"It doesn't matter what you eat, IIFYM."

half_moon
half_moon Posts: 807 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
"If doesn't matter what you eat, as long as it fits your macros, is in your calorie limit, etc". (and assuming you are getting your nutrients somehow) -- You will still lose weight.

Do you think this is true?

Although I was within my caloric range and preset macros, I feel disgusting after three waffles last night. Is this a product of the syrup not digesting well, a lack of nutrients, or the subconscious notion that bad food makes you fat, no matter how little of it you eat?

Just wanted to know your opinions on this idea as I hear it a lot around the boards.
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Replies

  • Ras_py
    Ras_py Posts: 129 Member
    No, i dont think that is true.
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
    What you eat matters far LESS than how much you eat. Eat fewer calories than you burn and you will lose weight, regardless of the makeup of those calories. Make better choices, and perhaps you'd lose weight slightly faster, and for sure you'd have better health and nutrition.
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,500 Member
    Yes, it is a sensible way to structure your eating and keep you in deficit. It allows you a bit of flexibility to have some "non diet" food in your intake.

    However, it is a bit misunderstood. If you are balancing your macros you can't simply have a diet full of junk food and think you are doing IIFYM. The idea is to hit all or near to your macro goals and your calorie goals. If you have a goal of say 2000 calories and 180g of protein and you eat donuts all day you will end up going over your carb and fat goals but leaving only say 300 calories to get say 160g of protein.

    Not going to happen is it...
  • firstsip
    firstsip Posts: 8,399 Member
    What? Syrup? Nutrients? You ate non-complex carbs x 3. Of course you'll feel gross, sluggish, brain-foggy. It's the waffle, not the syrup, I can almost guarantee.
  • half_moon
    half_moon Posts: 807 Member
    What? Syrup? Nutrients? You ate non-complex carbs x 3. Of course you'll feel gross, sluggish, brain-foggy. It's the waffle, not the syrup, I can almost guarantee.

    I reggo my eggo.
  • wewon
    wewon Posts: 838 Member
    My issue with this philosophy is that it negates human nature for a lot of people.

    Yes, 1 lays potato chip will not destroy you. Now, sit down and have your daily potato chip and see how that works out. LOL!

    Most people seem to do better with an overall change in food choices or at least decisive boundaries between choices, not trying to parse out bad ones.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    What? Syrup? Nutrients? You ate non-complex carbs x 3. Of course you'll feel gross, sluggish, brain-foggy. It's the waffle, not the syrup, I can almost guarantee.

    ZOMG, non complex carbs?
  • MTBrob
    MTBrob Posts: 513 Member
    That thought process leads to over eating ( empty carbs ) and fatness



    I'm sorry but you wont see well conditioned athletes living off of ice cream as long as it fits with in their numbers..
    Do they have a bowl every now and then I am sure they do .. But they don't go from eating syrupy pancakes from ihop to mc donalds for lunch to nachos for dinner and be able to perform/look like they do .
  • Stacylynn1977
    Stacylynn1977 Posts: 42 Member
    I believe thats true for obese people, because i have done that, i used to eat taco bell and pizza constantly and would drop major weight, but I wasn't getting healthy, so i dont think its a smart thing to do, i do believe its smart to have a cheat day, if you crave something, eat it, just don't go crazy with it
  • tryinghard71
    tryinghard71 Posts: 593
    That thought process leads to over eating ( empty carbs ) and fatness



    I'm sorry but you wont see well conditioned athletes living off of ice cream as long as it fits with in their numbers..
    Do they have a bowl every now and then I am sure they do .. But they don't go from eating syrupy pancakes from ihop to mc donalds for lunch to nachos for dinner and be able to perform/look like they do .

    ^^^
    Exactly.
  • hottottie11
    hottottie11 Posts: 907 Member
    I follow IIFYM.

