How do you plan meals with IIFYM?

darcyinmo
darcyinmo Posts: 129 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Interested in trying this! I'm 44, 142#, lightly active. Still getting lots of different numbers for target goal with TDEE - 20% from different sites, so different macro suggestions as well.

How in the heck do those of you that do IIFYM balance out your macros every day? This is just too complicated for my pea brain! I'm either really close in protein, then way under on carbs!

Even if anyone would like to REALLY helpful, could you message me on a sample meal plan based on my stats?

Replies

  • astronomicals
    astronomicals Posts: 1,537 Member
    i dont.. i just make sure to hit my macros by the end of the day... i need 160 grams of protein so i plan on eating about 1.25 pounds of meat.... the fat goal of 70 is pretty easy... once thats fuilled i just eat to make sure i hit my calorie goal.
  • darcyinmo
    darcyinmo Posts: 129 Member
    thanks astro

    Can you give me an idea on what you eat on a typical day? Trying to find some "good" carbs other than sweet potatoes (getting sick of them! LOL)

    I wish there was a calculator out there that you can enter the values and "wha la" a menu plan appears!
  • astronomicals
    astronomicals Posts: 1,537 Member
    im gaining weight now.... look back at january and february and youll see how i eat when losing weight...

    typically i eat lots of boneless skinless chicken, lean pork, lots of steamed vegetables, vegetable stirfry, rice, oatmeal, avocados, nuts... I eat these foods because they are nutrient dense and I can consume a lot of them. Someone who doesnt like large meals may enjoy a diet with more calorie dense foods..
  • astrovivi
    astrovivi Posts: 183 Member
    include oats, bread, rice, pumpkin, potatoes, lots of veg ...

    if health is a goal, choose most of your meals from healthy foods and allow yourself something you like that still fits with the end game.

    I usually aim to hit a daily average over the course of a week too. Not all days are the same. you will be more or less hungry on different days, you have social occasions to allow for and other stuff, so be flexible around that.
  • kazsjourney
    kazsjourney Posts: 263 Member
    I make sure I hit my protein and am close to my fat macro....then I usually add anything else (which is usually chocolate or tahini or peanut butter....which is why I dont worry about completely hitting my fat macro lol)
  • astronomicals
    astronomicals Posts: 1,537 Member
    I wish there was a calculator out there that you can enter the values and "wha la" a menu plan appears!

    but there is
    \

    http://www.eatthismuch.com/

    it should help give you some ideas, but, i wouldnt follow it to the T
  • darcyinmo
    darcyinmo Posts: 129 Member
    I wish there was a calculator out there that you can enter the values and "wha la" a menu plan appears!

    but there is
    \

    http://www.eatthismuch.com/

    it should help give you some ideas, but, i wouldnt follow it to the T

    HOLY CRAP!!! YOU ARE AN ANGEL!!! THANK YOU!!!
  • grimendale
    grimendale Posts: 2,153 Member
    I eat a pretty standard breakfast and lunch, so I usually mess around with MFP for dinner. I'll put in the things I'm planning on having and adjust portions and foods until I get macro and calorie levels I'm happy with. Then, I can just cook according to what I have already entered into MFP. Sometimes, I do this in multiple steps (i.e., I'll enter and make a spinach salad with nuts and soy chicken based on MFP, then an hour later when I get peckish again, I'll enter and make a veggie burger, adjusting at each step to more or less balance out the percentages). It's worked for me, but I have Asperger's, which tends to make me very detail oriented, so this does not seem tedious. Other people I know have been bored spitless trying this method.
  • Joehenny
    Joehenny Posts: 1,222 Member
    I prelog. I also just aim to fill in my protein goals with "clean foods". Usually without much effort I hit my fats, then the remaining carbs left over are what I fill up with snack.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    include oats, bread, rice, pumpkin, potatoes, lots of veg ...

    if health is a goal, choose most of your meals from healthy foods and allow yourself something you like that still fits with the end game.

    I usually aim to hit a daily average over the course of a week too. Not all days are the same. you will be more or less hungry on different days, you have social occasions to allow for and other stuff, so be flexible around that.

    same same.

    And last meal is normally "to fit".
  • xampx
    xampx Posts: 323 Member
    In the week I eat a standard breakfast (protein mug cake 300 cals, 30-35g protein) standard lunch (ham or chicken salad with 100-200g meat, 150g cottage cheese, maybe some fish sticks 450 cals, 60ish g protein) and standard snacks, a chobani yoghurt (140C 14gP) or a protein shake (150C 21gP)

    This leaves me with about 1000 cals for the rest of the day, so I base my evening meal around fish or lean meat, vegetables, occasionally pasta/rice/couscous or a massive omelette. Anything left, I make up with chocolate!

    I am set to 40/30/30% for Carbs/Protein/Fat and I usually go over fat a couple of grams and under carbs by about 30-40g a day because I just don't really like bread/pasta/potatos that much and only eat them a few times a week.
  • darcyinmo
    darcyinmo Posts: 129 Member
    Thank you all for the input!!! Very informative...

    One other question. I used the Scooby website for TDEE-20% and to get macro %'s. I'm getting 35 P/ 45 C/ 20 F and 1496 for daily calories. Does the macro % sound right to all you experienced? I'm set at lightly active.

    For anyone curious, I try and eat as clean as possible (but it is lake weather and Michelob Ultras are in order). I am getting closer to goal and want to increase muscle and burn more fat. I have some healthy issues regarding muscular stuff, so I haven't yet got exercise in consistently - cause I keep experiencing too much pain. However, my GOAL is to get regular 30 mins of moderate cardio a day and start lifting heavy. I want this body to last and not be fraile as I get older.
  • Joehenny
    Joehenny Posts: 1,222 Member
    Thank you all for the input!!! Very informative...

    One other question. I used the Scooby website for TDEE-20% and to get macro %'s. I'm getting 35 P/ 45 C/ 20 F and 1496 for daily calories. Does the macro % sound right to all you experienced? I'm set at lightly active.

    For anyone curious, I try and eat as clean as possible (but it is lake weather and Michelob Ultras are in order). I am getting closer to goal and want to increase muscle and burn more fat. I have some healthy issues regarding muscular stuff, so I haven't yet got exercise in consistently - cause I keep experiencing too much pain. However, my GOAL is to get regular 30 mins of moderate cardio a day and start lifting heavy. I want this body to last and not be fraile as I get older.


    Not a bad one. Personally I don't go by the percentages as they are outdated. Stick with 1gram per lb of bw and then a minimal level of fat grams for function/comfort then fill the rest with carbs.
  • JossFit
    JossFit Posts: 588 Member
    thanks astro

    Can you give me an idea on what you eat on a typical day? Trying to find some "good" carbs other than sweet potatoes (getting sick of them! LOL)

    I wish there was a calculator out there that you can enter the values and "wha la" a menu plan appears!

    What do you mean by "good carbs"? The whole point of IIFYM is that you don't see food as "good" or "bad", you just look at it in terms of it's macronutrient (and micronutrient to a lesser degree) profile.
  • missdibs1
    missdibs1 Posts: 1,092 Member
    I prelog. I also just aim to fill in my protein goals with "clean foods". Usually without much effort I hit my fats, then the remaining carbs left over are what I fill up with snack.

    How do you fill up your barbs? I am falling short

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