IIFYM Not a diet?

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Replies

  • raven_ous
    raven_ous Posts: 223
    Probably one of the most amazing but misunderstood concepts circulating among bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts in general, is IIFYM.

    What started as a phrase from a user named Erik Stevens on bodybuilding.com, quickly caught on and proceeded to cause an uproar of internet stupidity everywhere.


    IIFYM stands for "If It Fits Your Macros" and it was originally phrased on the bb.com forums as a fast way to respond to the overwhelming number of questions about whether or not someone could eat a particular food item without having to worry about getting fat, or not gaining muscle, or (insert other negative effect).

    Here are some examples of the questions that would come up: "Hey can I eat fruit on a cut?" "Hey is it okay for me to have oatmeal?" "Hey I had a cookie but I still stayed at my calorie and macro goals, is that okay or will that hurt my progress?" (The answer being "Yes, you can eat it if it fits your macros").

    IIFYM literally means to hit your calorie and macronutrient targets by end of day choosing foods that you enjoy eating. The concept is completely bastardized because idiots across the internet continually come up with scenarios that don't exist in real life, to try and blow a hole in the idea that IIFYM is a sound practice.

    Here are some examples of the strawmen arguments that show up in an attempt to discredit IIFYM: "You're telling me you can just eat straight table sugar for your carbs, and drink olive oil for your fat, and use whey protein and you'll have a good physique?". "Hey have fun eating pizza and donuts all day". "Brb just eating cake, IIFYM".

    Good luck with that. (You'll note that you typically can't hit your macros eating chips and donuts all day and if you CAN, your macros are probably horsesh*t to begin with and you've then got bigger problems. The point here is that IIFYM most certainly isn't a disregard for health or nutrient sufficiency, but people will often create and knock down that strawman).

    What IIFYM is not:

    1) It is not eating cake and chips all day.
    2) It is not disregarding micronutrients and fiber and general intelligence with regards to food choice.
    3) It is not a specific macro setting. There is a website out there that has the IIFYM label that includes a calorie calculation tool and unfortunately several people on MFP believe that doing "IIFYM" means eating those specific macros. This is false.

    IIFYM is a philosophy about food selection with the belief that body composition changes are primarily a function of nutrient intake and energy balance rather than a function of individual food sources.


    When practicing IIFYM, it is recommended that you choose mostly whole and nutrient dense foods to comprise the majority of your intake. Fresh vegetables, fruits, meats, fish, etc, and at the same time, leaving some room for a discretionary intake. A common and very reasonable recommendation would be about 80/20. That is to say, that if you've got a calorie target of 2500, you'd eat approximately 2000 calories of whole and nutrient dense foods with a calorie bank of 500 to eat whatever you would like while still hitting your calorie and macronutrient targets by end of day


    Source:http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/817188-iifym
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    IIFYM = IIFYM
    IIFYM =!= eat whatever you want

    And that interview is awful.

    How so? It's two of the most honest, intelligent people in the fitness community - period - breaking down exactly why IIFYM isn't a diet and the history around it.

    What point would you argue with?

    I've already answered the question. Alan is great. The interview, umm, not so much.
    20 minutes to express a simple opinion of how a term has been deformed (perhaps, perhaps not).
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    IIFYM literally means to hit your calorie and macronutrient targets by end of day choosing foods that you enjoy eating. The concept is completely bastardized because idiots across the internet continually come up with scenarios that don't exist in real life, to try and blow a hole in the idea that IIFYM is a sound practice

    you there.
    sir.

    get out of here with such logic. we don't allow such things here.
  • a_stronger_me13
    a_stronger_me13 Posts: 812 Member
    That's fair enough and well done for hitting maintenance.

    I'm not be purposefully snarky, this time. I believe IIFYM to be a diet (yes for weight loss, maintenance or bulking - but diet none the less.

    That's not a bad thing - I know Jonny (I've dropped the H) was getting a bit upset.

    I am not even saying IIFYM doesn't work I know it does and people have huge success with it.

    What I am trying to establish is where did it all start. I do not believe that one day everyone just new the term If It Fits Your Macros. Someone came up with the concept and found the science that supports the philosophy.

    I'm just looking for the who and when - then I can understand more about it - again not to discredit it because I have already said I fully believe it works and have no issues with it.

    So if anyone has the answer - would be really grateful if they could post it.:smile:

    Third time is perhaps a charm... watch the video bonehead.

    I haven't got time for that numbnuts.

