Confessions of a recovering clean eater

IIFYM is awesome! May not be everyone's cup of tea but I like it. One can only eat so many meals of chicken, broccoli and brown rice lol

neanderthin I am wondering what you meant by {she isn't clean " ?

If your goal is weight loss then IIFYM is just as good as eating clean. If your goal is health and nutrition then it's completely different.

If your goal is weight loss then IIFYM is just as good as eating clean. If your goal is health and nutrition then it's completely different.

No, not really.

If your goal is weight loss then IIFYM is just as good as eating clean. If your goal is health and nutrition then it's completely different.

It's possible your not quite familiar with IIFYM?

Educate me then? Everything I've seen and read on here is eat anything you want if it fits in your Protein, Carb, Fat macros or some people think it means just as long as you don't go over your calories. Or I hear a calorie is a calorie is a calorie, it doesn't matter what it is.

How can eating clean and IIFYM be the same nutritionally? A Big Mac from McDonalds might fit your macros but nutritionally it's no where near the same nutritional value of the same amount of calories of vegetables, fruits and whole foods. Am I thinking too simple?

***no hostility going on here, I'm just learning***

If your goal is weight loss then IIFYM is just as good as eating clean. If your goal is health and nutrition then it's completely different.

It's possible your not quite familiar with IIFYM?

Educate me then? Everything I've seen and read on here is eat anything you want if it fits in your Protein, Carb, Fat macros or some people think it means just as long as you don't go over your calories. Or I hear a calorie is a calorie is a calorie, it doesn't matter what it is.

How can eating clean and IIFYM be the same nutritionally? A Big Mac from McDonalds might fit your macros but nutritionally it's no where near the same nutritional value of the same amount of calories of vegetables, fruits and whole foods. Am I thinking too simple?

***no hostility going on here, I'm just learning***

Here's a great place to start, for more info-
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/822501-halp-my-sandwich-isn-t-clean

and-

http://evidencemag.com/clean-eating-iifym/

and

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/research-review/hormonal-responses-to-a-fast-food-meal-compared-with-nutritionally-comparable-meals-of-different-composition-research-review.html

If your goal is weight loss then IIFYM is just as good as eating clean. If your goal is health and nutrition then it's completely different.

It's possible your not quite familiar with IIFYM?

Educate me then? Everything I've seen and read on here is eat anything you want if it fits in your Protein, Carb, Fat macros or some people think it means just as long as you don't go over your calories. Or I hear a calorie is a calorie is a calorie, it doesn't matter what it is.

How can eating clean and IIFYM be the same nutritionally? A Big Mac from McDonalds might fit your macros but nutritionally it's no where near the same nutritional value of the same amount of calories of vegetables, fruits and whole foods. Am I thinking too simple?

***no hostility going on here, I'm just learning***

Fair enough. IIFYM is basically a philosophy that says you don't have to 100% clean all the time and some discretionary calories can be consumed. If a person hits their macro and micro goals it would dictate that most of the foods they choose where whole and minimally processed from the get go. But eating clean 100% of the time is extremely difficult especially considering there is no clear definition of the word, and having ice cream or Mc Donalds in an otherwise clean diet is not going to slow down someones progress or limit their nutrients....all food has nutrients. We could say that grain is a wastew of calories considering vegetables and fruit on a calorie for calorie basis are up to 100 times more nutrient dense.......shouild we not eat grains? Also don't confuse IIFYM with the website IIFYM.......it's not the same thing.

Excellent, thank you. We are both really on the same page you know? It's just both the 'clean eaters' and 'IIFYM' can take it to an extreme that isn't really necessary. Just like religion I guess Your definition sounds like a very healthy way to eat/live, but some of the other definitions I've seen have not sounded healthy at all.

Thanks!

If your goal is weight loss then IIFYM is just as good as eating clean. If your goal is health and nutrition then it's completely different.

It's possible your not quite familiar with IIFYM?

Educate me then? Everything I've seen and read on here is eat anything you want if it fits in your Protein, Carb, Fat macros or some people think it means just as long as you don't go over your calories. Or I hear a calorie is a calorie is a calorie, it doesn't matter what it is.

How can eating clean and IIFYM be the same nutritionally? A Big Mac from McDonalds might fit your macros but nutritionally it's no where near the same nutritional value of the same amount of calories of vegetables, fruits and whole foods. Am I thinking too simple?

***no hostility going on here, I'm just learning***

Fair enough. IIFYM is basically a philosophy that says you don't have to 100% clean all the time and some discretionary calories can be consumed. If a person hits their macro and micro goals it would dictate that most of the foods they choose where whole and minimally processed from the get go. But eating clean 100% of the time is extremely difficult especially considering there is no clear definition of the word, and having ice cream or Mc Donalds in an otherwise clean diet is not going to slow down someones progress or limit their nutrients....all food has nutrients. We could say that grain is a wastew of calories considering vegetables and fruit on a calorie for calorie basis are up to 100 times more nutrient dense.......shouild we not eat grains? Also don't confuse IIFYM with the website IIFYM.......it's not the same thing.

Excellent, thank you. We are both really on the same page you know? It's just both the 'clean eaters' and 'IIFYM' can take it to an extreme that isn't really necessary. Just like religion I guess Your definition sounds like a very healthy way to eat/live, but some of the other definitions I've seen have not sounded healthy at all.

Thanks!

