Has anyone gone from MFP to IIFYM?

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nespinosa3
nespinosa3 Posts: 116
in Health and Weight Loss
I am following something similar to MFP, just not really doing the whole calories and eating back exercise ones. I set 1500 calories daily and work out almost every day so it evens out. My weight loss has been slow and steady, getting slower now that i'm getting closer. Sometimes I wonder if I am eating too much, but if I eat less then I can't really perform, so it's not an option. Other times I wonder if I'm eating too low, and that's when I look at what IIFYM and/or TDEE-20% methods would have me on. Their numbers go wayyyy higher than what I'm eating right now, so high that I wonder if it wouldn't make me lose any more weight.
1200 calories was horrible and I didn't lose anything...1500 cals has made me lose 2 pounds/month steadily, slowing down now, but it's very maintainable. Those methods put me at around 1650-1750 calories! Has anyone gone from MFP (or similar) to these methods? Have you been successful?
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Replies

  • Christophyr1
    Christophyr1 Posts: 1
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    IIFYM is a much more accurate approach to weight loss. MFP is lacking in regards to accurately tracking your macro nutrient totals. I simply use MFP to log everything I eat and I use a JavaScript bookmark that lets me put in my custom macros into my daily plans. I've been using IIFYM since March and have seen crazy results.
  • 1234terri
    1234terri Posts: 217 Member
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    what is IIFYM? Please...
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
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    Calories in vs out is most important for weight change

    You can do this with mfp method just fine. Just don't use their recommended macros. I'd personally just set a protein target and ensure that you eat a good variety of foods.

    You don't need to stress about exact ratios of p/c/f when in the grand scheme of things it is of little importance if you are eating close to the right amount of calories and getting adequate protein.
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
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    what is IIFYM? Please...

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1380837-article-on-iifym-great-read
  • nespinosa3
    nespinosa3 Posts: 116
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    IIFYM is a much more accurate approach to weight loss. MFP is lacking in regards to accurately tracking your macro nutrient totals.

    So in reality, I am doing something similar to that in terms of tracking the macro nutrients. I eat 1500 calories, but have exact percentages: 40-45% from protein, 20-25% from fat, 30-35% from carbs. However, these methods give me an estimate of around 1700 calories to eat daily :S and I just wonder...I'm barely losing weight on 1500. I'm mostly wondering if anyone has done that increase in their calories and been successful in their weight loss.
  • btc1987
    btc1987 Posts: 94 Member
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    There are a lot of people that use MFP while following IIFYM.

    There are also a lot of people here that eat whatever they want as long as they are within their calorie goal.

    The two aren't mutually exclusive.

    I think what you're really asking is has anyone gone to eating whatever they want as long as it fits within their calorie goal, to following an IIFYM plan.
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,899 Member
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    False dichotomy is false. MFP is a tool, or group of tools. One can use MFP while following IIFYM.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,871 Member
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    One can employ the MFP method (NEAT method) for weight loss and follow the IIFYM philosophy all at the same time.

    Note that IIFYM is not a diet plan...it is simply a way of looking at food that avoids demonization of certain foods and groups of foods and emphasizes hitting your macro goals as well as calorie goals...it isn't a diet plan...there is not a one sized fits all macro ratio and IIFYM is not some website/calculator...that website is simply cashing in on the concept/philosophy. I can assure you that you don't need 1 gram of protein per Lb of body weight as that calculator will tell you. Your macros should be YOUR macros...thus If It Fits YOUR macros...not some ratio spit out by another random calculator.

    Your fitness goals and body comp goals should influence your macro ratios. For example, an endurance athlete is going to have a vastly different optimal ratio of macros than a body builder...

    You can employ any dietary philosophy.concept you want and utilize the MFP tool....
  • Mischievous_Rascal
    Mischievous_Rascal Posts: 1,791 Member
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    IIFYM can be used whether you're following TDEE or MFP's method. IIFYM means you set your macros to be whatever you need them to be for your own goals, ensure you hit your fat and protein amounts, eat enough fruit, veg and grains to meet your micronutrients (vitamins, etc) and fiber requirements, and the rest of your calorie allotment is whatever you want it to be. It's just regulated moderation, really. It's definitely NOT an excuse to eat anything you want at any time.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
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    IIFYM is a much more accurate approach to weight loss. MFP is lacking in regards to accurately tracking your macro nutrient totals.

