I tried going IIFYM today - here are my results

NonnyMary

Hi all - If you all have been following me, I am a believer in not eating everything you want even IIFYM, well check out my diary today (September 6). I wrote everything down, including some snacks I chose to eat, mainly because i was very hungry and chose to eat it.

Looks like I went over my MFP macros. Just indulging a little bit. I mean i didn't even have a whole piece of pie or something like that.

I do not feel now like I "blew my diet" or anything like that, and I was pretty satisfied with my food treats, but please check my diary, I dont think i can indulge a lot every day because it really does not leave a lot of room for these treats or fattening food.

tomorrow I will be at my high school reuinion and I know i will eat a lot of whatever they serve, so I have a question and a comment -

Today proves that I cannont IIFYM because I will overeat my daily MFP allowances,

And the question is - if you were to venture out and try a few treats that you put aside in order to get over food addictions to these foods, how would you venture out and still feel safe and not blow your diet.

Today reinforces the fact that I cannot do IIFYM. ((for that matter we ALL are doing IIFYM to some extent as we all have to fit everything we eat into our MFP macros.. But for those of you who say how much you can enjoy a lot of treats and no problem, you may be doing a lot of exercise or something to enable you to fit those in. I dont know coz im not there

dynamitegalxo

Ok, but the point of IIFYM is **IF** it fits your macros, not eat anything and justify it. The way it works is to eat what you want while staying INSIDE (or very close to, if you want to nitpick) the allowances MFP gives you. You clearly didn't do that, thus not really following IIFYM. I don't understand what you were trying to do or prove?

NonnyMary

Oh ok,, well then... that may be it.

However, I think there is another issue.. A lot of people here say "eat everything in moderation"..Taking that literally I did. And they were not big portions, they were small, but still it caused me to go over my MFP macros.

So i think that proves we cant do everything in moderation, but that we have to moderate what we eat, we cant eat everything in moderation. It doesn't leave room for other things that would have been healthier for me.

dynamitegalxo

Ok but you can not literally eat everything in moderation. People that say 'moderation' and 'IIFYM' still adhere to the guidelines they're given to lose weight. You can't just eat 2 bites of everything you've ever wanted and still expect to lose weight because you're only eating 2 bites and not the entire thing.

NonnyMary

Ok but you can not literally eat everything in moderation. People that say 'moderation' and 'IIFYM' still adhere to the guidelines they're given to lose weight. You can't just eat 2 bites of everything you've ever wanted and still expect to lose weight because you're only eating 2 bites and not the entire thing.

Well then its confusing to me.

I read a lot of posts here from people (who seem to have made a lot of posts so maybe they've been here awhile) and this is what I am perceiving they are saying. So i tried what I think they are saying and its not working for me.

Not that i want to follow this IIFYM method, but when i do like i did today as an experiment, then it works out badly for me, it reinforces that I need to restrict my foods, others give me the impression they are eating whatever whenever and are giving liberty for something that seems to have harmed my macros today. My choice though, not blaming anyone.

j6o4

You didn't even hit your macros, you went over in everything. IIFYM should be about 80% "clean" foods and 20% for treats.

NonnyMary

You didn't even hit your macros, you went over in everything. IIFYM should be about 80% "clean" foods and 20% for treats.

Yes i did go over.. on purpose, for the couple of reasons I mentioned,, (No worry, it will undo itself in a couple days.

Amazing that it did not take a lot of food for me to go over.

Thats why i am so careful to not allow myself certain foods, because when i did, it is a negative thing for me. this is why i got so fat. I ate just a little bit too much every day which all added up to putting on fat.

I still think this proves that my going cold turkey and restricting myself actually is a better method for losing weight.

I also am asking another question here - I did the cold turkey method to jump start myself and now i can eat a few treats, but how do you begin including some treats or fave foods so that you dont mess up your macros allowed? I think i can, but im afraid of having too many of days like today. How do you do it?

Wildflower0106

Ok but you can not literally eat everything in moderation. People that say 'moderation' and 'IIFYM' still adhere to the guidelines they're given to lose weight. You can't just eat 2 bites of everything you've ever wanted and still expect to lose weight because you're only eating 2 bites and not the entire thing.

Well then its confusing to me.

I read a lot of posts here from people (who seem to have made a lot of posts so maybe they've been here awhile) and this is what I am perceiving they are saying. So i tried what I think they are saying and its not working for me.

Not that i want to follow this IIFYM method, but when i do like i did today as an experiment, then it works out badly for me, it reinforces that I need to restrict my foods, others give me the impression they are eating whatever whenever and are giving liberty for something that seems to have harmed my macros today. My choice though, not blaming anyone.

How do you know IIFYM doesn't work for you when you haven't even tried it? You gave it one day and did it wrong... you can't do IIFYM if you don't even fit your macros.

Yanicka1

I do IIFYM

Today I had

Toast with jam, Grilled chicken, tomatoes, cucumbers, rice, bagel, cheese, yogurt with hemp seeds and ice cream.

So you see I had 80% good food then my ice cream . I got plenty of protein and good fats.

