What is IIFYM?
Replies
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Recently there's been an increase in threads where someone posts about IIFYM with the assumption that IIFYM is a specific calorie or macronutrient setting.
This is happening because one of the websites promoting IIFYM also includes a calorie estimation tool and recommended macronutrient settings.
I'm only posting here to clarify some misconceptions at to what IIFYM actually is. I'm well aware that this has been done several times before on MFP but I'm doing it again because of the recent stream of threads that seemingly claim that IIFYM is a certain number of calories.
Suffice it to say, it's a philosophy about food selection and the strategy of looking at the diet as a whole rather than at individual food items.
You can read more here:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/817188-iifym
I read your link. If I am understanding it right, seems like IIFYM was a concept that made sense, but people decided to interpret it in a way that they get a loophole that they think they can fill with junk food. I personally do not agree with the ones who spend most of their allowances majorly on junk food, as far as nutrition goes, I think they are fooling themselves. Yes they might be able to get away with it, but it will affect the body in a negative way. Now I do believe we can allow some junk food - MAYBE - but rarely, and more as an exception rather the rule to follow good health.
The one interpreting it wrong is you. IIFYM'er do not solely consume "junk food " like you are assuming. It's not all pizza, ice cream and Swiss cake rolls. We IIFYm'er have learned to control and keep track of our macros, and save calories for foods we enjoy like bacon and pop tarts. Having a pop tart and bacon daily does not make me unhealthy like u are stating above. I'm 35 and in the best shape of my life and have no health related issues do to my eating. While others are starving themselves to drop weight, I'm sitting back eating ice cream and going to bed full and happy and waking up lean.
ok maybe for YOU, you are doing it right, for your body, perhaps you have more muscle and more higher burning metabolism, and it may work for you. But i read where people seem to me from what it appears they are saying they are eating that they are eating more IIFYM as thru a loophole i.e. what can they get away with as long as they are within their macros. I personally do not feel that one person's experience is enough to declare that it is a good thing, i would have to do a scientific type study where you take maybe 10 people and do a long range study and compare what they are doing. then after a time, i would then study what they did, etc.. and then come to a conclusion, vs just one person such as you who has success. What I am sayhing it, it may work for you, you may be doing it right, you may have a good physique, etc. etc... but I am not convinced that it is right for all. Hope that makes sense. I'm still skeptical.0 -
Recently there's been an increase in threads where someone posts about IIFYM with the assumption that IIFYM is a specific calorie or macronutrient setting.
This is happening because one of the websites promoting IIFYM also includes a calorie estimation tool and recommended macronutrient settings.
I'm only posting here to clarify some misconceptions at to what IIFYM actually is. I'm well aware that this has been done several times before on MFP but I'm doing it again because of the recent stream of threads that seemingly claim that IIFYM is a certain number of calories.
Suffice it to say, it's a philosophy about food selection and the strategy of looking at the diet as a whole rather than at individual food items.
You can read more here:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/817188-iifym
I read your link. If I am understanding it right, seems like IIFYM was a concept that made sense, but people decided to interpret it in a way that they get a loophole that they think they can fill with junk food. I personally do not agree with the ones who spend most of their allowances majorly on junk food, as far as nutrition goes, I think they are fooling themselves. Yes they might be able to get away with it, but it will affect the body in a negative way. Now I do believe we can allow some junk food - MAYBE - but rarely, and more as an exception rather the rule to follow good health.
The one interpreting it wrong is you. IIFYM'er do not solely consume "junk food " like you are assuming. It's not all pizza, ice cream and Swiss cake rolls. We IIFYm'er have learned to control and keep track of our macros, and save calories for foods we enjoy like bacon and pop tarts. Having a pop tart and bacon daily does not make me unhealthy like u are stating above. I'm 35 and in the best shape of my life and have no health related issues do to my eating. While others are starving themselves to drop weight, I'm sitting back eating ice cream and going to bed full and happy and waking up lean.
ok maybe for YOU, you are doing it right, for your body, perhaps you have more muscle and more higher burning metabolism, and it may work for you. But i read where people seem to me from what it appears they are saying they are eating that they are eating more IIFYM as thru a loophole i.e. what can they get away with as long as they are within their macros. I personally do not feel that one person's experience is enough to declare that it is a good thing, i would have to do a scientific type study where you take maybe 10 people and do a long range study and compare what they are doing. then after a time, i would then study what they did, etc.. and then come to a conclusion, vs just one person such as you who has success. What I am sayhing it, it may work for you, you may be doing it right, you may have a good physique, etc. etc... but I am not convinced that it is right for all. Hope that makes sense. I'm still skeptical.
Limited study referenced, but have a read.
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/research-review/hormonal-responses-to-a-fast-food-meal-compared-with-nutritionally-comparable-meals-of-different-composition-research-review.html
Have a read of this as well
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/822501-halp-my-sandwich-isn-t-clean
It's not re IIFYM but seems to be relevant to your argument.0 -
Bumping0
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I read the OP of the links - thank you
ok that seems reasonable. I can agree to what was said.