    So in reality, I am doing something similar to that in terms of tracking the macro nutrients. I eat 1500 calories, but have exact percentages: 40-45% from protein, 20-25% from fat, 30-35% from carbs. However, these methods give me an estimate of around 1700 calories to eat daily :S and I just wonder...I'm barely losing weight on 1500. I'm mostly wondering if anyone has done that increase in their calories and been successful in their weight loss.

    definitely a different question.

    If you aren't losing then you are at maintenance. Doesn't matter what the actual number of cals is or what a random calculator tells you your TDEE is. So from that, you can either eat a bit less or move a bit more (or a combination of the 2).

    It is for this reason, that anyone with a regular exercise schedule, I like to use gross cals and not worry about eating back exercise cals. It makes it a lot easier to analyse data.
  • nespinosa3
    nespinosa3 Posts: 116
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    I think what you're really asking is has anyone gone to eating whatever they want as long as it fits within their calorie goal, to following an IIFYM plan.

    Alright I think mostly my doubt is whether someone has gone from relatively low calories to higher ones and be successful. I'm terrified about increasing my calories, but all these other methods make me wonder if 1500 is okay, high or low. I did try a couple of weeks of less than that and I have tried the 1200 calorie diet, honestly 1500 has been the fastest one. I *never* lose more than 2 pounds per month, not in 1200 cals or in 1600 cals, it just doesn't happen for me.
    So the question...has anyone been able to get over the terror and found that they needed more calories? If so, what things made you be sure that you needed extra calories and not less?
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,871 Member
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    I think what you're really asking is has anyone gone to eating whatever they want as long as it fits within their calorie goal, to following an IIFYM plan.

    Alright I think mostly my doubt is whether someone has gone from relatively low calories to higher ones and be successful. I'm terrified about increasing my calories, but all these other methods make me wonder if 1500 is okay, high or low. I did try a couple of weeks of less than that and I have tried the 1200 calorie diet, honestly 1500 has been the fastest one. I *never* lose more than 2 pounds per month, not in 1200 cals or in 1600 cals, it just doesn't happen for me.
    So the question...has anyone been able to get over the terror and found that they needed more calories? If so, what things made you be sure that you needed extra calories and not less?

    You don't seem to have much weight to lose...so it's going to be a lot slower than someone with a lot of weight to lose. So long as you are eating below your TDEE, you lose weight...but your rate of loss is determined by your overall deficit...say over the course of a week. The closer you eat to your TDEE (i.e. more calories) the slower your rate of loss will be...this is just math. The whole eat more to lose isn't so much about eating more and suddenly the pounds start dropping off as it is, eat more and this usually leads to better dietary adherence and better consistency...and thus more consistent losses over time.

    If you only lose 2 Lbs per month whether you're eating 1200 calories or 1600 calories would illustrate that you are doing neither consistently...again, that's just the math. Basically, you're eating within a range that is leaving you with a roughly 250 calorie net deficit per day over the coarse of a month, not day to day. This often happens when people let themselves go on the weekends, etc.

    Also, there's inherent tendency to underestimate intake...particularly if you aren't diligent about weighing and measuring pretty much everything that goes into your mouth. Even professionals have a couple hundred calories margin of error...that's really not much...a handful of almonds. Also, 1600 calories is not exactly what I'd call "a lot". My wife is 5'2" and maintains around 2300...she losses just fine on 1800 (about 1 Lb per week if she is diligent) as per her activity level.
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
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    Your actual question really doesn't have anything to do with IIFYM. Will eating more calories cause increased weight loss seems to be your question. The answer to this question is extremely complex and has a whole lot to do with you personally. Most of the time, in the long run, increasing calories will slow weight loss, not speed it up. In the short term, upping calories can do some things that can cause weight loss. Sometimes throughout prolonged dieting water retention begins to mask weight loss. As you increase calories your body sometimes releases water it has been retaining and can make it look like you are magically losing more weight eating more food. This is really more of a smoke and mirror show. Now if you have eaten very low calories for an extremely long period of time, sometimes slowly increasing calories can help raise the level of calories you can maintain on. This is not usually the case.