That is IIFYM

j6o4

You didn't even hit your macros, you went over in everything. IIFYM should be about 80% "clean" foods and 20% for treats.

Yes i did go over.. on purpose, for the couple of reasons I mentioned,, (No worry, it will undo itself in a couple days.

Amazing that it did not take a lot of food for me to go over.

Thats why i am so careful to not allow myself certain foods, because when i did, it is a negative thing for me. this is why i got so fat. I ate just a little bit too much every day which all added up to putting on fat.

I still think this proves that my going cold turkey and restricting myself actually is a better method for losing weight.

I also am asking another question here - I did the cold turkey method to jump start myself and now i can eat a few treats, but how do you begin including some treats or fave foods so that you dont mess up your macros allowed? I think i can, but im afraid of having too many of days like today. How do you do it?

Prelog your meals so that you have room for your treats.

psfr

You didn't even hit your macros, you went over in everything. IIFYM should be about 80% "clean" foods and 20% for treats.

Yes i did go over.. on purpose, for the couple of reasons I mentioned,, (No worry, it will undo itself in a couple days.

Amazing that it did not take a lot of food for me to go over.

Thats why i am so careful to not allow myself certain foods, because when i did, it is a negative thing for me. this is why i got so fat. I ate just a little bit too much every day which all added up to putting on fat.

I still think this proves that my going cold turkey and restricting myself actually is a better method for losing weight.

I also am asking another question here - I did the cold turkey method to jump start myself and now i can eat a few treats, but how do you begin including some treats or fave foods so that you dont mess up your macros allowed? I think i can, but im afraid of having too many of days like today. How do you do it?

Try exercising more to allow yourself more room in your macros for those "treat" foods. The benefits of excercise can outweigh even some pretty terrible diets.

NonnyMary

So if i had eaten smaller portions of the foods i chose, i could have been IIFYM and not gone over?

I think the term "if it fits your macros" is misleading to me. To me I interpret it as giving someone license to eat whatever they want without much boundaries... but i guess it means eat whatever food you want but dont go over what MFP allows for your daily macronutrients.

Maybe i am over-protective because I have in the past failed on diets because I gave my self too much liberty.

I'm afraid to tred there, even though some people are fine with eating pizza for example. I have been doing fine so far by staying away from Pizza, because i believe i cant stop at just one,, well maybe now, i can because over these past 3 months i have been getting more control over food, and i probably can have a slice but i dont know if that means im starting to pick up my bad habits sneaking in food here, when it still has a latent addiction in me. im doing so well now, if i play around with the extra treats, i might undo all my hard work.

I may not be making any sense, i hope you understand me.

ashleyisgreat

So if i had eaten smaller portions of the foods i chose, i could have been IIFYM and not gone over?

I think the term "if it fits your macros" is misleading to me. To me I interpret it as giving someone license to eat whatever they want without much boundaries... but i guess it means eat whatever food you want but dont go over what MFP allows for your daily macronutrients.

Maybe i am over-protective because I have in the past failed on diets because I gave my self too much liberty.

I'm afraid to tred there, even though some people are fine with eating pizza for example. I have been doing fine so far by staying away from Pizza, because i believe i cant stop at just one,, well maybe now, i can because over these past 3 months i have been getting more control over food, and i probably can have a slice but i dont know if that means im starting to pick up my bad habits sneaking in food here, when it still has a latent addiction in me. im doing so well now, if i play around with the extra treats, i might undo all my hard work.

I may not be making any sense, i hope you understand me.

The phrase isn't misleading. It is: *IF* it fits your macros, why can't you eat it? There's no reason why I can't eat a treat, IF IT FITS MY MACROS. So if you're eating the treat and also going over, then you're doing it wrong. Period.

ashleyisgreat

Regardless, just do what works best for you.

NaomiJFoster

If It Fits Your Macros, go for it.

If It Doesn't Fit Your Macros, don't


You went over your goal, so it didn't fit your macros.

Achrya

...but it didn't fit your macros?

ashleyisgreat

If It Fits Your Macros, go for it.

If It Doesn't Fit Your Macros, don't


You went over your goal, so it didn't fit your macros.

Exactly this.

j6o4

So if i had eaten smaller portions of the foods i chose, i could have been IIFYM and not gone over?

I think the term "if it fits your macros" is misleading to me. To me I interpret it as giving someone license to eat whatever they want without much boundaries... but i guess it means eat whatever food you want but dont go over what MFP allows for your daily macronutrients.

Maybe i am over-protective because I have in the past failed on diets because I gave my self too much liberty.

I'm afraid to tred there, even though some people are fine with eating pizza for example. I have been doing fine so far by staying away from Pizza, because i believe i cant stop at just one,, well maybe now, i can because over these past 3 months i have been getting more control over food, and i probably can have a slice but i dont know if that means im starting to pick up my bad habits sneaking in food here, when it still has a latent addiction in me. im doing so well now, if i play around with the extra treats, i might undo all my hard work.

I may not be making any sense, i hope you understand me.

