New to IIFYM, could use help.

PerkisPower
PerkisPower Posts: 74 Member
edited November 11 in Health and Weight Loss
I will start by saying that I have been on the forums for just two weeks and I have decided to succumb to the fact that many of you believe there is no such thing as “unhealthy foods”. While I have my own personal thoughts about this, I would like to attempt the IIFYM method as so many of you swear by it and have seen such great results with it.

I am 6’0 – 192. Was 187 in November and started heavy lifting (been doing P90X for a year prior without following strict nutrition plan). I have been eating on a 1,900 calorie diet for the most part with weekends usually greatly exceeding this due to heavy drinking on Saturday nights and eating more because of it. I have a handheld BF% calculator at home (I understand these are inaccurate) stating that I am circa 14.8% body fat.

My workout plan currently consists of P90X 5 days a week(excluding kenpo/yoga), running 2 days a week (usually 3 miles on treadmill), modified lifting plan on Sunday’s including bench press, deadlift and some other exercises not on P90X, and 2 days a week playing volleyball.

Example of daily food intake: Usually ends up around 1,900 calories

Breakfast: Whey Protein 40 grams, banana
Snacks: 2 string cheese / raw almonds
Lunch: Tuna/relish/salsa/apple
Dinner: Brown Rice/veggie burger or chicken/salsa/hard boiled egg
Post workout : Whey protein 40 grams
Late night: ½ cup cottage cheese for casein after hard workout days

I have done a little research on how many calories I should be consuming and what my macros should be, but have seen a wide range of what I should be doing and am a little confused. If a few people with experience on following the macro method could help I would greatly appreciate it. I will admit I have learned quite a lot already after joining these forums and really appreciate the passion (and very blunt approach) with which many of you speak.

I am attempting to cut down to circa 182 (I have medium frame). Realistically, would be happy to hit 184 without losing much muscle.

I apologize for the longwinded post but curious how this IIFIYM method works and what macros I should be hitting with the given information above. I really appreciate the help in advance guys!

Replies

  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    First, recommended macros usually involve a range, somewhere between minimum and ideal based on your goals. It's not always as black and white as people suggest in posts.

    Speaking very generally, people should be aiming for -

    fat: .25-.5g per lb of total body weight
    carbs: 1-3g per lb of total body weight
    protein: .75-1.5g per lb of lean body mass

    Where you fall within those ranges should be dictated by things like personal preference, sustainability, and goals.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    I found these posts from Sara in the Eat, Train, Progress group very helpful.

    Setting macro and cal targets:
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819055/setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets/p1

    IIFYM:
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/925464/fitting-it-in-giggity/p1
  • Arliah
    Arliah Posts: 266 Member
    PerkisPower wrote: »

    My workout plan currently consists of P90X 5 days a week(excluding kenpo/yoga), running 2 days a week (usually 3 miles on treadmill), modified lifting plan on Sunday’s including bench press, deadlift and some other exercises not on P90X, and 2 days a week playing volleyball.
    Just curious, why are you skipping the yoga? If done correctly, it has tremendous benefits for your (and your diet/exercising/lifestyle).
  • PerkisPower
    PerkisPower Posts: 74 Member
    Two reasons: First being that I'm not very skilled at doing the exercises right now and feel awkward when doing them. Second being that it is 90 minutes long and I don't know if I have time to fit an extra 90 minute workout in unless I take out one of the 3 mile runs.

    I know I should do the yoga disc as everyone says it has great benefits. I might substitute that one out for the 60 minute disc on p90x2 and try that.
  • terbusha
    terbusha Posts: 1,483 Member
    What I do and what I recommend to people is to eat at a calorie level that allows you to make good progress towards your goal. If you are trying to lose weight, eat so you drop 1-2 lbs/week. This assumes an average calorie burn from you getting in all of your workouts. This will be different for everyone, so you'll have to do some trial and error to figure it out. I'd start ~2200 cal/day. Hit this goal, along with your macros and getting in your workouts, for a week. If you lose 1-2 lbs, you're good to go. If you lose too much, increase your intake and repeat. If you don't lose enough, reduce your intake a bit and repeat. After a few weeks, you'll figure out what works for you in your situation.

