You say Macros Macros Macros. I hear Marsha Marsha Marsha.
goldthistime
Posts: 3,213 Member
IIFYM is annoyingly popular. The hawt fitness trend. For a long while it felt to me like it was repeated without thought, or at least without an accompanying coherent explanation. I resisted. There were not NO coherent explanations, they were just hidden in amongst the rah-rah'ing. Thank you to those of you who provided them. The seeds were planted.
I had an epiphany yesterday. Rain for those seeds. Our cat was diagnosed with diabetes and we were told that a big part of the solution is to reduce the carbs in his diet by replacing them with protein. It got me thinking.
I did Atkins when IT was the hot trend. My carb cravings were considerably diminished and I lost weight. But when I did cheat I went crazy. From what I remember, it was too extreme for me to be sustainable long term. Three years ago my husband became a huge proponent of the diet prescribed by Caldwell Esselstyn's "Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease". In a nutshell, no meat and virtually no fat, not even olive oil. An "anti-Atkins" diet. He and his buddies lost a ton of weight and their cholesterol numbers dropped. I followed suit, ate all the vegetablz, and lost weight. But I couldn't sustain it. I cheated. Not by eating meat or fats (the ultimate no-no), but by eating breads and sweets. Without proteins and fats to keep me feeling full, my carb cravings flourished.
The carb/fat/protein goals that were first set for me on MFP were a huge improvement from what I was eating before I was logging. I'll bet there have been extended periods in my life when protein was less than 10% of my diet. I think our bodies are incredibly adaptive. If you can maintain either extreme (low carb or low fat) while still eating a nutritious, calorie appropriate diet, more power to you. But apparently I'm Goldilocks. I need the macro combination that is "just right" to avoid carb swings and stay on track.
I'm going to reset my macro goals to the uber popular 40/30/30 ratio and try to eat more meat. I'm not talking about a "steak and pop tarts" version of IIFYM that disregards micros. I'm still pro-vegetables. My hope is that the emphasis on protein and fat will help to further reduce my carb cravings. Beans in quantity have ghastly gaseous results, and I eat nuts already, but I find calorie for calorie meat keeps me fuller longer. So more meat. A goal of 50-55% carbs seems fine for me, except that I'm still exceeding it too frequently. When my carbs creep up I find myself fighting "the munchies" and the urge to go wild. Hopefully a 40/30/30 will help. I'd be happy with a range between those numbers.
Jump in. Tell me why you think I am right, wrong or somewhat confused, or what your experience has been. And yes, a cat was mentioned, so gifs are appropriate.
I had an epiphany yesterday. Rain for those seeds. Our cat was diagnosed with diabetes and we were told that a big part of the solution is to reduce the carbs in his diet by replacing them with protein. It got me thinking.
I did Atkins when IT was the hot trend. My carb cravings were considerably diminished and I lost weight. But when I did cheat I went crazy. From what I remember, it was too extreme for me to be sustainable long term. Three years ago my husband became a huge proponent of the diet prescribed by Caldwell Esselstyn's "Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease". In a nutshell, no meat and virtually no fat, not even olive oil. An "anti-Atkins" diet. He and his buddies lost a ton of weight and their cholesterol numbers dropped. I followed suit, ate all the vegetablz, and lost weight. But I couldn't sustain it. I cheated. Not by eating meat or fats (the ultimate no-no), but by eating breads and sweets. Without proteins and fats to keep me feeling full, my carb cravings flourished.
The carb/fat/protein goals that were first set for me on MFP were a huge improvement from what I was eating before I was logging. I'll bet there have been extended periods in my life when protein was less than 10% of my diet. I think our bodies are incredibly adaptive. If you can maintain either extreme (low carb or low fat) while still eating a nutritious, calorie appropriate diet, more power to you. But apparently I'm Goldilocks. I need the macro combination that is "just right" to avoid carb swings and stay on track.
I'm going to reset my macro goals to the uber popular 40/30/30 ratio and try to eat more meat. I'm not talking about a "steak and pop tarts" version of IIFYM that disregards micros. I'm still pro-vegetables. My hope is that the emphasis on protein and fat will help to further reduce my carb cravings. Beans in quantity have ghastly gaseous results, and I eat nuts already, but I find calorie for calorie meat keeps me fuller longer. So more meat. A goal of 50-55% carbs seems fine for me, except that I'm still exceeding it too frequently. When my carbs creep up I find myself fighting "the munchies" and the urge to go wild. Hopefully a 40/30/30 will help. I'd be happy with a range between those numbers.
Jump in. Tell me why you think I am right, wrong or somewhat confused, or what your experience has been. And yes, a cat was mentioned, so gifs are appropriate.
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Replies
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Judging by the fact that you have continuously gained and lost 30lbs over the years, maybe you should just worry if this is sustainable for you vs. it's effectiveness. Almost any "diet" will be effective if you stick with it and exercise.0
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I don't understand what this has to do with IIFYM.0
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Sounds like something I need to do. The carb cravings are fierce for me, too, and I need to do something about it. I usually am under on my proteins and meat does fill me up more and for longer. Let's work on it together!0
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Judging by the fact that you have continuously gained and lost 30lbs over the years, maybe you should just worry if this is sustainable for you vs. it's effectiveness. Almost any "diet" will be effective if you stick with it and exercise.