Most people think IIFYM you can eat anything, but the truth is you cant hit your macros eating pizza and icecream all day. Hitting your macros is harder than just hitting calories, at the end of the night you might have to eat weird combinations in odd portions to hit your macros exactly.

LindsayE007

Oh ok,, well then... that may be it.

However, I think there is another issue.. A lot of people here say "eat everything in moderation"..Taking that literally I did. And they were not big portions, they were small, but still it caused me to go over my MFP macros.

So i think that proves we cant do everything in moderation, but that we have to moderate what we eat, we cant eat everything in moderation. It doesn't leave room for other things that would have been healthier for me.

You say "everything in moderation" but over 1/4 of your daily calories were pure junk. Desserts and coke. To me that is not "moderation". And years ago when I started to watch what I ate I QUICKLY learned I could eat like twice as much if I made better choices. I like to eat so I choose healthier stuff!

Minnie2361

OMG OMG oooh ouch ouch

The brownie alone has so much sugar plus the coca cola!!! It's a killer .

All I need is a shopping cart full of pop tarts , brownies , sodas . I can eat all I want and hit my macros.
I am on the highway to nowhere.

Duck_Puddle

If you skipped the baklava, you'd have been darn close.

The idea is not demonizing foods into "good" and "bad". It's about meeting your calorie & macro goals with whatever suits your fancy. But meeting your goals. Not just eating anything you want. Eat whatever you want provided what you want to eat FITS your goals. For me, this means eating mostly good stuff, then blowing the rest of my calories on something tasty.

But you need to find what works for you. If you're not ready to introduce "treats" into your diet yet, it's fine. Maybe someday you will.

NonnyMary

Hmm , for those of you who can do it, props to you.

I cant.

Strange but im fighting it because of what it means to me. Like what i said above. I think i still have a food addiction I dont mean to go all psycho-babble on you, but i think thats it. I cant indulge in treats a lot becuse i cant stay within my MFP macros

how do you all do it??? How do you all who enjoy ice cream and pizza do it without going over your portions?

this is ironic because I indulged a little bit, I must have eaten a ton of food to get myself to where i am today If i didn't record that on MFP i would be wondering why i didnt' eat much but still had a lot of calories.

anyway it was just an experiment today. i dont plan to do this all the time.. but i might still have a little slice of pizza next weekend.

Can you tell me how i can enjoy such things without messing me up like today?

Cadori

Find the fat and protein needs for your fitness and weightloss goals.

Hit your protein, hit your fat, if you have leftover calories...THEN use those calories as discretionary.

You seemed to just eat with abandon thinking that fits IIFYM.

Cranquistador

most people who do IIFYM change their percentages and are not using the assigned MFP percentages for macros (which are notoriously low in protein)

BeachIron

IIFYM is for people who have got their diet and training regime in strict order. It is for people who have jumped the first few hurdles and are trying to find a way to allow themselves to step back a bit. It's not for you. that's cool. No worries.

thesupremeforce

So, you basically ate a bunch of random food and then claimed it proves something about IIFYM? That doesn't make any sense. The point is it to hit your macros, not to "just eat stuff."

DavPul

You didn't even hit your macros, you went over in everything. IIFYM should be about 80% "clean" foods and 20% for treats.

Yes i did go over.. on purpose, for the couple of reasons I mentioned,, (No worry, it will undo itself in a couple days.

then it didn't fit your macros so you actually didn't do IIFYM so your totally unbiased, extremely scientific, one whole day experiment basically didn't even exist as what you at did not fit your macros

NonnyMary

IIFYM is for people who have got their diet and training regime in strict order. It is for people who have jumped the first few hurdles and are trying to find a way to allow themselves to step back a bit. It's not for you. that's cool. No worries.

aha!! i thought so.

I have been seeing a trend in the people who encourage others to do IIFYM. it seems those with the 6 pack abs and 1600 posts can do that. You may have hit the nail on the head

Cadori

Hmm , for those of you who can do it, props to you.

I cant.

But you can. Yesterday you did a better job. You hit protein, got close on fat, were almost spot on with calories and still got in chocolate and cupcakes. That's pretty close to IIFYM.

You might want to look at your fat and protein goals though as they both seem low.

Achrya

This is a page from my diary, which shows IIFYM done 'properly)

My protein goal is 114g (I hit 116) and my fat is 51g (I hit 53g). I did this with nutrient dense food, and then finished up my day/calories with some cookies and ice cream.

You can't just shove whatever you want into your mouth and call it IIFYM.

NonnyMary

You didn't even hit your macros, you went over in everything. IIFYM should be about 80% "clean" foods and 20% for treats.

Yes i did go over.. on purpose, for the couple of reasons I mentioned,, (No worry, it will undo itself in a couple days.

then it didn't fit your macros so you actually didn't do IIFYM so your totally unbiased, extremely scientific, one whole day experiment basically didn't even exist as what you at did not fit your macros

I realized too that I cant give myself too much leeeway and i need to back to what I was already doing all week which really was ok. (ok i admit, I was starving at 3:00 today and there was a plate of desserts and i grabbed that .. i didn't take time to have fruit on hand.)