IIFYM week 1 trying to fix metabolism

wffolkes
wffolkes Posts: 186 Member
I started losing weight on 1800 kcals
dropped to 1500kcals
hit a plateau
started to up calories slowly but still stuck at around 203-205lbs
Dureing the last 3 month im the same weight not gained or lost but I think bf% has dropped due to insanity

Currently in month 2 of insanity and have set my marcos here are weeks 1 results hopefully ill lose scale weight next week.

BMTzhTHCcAEsSwz.jpg

28
204lbs
5ft 8inches
male

BMR - 2020
TDEE - 2952
TDEE - 20% - 2361

2361 - 2020 = 341 (meaning I should eat back any calories I exercise over this amount which on average is at least 500kcals)

hence ending on 2860

im going to give it one more week then see results if not then drop to true TDEE cut value.
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Replies

  • astronomicals
    astronomicals Posts: 1,537 Member
    your calorie burns seem high... id start by questioning that... and giving something 2 weeks before completely changing it is way too short...


    how long was your plateau? how long was your climb from 1500 to 2800? How do you claim to be doing an IIFYM protocol, but, you still dont hit your calories (isnt that like the main concept... hit your calories w/ flexible eating)?
  • wffolkes
    wffolkes Posts: 186 Member
    Thanks for the feedback

    I have a HRM I use during insanity workout its pretty consistent and id say as accurate as a HRM can be...

    Plateau around 3 months ive been between 202 - 205 lbs but my bf% has dropped going to get it measured again after insanity has finished.

    Still trying to tighten up on hitting my calorie intake consistently breakfast and lunch are pretty much routine however dinner is flexible due to my partner and living arrangements. Starting to find good foods which help fill the gap, 80% of my diet is healthy, plus if I hit it on average for the week thats the main goal.
  • tomcornhole
    tomcornhole Posts: 1,084 Member
    Bumping to follow.
  • tomcornhole
    tomcornhole Posts: 1,084 Member
    This adding calories thing is a lot trickier than my data would lead me to believe. I was losing at 2,100 cal / day. I upped that to 2,300 cal/day and I stopped losing. I should be able to go to 2,800 cal/day and maintain. I'll give 2,300 cal / day a few more weeks and see where I end up. I am trying to maintain, so I'm ok with wherever this ends up, just curious to see where it does end up.

    For you, I would give it more time at an intermediate level. 2,700 / day is a lot of calories and if you up them too fast, you may overshoot your eat more to gain more target.
  • wffolkes
    wffolkes Posts: 186 Member
    Yea thats true weighed in this morning and im 1lb up on last week, if I continue to go up another pound next week then I will need to adjust slightly and re *kitten* again.

    Hopefully i'll figure out what's best for my body and get the weight going down again.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I think it's the smart thing to do. I might try something like this when I get 15 lbs to my goal or something.
  • astronomicals
    astronomicals Posts: 1,537 Member
    Well, assuming your numbers are right, I guess you have a couple options. If you stalled out at 1500 I cant suggest you cut calories further, so, thats off the table. That leaves me thinking you can spend a few weeks at maintenance and then slowly bring calories down (like 50-100 a week) until you see fat loss resume. If that fails, id try doing some cyclical dieting or trying IF to see if it kick starts things. Good luck.
  • wffolkes
    wffolkes Posts: 186 Member
    Thanks dude

    Hopefully the ball will start rolling again it may take eating at higher calories for longer than 2 weeks but i'm definitely init for the long haul.
  • LittleMissDover
    LittleMissDover Posts: 820 Member
    Insanity is much more about measurements, inches and photos than scale weight, ditch the scales while you're doing it or you'll drive yourself mad.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member

    2361 - 2020 = 341 (meaning I should eat back any calories I exercise over this amount which on average is at least 500kcals)

    i was with you until this....????
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    Are you using a food scale and weighing everything, daily?
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    HRMs are notoriously bad at estimating calorie burn. I've seen many people on MFP overestimating calorie burn thanks to HRMs. They seem to be calibrated for people who are already rather fit, not people sorta just starting out.
  • aelunyu
    aelunyu Posts: 486 Member
    Insanity like most duration cardio suffers from diminishing returns, unless your HRM is showing increased heartrate over time, you're probably receiving less caloric expenditure from the same insanity workout over and over. You're right in adjusting calories upward, probably. However, a 1000 calorie upspike all of a sudden is probably not going to produce the desired effect. I'd suggest tapering calories up to 2800 over months, instead of just suddenly eating that amount. This allows your body to gradually get accustomed to small increments in intake without being bombarded with excess energy that its probably not going to partition very well.

