IIFYM week 1 trying to fix metabolism

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?

Gu
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.

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.

Please link to the studies you reference that support 1 gram protein per lb of body weight.

Thanks.

Lol... another "please show me the research" guy. I'm well aware of research that supports 1 gram per lb, as well as research that refutes it and states that there is no advantage to consuming as little as .37grams and as much as .82grams per lb (although, if you could, may you direct me to a study of lower than .82 grams that was conducted for longer than 2 weeks?) I'm merely making a recommendation to the OP. I'm using my experience, and for me, a lower calorie diet with an increase in my protein intake not only helped with fat loss, it kept me satiated (which should be a goal while in a caloric defict).

Unfortunately, you and I going back and forth really doesn't help the OP. So I'm curios... do you have any recommendations for him?

If you claim that your recommendation is based on scientific research, then link to the research.

Yes, because I keep links saved just for when something like this happens... I did my research, and I made a decision on how I wanted to proceed. I try to give back based on my experience. Nothing more. I'm not spouting "holier than thou" information. But at least I'm trying help. Yet, now I'm even more curious. What "advice" would you give?