    Just a name and date will suffice:smile:

    Do you need to be spoon fed everything?
  • raven_ous
    raven_ous Posts: 223
    IIFYM literally means to hit your calorie and macronutrient targets by end of day choosing foods that you enjoy eating. The concept is completely bastardized because idiots across the internet continually come up with scenarios that don't exist in real life, to try and blow a hole in the idea that IIFYM is a sound practice

    you there.
    sir.

    get out of here with such logic. we don't allow such things here.
    My bad...off to eat ice-cream:wink:
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
    Probably one of the most amazing but misunderstood concepts circulating among bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts in general, is IIFYM.

    What started as a phrase from a user named Erik Stevens on bodybuilding.com, quickly caught on and proceeded to cause an uproar of internet stupidity everywhere.


    IIFYM stands for "If It Fits Your Macros" and it was originally phrased on the bb.com forums as a fast way to respond to the overwhelming number of questions about whether or not someone could eat a particular food item without having to worry about getting fat, or not gaining muscle, or (insert other negative effect).

    Here are some examples of the questions that would come up: "Hey can I eat fruit on a cut?" "Hey is it okay for me to have oatmeal?" "Hey I had a cookie but I still stayed at my calorie and macro goals, is that okay or will that hurt my progress?" (The answer being "Yes, you can eat it if it fits your macros").

    IIFYM literally means to hit your calorie and macronutrient targets by end of day choosing foods that you enjoy eating. The concept is completely bastardized because idiots across the internet continually come up with scenarios that don't exist in real life, to try and blow a hole in the idea that IIFYM is a sound practice.

    Here are some examples of the strawmen arguments that show up in an attempt to discredit IIFYM: "You're telling me you can just eat straight table sugar for your carbs, and drink olive oil for your fat, and use whey protein and you'll have a good physique?". "Hey have fun eating pizza and donuts all day". "Brb just eating cake, IIFYM".

    Good luck with that. (You'll note that you typically can't hit your macros eating chips and donuts all day and if you CAN, your macros are probably horsesh*t to begin with and you've then got bigger problems. The point here is that IIFYM most certainly isn't a disregard for health or nutrient sufficiency, but people will often create and knock down that strawman).

    What IIFYM is not:

    1) It is not eating cake and chips all day.
    2) It is not disregarding micronutrients and fiber and general intelligence with regards to food choice.
    3) It is not a specific macro setting. There is a website out there that has the IIFYM label that includes a calorie calculation tool and unfortunately several people on MFP believe that doing "IIFYM" means eating those specific macros. This is false.

    IIFYM is a philosophy about food selection with the belief that body composition changes are primarily a function of nutrient intake and energy balance rather than a function of individual food sources.


    When practicing IIFYM, it is recommended that you choose mostly whole and nutrient dense foods to comprise the majority of your intake. Fresh vegetables, fruits, meats, fish, etc, and at the same time, leaving some room for a discretionary intake. A common and very reasonable recommendation would be about 80/20. That is to say, that if you've got a calorie target of 2500, you'd eat approximately 2000 calories of whole and nutrient dense foods with a calorie bank of 500 to eat whatever you would like while still hitting your calorie and macronutrient targets by end of day


    Source:http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/817188-iifym

    Thanks great post.
  • tedrickp
    tedrickp Posts: 1,229 Member


    I've already answered the question. Alan is great. The interview, umm, not so much.
    20 minutes to express a simple opinion of how a term has been deformed (perhaps, perhaps not).

    Well you know a lot (based on your posting history) many of the "yolos" that follow Omar have no idea about this. Look at all the questions from TennisDude in this thread - the video is for people like him who don't really know much about IIFYM's history and origins.
  • jamesisaac108
    jamesisaac108 Posts: 27
    Going through all these threads...wow, just wow. Do you really devote this much attention to what you eat? I mean it sounds so daunting.
  • BarbellApprentice
    BarbellApprentice Posts: 486 Member
    I am so confused now. Am I on a diet or not? I better start a thread to get this sorted out.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    Going through all these threads...wow, just wow. Do you really devote this much attention to what you eat? I mean it sounds so daunting.

    Yes...

    I aim to hit my protien everyday and will rearrange my eating to make it happen...

    Not so much with my carbs..and I don't manage it everyday but I come pretty close (with my protien)
  • gypsy_spirit
    gypsy_spirit Posts: 2,107 Member
    Going through all these threads...wow, just wow. Do you really devote this much attention to what you eat? I mean it sounds so daunting.

