iiyfm beginner... HELP!

i have recently decided to adopt the IIFYM diet to maintain my weightloss, and ideally gain muscle mass. when i typed my stats into the IIFYM macro calculator it gave me the 1 g protein per lb body weight, and .45 g fat per g body weight.
my question is.. should i try to reach these numbers (within 5 g etc) and get the rest from carbs... or does it mean that once i have reached these numbers i can exceed them with foods with macros from any category as long as i am under my calorie goal?
basically i am confused as to weather the fat and protein numbers are a minimum or an exact number goal.
thanks for any help.

Replies

  • leahartmann
    leahartmann Posts: 415
    I have no idea about what the IIFYM diet is, but you should- as far as I know, someone might correct me- aim for 1 g protein per pound lean body mass and 0.45 g fat per pound lean body mass. Going over is not a problem, it doesn´t hurt in any way. I would say get the rest from carbs.
  • Mrsallypants
    Mrsallypants Posts: 887 Member
    If you have a good amount of weight to lose, then definitely go with 1 gram per pound of LBM.

    Use this calculator to get a rough estimate of your lean body mass (fat free mass): http://www.bmi-calculator.net/body-fat-calculator/
  • harvo
    harvo Posts: 4,676 Member
    I have no idea about what the IIFYM diet is, but you should- as far as I know, someone might correct me- aim for 1 g protein per pound lean body mass and 0.45 g fat per pound lean body mass. Going over is not a problem, it doesn´t hurt in any way. I would say get the rest from carbs.

    YOUR WRONG COLOLNEL SANDERS...I have no idea what either of you are talking about but I have always wanted to say that...
  • krhn
    krhn Posts: 781 Member
    I have no idea about what the IIFYM diet is, but you should- as far as I know, someone might correct me- aim for 1 g protein per pound lean body mass and 0.45 g fat per pound lean body mass. Going over is not a problem, it doesn´t hurt in any way. I would say get the rest from carbs.

    Regarding protein 0.5-1.5g per lb of lean body weight is usually the criteria for most studies (the upper level being suited for athletes etc)

    To OP: if your trying to lose weight, largely stick the protein count, for carb and fat, it's really how your body reacts to it, might be more/less tolerant to taking carbs so its down to personal preference... But be careful with IIFYM, your main priority is to stick to the calories to lose weight
  • mjl54
    mjl54 Posts: 127 Member
    i have recently decided to adopt the IIFYM diet to maintain my weightloss, and ideally gain muscle mass. when i typed my stats into the IIFYM macro calculator it gave me the 1 g protein per lb body weight, and .45 g fat per g body weight.
    my question is.. should i try to reach these numbers (within 5 g etc) and get the rest from carbs... or does it mean that once i have reached these numbers i can exceed them with foods with macros from any category as long as i am under my calorie goal?
    basically i am confused as to weather the fat and protein numbers are a minimum or an exact number goal.
    thanks for any help.
    yes the protein and fat are minimums. once you hit them you can fill the rest of your cals however you like to get your calorie goal for the day
  • leahartmann
    leahartmann Posts: 415
    I have no idea about what the IIFYM diet is, but you should- as far as I know, someone might correct me- aim for 1 g protein per pound lean body mass and 0.45 g fat per pound lean body mass. Going over is not a problem, it doesn´t hurt in any way. I would say get the rest from carbs.

    YOUR WRONG COLOLNEL SANDERS...I have no idea what either of you are talking about but I have always wanted to say that...
    You´re just waaay to orange....! Lol
  • Fonarios
    Fonarios Posts: 31 Member
    whats your email address?? i have a great calculator
  • bump! I am confused about this same thing :(
  • thanks for your help guys
    I pasted this straight from the IIFYM macro calculator website:
    Protein (4 calories per gram)1.00 gram per lb. of body weight
    1.15 gram per lb. of body weight
    1.25 gram per lb. of body weight
    Custom grams per lb. of bodyweight

    fat (9 calories per gram).35 grams per lb. of body weight
    .40 grams per lb. of body weight
    .45 grams per lb. of body weight
    Custom grams per lb. of bodyweight

    carbs (4 calories per gram)Carbohydrates are calculated based on the calories you have remaining after calories from protein and fat have been subtracted from your TDEE.

    man, talk about confusing..
  • leahartmann
    leahartmann Posts: 415
    ^ That does sound a little confusing. I would say go with the first option in each. That means 1 g protein x pound lean body mass and 30-40 g fat x pound lean body mass.

    Lean body mass is what´s left, when you take away the weight of your body fat %. For instance, if you weigh 200 pounds and have a body fat % that says 30, your body fat weighs 60 pounds. Your lean body mass is thus 140 pounds. Personly, I use fat2fitradio.com calculators to figure out my body fat %.
  • Awesome! If it your fitting macros worked for me:)
  • Wooly_I_am
    Wooly_I_am Posts: 109
    Remember one thing here! You can't lose weight and gain muscle at the same time.

    Yes, you can fill the rest of your cals with either fat, protein or carbs.

    Hope that helps!
  • Remember one thing here! You can't lose weight and gain muscle at the same time.

    Yes, you can fill the rest of your cals with either fat, protein or carbs.

    Hope that helps!

    its a big help! THANKYOU :)