IIFYM

Options
tuttboy
tuttboy Posts: 13 Member
in Getting Started
If you haven't heard of this concept, Google it. My goal is to lean up. Not necessarily concerned with seeing the scale move south right away. I want to maintain muscle mass and drop body fat percentage. I don't want to end up being "skinny fat", if you know what I mean.

IIFYM is the acronym for If It Fits Your Macros. I plan on eating lots of lean foods but I'll be able to throw in some of my favorite foods here and there as long as it fits my macros. This allows you to eat some of your favorite foods while not binging and messing up all you have accomplished that week.

I'm looking for friends here. If you're looking to make new friends, go ahead and add me. Thanks.

Replies

  • Katerina9408
    Katerina9408 Posts: 276 Member
    Options
    So here it says that I should eat 1721 cal to maintain, but I am afraid that if I go to maintain mode I will gain . How to gain muscle without fat ? (sry if the question is stupid).
  • mengmoua2010
    mengmoua2010 Posts: 11 Member
    Options
    If you want to build muscle with minimal fat gains, eat at a caloric surplus (i.e. 200-300 above your maintenance calories per day) with weight training. Everyone is different with total daily calorie expenditure, so I recommend you experiment by trying 1721 calories a day and then adjust it accordingly to your weight gain. I would recommend .5-1 lb gain per week (2-4 lbs a month), but if you really want to minimize fat gains, 2 lbs of month is probably the way to go. Please keep in mind its hard to gain muscle WITHOUT any fat gains. Your bound to gain some fat if you want to build muscle.
  • Train4Foodz
    Train4Foodz Posts: 4,298 Member
    edited February 2015
    Options
    tuttboy wrote: »
    If you haven't heard of this concept, Google it. My goal is to lean up. Not necessarily concerned with seeing the scale move south right away. I want to maintain muscle mass and drop body fat percentage. I don't want to end up being "skinny fat", if you know what I mean.

    IIFYM is the acronym for If It Fits Your Macros. I plan on eating lots of lean foods but I'll be able to throw in some of my favorite foods here and there as long as it fits my macros. This allows you to eat some of your favorite foods while not binging and messing up all you have accomplished that week.

    I'm looking for friends here. If you're looking to make new friends, go ahead and add me. Thanks.

    IIFYM is a great way to keep on track, it isn't for everyone.. although, as a general rule everybody that is aiming to 'tone' is really needs to be hitting macros a large percentage of the time. (I personally enjoy my 'cheat days' so, my technique isn't really IIFYM specifically.. Due to the various exercises I do, I have to switch my macros about quite reguarly!
    Katerina9408 wrote: »
    So here it says that I should eat 1721 cal to maintain, but I am afraid that if I go to maintain mode I will gain . How to gain muscle without fat ? (sry if the question is stupid).

    To find your exact miantenance takes a bit of trial and error but as a general rule, to gain muscle mass you need to eat above maintenance. This of course means gaining a little bodyfat but if done correctly this would be limited and would be decreased during a 'cut', it isn't something to do until you are prepared for it both physically and phychologically. You could of course eat at miantenance and as long as you are eating to the right calories and being accountable/honest with logging you won't gain nor loose muscle but whilst training you can improve strength and endurance along with tone.

    1721 seems a fair and average maintenance figure, monitoring this on a monthly basis will enable you to get your maintenance figure down to a tee.

    All the best!

    Adam
  • Katerina9408
    Katerina9408 Posts: 276 Member
    Options
    mengmoua2010 wrote: »
    If you want to build muscle with minimal fat gains, eat at a caloric surplus (i.e. 200-300 above your maintenance calories per day) with weight training. Everyone is different with total daily calorie expenditure, so I recommend you experiment by trying 1721 calories a day and then adjust it accordingly to your weight gain. I would recommend .5-1 lb gain per week (2-4 lbs a month), but if you really want to minimize fat gains, 2 lbs of month is probably the way to go. Please keep in mind its hard to gain muscle WITHOUT any fat gains. Your bound to gain some fat if you want to build muscle.