    Just my two cents!
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Insanity like most duration cardio suffers from diminishing returns,

    you obviously havent done insanity!
  • aelunyu
    aelunyu Posts: 486 Member
    Insanity like most duration cardio suffers from diminishing returns,

    you obviously havent done insanity!

    I've done every form of cardio you can imagine. From circuit to crossfit to cross country. Cardio is cardio. The more you do it, the more you need to do it. Not saying that cardio is bad, just the adaptive process of the body handles it too well to maintain intensity throughout. We're genetically built to endure.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Insanity like most duration cardio suffers from diminishing returns,

    you obviously havent done insanity!

    I've done every form of cardio you can imagine. From circuit to crossfit to cross country. Cardio is cardio. The more you do it, the more you need to do it. Not saying that cardio is bad, just the adaptive process of the body handles it too well to maintain intensity throughout. We're genetically built to endure.

    insanity isnt duration cardio though.
  • wffolkes
    wffolkes Posts: 186 Member
    Insanity is not just cardio its more interval training mixed with body weight excercise and core workouts.
    Myy overall HR has dropped due to increased fitness level showing the the HRM is consistent so I don't think thats the issue at all. I started to burn less during workouts overall as a result of increased fitness.

    Yes I weigh my food and tracking as accurately as I possibly can.

    I also didn't spike from 1800 to 2860.

    I don't judge my progress by the scale definitely happy with inches being loss and dropping bf% however the scale is another tool to use to help me to my goal.

    :)
  • waldo56
    waldo56 Posts: 1,861 Member
    Trying to fix metabolism and losing weight are incompatible as simultaneous goals.
  • aelunyu
    aelunyu Posts: 486 Member
    If you are doing 30-45 minutes of cardio, it's definitely not HIIT. It's not long distance either. It's of the same camp as circuit training/crossfit/p90x..etc. Moderate duration cardio, HR above 140-155, for an extended amount of time. If that is not duration cardio, I really have no idea what you would suggest is.
  • SyStEmPhReAk
    SyStEmPhReAk Posts: 330 Member
    Yes I weigh my food and tracking as accurately as I possibly can.

    When you say "tracking as accurately" as you can, does this mean that sometimes you do not track meals? Are you going off schedule at times and having cheat meals? If so, these things will definitely stall your weight loss and bf% loss before you reach your goal.

    Also keep in mind that IIFYM works better in the maintenance or bulking stage than it does the cutting stage.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    If you are doing 30-45 minutes of cardio, it's definitely not HIIT. It's not long distance either. It's of the same camp as circuit training/crossfit/p90x..etc. Moderate duration cardio, HR above 140-155, for an extended amount of time. If that is not duration cardio, I really have no idea what you would suggest is.

    seeing as you have changed your definition of what it is since your original post i will just agree....
  • alphal0b0
    alphal0b0 Posts: 125 Member
    BUMP to follow
  • wffolkes
    wffolkes Posts: 186 Member
    No cheat meals.

    I just mean as accurately as I can however if I eat a meal I haven't made be it in a restaurant or by someone else I can only estimate. Not that this happens often but it does happen.

    I am still learning but have done a lot of research so i'm testing what works for me.

    Thanks for all the feedback and opinions
  • wffolkes
    wffolkes Posts: 186 Member
    So Week 2 and I was comfortably eating this level of calories to the point where I was hungry rather than bloated or full up!

    BM84qJqCcAAa2Ky.jpg

    I feel great and still powering through insanity with 2 weeks left :)

    I decided that since I am coping with the amount of calories I am ready for my 15% cut. I went back and forth whether to stick at this amount of calories or cut but in the end I decided to try cut this week.

    As you can see I gained 1-2lbs but its pretty stable so lets see if I drop any pounds over the next 2 weeks.
  • dieselbyte
    dieselbyte Posts: 733 Member
    So Week 2 and I was comfortably eating this level of calories to the point where I was hungry rather than bloated or full up!

    BM84qJqCcAAa2Ky.jpg

    I feel great and still powering through insanity with 2 weeks left :)

    I decided that since I am coping with the amount of calories I am ready for my 15% cut. I went back and forth whether to stick at this amount of calories or cut but in the end I decided to try cut this week.