    I'm sensible in my choices, but I allow room for the things I enjoy like wine, cookies, etc. And I hit my macros quite nicely

    IIFYM FTW!
  • MaraDiaz
    MaraDiaz Posts: 4,604 Member
    My issue with this philosophy is that it negates human nature for a lot of people.

    Yes, 1 lays potato chip will not destroy you. Now, sit down and have your daily potato chip and see how that works out. LOL!

    Most people seem to do better with an overall change in food choices or at least decisive boundaries between choices, not trying to parse out bad ones.

    This is one of those posts I wish I had a like button for!

    I love sugary and salty, carby foods. They don't fill me up and I can stuff thousands of calories down my throat of these foods and not even get a bellyache. Or I used to be able to. That's why I avoid them. Because I know I will overeat if I eat those foods.

    For everyone out there who can eat this stuff in moderation, lucky you!
  • hottottie11
    hottottie11 Posts: 907 Member
    That thought process leads to over eating ( empty carbs ) and fatness



    I'm sorry but you wont see well conditioned athletes living off of ice cream as long as it fits with in their numbers..
    Do they have a bowl every now and then I am sure they do .. But they don't go from eating syrupy pancakes from ihop to mc donalds for lunch to nachos for dinner and be able to perform/look like they do .

    If they are "living" off of ice cream...I doubt they are hitting their macros correctly, therefore I wouldn't see how this is IIFYM....unless their macros are 100% carbs
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    That thought process leads to over eating ( empty carbs ) and fatness



    I'm sorry but you wont see well conditioned athletes living off of ice cream as long as it fits with in their numbers..
    Do they have a bowl every now and then I am sure they do .. But they don't go from eating syrupy pancakes from ihop to mc donalds for lunch to nachos for dinner and be able to perform/look like they do .

    Yes, cause clearly it's either all fast food, lower nutrient dense food or not, there is no possible way to eat mostly nutrient dense foods but fit in treats/less nutrient dense foods
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    "If doesn't matter what you eat, as long as it fits your macros, is in your calorie limit, etc". (and assuming you are getting your nutrients somehow) -- You will still lose weight.

    Do you think this is true?

    Although I was within my caloric range and preset macros, I feel disgusting after three waffles last night. Is this a product of the syrup not digesting well, a lack of nutrients, or the subconscious notion that bad food makes you fat, no matter how little of it you eat?

    Just wanted to know your opinions on this idea as I hear it a lot around the boards.

    Yes, it is true. The only difference is how you feel. If you don't spend enough of your calories on nutrient-rich foods, then you will feel tired, weak, and hungry. But you will still lose weight.
  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
    That thought process leads to over eating ( empty carbs ) and fatness



    I'm sorry but you wont see well conditioned athletes living off of ice cream as long as it fits with in their numbers..
    Do they have a bowl every now and then I am sure they do .. But they don't go from eating syrupy pancakes from ihop to mc donalds for lunch to nachos for dinner and be able to perform/look like they do .

    If they do that, they likely won't fit it into their daily macros. It wouldn't surprise me that many very elite athletes have a so-called 'bad' food of choice that they eat very frequently, even maybe daily. Chocolate, ice cream, whatever they enjoy. Eating what you want in moderation does not equal eating whatever you want all the time.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    That thought process leads to over eating ( empty carbs ) and fatness



    I'm sorry but you wont see well conditioned athletes living off of ice cream as long as it fits with in their numbers..
    Do they have a bowl every now and then I am sure they do .. But they don't go from eating syrupy pancakes from ihop to mc donalds for lunch to nachos for dinner and be able to perform/look like they do .

    Yes, cause clearly it's either all fast food, lower nutrient dense food or not, there is no possible way to eat mostly nutrient dense foods but fit in treats less nutrient dense foods

    :laugh:
  • bulbadoof
    bulbadoof Posts: 1,058 Member
    When I eat too many carbs, I feel gross and headachey and chest-painy and sick and tired.

    Sure, I'll probably still lose weight, but I don't feel good doing it, and feeling good is my ultimate goal.

