know a bit about IIFYM, if I’m hitting my protein and carb numbers but my fat grams are coming in under budget. The calculator on their site has my numbers at 112 protein, 57 fat, and 149 carbs. So if I’m in the ballpark for protein and carbs but way low on fat (for instance, at 30-35) is that going to mess up the way it works? Or is the fat less important? Thx!

MikePTY

Macros are just a general way of eating. Calories are what determines your loss. So being under fats in and of itself is fine. However if you are under by 30-35 grams of fat daily, but not compensating by increasing protein or carb intake, then you are likely under eating as you are about 300 calories below your goals on a regular basis. So if you are not getting enough fats, you should compensate with some other macro to get closer to your goal.

Cahgetsfit

if you're that much under in fat then you're a significant number of calories under your target also right?

it won't mess things up, but you could just add something like olive oil or cheese or something to one meal and hey presto.

pontious11349

What do you mean by "the way it works"?

If you don't hit your daily fat goal whilst hitting protein and carbs, it just means your in an overall deficit. Might not mean terribly much if you are just trying to lose weight.

If you are absolutely needing to hit your targets and fat is the issue - just eat a measured amount of nuts / seeds.

I try to keep my macros in tact at every intake so it often means I need a handful of almonds to up my fat game.

deannalfisher

Fat is an essential macro for healthy body

Look at your foods - are you using low/no-fat items - if yes, add in whole fat foods; cheese is a great protein/fat combo; fattier cuts of meat

wifeoferp

pontious11349 wrote: »

What do you mean by "the way it works"?

What I mean is, I don’t want my body to lose too much muscle mass while I’m in a caloric deficit, so I didn’t know if just hitting protein macros is the goal for that or if all the macros work together.

Thanks everyone for your help. I used to be coming up short on carbs but watermelon or other fruit has taken care of that. But those have no fat so then I was coming up short on fat. Eating almonds is a good idea.

I just cannot seem to ever balance all the macros to the correct numbers but I guess the main thing is the deficit.

Thanks again!

Panini911

so i am a volume eater and often under fat as well. i've made an effort lately to double check once in awhile fat levels. I switched to 2 or 4% greek yogurt (just a bit less in quantity) and often eat a small portion of almonds. these little things help. dark chocolate helps over non fat jello cups.

not every day do i make it but then some days i can be way over especially on weekends. i just try to be aware overall.

gallicinvasion

Use Olive oil or butter when you cook. Eat two tablespoons of peanut butter. Have higher-fat meat rather than lean meat. Use full-fat dairy products. Eat an avocado.

lynn_glenmont

deannalfisher wrote: »

Fat is an essential macro for healthy body

Look at your foods - are you using low/no-fat items - if yes, add in whole fat foods; cheese is a great protein/fat combo; fattier cuts of meat

^^This. You need fats for various bodily functions, including hormone regulation.

xxzenabxx

wifeoferp wrote: »

Hi All- for those of you who know a bit about IIFYM, if I’m hitting my protein and carb numbers but my fat grams are coming in under budget. The calculator on their site has my numbers at 112 protein, 57 fat, and 149 carbs. So if I’m in the ballpark for protein and carbs but way low on fat (for instance, at 30-35) is that going to mess up the way it works? Or is the fat less important? Thx!

Forget the calorie deficit and look at it in terms of health. No it’s not good so add some olive oil or peanut butter or avocado to your diet. We have essential fatty acids and we have essential amino acids. If you’re under on fat then it can affect your hormonal health especially as a woman.

WholeFoods4Lyfe

Fat is essential. If you aren't getting enough fats you won't be able to absorb the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K.

If you are hitting your other macros and not fats, I assume that that means that you aren't hitting your calorie goals either, is that a correct assumption? Getting extra fat is pretty simple. You should be having adequate amounts of fat at every meal and when you snack. You say that you are eating a lot of fruit to hit your carbs goals? Have a small serving of full fat yogurt with it as well. Using skim milk in your coffee? Switch to heavy cream. Sauteing veggies in Pam? Switch to EVOO. It doesn't take much, just a few small tweaks here and there should get your intake up.

sijomial

IIFYM is an eating philosophy and not just a single website of the same name if that's where you got your numbers from.

My macros (that's the YM in IIFYM) were minimum goals for protein and fat and the rest of my calorie allowance was free to come from any of the other macros (but mostly carbs) which is far closer to the philosophy of flexible dieting rather than the restriction of a same everyday calorie goal and even more unecessary restrictive aim to hit all three macros precisely everyday.

kshama2001

wifeoferp wrote: »

Hi All- for those of you who know a bit about IIFYM, if I’m hitting my protein and carb numbers but my fat grams are coming in under budget. The calculator on their site has my numbers at 112 protein, 57 fat, and 149 carbs. So if I’m in the ballpark for protein and carbs but way low on fat (for instance, at 30-35) is that going to mess up the way it works? Or is the fat less important? Thx!

While it is indeed unnecessarily restrictive to aim to hit all three macros precisely everyday, since fat is important for health, try getting less carbs so you have room for more fat.

I just worry about protein, as for me the fat takes care of itself due to the way I like to eat, and then the carbs fall where they may.

NovusDies

Panini911 wrote: »

so i am a volume eater and often under fat as well. i've made an effort lately to double check once in awhile fat levels. I switched to 2 or 4% greek yogurt (just a bit less in quantity) and often eat a small portion of almonds. these little things help. dark chocolate helps over non fat jello cups.

not every day do i make it but then some days i can be way over especially on weekends. i just try to be aware overall.

I eat high volume and high protein which is mainly fish. I have to glace at my fat on some days and add oils and butters in to bump my numbers. I was switching to full fat yogurt on some days but I am bad about remembering to put it in my daily plan so I don't go through yogurt fast enough to keep 2 versions of it in the fridge.