    As for macros, 40% protein, 40% carbs, and 20% fat is a good place to start from. You can play with it from there, but that's where I would start.

    Rock on bud. Flexible dieting is the way to go.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    If your calories "greatly exceed" 1900 ont he weekend, you are not eating 1900 as a regular goal. Calories average out. So.. that's something you should probably address if your goal is to lean out.

    Protein: 0.8x total weight as a minimum is usually recommended.
    Fat: 0.3x total weight as absolute minimum is usually recommended.
    Carbs: Eating the rest of your calories in carbs. Or set as 2-3x your weight if you do a lot of endurance work and need to prioritize carbs.

    These are all minimums. I frequently go over protien and fat because I love both.

    Based on your activity levels and weight, 1900 is likely too steep a goal. 0.5lb/week goal while eating 50-100% of your exercise calories, or doing TDEE and eating at a 10% deficit, should be your goal. Whether you want to eat more on weekends or not is up to you, but figure out how to average it all out so that you are still meeting your weekly needs.

    Open up your diary as well. Your example day does not sound like 1900 calories. It also sounds like a super sad diet... are you saying you basically eat this daily?
  • PerkisPower
    PerkisPower Posts: 74 Member
    edited January 2015
    ana3067 wrote: »
    If your calories "greatly exceed" 1900 ont he weekend, you are not eating 1900 as a regular goal. Calories average out. So.. that's something you should probably address if your goal is to lean out.

    Protein: 0.8x total weight as a minimum is usually recommended.
    Fat: 0.3x total weight as absolute minimum is usually recommended.
    Carbs: Eating the rest of your calories in carbs. Or set as 2-3x your weight if you do a lot of endurance work and need to prioritize carbs.

    These are all minimums. I frequently go over protien and fat because I love both.

    Based on your activity levels and weight, 1900 is likely too steep a goal. 0.5lb/week goal while eating 50-100% of your exercise calories, or doing TDEE and eating at a 10% deficit, should be your goal. Whether you want to eat more on weekends or not is up to you, but figure out how to average it all out so that you are still meeting your weekly needs.

    Open up your diary as well. Your example day does not sound like 1900 calories. It also sounds like a super sad diet... are you saying you basically eat this daily?

    Sadly, this is usually my diet from m-f. This is one reason I am going to attempt iifym method.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    PerkisPower wrote: »
    ana3067 wrote: »
    If your calories "greatly exceed" 1900 ont he weekend, you are not eating 1900 as a regular goal. Calories average out. So.. that's something you should probably address if your goal is to lean out.

    Protein: 0.8x total weight as a minimum is usually recommended.
    Fat: 0.3x total weight as absolute minimum is usually recommended.
    Carbs: Eating the rest of your calories in carbs. Or set as 2-3x your weight if you do a lot of endurance work and need to prioritize carbs.

    These are all minimums. I frequently go over protien and fat because I love both.

    Based on your activity levels and weight, 1900 is likely too steep a goal. 0.5lb/week goal while eating 50-100% of your exercise calories, or doing TDEE and eating at a 10% deficit, should be your goal. Whether you want to eat more on weekends or not is up to you, but figure out how to average it all out so that you are still meeting your weekly needs.

    Open up your diary as well. Your example day does not sound like 1900 calories. It also sounds like a super sad diet... are you saying you basically eat this daily?

    Sadly, this is usually my dietc from m-f. This is one reason I am going to attempt iifym method.

    doesn't matter WHEN you eat the calories... if mon-fri is 1900 and sat-sun are 3500... chances are you aren't going to spin your wheels. Figure out your weekends.
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