IIFYM..good or bad?

Too bad you didn't correct the OPs misconception concerning IIFYM and just added to it.

LOL And you think getting snarky with me instead of addressing any perceived misconception the OP may have is a better choice? LOL

You see, I thought stumblinthrul did a great job of correcting any misconception that may have existed. I saw no need to repeat it.

Some of y'all seem to be just looking for drama. I'm sorry you don't like my answer...

Yes, it works. Don't fall too in love with the 'eat whatever you want' aspect, though. Done right, you'll still be looking at getting your micronutrients as well as macros. And that means a balanced diet including vegetables, fruit, fish, etc....

The two big advantages of IIFYM are -

1 it doesn't demonize the source of nutrients. If you can contribute to your nutrition goals with a quarter pounder and a McD salad, go for it.
2 it doesn't demonize any particular nutrients. If you have met your nutrition needs for the day and fancy a sugary treat in the evening - have at it. Just keep it in your calorie allowance.

Very sage advice indeed. For me, it simply takes the mental strain out of the lifestyle change. I still eat clean 80-90% of the time, but I don't stress if I have an extra beer or an appetizer before dinner once in a while. Or, more importantly, enforcing the "Daddy Tax" on my twins' Halloween candy! Best of luck.

As what people said, you can eat the "junk food" but then you know you have to pay the price for the rest of the day. You need to consume X amount of protein and fat because it is essential for the body.

There is a set number of caloires that you get from your protein/fat macros. the rest of the calories of the day can come from any source of macros.

The amount of calories you can get will be based upon your deficit(If you are cutting) or excess(bulking).

Whole foods hold more satiation than processed foods. If I eat something heavily processed and caloric dense I will resort to fruits, protein shakes, or meats for the rest of the day.

Here's a simple example of how IIFYM sorta works:

I set my macros at say, 50% carbs, 25% protein, 25% fat (hypothetical- lets not get all wound up over why you think it should be 40/30/30, or whatever. I want easy math)

I get done with dinner and have 180 cals left. I've hit my protein goal for the day, (for a 2000 cal diet, that'd be 500 cals, or 125g)

I look and see that only 49% of my calories came from carbs, and 22% from fats.
so I have 30g (120cal) of carbs and about 7g (60cal) of fat left that I can eat.

A 'clean eater' would say you can only have rice and some nuts because that's "healthy calories"
A IIFYM eater would say you can get some carbs and some fat, and a little extra protein by eating a brownie. or small slice of pie. Or some ice-cream. Or some chocolate milk. Or a Beer.

Because in the end, all you really care about is consuming 30g of carbs and 7g of fat to meet your goals.

Fuel is fuel is fuel.

I'm all for IIFYM. I have tried various diets, including eating "clean" and I would always end up feeling angry and deprived and would binge on a bad food, call myself a failure and the whole vicious cycle start again. Now, with incorporating my favourite foods, I feel this is a lifestyle now, not a diet. And if I do go crazy on mini chocolate bars (or whatever), I no longer feel I failed on a diet. I just consumed too many calories for my goal that day. There's lot of time to make it up within the week or even the month.

I ate waffles for breakfast that did not fit my macros. Even worse I put Mrs Butterworths and peanut butter on them.

Am I going to die?

I'd call that livin' not dying. :drinker:

I ate waffles for breakfast that did not fit my macros. Even worse I put Mrs Butterworths and peanut butter on them.

Am I going to die?

I had the waffles and syrup but forgot the Peanut butter this morning!! Grr!!! What was I thinking! <Walks away planning my breakfast for tomorrow morning> :drinker:

I am new to IIFYM too. I was looking for success stories because it still blows my mind that some people LOSE weight while eating 2k+ cals a day. That sounds lovely! I generally eat pretty healthy myself but haven't been seeing results and I've even gained recently! I am going to try IIFYM until Christmas and then reevaluate my levels for the new year.

I'm so done feeling starved and deprived and scared to eat a piece of pizza even if the rest of my day has been all veggies and chicken. I'm going to LOVE some greasy goodness every now and then! Or Buffalo Wild Wings with the boyfriend

I ate waffles for breakfast that did not fit my macros. Even worse I put Mrs Butterworths and peanut butter on them.

Am I going to die?

Now I'm interested in how many waffles it would take to surpass your calorie goals...

I love me since iifym. Now, watch as I throw in the word bacon.

I try to avoid bacon, it reduces the amount of ice cream I can eat.

#iifym

Zomg my auto correct on my phone makes me sooo mad lol. Wonder how bacon with ice cream would taste? I would totally make that fit