    Yes...

    I aim to hit my protien everyday and will rearrange my eating to make it happen...

    Not so much with my carbs..and I don't manage it everyday but I come pretty close (with my protien)


    This. It takes a lot longer to explain it, than to do it. Plus you get really good at seeing what needs to happen each day.
  • csuhar
    csuhar Posts: 779 Member
    Interesting interview arguing that IIFYM was spun out of control and doesnt actually mean IIFYM eat whatever you want. Thoughts?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCCDTJYUWsg

    Coming back a little more towards the OP: I think that it is definitely possible some people abuse the concept. It isn't much of a stretch to go from the "I don't need to eliminate any type of food from my diet" or "I am free to include any type of food in my diet" mindsets and go to one of "I can eat whatever I want and not think about it". Similarly, some people think they can eat all the "diet" and "low fat" foods they want with impunity, failing to realized that they still need to pay attention to the calories present in those foods.

    However, I think MFP goes a long way to help adherents of the IIFYM approach by letting them set their macro goals, letting them see how well they're meeting those goals, and, most importantly, letting those goals go up and down as needed along with the overall calorie goal.

    If an individual is actually paying attention to his / her macros, IIFYM can be incredibly liberating. You don't need to sit around, watching your friends eat hotdogs at the baseball game or having ice cream on a hot day while you're stuck saying "I'm not allowed to have that". If they AREN'T watching their macros, the whole thing can go badly for them.
  • stumblinthrulife
    stumblinthrulife Posts: 2,558 Member
    In for people who don't understand IIFYM telling IIFYMers what IIFYM is.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    But IIFYM markets itself as a fat loss plan.

    I didn't realize IIFYM had a marketing department.

    It, of course, doesn't. IIFYM isn't a trademark. It's not a corporate-backed idea. It's a grassroots movement. It's not "marketed" as anything except by its adherents. And by its adherents, it is "marketed" as a strategy for any and every nutrition goal.

    The idea that IIFYM isn't "marketed" as a (or even the) way to bulk is laughably ignorant, because it very much is.

    www.IIFYM.com

    'If you are one of these clients that wants to skip to the punchline our IIFYM Starter Kit is perfect for you! Our Macro Counting starter kit gives you everything you need to get started with your new IIFYM Macro diet TODAY!! We do all the math for you, and hand over an easy to follow program that is designed specifically for you, and no one else. Not only will we dial in YOUR specific macros, but we will also leave you with a game plan on how to proceed when your weight loss stalls'

    Hell even they call it a diet!!!

    Not sure if they have a marketing department, but as its a money making business I would assume they have an employee that handles the marketing for them.

    Oh there's your problem. You don't understand what IIFYM means or where it comes from, so you think the home page of "IIFYM.com" defines it.

    By all means, carry on with your willful ignorance. If you ever decide one day you'd rather be informed and correct please let us know. In the meantime, we'll stop wasting our time trying to correct you because you have no interest at the moment.

    Yes please I wish to be enlightened - please direct me to the source! :smile:

    I believe the term was just randomly thrown out on the bodybuilding.com forums. N̶o̶ ̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶k̶n̶o̶w̶s̶ ̶o̶r̶i̶g̶i̶n̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶w̶h̶o̶ ̶c̶o̶i̶n̶e̶d̶ I guess that Eric guy came up with it. It was just a term s̶o̶m̶e̶ ̶"̶b̶r̶o̶"̶ ̶c̶a̶m̶e̶ ̶u̶p̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ to describe a very basic approach to eating. It could also be called "get enough protein and fat, stay under your calories, and besides that eat in moderation" but that's just not as catchy.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    What IIFYM is not:

    1) It is not eating cake and chips all day.
    2) It is not disregarding micronutrients and fiber and general intelligence with regards to food choice.
    3) It is not a specific macro setting. There is a website out there that has the IIFYM label that includes a calorie calculation tool and unfortunately several people on MFP believe that doing "IIFYM" means eating those specific macros. This is false.

    IIFYM is a philosophy about food selection with the belief that body composition changes are primarily a function of nutrient intake and energy balance rather than a function of individual food sources.