    As you can see I gained 1-2lbs but its pretty stable so lets see if I drop any pounds over the next 2 weeks.

    IMO, if you are following IIFYM, your protein is too low. You should be at a minimum of 1g per pound of body weight, and you are coming way under. Also, it seems your fats AND carbs are high. Normally you would go higher fat and lower carb, or lower fat and higher carb. Also, I think your calories are a little high. Keep in mind, most calculators take a very rough estimate of your activity levels. You will have to play with them, but I always focus on gross calories, not net after exercise. 2800 calories might be maintenance for you, even with exercise. Have you done an IIFYM calculator? Start with their basic TDEE, and what amount of calories you will need for weight loss. Don't eat calories back.

    If weight loss is what you seek, I suggest increasing protein to 1.25 body weight and decreasing carbs, as well as lowering your gross calories (your carbs will decrease because of increased protein and lower calories. Remember, only after protein and fat are calculated do you fill in carbs). You will still be able to push through your workouts, it's just that 2800 calories may be a bit much.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    IMO, if you are following IIFYM, your protein is too low. You should be at a minimum of 1g per pound of body weight

    Why?
    Normally you would go higher fat and lower carb, or lower fat and higher carb.

    Why?
    If weight loss is what you seek, I suggest increasing protein to 1.25 body weight and decreasing carbs

    Why?
  • wffolkes
    wffolkes Posts: 186 Member
    @dieselbyte thanks for your feedback, my calorie burn is high due to insanity workouts I wear a HRM which has been pretty consistent. I wanted to build back up to TDEE for a few weeks to help with getting my metabolism going at a better rate as I initially cut way too much.

    Yes protein could be higher but other than having more whey I find it hard to consume that amount of protein daily without eating egg whites all day. I also based the protein levels on lean body mass.

    After this week I will have a better idea of what is working for me I can reduce carbs and increase protein and then reduce fat if there is still no movement. The main thing is I have room for movement.
  • dieselbyte
    dieselbyte Posts: 733 Member
    IMO, if you are following IIFYM, your protein is too low. You should be at a minimum of 1g per pound of body weight

    Why?
    Normally you would go higher fat and lower carb, or lower fat and higher carb.

    Why?
    If weight loss is what you seek, I suggest increasing protein to 1.25 body weight and decreasing carbs

    Why?

    IIFYM sets the base for protein at 1g per pound of body weight (not lean body weight). All those that say a calorie is a calorie are just a little off. One has to look at the thermogenic effect of burning food ingested. Protein has the highest thermogenic effect on the body than any other macronutrient. Meaning, your body burns more calories digesting protein than it does carbs or fats. Higher protein diets tend to help the body burn more fat while maintaining muscle, therefore helping to increase metaboblism.

    I say usually you would go higher fat/lower carb or lower fat/higher carb because dietary fat is more likely to be stored as adipose tissue (fat storage) when ingested above maintenance levels. Studies have been done on this. Carbs have a lot less thermogenic effect than protein, and fat has the lowest thermogenic effect on the body. Basically, if you aren't buring off the carbs and excess dietary fat, dietary fat will most likely be stored as adipose tissue (fat stores) for later energy use, leading to an increase or maintenance of weight and body fat.

    I recommended 1.25 grams of protein, so that you have some wiggle room. You don't need to be exactly at 1.25, but it gives you more of a chance that overall your protein intake will be above 1 gram per pound of body weight.

    So basically, @wffolkes macro breakdown for his caloric intake may be the reason he isn't seeing much weight loss - if that is his goal.

    With that being said, I noticed our friend @wffolkes is from England. I understand that protein prices are high there, and these ratios may not work for your budget. However, there are high protein foods that don't require you to eat egg whites all day.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    IMO, if you are following IIFYM, your protein is too low. You should be at a minimum of 1g per pound of body weight

    Why?
    Normally you would go higher fat and lower carb, or lower fat and higher carb.

    Why?
    If weight loss is what you seek, I suggest increasing protein to 1.25 body weight and decreasing carbs

    Why?

    IIFYM sets the base for protein at 1g per pound of body weight (not lean body weight). All those that say a calorie is a calorie are just a little off. One has to look at the thermogenic effect of burning food ingested. Protein has the highest thermogenic effect on the body than any other macronutrient. Meaning, your body burns more calories digesting protein than it does carbs or fats. Higher protein diets tend to help the body burn more fat while maintaining muscle, therefore helping to increase metaboblism.

