Effect of Exercise on IIFYM and Reverse Dieting

supkristi

I have recently started to focus on counting macros rather than calories. I started counting calories and working out in May, 2013 and have since lost about 25-30 lbs. I’m a 23 year old female, ~125 lbs, 5’1 and have been consistently eating around 1200 net calories a day. I do about 1 hour cardio, 3 times a week and do some light weight lifting about 3 times a week as well (TDEE is approx 1750-1800 calories based on IIFYM calculator).

I noticed in the past couple months that I have reached a serious weight loss plateau, have started feeling really hungry, terrible mood all the time. I had suspicions that my metabolism has significantly slowed down and after consulting with a personal trainer from my local gym, she seems to think that I am 1) not eating enough calories 2) not lifting enough weights/too much cardio to reach my goals. She suggested to look into IIFYM and try reverse dieting to eventually eat back to my maintenance calories so I can put on some muscle and repair my metabolism.

Since I am so used to counting/calculating net calories, I am unsure of the effects of exercise on counting macros. This particular personal trainer says that exercise is no factor in reverse dieting/counting macros, which I am having a hard time wrapping my head around. Currently, based on IIFYM calculator, I am trying to eat 75g carb, 50 g fat, 125 g protein. Now, I do realize the calculator takes into account your exercise. However, my goal is not set as my current TDEE (1750), as I am trying to gradually and slowly increase more calories into my diet. My current goal is my approximate BMR (1250), which is about 50 calories more than I have been eating. I put '1250' in the 'Custom' goal option.

So, hypothetically if I were to work out and burn 1000 calories (EXTREME example) on any given day, for example, I find it hard to believe that my macros would not be static even with a high calorie burn. I guess I am just confused in a scientific sense how my macros should be affected if I exercise but my ‘goal’ on IIFYM does not include exercise (I use the 'custom' option). Shouldn't the % of p, c and f I eat increase proportionally with the amount of calories I burned, which may vary from day to day?

Thanks!

3laine75

Not sure if it's necessarily the 'right' way but I would make sure I get those original protein and fat goals then the rest of what I earned, I would just have whatever I wanted.

You can only utilise so much protein, so I wouldn't kill myself trying to eat the whole percentage earned from the burn.

I'm hoping that you mean you would have 1250 then burn 1000 and eat those too? So, eat 2250, netting 1250 and not netting just 250 (because that would be stupid, obvs).