Unfortunately, I personally am afraid to tred on finding a loophole in order to have an excuse to eat a candy bar even if it fits my macros. but the article did address that - it said those who can do it can, and those who shouldn't shouldnt.
I personally - and this is just me - i personally am cautious about giving the ok to someone who i dont even know who is reading it - and if i give them what appears to be license to eat some "bad" foods, they make interpret it as permission to go ahead and eat something "bad".
I may be overly cautious, but that might be just me. to me when i read such a thing, i am afraid to go there, because i dont want to upset the thing i am doing now. and i personally feel that we could encourage each other to eat as best nutritiionally as possible, though i wont go all super religious about it, just im cautious.0 -
I read the OP of the links - thank you
ok that seems reasonable. I can agree to what was said.
Unfortunately, I personally am afraid to tred on finding a loophole in order to have an excuse to eat a candy bar even if it fits my macros. but the article did address that - it said those who can do it can, and those who shouldn't shouldnt.
I personally - and this is just me - i personally am cautious about giving the ok to someone who i dont even know who is reading it - and if i give them what appears to be license to eat some "bad" foods, they make interpret it as permission to go ahead and eat something "bad".
I may be overly cautious, but that might be just me. to me when i read such a thing, i am afraid to go there, because i dont want to upset the thing i am doing now. and i personally feel that we could encourage each other to eat as best nutritiionally as possible, though i wont go all super religious about it, just im cautious.
They key here is to get over the concept of "bad" food. There really aren't any bad foods. There are more or less nutrient dense foods that may or may not fit your macronutrient needs, but they're not bad. I think I mentioned it earlier. I have used beer before to get in the last couple protein grams because the numbers allowed me to have a couple. I couldn't do that every day, but there are some I can sneak in a couple. Donuts aren't even bad, they're just not that nutrient dense. I've lost calories on donut days too. The sooner people can get over the bad vs. good food concept the sooner they can just start eating sensibly.
While I know it's not easy sometimes (oh lord do I know) its really self control that we all need. Making little splurges of deliciousness make it easier to avoid downing a full pint of Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey in one sitting...and ice cream has protein.
If what you're doing right now is working, and you're losing weight, then that's awesome. Keep doing it. However, this works for a lot of people. If you ever find what you're doing stops working just ask for help on it.0 -
I read the OP of the links - thank you
ok that seems reasonable. I can agree to what was said.
Unfortunately, I personally am afraid to tred on finding a loophole in order to have an excuse to eat a candy bar even if it fits my macros. but the article did address that - it said those who can do it can, and those who shouldn't shouldnt.
I personally - and this is just me - i personally am cautious about giving the ok to someone who i dont even know who is reading it - and if i give them what appears to be license to eat some "bad" foods, they make interpret it as permission to go ahead and eat something "bad".
I may be overly cautious, but that might be just me. to me when i read such a thing, i am afraid to go there, because i dont want to upset the thing i am doing now. and i personally feel that we could encourage each other to eat as best nutritiionally as possible, though i wont go all super religious about it, just im cautious.
They key here is to get over the concept of "bad" food. There really aren't any bad foods. There are more or less nutrient dense foods that may or may not fit your macronutrient needs, but they're not bad. I think I mentioned it earlier. I have used beer before to get in the last couple protein grams because the numbers allowed me to have a couple. I couldn't do that every day, but there are some I can sneak in a couple. Donuts aren't even bad, they're just not that nutrient dense. I've lost calories on donut days too. The sooner people can get over the bad vs. good food concept the sooner they can just start eating sensibly.
While I know it's not easy sometimes (oh lord do I know) its really self control that we all need. Making little splurges of deliciousness make it easier to avoid downing a full pint of Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey in one sitting...and ice cream has protein.
If what you're doing right now is working, and you're losing weight, then that's awesome. Keep doing it. However, this works for a lot of people. If you ever find what you're doing stops working just ask for help on it.
Your thinking seems reasonable and workable for you.. which is great.. and thank you for the kind words of encouragement to me.
May i ask one more question - which i've been thinking of this past hour -
what about micronutrients? And lets say you have enough room in your macros for either a plate of spinach and a candy bar. Why would you choose the candy bar over the spinach?
I personally think that perhaps a little bit of treats can be included in a diet if a person is able to eat a small amount and does not use that candy bar as anything but nutrition, ie.. dont eat it for stress relief or emotional reasons, i think if a person has to have a Snickers in order to make their weight loss journey more enjoyable, fine and i can see then eat it if it fits your macros - literally. i may be thinking too far on the right with people who take license to eat a candy bar and go overboard.