Well there certainly are some people that believe IIFYM means you can eat "junk" food all the time, anytime, but I believe the majority here understand what it means and are mostly trying to put emphasis on it to make a point.....that happens a lot and can lead to some confusion.

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I do think that people don't have to eat "clean" all the time, I eat only an abundance of fruits and veggies, and sometimes I can have something other than that on reward day. IIFYM is a great thing for some people, only if they do it right. People have been using IIFYM as an excuse to eat tons of nutritionally deficient foods, and thus, most people are doing IIFYM "wrong", in my opinion, IIFYM is only a stable diet for bodybuilders. Also clean eating doesn't have to be boring, and that's why most people switch to IIFYM. If somebody wants to partake in IIFYM, the right way to do it is by eating a paleolithic diet, not the modern american diet. Don't hate on me, this is just my opinion, and if anyone doesn't accept it, just move on.

Well, your opinion is wrong and just accept it.

I do think that people don't have to eat "clean" all the time, I eat only an abundance of fruits and veggies, and sometimes I can have something other than that on reward day. IIFYM is a great thing for some people, only if they do it right. People have been using IIFYM as an excuse to eat tons of nutritionally deficient foods, and thus, most people are doing IIFYM "wrong", in my opinion, IIFYM is only a stable diet for bodybuilders. Also clean eating doesn't have to be boring, and that's why most people switch to IIFYM. If somebody wants to partake in IIFYM, the right way to do it is by eating a paleolithic diet, not the modern american diet. Don't hate on me, this is just my opinion, and if anyone doesn't accept it, just move on.

Wait, why is IIFYM only suitable for bodybuilders? They are actually usually are the ones who feel you need to be ultra clean (from what I understand). IIFYM is not eat junk food all the time. In fact, a lot of people follow the 80/20 rule, which from what I understand is how a lot of people eat paleo too because they find it too restrictive all the time (and going out with friends can be difficult). They key is moderation.

On the forums, a lot of people say yay junk food, and I have McD's every day, and blah blah blah. But, they may have one thing from McD's a day, and it's their extra. The rest of their day is likely a lot of whole foods that you feel would be appropriate for a paleo diet (although ignoring the requirements for grass fed and restricting carbs). It really is about moderation, but people emphasize it to make a point. I think in general, any diet that is so restrictive that you feel you can't go out for a drink or dinner with friends isn't going to be sustainable long term. The 80/20 rule for any diet helps with that, but being inflexible I think is what can lead to an unhealthy relationship with food.

As to what diet you decide to follow? Go with what keeps you satiated and helps you achieve your goals.

If your goal is weight loss then IIFYM is just as good as eating clean. If your goal is health and nutrition then it's completely different.

It's possible your not quite familiar with IIFYM?

Educate me then? Everything I've seen and read on here is eat anything you want if it fits in your Protein, Carb, Fat macros or some people think it means just as long as you don't go over your calories. Or I hear a calorie is a calorie is a calorie, it doesn't matter what it is.

How can eating clean and IIFYM be the same nutritionally? A Big Mac from McDonalds might fit your macros but nutritionally it's no where near the same nutritional value of the same amount of calories of vegetables, fruits and whole foods. Am I thinking too simple?

***no hostility going on here, I'm just learning***

Basically, IIFYM can fit into any eating lifestyle of your choosing. Whether it is clean eating, Paleo, Primal, General Low Carb, Calorie Countng, etc.

For me being Paleo / Primal - I have my macros set to 60% fat, 20% protein, 10% carbs. What I choose to eat that day should fit into those numbers. (if I am understanding IIFYM correctly).

If your goal is weight loss then IIFYM is just as good as eating clean. If your goal is health and nutrition then it's completely different.

It's possible your not quite familiar with IIFYM?

Educate me then? Everything I've seen and read on here is eat anything you want if it fits in your Protein, Carb, Fat macros or some people think it means just as long as you don't go over your calories. Or I hear a calorie is a calorie is a calorie, it doesn't matter what it is.

How can eating clean and IIFYM be the same nutritionally? A Big Mac from McDonalds might fit your macros but nutritionally it's no where near the same nutritional value of the same amount of calories of vegetables, fruits and whole foods. Am I thinking too simple?

***no hostility going on here, I'm just learning***

you don't understand nutrition.

IIFYM... eat whatever you want within a varied diet while meeting your macro- and micro-nutritional needs.

clean eating... ignore your nutritional intake and concentrate on eating from an arbitrarily created list of allowable foods and assume/hope that your nutritional needs are met.

by DEFINITION IIFYM > clean eating from a nutritional point of view. if you do IIFYM correctly, then you are guaranteed to meet your nutritional needs. if you do clean eating correctly, you can only hope to meet your nutritional needs - but you never really know because you are simply trusting that the foods you eat will do that for you without making any effort to verify that to be the case. the minute you make the effort to track and verify that your nutritional needs are being met, you are doing IIFYM.

Well then, it seems I've been doing it right by accident. I ate mostly clean last month and lost 10 pounds. But I did have a Frownie Sundae with my grandkids one day and didn't worry about it too much on the couple times I ate at restaurants. What does IIFYM stand for anyway?

Hopefully that was a brownie sundae since a frownie one just makes me sad... :sad:

Kings Restaurant has Frownie's - it's a brownie with a frownie face. lol The opposite of Eat N Park's Smilie cookie!

Great article! I'm interested to know what macros split Layne recommends. Does anyone know?