    When practicing IIFYM, it is recommended that you choose mostly whole and nutrient dense foods to comprise the majority of your intake. Fresh vegetables, fruits, meats, fish, etc, and at the same time, leaving some room for a discretionary intake. A common and very reasonable recommendation would be about 80/20. That is to say, that if you've got a calorie target of 2500, you'd eat approximately 2000 calories of whole and nutrient dense foods with a calorie bank of 500 to eat whatever you would like while still hitting your calorie and macronutrient targets by end of day

    QFT...

    quote]
    Going through all these threads...wow, just wow. Do you really devote this much attention to what you eat? I mean it sounds so daunting.

    Yes I do, but it was baby steps to get here...I didn't just wake up one morning and know what I was doing. Hitting my macros ensures that I get awesome nutrition. 18 months later, I don't really have to think much about it..I know what I need to eat throughout the day to optimize my nutrition and thus my performance.
  • Redheadllena
    Redheadllena Posts: 353 Member
    Bumpity bump.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    But IIFYM markets itself as a fat loss plan.

    I didn't realize IIFYM had a marketing department.

    It, of course, doesn't. IIFYM isn't a trademark. It's not a corporate-backed idea. It's a grassroots movement. It's not "marketed" as anything except by its adherents. And by its adherents, it is "marketed" as a strategy for any and every nutrition goal.

    The idea that IIFYM isn't "marketed" as a (or even the) way to bulk is laughably ignorant, because it very much is.

    www.IIFYM.com

    'If you are one of these clients that wants to skip to the punchline our IIFYM Starter Kit is perfect for you! Our Macro Counting starter kit gives you everything you need to get started with your new IIFYM Macro diet TODAY!! We do all the math for you, and hand over an easy to follow program that is designed specifically for you, and no one else. Not only will we dial in YOUR specific macros, but we will also leave you with a game plan on how to proceed when your weight loss stalls'

    Hell even they call it a diet!!!

    Not sure if they have a marketing department, but as its a money making business I would assume they have an employee that handles the marketing for them.

    lol you found one website where a guy is trying to make money off IIFYM and then apply it to everyone that does it...

    you really make no sense, but comic relief is definitely your strength...
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    IIFYM literally means to hit your calorie and macronutrient targets by end of day choosing foods that you enjoy eating. The concept is completely bastardized because idiots across the internet continually come up with scenarios that don't exist in real life, to try and blow a hole in the idea that IIFYM is a sound practice

    you there.
    sir.

    get out of here with such logic. we don't allow such things here.
    My bad...off to eat ice-cream:wink:

    LOL... and twinkies- you can't be an IIFYM if you don't eat twinkies!!!!

    nom nom nom I didn't have ice cream last night- I was very sad. LOL
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member


    I've already answered the question. Alan is great. The interview, umm, not so much.
    20 minutes to express a simple opinion of how a term has been deformed (perhaps, perhaps not).

    Well you know a lot (based on your posting history) many of the "yolos" that follow Omar have no idea about this. Look at all the questions from TennisDude in this thread - the video is for people like him who don't really know much about IIFYM's history and origins.

    In my opinion, it just isn't that good: I'm sure calling out IIFYBungHole makes it a great interview for some.

    It's accessible but I've seen Alain and others really discuss quality information. This was not it.
    The quality of information is not based on the accessibility to the lowest common denominator but how it brings new or relevant information.

    I'm just old. Ignore me.

    >get off my lawn<

    But if this "quality nutritional information" it's a sad day.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    I've never heard anyone say that IIFYM is a free pass to eat whatever you want. Didn't have time to watch the video.

    I see it from "clean" folks around these forums. But then, I've never heard people outside of MFP talk about IIFYM or "clean eating."
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    IIFYM is "eat whatever you want..... as long as it fits your nutrient goals."

    That's the point. It's not a diet. It's a nutrient partitioning strategy around which you create your own diet. The power of IIFYM is that it lets you hit those nutrient goals with any food you see fit. Almost any particular diet can be adapted to IIFYM or followed with IIFYM strategies.

    You are restricting your calorie in-take therefore it's a diet.

    A very good one that works for a lot of people - but don't delude yourself it's a diet.

    uhm..... wut?

    You can't bulk or eat above maintenance with the same principles?

    If you want, sure you can.

    But IIFYM markets itself as a fat loss plan.

    Ergo - It's a diet - hey there's nothing wrong with something being a diet (it's not a bad thing).


    di·et1
    ˈdī-it/noun
    1. the kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats.
  • suremeansyes
    suremeansyes Posts: 962 Member
    Your eating habits are what constitute a diet - no matter if you are restricting calories or not.