I also kinda think imo that telling someone to eat a little bit of junk food and it will be ok is about as dangerous as like telling someone they can have sex without birth control because for the most part they probably wont get pregnant, but i know that one time that person happens to get pregnant they wish they would not have given themselves license to have relations birth control-free.
so am i being too overly cautious?
one more question - am i doing iifym if i am eating some food i am allowing myself such as my wanting a muffin in the morning, because it makes my day go that much nicer, yes i could be eating oatmeal, but i choose the muffin, is that me in a way doing IIFYM? or when i decide to get a turkey sandwich, i choose mayo on it, because it fits my macros,, so am i doing IIFM inadvertentely?0 -
I read the OP of the links - thank you
ok that seems reasonable. I can agree to what was said.
Unfortunately, I personally am afraid to tred on finding a loophole in order to have an excuse to eat a candy bar even if it fits my macros. but the article did address that - it said those who can do it can, and those who shouldn't shouldnt.
I personally - and this is just me - i personally am cautious about giving the ok to someone who i dont even know who is reading it - and if i give them what appears to be license to eat some "bad" foods, they make interpret it as permission to go ahead and eat something "bad".
I may be overly cautious, but that might be just me. to me when i read such a thing, i am afraid to go there, because i dont want to upset the thing i am doing now. and i personally feel that we could encourage each other to eat as best nutritiionally as possible, though i wont go all super religious about it, just im cautious.
They key here is to get over the concept of "bad" food. There really aren't any bad foods. There are more or less nutrient dense foods that may or may not fit your macronutrient needs, but they're not bad. I think I mentioned it earlier. I have used beer before to get in the last couple protein grams because the numbers allowed me to have a couple. I couldn't do that every day, but there are some I can sneak in a couple. Donuts aren't even bad, they're just not that nutrient dense. I've lost calories on donut days too. The sooner people can get over the bad vs. good food concept the sooner they can just start eating sensibly.
While I know it's not easy sometimes (oh lord do I know) its really self control that we all need. Making little splurges of deliciousness make it easier to avoid downing a full pint of Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey in one sitting...and ice cream has protein.
If what you're doing right now is working, and you're losing weight, then that's awesome. Keep doing it. However, this works for a lot of people. If you ever find what you're doing stops working just ask for help on it.
Your thinking seems reasonable and workable for you.. which is great.. and thank you for the kind words of encouragement to me.
May i ask one more question - which i've been thinking of this past hour -
what about micronutrients? And lets say you have enough room in your macros for either a plate of spinach and a candy bar. Why would you choose the candy bar over the spinach?
I personally think that perhaps a little bit of treats can be included in a diet if a person is able to eat a small amount and does not use that candy bar as anything but nutrition, ie.. dont eat it for stress relief or emotional reasons, i think if a person has to have a Snickers in order to make their weight loss journey more enjoyable, fine and i can see then eat it if it fits your macros - literally. i may be thinking too far on the right with people who take license to eat a candy bar and go overboard.
I also kinda think imo that telling someone to eat a little bit of junk food and it will be ok is about as dangerous as like telling someone they can have sex without birth control because for the most part they probably wont get pregnant, but i know that one time that person happens to get pregnant they wish they would not have given themselves license to have relations birth control-free.
so am i being too overly cautious?
one more question - am i doing iifym if i am eating some food i am allowing myself such as my wanting a muffin in the morning, because it makes my day go that much nicer, yes i could be eating oatmeal, but i choose the muffin, is that me in a way doing IIFYM? or when i decide to get a turkey sandwich, i choose mayo on it, because it fits my macros,, so am i doing IIFM inadvertentely?
Your birth control analogy doesn't make sense to me. Maybe it's because I don't see that eating a small amount of less nutrient-dense food could cause any kind of health issue, provided the rest of the diet is nutrient dense and that there are no allergies or medical issues already present.
Personally I take a multivitamin and I also check in on my micronutrients weekly to make sure I'm hitting them. Some days I'm over on calcium and under on Vitamin A, some days the opposite. As long as it evens out over the long-run I don't sweat it. I also try to hit fiber most days. I aim for 80% nutrient dense food and leave myself 20% for discretionary calories. On my intake of 1700 calories that means I have enough for 340 calories worth of ice cream or chocolate or whatever.
I think that you are doing a version of IIFYM, going by your example. Like today, I had carbs left over. I could either have toast, fruit, or a muffin. I chose a muffin. Tomorrow I'll likely choose fruit.
ETA: Also I don't know anyone who can make a lot of fast food fit their macros. You go over on fat/carbs long before you hit protein doing that. But it can help you make better fast food choices when you do go out to eat.0 -
I read the OP of the links - thank you
ok that seems reasonable. I can agree to what was said.
Unfortunately, I personally am afraid to tred on finding a loophole in order to have an excuse to eat a candy bar even if it fits my macros. but the article did address that - it said those who can do it can, and those who shouldn't shouldnt.