    I feel like accuracy of calorie counting also comes in to play a lot! People who do IIFYM also tend to be people that weigh and track ALL of their food down to the GRAM. If you have been eating 1200 calories but guessing portion sizes and having cheat days then you really aren't on 1200 calories. You might be as high as 1800 once you average in the cheat day. Now say you decide to try IIFYM. You raise calories to 1600, you start weighing and tracking EVERYTHING, and because it's a completely nonrestrictive diet, you no longer have cheat days. Your 1600 calories a day is probably close to an actual 1600 a day. You lose more weight then on the assumed 1200 calories a day but in reality you are actually consuming less calories per week. Again, smoke and mirrors. IIFYM is a great way to implement dieting but it is not a diet in and of itself. It simply means track what you eat and stay within your set goals.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    I think what you're really asking is has anyone gone to eating whatever they want as long as it fits within their calorie goal, to following an IIFYM plan.

    Alright I think mostly my doubt is whether someone has gone from relatively low calories to higher ones and be successful. I'm terrified about increasing my calories, but all these other methods make me wonder if 1500 is okay, high or low. I did try a couple of weeks of less than that and I have tried the 1200 calorie diet, honestly 1500 has been the fastest one. I *never* lose more than 2 pounds per month, not in 1200 cals or in 1600 cals, it just doesn't happen for me.
    So the question...has anyone been able to get over the terror and found that they needed more calories? If so, what things made you be sure that you needed extra calories and not less?

    I went from 1300 calories to 1500 and then finally up to 1800 when I plateaued for two months. My actual plateau was caused by calorie inaccuracies and being so tired that I was phoning in my workouts and doing the bare minimum to get through them. Increasing my calories gave me more energy, better workouts, and made me less of a jerk to those around me. Getting more accurate with my logging and feeling the need for fewer cheat days helped me lose again. In the end you'll have to consider how you feel and do what's right for you.
  • devil_in_a_blue_dress
    devil_in_a_blue_dress Posts: 5,214 Member
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    False dichotomy is false. MFP is a tool, or group of tools. One can use MFP while following IIFYM.

    What this bare chested man said.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    IIFYM is a much more accurate approach to weight loss. MFP is lacking in regards to accurately tracking your macro nutrient totals. I simply use MFP to log everything I eat and I use a JavaScript bookmark that lets me put in my custom macros into my daily plans. I've been using IIFYM since March and have seen crazy results.

    Are we using completely different MFP apps? Did I just stumble into the bizzaro universe?
  • devil_in_a_blue_dress
    devil_in_a_blue_dress Posts: 5,214 Member
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    IIFYM is a much more accurate approach to weight loss. MFP is lacking in regards to accurately tracking your macro nutrient totals. I simply use MFP to log everything I eat and I use a JavaScript bookmark that lets me put in my custom macros into my daily plans. I've been using IIFYM since March and have seen crazy results.

    Are we using completely different MFP apps? Did I just stumble into the bizzaro universe?

    Bizzaro universe where MFP actually requires a clean, vegan diet.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,741 Member
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    False dichotomy is false. MFP is a tool, or group of tools. One can use MFP while following IIFYM.


    QFT
  • MaidensAndMonsters
    MaidensAndMonsters Posts: 89
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    I don't see why the two can't coexist. IMHO there are 2 ways to approach MFP- 1 is to dil your calories and with cleaner, healthier foods or to fill your calories with more IIFYM foods. As long as you remain in a calorie deficit you will lose. So eat what you want- calorie control is a necessary component to weight loss regardless of what types of foods you'd prefer to eat.

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