Agreed.0 -
Beans don't cause the toots, if you prepare them properly. At least, in my experience. :bigsmile:
I think it's all about what works for the individual. Atkins, Paleo, Vegetarianism, IIFYM - cookies and brownies included, whatever. Can you maintain it as a lifestyle change? Because that's what's important. THAT is the realization I had to come to, and why IIFYM works for me. It's something I know I can keep doing indefinitely. No 12 week program. No detoxes. Just good old eat less, move more.0 -
Sounds like something I need to do. The carb cravings are fierce for me, too, and I need to do something about it. I usually am under on my proteins and meat does fill me up more and for longer. Let's work on it together!
Thanks sweet Jasmine.0 -
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I don't either, except that we apparently eat steak and Pop Tarts and nothing else.I don't understand what this has to do with IIFYM.
OP, as a PP said, find what works for you; a way of eating you can do until you die. Mine works for me.0 -
I don't understand what this has to do with IIFYM.
Then maybe I am STILL missing something about IIFYM.0 -
It sounds to like to me that you just didn't research IIFYM, and instead paid too much attention to Pop Tart jokes. I'm happy that you've found something that may be sustainable for you though.0
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I don't understand what this has to do with IIFYM.
this0 -
I don't understand what this has to do with IIFYM.
Glad I wasn't the only one.0 -
The "steak and poptarts" version of IIFYM does not disregard micros.0
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It bothers me how completely misunderstood IIFYM is. You absolutely should be aiming to hit micronutrient goals as well as a fiber goal in addition to hitting your macro goals every day. Also if you set your macronutrient goals in a healthy way, it's almost impossible to hit them eating nothing but junk. Most of what you'll be eating will be whole foods that are minimally processed, but the beauty of IIFYM is that it allows for the foods you love in moderation that most people incorrectly deem as unhealthy.
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you complete me.0 -
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The "steak and poptarts" version of IIFYM does not disregard micros.
Poptarts are actually fortified with vitamins and minerals and (some people's issues with 'fortified' foods aside) I dare say they could even help a person reach certain micro levels sometimes.
Not me though, because I don't eat poptarts. So I'm not sure which 'IIFYM' I subscribe to.0 -
That^I don't understand what this has to do with IIFYM.
this
Last I checked I don't eat pop tarts and steak all day. And when I do eat them I 100% make sure i pay attention to macronutrients.
It's just another case of somebody who heard about people doing IIFYM and eating poptarts etc, and hasn't done any real research into it...0 -
Maybe you should tell us what you think IIFYM is...0
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http://iifym.com/
I'm not going to explain what IIFYM is until you actually do some reading yourself, ma'am.0 -
My main thought is, "why were you feeding your cat carbohydrates?".0
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The "steak and poptarts" version of IIFYM does not disregard micros.
Poptarts are actually fortified with vitamins and minerals and (some people's issues with 'fortified' foods aside) I dare say they could even help a person reach certain micro levels sometimes.
Not me though, because I don't eat poptarts. So I'm not sure which 'IIFYM' I subscribe to.
The cookies and cake version?0 -
What IS IIFYM I thought that this thread would explain it LOL!0
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The "steak and poptarts" version of IIFYM does not disregard micros.
Poptarts are actually fortified with vitamins and minerals and (some people's issues with 'fortified' foods aside) I dare say they could even help a person reach certain micro levels sometimes.
Not me though, because I don't eat poptarts. So I'm not sure which 'IIFYM' I subscribe to.
The cookies and cake version?
I prefer the Chinese Buffet (I pick out the veggies of course) and homemade bread version.0 -
The "steak and poptarts" version of IIFYM does not disregard micros.
Poptarts are actually fortified with vitamins and minerals and (some people's issues with 'fortified' foods aside) I dare say they could even help a person reach certain micro levels sometimes.
Not me though, because I don't eat poptarts. So I'm not sure which 'IIFYM' I subscribe to.
The cookies and cake and squash version?
Accurate representation of my lifestyle is accurate. I bought some squash for 45 cents a pounds earlier this month and I was eating squash every night for two weeks.
nomnomnom0 -
What IS IIFYM I thought that this thread would explain it LOL!
Please feel free to go to the link I provided.0 -
This will be a good thread. I like that gifs will be nostalgic.0
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ETA: some text.
Image not meant to snark at the OP.
IIFYM is more than picking a macro ratio and choosing foods accordingly. It's a method of determining intake based on your stats, activity, and goals. And as others have stated above, it does NOT mean ignoring your micronutrients and eating nothing but steak and poptarts.
This calculator helps to set targets.
iifym.com/iifym-calculator/
I don't follow IIFYM myself because I still prefer MFP's NEAT approach given my highly variable activity level, but I find it helpful to aim for the protein and fat targets within my mostly-kinda-sorta-balanced diet. OP, note that those targets are absolute numbers based on your weight and lean mass -- they're not percentages of intake. We just manipulate the percentages in MFP to hit those targets within our normal calorie range.0 -
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