I personally - and this is just me - i personally am cautious about giving the ok to someone who i dont even know who is reading it - and if i give them what appears to be license to eat some "bad" foods, they make interpret it as permission to go ahead and eat something "bad".
I may be overly cautious, but that might be just me. to me when i read such a thing, i am afraid to go there, because i dont want to upset the thing i am doing now. and i personally feel that we could encourage each other to eat as best nutritiionally as possible, though i wont go all super religious about it, just im cautious.
They key here is to get over the concept of "bad" food. There really aren't any bad foods. There are more or less nutrient dense foods that may or may not fit your macronutrient needs, but they're not bad. I think I mentioned it earlier. I have used beer before to get in the last couple protein grams because the numbers allowed me to have a couple. I couldn't do that every day, but there are some I can sneak in a couple. Donuts aren't even bad, they're just not that nutrient dense. I've lost calories on donut days too. The sooner people can get over the bad vs. good food concept the sooner they can just start eating sensibly.
While I know it's not easy sometimes (oh lord do I know) its really self control that we all need. Making little splurges of deliciousness make it easier to avoid downing a full pint of Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey in one sitting...and ice cream has protein.
If what you're doing right now is working, and you're losing weight, then that's awesome. Keep doing it. However, this works for a lot of people. If you ever find what you're doing stops working just ask for help on it.
Your thinking seems reasonable and workable for you.. which is great.. and thank you for the kind words of encouragement to me.
May i ask one more question - which i've been thinking of this past hour -
what about micronutrients? And lets say you have enough room in your macros for either a plate of spinach and a candy bar. Why would you choose the candy bar over the spinach?
I personally think that perhaps a little bit of treats can be included in a diet if a person is able to eat a small amount and does not use that candy bar as anything but nutrition, ie.. dont eat it for stress relief or emotional reasons, i think if a person has to have a Snickers in order to make their weight loss journey more enjoyable, fine and i can see then eat it if it fits your macros - literally. i may be thinking too far on the right with people who take license to eat a candy bar and go overboard.
I also kinda think imo that telling someone to eat a little bit of junk food and it will be ok is about as dangerous as like telling someone they can have sex without birth control because for the most part they probably wont get pregnant, but i know that one time that person happens to get pregnant they wish they would not have given themselves license to have relations birth control-free.
so am i being too overly cautious?
one more question - am i doing iifym if i am eating some food i am allowing myself such as my wanting a muffin in the morning, because it makes my day go that much nicer, yes i could be eating oatmeal, but i choose the muffin, is that me in a way doing IIFYM? or when i decide to get a turkey sandwich, i choose mayo on it, because it fits my macros,, so am i doing IIFM inadvertentely?
I know that this was not specifically addressed to me, but if you are fitting your food choices into your macros, then pretty much, yes, you are.
With regard to the food choices - here is a quote one of my favorite nutrition peeps, Eric Helms ""Once our nutrient needs are met, we don’t get extra credit for eating more nutritious food!"
So, if you have got a few servings of fruits and veggies in so have hit your micros, the choice is up to you as to how to use your extra calories. If you like ice cream and do not have an issue with portion control, then go for it. If you like more fruit, then go for that.
The thinking regarding total restriction v flexible dieting is nicely articulated briefly here in an extract from a post by the same person ""From my experience, I've found the good food bad food model tends to set people up for failure and lead to yo yo-ing in many cases. The either "off" or "on" the diet mindset tends to ensue because of the restrictive nature of that paradigm. That said, a focus on "better choices" after you've laid down some fundamentals like energy balance, basic macronutrient concepts, and have some "measuring stick" in place to guide process can work really well."
The thing is, telling someone that they *can* eat a candy bar can very often lead to someone not wanting to binge as they know they can have it again. I think it is very personal as to whether it leads to falling off the wagon. Highly restricted diets lead to that far more than flexible dieting imo.0 -
ok maybe for YOU, you are doing it right, for your body, perhaps you have more muscle and more higher burning metabolism, and it may work for you. But i read where people seem to me from what it appears they are saying they are eating that they are eating more IIFYM as thru a loophole i.e. what can they get away with as long as they are within their macros. I personally do not feel that one person's experience is enough to declare that it is a good thing, i would have to do a scientific type study where you take maybe 10 people and do a long range study and compare what they are doing. then after a time, i would then study what they did, etc.. and then come to a conclusion, vs just one person such as you who has success. What I am sayhing it, it may work for you, you may be doing it right, you may have a good physique, etc. etc... but I am not convinced that it is right for all. Hope that makes sense. I'm still skeptical.
