IIFYM

Join

F40, C166, P81 - HELP ME IIFYMER'S!

Options
amyp1305
amyp1305 Posts: 3 Member
in Social Groups
Would appreciate some help off some experienced IIFYMer's please?!
F40, C166, P81
I have been on these macro's for about a month and I am finding it really hard to meet them. When I meet my protein target I'm over on fat, but when I meet my fat target I'm way under on protein. I would really like to meet my protein target every day as I can see the difference in my hair and skin when I don't. I have been having protein shakes for about a month now and these obviously boost my protein but they also bump up my fat, which is quite a lot when you're only on 40g of fat per day.

I'm also a bit sketchy about exercise. I don't 'lift' every day, but I go to workout classes which aren't your stereotypical gym classes. They're pretty hard and include lifting weights as well as cardio and some body weight exercises. I also enjoy a bit of voluntary cardio now and then (I know, whats wrong with me?!) so I run too. I don't know if this cardio affects my macro's or not?

Basically I'm just doubting whether IIFYM is for me because I love food so much more than my macro's allow me to. Any help or advice will be much appreciated, feel free to add me to keep me going and offer motivation!

Replies

  • jchrisman717
    jchrisman717 Posts: 780 Member
    Options
    How did you get your numbers? They seem off to me - but maybe your goals are different than mine. Your protein seems low and your fat seems low. I had someone run my numbers for me.

    Protein shakes boost your fat? My protein shakes are all protein no carbs no fat. If your having premade shakes - that could be why - try making your own from whey protein powder.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Options
    Very roughly, that looks like a calorie goal of 1350, which is 50% carbs, and 25% each protein and fat.

    That's not terribly far from mine, which is a 40-30-30 breakdown and a base 1400 calories, although I focus more on grams. (That is, I still add calories based on exercise and let Fitbit adjust me rather than doing TDEE, but don't worry about increasing protein beyond my initial 105 g goal or staying below 140 g carbs if I have a bigger workout day. If I get the dreaded negative Fitbit adjustment (this happens rarely) I still hit my 105 g protein and sacrifice some carb calories. This may or may not count as IIFYM, I suppose.)

    Anyway, 81 protein would be easy for me to hit, but it took me a while to learn to hit 105, and I still go over fat on occasion. IMO, that's not such a big deal, because I focus more on protein and fat as minimums (the fat target is so low at a lower calorie range), but it is something I've looked at. Basically the answer for me has been incorporating protein powder on occasion (mine also has no fat other than what I add if I mix in non-skim milk) and lean meats and lower fat dairy (like 0% or 2% greek yogurt, rather than full fat). I usually don't go for the lowest fat cuts of meat (skin on chicken is my friend), but I do eat a good amount of lower fat fish and so on.

    How far off are you?
  • amyp1305
    amyp1305 Posts: 3 Member
    Options
    Thanks for your replies guys. I used the calculator on the IIFYM website, but realised I wrote my macro's wrong yesterday (I'm suffering from sleep deprivation, sorry!). I'm on 1623 calories, 46g fat, 199g carbs, 101g protein. These are my cutting macro's and I've done a low fat because I was on maintenance macro's a few months ago and was seeing no progress.

    I use protein powder, my protein is 1.7g of fat per scoop then I mix it with soya milk. I know its my own fault for using milk but the taste with water is just bleurghhhh.

    I don't add my exercise into MFP because that just messes me up even more, I just try and stick to the amount of exercise I used to calculate my macro's. I wish I could adjust it like you lemurcat12!! I just can't measure the amount of exercise/calories burned due to it being workout classes.

    I've found a few good foods that are low fat high protein, but I find myself eating the same stuff everyday which gets a bit boring. Just trying to find a way to balance it all because I don't want to give up. I might try getting fully skimmed milk for the protein shakes, as I have just bought a new shake which is 0g fat.

    Just find it all so baffling, and it's so hard being on low macro's when I see all these people on 3 times what I'm on. Thank you again for your help/queries, and apologies for my brain malfunction with the macro's.
  • miss_rye_
    miss_rye_ Posts: 94 Member
    Options
    I am eating greek yogurts, low fat cottage cheese, to help keep my protein up and my fats low. I make sure to preplan some of my meals the day before, and then work my numbers around the main meals I know that I will be having. A tip I also learned was adding protein to my greek yogurt.

    There is this great chart that shows what foods "cross over" into fat/protein/carbs and what foods do not.

    Some good proteins are: greek yogurt, egg whites, chicken, turkey, low fat cottage cheese, fish, lean beef

    Some proteins that contain more fats are: eggs, salmon, cottage cheese

    Some proteins that contain more carbs are: beans, skim milk, peas, regular yogurts, quinoa
  • beautifulwarrior18
    beautifulwarrior18 Posts: 914 Member
    Options
    Your fats should be above 50g. Your numbers still aren't right.
  • beautifulwarrior18
    beautifulwarrior18 Posts: 914 Member
    Options
    What is your height, weight, and how many times a week do you do strength training activities?
  • havafeed
    havafeed Posts: 8
    Options
    i'd kill someone if my fats were that low..
  • costleyma06
    costleyma06 Posts: 19 Member
    Options
    You should be getting 1g of protein per lb of bodyweight, .4g of fat per body weight and then the rest coming from carbs. If you need help calculating, use this calculator - http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/

    Also, be sure to measure your foods with a food scale as that is the only accurate way to measure. If your serious about your goals, you need to do what is needed to reach them. Best of luck girl!
  • Nayners21
    Nayners21 Posts: 76 Member
    Options
    costleyma06 wrote: »
    You should be getting 1g of protein per lb of bodyweight, .4g of fat per body weight and then the rest coming from carbs. If you need help calculating, use this calculator - http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/

    Also, be sure to measure your foods with a food scale as that is the only accurate way to measure. If your serious about your goals, you need to do what is needed to reach them. Best of luck girl!

    I feel that the IIFYM calculator sets your carbs way too high, even on a cut. I am trying to lose weight, strength train 4 times a week, cardio 1 day a week, and eat 1828 calories a day. I calculated my macros based on an e-book and I came up with 140C/140P/78F. I am 5'2 and 178 pounds.
  • JKew
    JKew Posts: 6 Member
    Options
    The calculator is only a rough guide on where to start don't take it as gospel! I'd just use it as a starting point, and adjust based on how your weight responds
  • JLatham325
    JLatham325 Posts: 105 Member
    edited December 2014
    Options
    No matter what, I ALWAYS set my protein grams to 1g per pound, so for me that's 130g - 134g of protein per day, then about 54g of fat, and carbs range from 120 - 160g depending on my goals and how my body is reacting. And I've always been able to see the results I want with my protein set that way and then my carbs and fats to follow

Categories