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IIFYM Not a diet?
Replies
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Welcome to MFP :flowerforyou:The forums here are the so ****ing dumb.0 -
I have a couple of legit question for the IIFYMers...
Is there an "ideal" macro target for fat loss? At the end of each day, does it all have to be 100% on point, or is there some wiggle room?
Fat loss is a combination of weight loss and lean mass preservation.
Weight loss is about calorie deficit. Period.
Lean mass preservation is about adequate protein intake, progressive resistance training, a calorie deficit that's not too high, and rest.
So for optimal fat loss, you need a moderate calorie deficit, high protein intake (1-1.4 grams per lb of lean mass), and progressive resistance training. For fat loss the rest doesn't really matter. You want to get 4+ servings of fruits and veggies a day for general health, and you want adequate fat (for neurological and hormone function) and fiber (for vascular and digestive health) intake for your health's sake.0 -
Fat loss is a combination of weight loss and lean mass preservation.
Weight loss is about calorie deficit. Period.
Lean mass preservation is about adequate protein intake, progressive resistance training, a calorie deficit that's not too high, and rest.
So for optimal fat loss, you need a moderate calorie deficit, high protein intake (1-1.4 grams per lb of lean mass), and progressive resistance training. For fat loss the rest doesn't really matter. You want to get 4+ servings of fruits and veggies a day for general health, and you want adequate fat (for neurological and hormone function) and fiber (for vascular and digestive health) intake for your health's sake.
THANKS for the detailed reply! I really don't want to lose any muscle, so I will definitely be paying attention to protein more than I have been.0 -
THANKS for the detailed reply! I really don't want to lose any muscle, so I will definitely be paying attention to protein more than I have been.
I do believe that you two just saved this otherwise going up in flames thread (if only for a few minutes).
Nice job!0 -
This forum .... :noway:0
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If you say so.
I'm not going to say that that's ALWAYS the case, but it happens. There was one of these threads where one of the anti-IIFYM regulars admitted as much.0 -
Probably one of the most amazing but misunderstood concepts circulating among bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts in general, is IIFYM.
What started as a phrase from a user named Erik Stevens on bodybuilding.com, quickly caught on and proceeded to cause an uproar of internet stupidity everywhere.
IIFYM stands for "If It Fits Your Macros" and it was originally phrased on the bb.com forums as a fast way to respond to the overwhelming number of questions about whether or not someone could eat a particular food item without having to worry about getting fat, or not gaining muscle, or (insert other negative effect).
Here are some examples of the questions that would come up: "Hey can I eat fruit on a cut?" "Hey is it okay for me to have oatmeal?" "Hey I had a cookie but I still stayed at my calorie and macro goals, is that okay or will that hurt my progress?" (The answer being "Yes, you can eat it if it fits your macros").
IIFYM literally means to hit your calorie and macronutrient targets by end of day choosing foods that you enjoy eating. The concept is completely bastardized because idiots across the internet continually come up with scenarios that don't exist in real life, to try and blow a hole in the idea that IIFYM is a sound practice.
Here are some examples of the strawmen arguments that show up in an attempt to discredit IIFYM: "You're telling me you can just eat straight table sugar for your carbs, and drink olive oil for your fat, and use whey protein and you'll have a good physique?". "Hey have fun eating pizza and donuts all day". "Brb just eating cake, IIFYM".
Good luck with that. (You'll note that you typically can't hit your macros eating chips and donuts all day and if you CAN, your macros are probably horsesh*t to begin with and you've then got bigger problems. The point here is that IIFYM most certainly isn't a disregard for health or nutrient sufficiency, but people will often create and knock down that strawman).
What IIFYM is not:
1) It is not eating cake and chips all day.
2) It is not disregarding micronutrients and fiber and general intelligence with regards to food choice.
3) It is not a specific macro setting. There is a website out there that has the IIFYM label that includes a calorie calculation tool and unfortunately several people on MFP believe that doing "IIFYM" means eating those specific macros. This is false.
IIFYM is a philosophy about food selection with the belief that body composition changes are primarily a function of nutrient intake and energy balance rather than a function of individual food sources.
When practicing IIFYM, it is recommended that you choose mostly whole and nutrient dense foods to comprise the majority of your intake. Fresh vegetables, fruits, meats, fish, etc, and at the same time, leaving some room for a discretionary intake. A common and very reasonable recommendation would be about 80/20. That is to say, that if you've got a calorie target of 2500, you'd eat approximately 2000 calories of whole and nutrient dense foods with a calorie bank of 500 to eat whatever you would like while still hitting your calorie and macronutrient targets by end of day
Source:http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/817188-iifym
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Fair enough - we've arrived at the same conclusion via different paths - IIFYM = diet.
Also I was getting my definition from the Oxford dictionary - 'Restrict oneself to small amounts or special kinds of food in order to lose weight:' -sorry I know it can be a bit limiting
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/diet
Definition of Diet
Syllabification: di·et
Pronunciation: /ˈdī-it /
NOUN
1 The kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats:
... a vegetarian diet
... a specialist in diet
MORE EXAMPLE SENTENCES
... The calming, sattvic temperament accruing from a vegetarian diet is reflected in animals.