It is definitely not right for everyone. Some people have medical/allergy concerns and others have food relation issues that do not mesh well with a diet that requires moderation and self control. For the majority of people these things are not a factor.
http://www.wannabebig.com/diet-and-nutrition/the-dirt-on-clean-eating/One of the fundamental pitfalls of dichotomizing foods as good or bad, or clean or dirty, is that it can form a destructive relationship with food. This isn’t just an empty claim; it’s been seen in research. Smith and colleagues found that flexible dieting was associated with the absence of overeating, lower bodyweight, and the absence of depression and anxiety [22]. They also found that a strict all-or-nothing approach to dieting was associated with overeating and increased bodyweight. Similarly, Stewart and colleagues found that rigid dieting was associated with symptoms of an eating disorder, mood disturbances, and anxiety [23]. Flexible dieting was not highly correlated with these qualities. Although these are observational study designs with self-reported data, anyone who spends enough time among fitness buffs knows that these findings are not off the mark. Alan Aragon0 -
Ok now you are making sense. I am pretty stubborn and so I thank you for explaining it.
I do agree that (no matter what name you call it) being reasonable on a weight loss lifestyle that people are being reasonable about their food, having some treats within reason, i guess the word is "be reasonable" about food choices.
I do believe that in order to make this a lifestyle & commitment, it cannot be drudgery. i.e. i will have a turkey sandwich vs a cheesy Italian beef with french fries, but i will have some mayo on it to make the sandwich a pleasure. I suppose one day a person could choose - I stress that word - choose - to have a candy bar and I do not believe in most cases it will hurt them. the person has to have some discipline though and be aware of food triggers, imo, so they dont fool themselves into eating it when they are over their macros.. you know how some people justify something when they know better. someone on MFP said we have to know ourselves and do what we know will be best for us individually.
the birth control example was my way of saying eating foolishly and thinking there may be no consequences just because they've been able to skate by a while, is like a person thinking they can skate by not using birth control and having sex and thinking pregnancy wont happen to them just because they've been lucky. I am saying its toying with something kinda dangerous.
But thats just me at this point.0 -
Wow this is one of the best posts on this site I've seen. Honest questions with great answers.0
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i personally like term flexible dieting rather than iifym.0
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i personally like term flexible dieting rather than iifym.
Hi - i think i've heard of that "flexitarian" right? Could you explain?0 -
i love flexible dieting. BRB fitting a beer or 2 in my diet.
Best thing ever . Had apple pie last night and im busy on a cut . would never in the past
IIFYM!0 -
Must be different names for virtually the same thing.. Flexible, iifym, etc..
for me, its just a question of what is reasonable, what is not necessarily drudgery, eating for pleasure and eating for the best things our bodies can use, limit treats but not with a deprived attitude, but more like "laying it aside for now" kind of thinking. I might be doing a combo of "clean eating" and "flexibile eating" but I try to stay somewhere in the middle of the road, deprivation can make a person freak out, so maybe a candy bar once ina while will stave off that sense of feeling deprived.
since most of the success i believe is in our mind, then i think whatever makes us feel calm, in control, (not food being in control but each one of us having control over food), i think that is part of the success.
I know that i would not go on a diet becuase i thought i would be depriving myself of things i loved to eat, so i kept on eating. this MFP helps a lot! because i CAN eat some delish foods, i just watch what i eat. if thats MFP or IIFYM or whatever name you call it, then so be it
and if someone here is in good shape, and is doing IIFYM, then it may be working for you ,, i wont deny that.0 -
i personally like term flexible dieting rather than iifym.
Hi - i think i've heard of that "flexitarian" right? Could you explain?
Flexible dieting is just another word for IIFYM. A flexitarian is someone who mainly eats a vegetarian diet but occasionally eats meat. It is not related to macros.0 -
Must be different names for virtually the same thing.. Flexible, iifym, etc..
for me, its just a question of what is reasonable, what is not necessarily drudgery, eating for pleasure and eating for the best things our bodies can use, limit treats but not with a deprived attitude, but more like "laying it aside for now" kind of thinking. I might be doing a combo of "clean eating" and "flexibile eating" but I try to stay somewhere in the middle of the road, deprivation can make a person freak out, so maybe a candy bar once ina while will stave off that sense of feeling deprived.
since most of the success i believe is in our mind, then i think whatever makes us feel calm, in control, (not food being in control but each one of us having control over food), i think that is part of the success.
I know that i would not go on a diet becuase i thought i would be depriving myself of things i loved to eat, so i kept on eating. this MFP helps a lot! because i CAN eat some delish foods, i just watch what i eat. if thats MFP or IIFYM or whatever name you call it, then so be it
and if someone here is in good shape, and is doing IIFYM, then it may be working for you ,, i wont deny that.
If you are doing that while hitting your macros, then you are IIFYM'ing.0 -
Recently there's been an increase in threads where someone posts about IIFYM with the assumption that IIFYM is a specific calorie or macronutrient setting.
This is happening because one of the websites promoting IIFYM also includes a calorie estimation tool and recommended macronutrient settings.