    Thank u so much :) But now I eat like approx. 1300 cal per day (and workout 1 h a day) so should I increase it slowly or fast. One last question, my bones kind of hurt is it because my weights are too heavy ( 4 kilo and 10 kilo ) or I should take Calcium supplaments ( I am vegan).
  • Train4Foodz
    Train4Foodz Posts: 4,298 Member
    edited February 2015
    Options
    Katerina9408 wrote: »
    mengmoua2010 wrote: »
    If you want to build muscle with minimal fat gains, eat at a caloric surplus (i.e. 200-300 above your maintenance calories per day) with weight training. Everyone is different with total daily calorie expenditure, so I recommend you experiment by trying 1721 calories a day and then adjust it accordingly to your weight gain. I would recommend .5-1 lb gain per week (2-4 lbs a month), but if you really want to minimize fat gains, 2 lbs of month is probably the way to go. Please keep in mind its hard to gain muscle WITHOUT any fat gains. Your bound to gain some fat if you want to build muscle.

    Thank u so much :) But now I eat like approx. 1300 cal per day (and workout 1 h a day) so should I increase it slowly or fast. One last question, my bones kind of hurt is it because my weights are too heavy ( 4 kilo and 10 kilo ) or I should take Calcium supplaments ( I am vegan).

    1300 is definately too low to maintain, you could definately do with upping that at least to your maintenance level.
    I've had a quick check of your diary and I would also increase your protein intake significantly, I understand this can be difficult with your vegan diet but there are plenty options for things you can consume with plenty protein in.

    Protein and Carbohydrate are the building blocks for muscle growth, without them you will be spinning your wheels. It could be worth looking into macro percentages and if you are looking to tone, you can manually set your macro nutrient percentages.
    I find that the auto-set percentages on MFP are great for maintaining and loosing fat but not always so great as a base level for toning and gaining muscle mass.

    As for your weights, be careful not to put too much strain on yourself. Weights are something you should really work up to. When a weight seems to be getting to an 'easy' level it is time to switch it to a slightly heavier weight. Maybe you could invest in a larger set or alternatively join a gym that has plenty great equipment in it.
  • Katerina9408
    Katerina9408 Posts: 276 Member
    Options
    Adam2k10 wrote: »
    Katerina9408 wrote: »
    mengmoua2010 wrote: »
    If you want to build muscle with minimal fat gains, eat at a caloric surplus (i.e. 200-300 above your maintenance calories per day) with weight training. Everyone is different with total daily calorie expenditure, so I recommend you experiment by trying 1721 calories a day and then adjust it accordingly to your weight gain. I would recommend .5-1 lb gain per week (2-4 lbs a month), but if you really want to minimize fat gains, 2 lbs of month is probably the way to go. Please keep in mind its hard to gain muscle WITHOUT any fat gains. Your bound to gain some fat if you want to build muscle.

    Thank u so much :) But now I eat like approx. 1300 cal per day (and workout 1 h a day) so should I increase it slowly or fast. One last question, my bones kind of hurt is it because my weights are too heavy ( 4 kilo and 10 kilo ) or I should take Calcium supplaments ( I am vegan).

    1300 is definately too low to maintain, you could definately do with upping that at least to your maintenance level.
    I've had a quick check of your diary and I would also increase your protein intake significantly, I understand this can be difficult with your vegan diet but there are plenty options for things you can consume with plenty protein in.

    Protein and Carbohydrate are the building blocks for muscle growth, without them you will be spinning your wheels. It could be worth looking into macro percentages and if you are looking to tone, you can manually set your macro nutrient percentages.
    I find that the auto-set percentages on MFP are great for maintaining and loosing fat but not always so great as a base level for toning and gaining muscle mass.

    As for your weights, be careful not to put too much strain on yourself. Weights are something you should really work up to. When a weight seems to be getting to an 'easy' level it is time to switch it to a slightly heavier weight. Maybe you could invest in a larger set or alternatively join a gym that has plenty great equipment in it.

    Thank you for the good advices !

Categories