    That's exactly what I was going to say. Your eating habits are a diet. Even an unhealthy person has a diet, of eating food that makes them unhealthy. Diet does not REALLY mean "food you eat to lose weight".
  • cwsreddy
    cwsreddy Posts: 998 Member
    I've never heard anyone say that IIFYM is a free pass to eat whatever you want. Didn't have time to watch the video.

    many people do.
  • rkdavis85
    rkdavis85 Posts: 2
    I'm not restricting my calorie intake, I'm actually doing the opposite and upping my calorie intake, and struggling to get to the goal everyday. And diet also means "the kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats." So pretty much eating food is a diet. I'm an ex-paleo/clean eater who is now an iifym-er. And I'm so much more happier. I eat good, whole, nutrient dense foods but no longer have guilt when I eat out, or that I have a cookie or donut, etc. It's actually quite freeing. And pretty much every single person I follow on IG and FB fills their meals with nutrient dense foods and on occasion has what are called flex bowls, meaning if they have left over macros, they enjoy a treat typically made of froyo and fruits and nuts. Its not a free pass to eat whatever you want.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    What I am trying to establish is where did it all start. I do not believe that one day everyone just new the term If It Fits Your Macros. Someone came up with the concept and found the science that supports the philosophy.

    I'm just looking for the who and when - then I can understand more about it - again not to discredit it because I have already said I fully believe it works and have no issues with it.

    So if anyone has the answer - would be really grateful if they could post it.:smile:

    No, that's not what you are trying to establish. That's some big revisionist history there. But kudos for trying to graciously exit.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    I've never heard anyone say that IIFYM is a free pass to eat whatever you want. Didn't have time to watch the video.

    many people do.

    It's a free pass to eat any particular food with the caveat that you make it fit your goals.

    It's not a free pass to eat any food in any quantity at any time.
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,069 Member
    Fair enough - we've arrived at the same conclusion via different paths - IIFYM = diet.

    For one brief moment, I thought you were just ignorant of what IIFYM was, and I took the opportunity to tell you.

    Now I understand that you have no interest in learning and that your primary goal is simply to fight against something you don't like.

    x1million.

    @tennisdude When I hit maintenance in June and still Follow IIFYM...I will not be restricting calories...it's not about weight loss.

    That's fair enough and well done for hitting maintenance.

    I'm not be purposefully snarky, this time. I believe IIFYM to be a diet (yes for weight loss, maintenance or bulking - but diet none the less.

    That's not a bad thing - I know Jonny (I've dropped the H) was getting a bit upset.

    I am not even saying IIFYM doesn't work I know it does and people have huge success with it.

    What I am trying to establish is where did it all start. I do not believe that one day everyone just new the term If It Fits Your Macros. Someone came up with the concept and found the science that supports the philosophy.

    I'm just looking for the who and when - then I can understand more about it - again not to discredit it because I have already said I fully believe it works and have no issues with it.

    So if anyone has the answer - would be really grateful if they could post it.:smile:

    Think you are missing the point tennis dude (or just arguing for the sake of it, as usual). There is no who and when.

    If your granny ever fed you meat, tatties and veg, she was watching the macros - she just didn't call it that.

    I have done it all my adult life - my using IIFYM.com as a resource, for optimising my gains is a new thing for me, but not the concept.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I've never heard anyone say that IIFYM is a free pass to eat whatever you want.

    I have. **I haven't actually "heard" it, but I've read it on the MFP forums many, many, many times.
  • cwsreddy
    cwsreddy Posts: 998 Member
    I've never heard anyone say that IIFYM is a free pass to eat whatever you want. Didn't have time to watch the video.

    many people do.

    It's a free pass to eat any particular food with the caveat that you make it fit your goals.

    It's not a free pass to eat any food in any quantity at any time.

    true. your macro-nutrient goals. ignoring your micros (for many people).
  • NataBost
    NataBost Posts: 418 Member
    IIFYM is "eat whatever you want..... as long as it fits your nutrient goals."

    That's the point. It's not a diet. It's a nutrient partitioning strategy around which you create your own diet. The power of IIFYM is that it lets you hit those nutrient goals with any food you see fit. Almost any particular diet can be adapted to IIFYM or followed with IIFYM strategies.

    You are restricting your calorie in-take therefore it's a diet.

    A very good one that works for a lot of people - but don't delude yourself it's a diet.

    Your eating habits are what constitute a diet - no matter if you are restricting calories or not.

    ^^ Right on! You win Cookies.... if they Fit Your Macros.

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