    I say usually you would go higher fat/lower carb or lower fat/higher carb because dietary fat is more likely to be stored as adipose tissue (fat storage) when ingested above maintenance levels. Studies have been done on this. Carbs have a lot less thermogenic effect than protein, and fat has the lowest thermogenic effect on the body. Basically, if you aren't buring off the carbs and excess dietary fat, dietary fat will most likely be stored as adipose tissue (fat stores) for later energy use, leading to an increase or maintenance of weight and body fat.

    I recommended 1.25 grams of protein, so that you have some wiggle room. You don't need to be exactly at 1.25, but it gives you more of a chance that overall your protein intake will be above 1 gram per pound of body weight.

    So basically, @wffolkes macro breakdown for his caloric intake may be the reason he isn't seeing much weight loss - if that is his goal.

    With that being said, I noticed our friend @wffolkes is from England. I understand that protein prices are high there, and these ratios may not work for your budget. However, there are high protein foods that don't require you to eat egg whites all day.

    "IIFYM" is a philosophy, not a rigidly defined system.

    Why 1 gram per lb bodyweight? Why not 1.5? Why not 0.75? Why not 1 g per lb of lbm? What science backs up 1 gram per lb bodyweight?

    Why not moderate fat/moderate carb instead of making one high?

    Why did you finish your recommendations with 1.25 g protein per lb bodyweight when you started with 1 g?
  • dieselbyte
    dieselbyte Posts: 733 Member
    IMO, if you are following IIFYM, your protein is too low. You should be at a minimum of 1g per pound of body weight

    Why?
    Normally you would go higher fat and lower carb, or lower fat and higher carb.

    Why?
    If weight loss is what you seek, I suggest increasing protein to 1.25 body weight and decreasing carbs

    Why?

    IIFYM sets the base for protein at 1g per pound of body weight (not lean body weight). All those that say a calorie is a calorie are just a little off. One has to look at the thermogenic effect of burning food ingested. Protein has the highest thermogenic effect on the body than any other macronutrient. Meaning, your body burns more calories digesting protein than it does carbs or fats. Higher protein diets tend to help the body burn more fat while maintaining muscle, therefore helping to increase metaboblism.

    I say usually you would go higher fat/lower carb or lower fat/higher carb because dietary fat is more likely to be stored as adipose tissue (fat storage) when ingested above maintenance levels. Studies have been done on this. Carbs have a lot less thermogenic effect than protein, and fat has the lowest thermogenic effect on the body. Basically, if you aren't buring off the carbs and excess dietary fat, dietary fat will most likely be stored as adipose tissue (fat stores) for later energy use, leading to an increase or maintenance of weight and body fat.

    I recommended 1.25 grams of protein, so that you have some wiggle room. You don't need to be exactly at 1.25, but it gives you more of a chance that overall your protein intake will be above 1 gram per pound of body weight.

    So basically, @wffolkes macro breakdown for his caloric intake may be the reason he isn't seeing much weight loss - if that is his goal.

    With that being said, I noticed our friend @wffolkes is from England. I understand that protein prices are high there, and these ratios may not work for your budget. However, there are high protein foods that don't require you to eat egg whites all day.

    "IIFYM" is a philosophy, not a rigidly defined system.

    Why 1 gram per lb bodyweight? Why not 1.5? Why not 0.75? Why not 1 g per lb of lbm? What science backs up 1 gram per lb bodyweight?

    Why not moderate fat/moderate carb instead of making one high?

    Why did you finish your recommendations with 1.25 g protein per lb bodyweight when you started with 1 g?

    Exactly! IIFYM is a philosophy. You can eat what you want as long as it fits your macros... The main part is fitting macros. That's the only rigid part off IIFYM. I don't even want to call it rigid, but the point is to stay within 5-15 grams of protein and carbs, and 5 grams within fats really (and don't forget fiber).

    Look, everyone has their views. I'm not trying to impose mine on anyone, I was just making a recommendation. But if you had honestly read my reply, you would see the reason I said 1.25 was so that he could still be flexible and hopefully hit at least 1 gram per body pound. And why 1gram?? Read studies or ask the inventors of IIFYM. From my RESEARCH and RESULTS, that just seems to be the number for my goals.