I'm only posting here to clarify some misconceptions at to what IIFYM actually is. I'm well aware that this has been done several times before on MFP but I'm doing it again because of the recent stream of threads that seemingly claim that IIFYM is a certain number of calories.
Suffice it to say, it's a philosophy about food selection and the strategy of looking at the diet as a whole rather than at individual food items.
You can read more here:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/817188-iifym
sooooo i'm a tad bit confused probably because i don't completely understand macros. i KNOW i'm opening myself up to a LOT but i'm gonna say it anyway would you mind looking at my diary and telling me where i can/should change things. a few things: yes i measure/weigh my food, i did miss saturday/sunday (was at a weekend boat party was not about to enter what i ate/drank really more drank than actually ate LOL), i am just getting back from a week off of working out/running (doctor's order - pulled ribcage muscle). i am only 4' 11" and lastly i have 20-25lbs left to loose and i do not restrict myself in eating my sweets/wine however i measure measure measure - i'm not on a diet i changed my lifestyle.0 -
So yeah, everything Sara said:
I've pretty much replaced eating candy bars with protein bars. Depending on the ones you get they're pretty close.
Also, some days are better than others for everybody. Yesterday I wanted a Blue Moon (beer) that's been sitting in my fridge, but had some fried chicken instead because I was out of carbs and needed the extra protein. We all balance it out.0 -
Recently there's been an increase in threads where someone posts about IIFYM with the assumption that IIFYM is a specific calorie or macronutrient setting.
This is happening because one of the websites promoting IIFYM also includes a calorie estimation tool and recommended macronutrient settings.
I'm only posting here to clarify some misconceptions at to what IIFYM actually is. I'm well aware that this has been done several times before on MFP but I'm doing it again because of the recent stream of threads that seemingly claim that IIFYM is a certain number of calories.
Suffice it to say, it's a philosophy about food selection and the strategy of looking at the diet as a whole rather than at individual food items.
You can read more here:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/817188-iifym
sooooo i'm a tad bit confused probably because i don't completely understand macros. i KNOW i'm opening myself up to a LOT but i'm gonna say it anyway would you mind looking at my diary and telling me where i can/should change things. a few things: yes i measure/weigh my food, i did miss saturday/sunday (was at a weekend boat party was not about to enter what i ate/drank really more drank than actually ate LOL), i am just getting back from a week off of working out/running (doctor's order - pulled ribcage muscle). i am only 4' 11" and lastly i have 20-25lbs left to loose and i do not restrict myself in eating my sweets/wine however i measure measure measure - i'm not on a diet i changed my lifestyle.
People cannot really give sound advice re calories without more information. However, this may help: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets
The best advice I can give you...weigh everything you can and log everything. Be as accurate as possible.0 -
i like the term flexible dieting becuz it means that ur diet should be based on nutritious whole foods but its fine to eat a certain amount of "junk foods" as long as it fits ur macros. if u r a hardcore itfym u may believe that its ok to drink soda for ur carbs, pretien powder for protein, and heavy cream for fats, as long as u take a pill for vitamins and fiber.i personally like term flexible dieting rather than iifym.
Hi - i think i've heard of that "flexitarian" right? Could you explain?0 -
i like the term flexible dieting becuz it means that ur diet should be based on nutritious whole foods but its fine to eat a certain amount of "junk foods" as long as it fits ur macros. if u r a hardcore itfym u may believe that its ok to drink soda for ur carbs, pretien powder for protein, and heavy cream for fats, as long as u take a pill for vitamins and fiber.i personally like term flexible dieting rather than iifym.
Hi - i think i've heard of that "flexitarian" right? Could you explain?
You probably could do that, but why would you when chicken and broccoli is are cheaper?0 -
i like the term flexible dieting becuz it means that ur diet should be based on nutritious whole foods but its fine to eat a certain amount of "junk foods" as long as it fits ur macros. if u r a hardcore itfym u may believe that its ok to drink soda for ur carbs, pretien powder for protein, and heavy cream for fats, as long as u take a pill for vitamins and fiber.i personally like term flexible dieting rather than iifym.
Hi - i think i've heard of that "flexitarian" right? Could you explain?
Hi - can you tell me if that is working for you well, to be able to eat junk food sometimes, i mean in the whole big picture, not just a few things here and there. I'm afraid to go there,, i'm like an alcoholic being offering a glass of vodka !0 -
i like the term flexible dieting becuz it means that ur diet should be based on nutritious whole foods but its fine to eat a certain amount of "junk foods" as long as it fits ur macros. if u r a hardcore itfym u may believe that its ok to drink soda for ur carbs, pretien powder for protein, and heavy cream for fats, as long as u take a pill for vitamins and fiber.i personally like term flexible dieting rather than iifym.
Hi - i think i've heard of that "flexitarian" right? Could you explain?
Hi - can you tell me if that is working for you well, to be able to eat junk food sometimes, i mean in the whole big picture, not just a few things here and there. I'm afraid to go there,, i'm like an alcoholic being offering a glass of vodka !
