IIFYM what about the fiber?

Talisman17
Talisman17 Posts: 1
edited March 1 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm in the research phase of iifym and just have a few days in.
One thing I've noticed as people post pics and the importance of hitting ur macros is that no one mentions fiber intake. It seems just as important, no? I would even gamble saying that it's just as important as ur 3 other numbers.
I read this in 'Flexible Eating 101' by Scott James:
Fiber: 22-28 grams (women) / 28-34 g (men)

Replies

  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    Fibre doesn't give you calories so it's not mentioned in the macro percentages, as in you'll get something like 40% carb, 30% fat, 30% protein (for example) - the percentages are percentages of *calories* not volume/quantity of food. So fibre isn't being excluded - high fibre foods will contain a small number of calories from carbs, these calories will be included in your percentage for carbs, but should still give you plenty of spare calories for other foods containing carbs. This is why they're not mentioned in the percentages, but of course that doesn't mean it's not important.

    Fibre, vitamins, minerals and water are important too, and you should pay attention to these while you're ensuring adequate intake of protein, carbs and fat. But the foods that contain these will also contain protein, carbs and/or fat, so when you log them, they count towards those percentages. If you eat a variety of foods including plenty of fruit and veg, you track the macros but you should also be getting the other nutrients you need.

    best way to think of it is like this:

    1. calories in v calories out for weight loss
    2. balanced macros plus strength training to ensure that the weight you lose is fat and not lean mass
    3. fibre, vitamins, minerals and water for good health

    all of them are important, but it's useful to know what's important for what... it's very common for people to do 2 and 3 really well, eating a very nutritious, balanced diet, plus exercise - then they wonder why they can't lose weight... well if you're not in a calorie deficit, weight loss will not happen no matter how good you are at following 2 and 3. You need to calorie deficit first if weight loss is your goal. This is why they're ordered the way they are... again, if someone's not doing 2 right, i.e. not getting adequate protein, no amount of fibre, vitamins, minerals and water are going to make up for the lack of protein.

    ETA: sorry if I haven't explained the above clearly, my brain's not working well today...lol
  • hmaddpear
    hmaddpear Posts: 610 Member
    Fibre is technically a micronutrient - the macros are how you get the calories you need. Fibre isn't digested so doesn't contribute to the calories required. But yes, fibre is very important in a healthy diet, as well as your other micros (vitamins and minerals).
  • stumblinthrulife
    stumblinthrulife Posts: 2,558 Member
    IIFYM is just a way of structuring macro-nutrients within a balanced diet. It doesn't purport to tell you what to eat, just to determine your protein/fat/carb amounts.

    By all means read about IIFYM, but also learn about balancing your diet for adequate intake of micro-nutrients and fiber. They are two parts of the same equation. Ignore either at your peril.
  • _John_
    _John_ Posts: 8,646 Member
    getting fiber from whole foods, and getting adequate micro nutrition go hand in hand a lot of time as you track on MFP. This is especially true if you are eating fiber from diverse foods such as varied fruits and vegetables.

    It's not hard, but usually a couple servings of fruit or vitamin C rich vegetable, and couple servings of a vitamin A rich vegetable, combined with what you eat for the rest of your diet as well gives at worst decent micronutrition across even the spectrum that MFP doesn't track.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    I don't stress over it -but I also know that I'm eating more fruits & veggies (natural source of fiber) and get some in other items as well. So it all balances out.
  • dopeysmelly
    dopeysmelly Posts: 1,390 Member
    The calculator at IIFYM.com does include fiber even though it's not a macro. It seems to depend on your body on whether you need to focus on it. For me, it's very important, and it's important I get a good mix of insoluble and soluble fiber, so I increased my fiber target than what IIFYM recommends and plan my day's meals around (1) protein (2) fat (3) fiber. If I can more-or-less hit all 3 within my calorie limit I know I'm good.
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