... Some land was tilled, mainly for the cultivation of oats that formed a staple part of the diet of the settler community.
... And we get residues of the hormones in those foods, so if you are going to eat, I recommend reducing animal foods in the diet.
SYNONYMS
1.1 A regular occupation or series of activities in which one participates:
... a healthy diet of classical music
MORE EXAMPLE SENTENCES
... I confess that I've not made it part of my regular blog diet, but I think I may.
... Even the best-fed consumers have only four to five ‘kitchens’ dishing up their regular news diet.
... It seems that for many average internet users, blogs still merely provide an information supplement at some specific times, rather than a regular news diet.
2 A special course of food to which one restricts oneself, either to lose weight or for medical reasons:
... I’m going on a diet
MORE EXAMPLE SENTENCES
... Handouts are available in English and Spanish on topics such as weight control, diets to lose weight, and exercise programs.
... Some people do lose weight on low-carb diets, but the weight loss probably isn't related to blood sugar and insulin levels.
... It may be more important to stick to a diet and lose weight than to worry about the moral implications of the food you eat.0 -
You are restricting your calorie in-take therefore it's a diet.
A very good one that works for a lot of people - but don't delude yourself it's a diet.
A diet has nothing to do with calorie restriction or surplus. A diet is the sum of food consumed by a person. In the context of fitness, it's a predefined or 'guided' sum.
IIFYM is not a diet. It's a way to structure a diet. Just like Intermittent Fasting.0 -
Everything you need to know about IIFYM -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeOh18mWWzg 0 -
IIFYM is not a diet. It's a way to structure a diet. Just like Intermittent Fasting.
From FreeDictionary...
Diet: a regulated selection of foods, as for medical reasons or cosmetic weight loss.
alternately (Miriam Webster)...
Diet: the kind and amount of food prescribed for a person or animal for a special reason.
or (Oxford)...
Diet: A special course of food to which a person restricts themselves, either to lose weight or for medical reasons
The act of setting macro limits is what makes IIFYM - however it is individually practiced - a diet.
Food restriction is food restriction.0 -
Diet: a special course of food to which one restricts oneself.
alternately
Diet: the kind and amount of food prescribed for a person or animal for a special reason.
or
Diet: A special course of food to which a person restricts themselves, either to lose weight or for medical reasons
The act of setting macro limits is what makes IIFYM - however it is individually practiced - a diet.
Food restriction is food restriction.
Read those definitions more carefully. The diet is the sum of food consumed. The course, kind, and amount of food. IIFYM has none of that (except calorie amount, which does not make a diet according to the definitions). Merely a restriction. The restriction is not the diet. It's the purpose.0 -
Diet: a special course of food to which one restricts oneself.
alternately
Diet: the kind and amount of food prescribed for a person or animal for a special reason.
The act of setting macro limits is what makes IIFYM - however it is individually practiced - a diet.
Food restriction is food restriction.
Except one can bulk on IIFYM. (Stating this again, for the nth time) and the calorie restriction itself isn't IIFYM.
At 3400 cals during a bulk, following IIFYM I'm not restricting.0 -
Except one can bulk on IIFYM. (Stating this again, for the nth time) and the calorie restriction itself isn't IIFYM.
At 3400 cals during a bulk, following IIFYM I'm not restricting.
"Restriction" is ambivalent on direction - having to eat more than a number is as much a restriction as having to eat less than a number. Dieting to bulk is still dieting.0 -
It's not a diet. It's a lifestyle.............. focused solely on .... diet.
Aren't all foodways a lifestyle?0 -
Probably one of the most amazing but misunderstood concepts circulating among bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts in general, is IIFYM.
What started as a phrase from a user named Erik Stevens on bodybuilding.com, quickly caught on and proceeded to cause an uproar of internet stupidity everywhere.
IIFYM stands for "If It Fits Your Macros" and it was originally phrased on the bb.com forums as a fast way to respond to the overwhelming number of questions about whether or not someone could eat a particular food item without having to worry about getting fat, or not gaining muscle, or (insert other negative effect).
Here are some examples of the questions that would come up: "Hey can I eat fruit on a cut?" "Hey is it okay for me to have oatmeal?" "Hey I had a cookie but I still stayed at my calorie and macro goals, is that okay or will that hurt my progress?" (The answer being "Yes, you can eat it if it fits your macros").
IIFYM literally means to hit your calorie and macronutrient targets by end of day choosing foods that you enjoy eating. The concept is completely bastardized because idiots across the internet continually come up with scenarios that don't exist in real life, to try and blow a hole in the idea that IIFYM is a sound practice.
Here are some examples of the strawmen arguments that show up in an attempt to discredit IIFYM: "You're telling me you can just eat straight table sugar for your carbs, and drink olive oil for your fat, and use whey protein and you'll have a good physique?". "Hey have fun eating pizza and donuts all day". "Brb just eating cake, IIFYM".