He means to say that he's NOT doing that. Yes, you could do that and lose weight as long as what you were eating fit your macros properly. Generally its easier to hit your numbers with things like chicken, broccoli, milk, eggs, etc. but you "could" do it that way if you could fit the numbers in properly.
So, for example, I'm set for 1,800 calories a day. My protein goal is 160g a day. So that means the food I eat needs to average out to about 11 calories per gram of protein. Note that protein is generally considered a MINIMUM number, not a maximum. I'm also still going to try to eat under 140g of carbohydrates a day. So, within those 1800 calories, I need to try and get 160g of protein without going over 140g of carbs. Sometimes it can be a bit daunting, but for me its less about eating foods that are "oh so delicious" and more about turning food into puzzle pieces for the picture of my day. Will I do it well enough to slip in a piece of cake or a beer? Maybe, maybe not.
I just need to meter everything out and control myself when the numbers don't pan out as well as I'd hoped. If I freak out and start two fisting a cheesecake, racking up 2,000 extra calories I've lost the war for the day. If I end up maybe a hundred calories over I'm not going to die. Maybe the next day I'll be a hundred calories under. I just don't fall into reckless abandon when I eat something that doesn't fit my numbers that well.
Oh, and exercise. It's exceptionally important. Yeah, sure, working out 3-5 times a day is pro. NO. That's not what I'm talking about. Every day you should be doing something in addition to your regular workouts. Go for a walk. Get up and clean the house. Do something to increase your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE for us IIFYM nerds). Getting up and moving around will do more for you than you could imagine. But this is still the second most important thing.
Accuracy in tracking what you put in and what you burn off is probably the single most important thing you can do to either gain or lose weight. If you don't have one you should own a food scale and use it for everything. I mean everything. It can be the difference between a 120 calorie tablespoon of peanut butter (measured exactly) and a 180 calorie tablespoon of peanut butter (eyeballed on the end of a knife). Right there you could have eaten 60 extra calories and not even known it. Imagine if you eyeballed everything all day wrong. How many extra calories would you be eating and not even know it? Accuracy is what got me off of more than a four month weight loss stall and got me losing weight again.
By now I'm probably just rambling and off topic, but everything is working so well for me right now I can't help but share. I feel like I'm in control of absolutely everything dealing with my weight. I hold the keys, not some imaginary trigger food, or "bad fats" or raspberry ketones, or "this one weird trick".
I. AM. IN. CONTROL. and it feels f***ing awesome!
(For dinner I had a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich. 520 cal, 31 carb, 33 fat, 22 protein and 10 fiber. Was that "bad"?)0 -
i like the term flexible dieting becuz it means that ur diet should be based on nutritious whole foods but its fine to eat a certain amount of "junk foods" as long as it fits ur macros. if u r a hardcore itfym u may believe that its ok to drink soda for ur carbs, pretien powder for protein, and heavy cream for fats, as long as u take a pill for vitamins and fiber.i personally like term flexible dieting rather than iifym.
Hi - i think i've heard of that "flexitarian" right? Could you explain?
Hi - can you tell me if that is working for you well, to be able to eat junk food sometimes, i mean in the whole big picture, not just a few things here and there. I'm afraid to go there,, i'm like an alcoholic being offering a glass of vodka !
He means to say that he's NOT doing that. Yes, you could do that and lose weight as long as what you were eating fit your macros properly. Generally its easier to hit your numbers with things like chicken, broccoli, milk, eggs, etc. but you "could" do it that way if you could fit the numbers in properly.
So, for example, I'm set for 1,800 calories a day. My protein goal is 160g a day. So that means the food I eat needs to average out to about 11 calories per gram of protein. Note that protein is generally considered a MINIMUM number, not a maximum. I'm also still going to try to eat under 140g of carbohydrates a day. So, within those 1800 calories, I need to try and get 160g of protein without going over 140g of carbs. Sometimes it can be a bit daunting, but for me its less about eating foods that are "oh so delicious" and more about turning food into puzzle pieces for the picture of my day. Will I do it well enough to slip in a piece of cake or a beer? Maybe, maybe not.
I just need to meter everything out and control myself when the numbers don't pan out as well as I'd hoped. If I freak out and start two fisting a cheesecake, racking up 2,000 extra calories I've lost the war for the day. If I end up maybe a hundred calories over I'm not going to die. Maybe the next day I'll be a hundred calories under. I just don't fall into reckless abandon when I eat something that doesn't fit my numbers that well.
Oh, and exercise. It's exceptionally important. Yeah, sure, working out 3-5 times a day is pro. NO. That's not what I'm talking about. Every day you should be doing something in addition to your regular workouts. Go for a walk. Get up and clean the house. Do something to increase your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE for us IIFYM nerds). Getting up and moving around will do more for you than you could imagine. But this is still the second most important thing.
