IIFYM-Eating back exercise calories

I believe the actual IIFYM plan calculates your level of activity, including workouts into your your calorie goal. Instead of eating more on excercise days and less on rest days you just eat average every day.

If you use an IIFYM calculator and then eat back your calories MFP style you'll be in effect eating them back twice.

I believe the actual IIFYM plan calculates your level of activity, including workouts into your your calorie goal. Instead of eating more on excercise days and less on rest days you just eat average every day.

If you use an IIFYM calculator and then eat back your calories MFP style you'll be in effect eating them back twice.

As long as you chose your activity level correctly, it works like this. If you used sedentary, then you would have to eat your exercise cals back. And I've found with IIFYM, you need to treat your protein and fat goals as minimums, then get all your servings of fruit, veg and grains (because they do a body good), and then you can enjoy whatever good-for-the-soul foods you want up to your calorie goal. There have been days where I'm at my protein and fat goals and over on carbs, but still under calories. And I've also done IIFYM with just hitting calories and it doesn't work as well as doing it with hitting your macro goals first.

Edit: I log my exercise cals on here as 1 calorie burned, just so I have a record of what I've done activity-wise.

IIFYM takes into account your activity level.

So if 1,600 is your calorie requirements to maintain your current weight, for example, that number represents your Maintenance Calorie Level, and IIFYM just states what your macronutrients should be within the calorie requirements for your existing activity level.

If all of a sudden you decided to add an additional one hour of cardio every day to your existing routine and burned an extra 200 calories per day, IIFYM would require you to add additional 200 calories IF your desire was to maintain your weight and just were just trying to recomposition (lose fat, add muscle, but retain your weight). However, if your intent was to LOSE weight, then under IIFYM you would just stay at your existing calories and operate under a calorie deficit until you got to the weight you wanted.

I use IIFYM but I don't target based on a % of calories. I typically target my protein at certain grams per day, fat at certain grams per day, and fill the remainder with carbs.

Typically protein is the hardest macro to reach for folks: ideas on protein outside of animal protein are oatmeal, lentils, beans. Also if you are increasing your protein significantly from what you are used to, make sure to track that you are getting enough fiber in so you have healthy digestive movement... Myfitnesspal can track that for you.

Since my workout schedule can easily get derailed because of my work/school schedule, its more difficult to calculate an average. I use my TDEE at the lowest activity level, (I also have a desk job). On the days that I workout, I'll eat back about 1/2 or all of my workout calories. This way, I can still log both consumed and burned calories and I don't have to worry about a week where I can't get to the gym.

Also note -I'm new to this method and I've only just rejoined since this January. It seems to be doing what it's suppose to though, I lost 5lbs in January and 2.5 inches around waist and hips each. Your more towards the end of your goal it looks like and I've heard that it takes longer as you get closer to your goal.