    I'll have a cookie or a small serving of ice cream every day and hit my numbers, but I feel like living 100% off of 'iifym' is gonna make you feel like crap. Someone around the forums recommends an 80/20 ratio of good food to bad food (good food being food that nourishes your body and bad food being food that you just want cause it tastes good), and I think that's a reasonable thing to go by.
  • hottottie11
    hottottie11 Posts: 907 Member
    I think you guys are confused about the true nature of IIFYM...it's not about eating a bunch a crap that fits your calories. You must have a macro setting that is optimal for your goal body composition.

    For me it's 30c/40f/40p.

    I hit my goals and still enjoy ice cream, cookies, and wine....in CORRECT portion sizes.

    Don't confuse IIFYM with eating whatever you want that fits your calories.
  • kbbauchle
    kbbauchle Posts: 17 Member
    I follow IIFYM.

    What is this? Thx
  • Shayztar
    Shayztar Posts: 415 Member
    If it fits in your macros, then it really shouldn't be a problem. Maybe if it fits in your calories but you have max exceeded your fats and sugars, then probably not healthy long term.

    I'm not an expert in diet.

    But like someone said, white flour and sugar and fat times three might make you feel gross. Doubt it'll keep you from losing weight in the long run unless you are eating at a caloric surplus.
  • BrettPGH
    BrettPGH Posts: 4,716 Member
    Moderation and IIFYM worked very well for me.

    Cutting out entire food groups and meals you enjoy just isn't sustainable. It's not something you'll do forever. So you're just on another diet.
  • tourettte
    tourettte Posts: 142 Member
    Yeah, you'll probably loose weight but what about your health? Internal organs? Hair? Skin? Nails? Teeth? It's not just about losing weight it's about being healthy.
  • half_moon
    half_moon Posts: 807 Member
    Ok guys, let's not do "you can live on ice cream lol" topics.

    IIFYM means "if it fits your macros", meaning you did NOT go over on macros, but you still ate (in my example) three waffles with sugar-free syrup at 10:30 last night. I, however, was not over on my macros or calorie goal. In THIS example...

    There you go.
  • redredy9
    redredy9 Posts: 706 Member
    weight is only one indicator of health. You can lose weight if you eat less calories no matter what type of calories they are but you will FEEL better if they come from whole clean food sources.

    Its like filling up your tank with Premium unleaded gas instead of economy gas. Both with make your car go but the premuium will give your engine better performance.

    Just my two cents. I know that I feel a lot better when I eat clean. Do I always manage it. NOPE. I keep trying though.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    And for the record, I eat either waffles or pancakes every weekend. I used to eat about 4 in a meal, loaded with butter and syrup and pork sausages on the side. Now I only eat 3. (One serving) and I either make a syrup with fruits or I limit myself to one serving of syrup. And I only eat two links of sausage instead of four. To me, it is an AWESOME pre-workout meal, and it is exactly 1/3 of my daily calories.
  • hottottie11
    hottottie11 Posts: 907 Member
    Yea...ya'll don't know what IIFYM really mean
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    weight is only one indicator of health. You can lose weight if you eat less calories no matter what type of calories they are but you will FEEL better if they come from whole clean food sources.

    Its like filling up your tank with Premium unleaded gas instead of economy gas. Both with make your car go but the premuium will give your engine better performance.

    Just my two cents. I know that I feel a lot better when I eat clean. Do I always manage it. NOPE. I keep trying though.

    Premium gasoline is a scam.
  • autumnk921
    autumnk921 Posts: 1,374 Member
    I follow IIFYM.

    I'm sensible in my choices, but I allow room for the things I enjoy like wine, cookies, etc. And I hit my macros quite nicely

    IIFYM FTW!


    I like the way you think!! This is pretty much what I do - IIFYM - Go for it!!! :happy:
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
    I think it's true. IIFYM has always worked perfectly for me.

    Maybe three waffles all at once wasn't the best of ideas, but one waffle with real Vermont maple syrup sounds heavenly (and reasonably healthy, too)

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