Accuracy in tracking what you put in and what you burn off is probably the single most important thing you can do to either gain or lose weight. If you don't have one you should own a food scale and use it for everything. I mean everything. It can be the difference between a 120 calorie tablespoon of peanut butter (measured exactly) and a 180 calorie tablespoon of peanut butter (eyeballed on the end of a knife). Right there you could have eaten 60 extra calories and not even known it. Imagine if you eyeballed everything all day wrong. How many extra calories would you be eating and not even know it? Accuracy is what got me off of more than a four month weight loss stall and got me losing weight again.
By now I'm probably just rambling and off topic, but everything is working so well for me right now I can't help but share. I feel like I'm in control of absolutely everything dealing with my weight. I hold the keys, not some imaginary trigger food, or "bad fats" or raspberry ketones, or "this one weird trick".
I. AM. IN. CONTROL. and it feels f***ing awesome!
(For dinner I had a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich. 520 cal, 31 carb, 33 fat, 22 protein and 10 fiber. Was that "bad"?)
Yah!! congratulations and I feel your excitement!!!
If you look at my diary which is open you'll see that within the past week or so, I've been accurately measuring everything, and well i started this weight loss May 31, and the 1st two weeks i lost water weight, then stayed the ssame too many days, turns out i was eyeballing my food, and not drinking enuf water, i changed those two things and voila.
what i do is not label what im doing, haha, but i say what could i eat that would give me the best bang for the buck ,, food nutrients are like cash to me, i want to not spend it all in one place. i generally know what to watch out for, and then choose within those boundaries. i say hmm i have a taste for a turkey sandwich so i do that, and then write them down. thats it. im going the slow 1.5 pound a week loss and but this way i dont feel like im on a diet. so whatever the name, its working out YAY!0 -
yeah, im sure u can eat that and lose weight but i am not sure its healthy.
i like the term flexible dieting becuz it means that ur diet should be based on nutritious whole foods but its fine to eat a certain amount of "junk foods" as long as it fits ur macros. if u r a hardcore itfym u may believe that its ok to drink soda for ur carbs, pretien powder for protein, and heavy cream for fats, as long as u take a pill for vitamins and fiber.i personally like term flexible dieting rather than iifym.
Hi - i think i've heard of that "flexitarian" right? Could you explain?
You probably could do that, but why would you when chicken and broccoli is are cheaper?0 -
yeah, im sure u can eat that and lose weight but i am not sure its healthy.
i like the term flexible dieting becuz it means that ur diet should be based on nutritious whole foods but its fine to eat a certain amount of "junk foods" as long as it fits ur macros. if u r a hardcore itfym u may believe that its ok to drink soda for ur carbs, pretien powder for protein, and heavy cream for fats, as long as u take a pill for vitamins and fiber.i personally like term flexible dieting rather than iifym.
Hi - i think i've heard of that "flexitarian" right? Could you explain?
You probably could do that, but why would you when chicken and broccoli is are cheaper?
If you're satisfying your caloric, macronutrient and micronutrient needs what else is there? Each of us are basically a walking, talking chemistry set. It's up to us to make the experiments with the chemicals at hand, be they in the form of sour cream or yogurt.0 -
yeah, im sure u can eat that and lose weight but i am not sure its healthy.
i like the term flexible dieting becuz it means that ur diet should be based on nutritious whole foods but its fine to eat a certain amount of "junk foods" as long as it fits ur macros. if u r a hardcore itfym u may believe that its ok to drink soda for ur carbs, pretien powder for protein, and heavy cream for fats, as long as u take a pill for vitamins and fiber.i personally like term flexible dieting rather than iifym.
Hi - i think i've heard of that "flexitarian" right? Could you explain?
You probably could do that, but why would you when chicken and broccoli is are cheaper?
Did you read what IIFYM is really supposed to be? Your definition of flexible dieting is exacting the same as IIFYM in the OP.0 -
Probably just looking for an excuse but.... my fats are often too high but I am often told it is the good rather than bad fat...does this make a difference or is a fat a fat a fat?0
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yes. let us just get rid of the term if it fit ur macros. some people take it too literally.
yeah, im sure u can eat that and lose weight but i am not sure its healthy.
i like the term flexible dieting becuz it means that ur diet should be based on nutritious whole foods but its fine to eat a certain amount of "junk foods" as long as it fits ur macros. if u r a hardcore itfym u may believe that its ok to drink soda for ur carbs, pretien powder for protein, and heavy cream for fats, as long as u take a pill for vitamins and fiber.i personally like term flexible dieting rather than iifym.
Hi - i think i've heard of that "flexitarian" right? Could you explain?
You probably could do that, but why would you when chicken and broccoli is are cheaper?
Did you read what IIFYM is really supposed to be? Your definition of flexible dieting is exacting the same as IIFYM in the OP.0
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