Good luck with that. (You'll note that you typically can't hit your macros eating chips and donuts all day and if you CAN, your macros are probably horsesh*t to begin with and you've then got bigger problems. The point here is that IIFYM most certainly isn't a disregard for health or nutrient sufficiency, but people will often create and knock down that strawman).
What IIFYM is not:
1) It is not eating cake and chips all day.
2) It is not disregarding micronutrients and fiber and general intelligence with regards to food choice.
3) It is not a specific macro setting. There is a website out there that has the IIFYM label that includes a calorie calculation tool and unfortunately several people on MFP believe that doing "IIFYM" means eating those specific macros. This is false.
IIFYM is a philosophy about food selection with the belief that body composition changes are primarily a function of nutrient intake and energy balance rather than a function of individual food sources.
When practicing IIFYM, it is recommended that you choose mostly whole and nutrient dense foods to comprise the majority of your intake. Fresh vegetables, fruits, meats, fish, etc, and at the same time, leaving some room for a discretionary intake. A common and very reasonable recommendation would be about 80/20. That is to say, that if you've got a calorie target of 2500, you'd eat approximately 2000 calories of whole and nutrient dense foods with a calorie bank of 500 to eat whatever you would like while still hitting your calorie and macronutrient targets by end of day
Source:http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/817188-iifym
I'm reading that in my SideSteel voice. Love his edge.0 -
I'm reading that in my SideSteel voice. Love his edge.
12 pages and this, really, is all that is needed to be said. But internet arguing over symantics and negligible variables always supercedes logic and reason.0 -
Except one can bulk on IIFYM. (Stating this again, for the nth time) and the calorie restriction itself isn't IIFYM.
At 3400 cals during a bulk, following IIFYM I'm not restricting.
and this is why the obligatory 80%/20% advice always irks me a little bit. for certain people (i.e. bodybuilders), it's probably fine advice, but for somebody eating 3500 calories a day, you really don't have to eat 2800 calories of nothing but whole, "clean" foods in order to meet your nutritional needs. so i never quote this 80%/20% rule because it's more of a rule for people in certain scenarios, but not a rule that everyone must follow. i think it's sufficient to say "eat a varied diet".0 -
and this is why the obligatory 80%/20% advice always irks me a little bit. for certain people (i.e. bodybuilders), it's probably fine advice, but for somebody eating 3500 calories a day, you really don't have to eat 2800 calories of nothing but whole, "clean" foods in order to meet your nutritional needs. so i never quote this 80%/20% rule because it's more of a rule for people in certain scenarios, but not a rule that everyone must follow. i think it's sufficient to say "eat a varied diet".
I agree. I hit can hit my micros and fiber goal at under the 1,000 calorie mark.0 -
12 pages and this, really, is all that is needed to be said. But internet arguing over symantics and negligible variables always supercedes logic and reason.
Pretty much sums it up for me :flowerforyou:0 -
and this is why the obligatory 80%/20% advice always irks me a little bit. for certain people (i.e. bodybuilders), it's probably fine advice, but for somebody eating 3500 calories a day, you really don't have to eat 2800 calories of nothing but whole, "clean" foods in order to meet your nutritional needs. so i never quote this 80%/20% rule because it's more of a rule for people in certain scenarios, but not a rule that everyone must follow. i think it's sufficient to say "eat a varied diet".
I'm glad to read this. I wondered if if was the only one who felt this way. Many nutrient-dense foods (micros & protein, for example) really aren't that calorie dense.
This is one reason that I don't describe myself as truly "IIFYM"0 -
For sedentary folks, it pretty much is "eat anything that fits".
The more active you are, the more attention needs to be paid to the actual content of the food.
Huh??0 -
who die at 45. yeah... not a great argument.
Ok - you try being 250 pounds and run a 40 in 4.8 seconds flat…if that is not elite then I do not know what is..
and deacon jones lived to be mid 50s to early 60's …dan diedorf (SP) was an offensive lineman and he is still alive..
so yea, not believing that one...0 -
nope. i dont.0 -
No I misunderstood "elite" as it was initially described.
And no, I never said the two were the same. I said that they were similar, but the approach to it was different. And Coach agreed with me.
I'm not sure why you chose to jump in this conversation... but I agreed with Reddy and completely misinterpretted what I was agreeing with (which happens often with him).
So, since you needed to call out my particular post. Please allow me to retract the previous statement in this quote.
don't worry, we really did agree. you're just disagreeing with their manipulations of what I said. lol. also happens often with me.
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I'm reading that in my SideSteel voice. Love his edge.
100% on board with all of that. Great post.0 -
most of us in the western world are heavily Vitamin D deficient for one.
My precursory Google search indicates that a few glasses of whole milk is enough Vitamin D. Maybe people should drink their milk like mom told them to do.0 -
. i think it's sufficient to say "eat a varied diet".
QFT0 -
It's not a diet. It's a lifestyle.............. focused solely on .... diet.
But only if you are an elitist who hates football and science...0 -
I'm not going to say that that's ALWAYS the case, but it happens. There was one of these threads where one of the anti-IIFYM regulars admitted as much.
Someone said "I choose to believe IIFYM means you can eat crap all day because I want to hate on IIFYM"?0
This discussion has been closed.
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