Brand New to IIFYM
nicca_jb
Posts: 1,278 Member
Hi all,
My name is Layla. I've been on a rollercoaster of a weight-loss and fitness journey for a while, and I'm hoping to get back on the wagon starting right now. I just found and read about IIFYM. Having used EM2WL macros in the past, and seeing pretty similar outcomes in the calculators, I thought I'd give this a shot - though I admit I'm seeing bigger numbers than expected for recommended protein intake. I'll work on it a bit.
My questions to you are:
- Do you use specific things like protein powders or supplements to help meet macros, or do you solely rely on food intake?
- If like me your expected eating goal is higher than what MFP gave you, how do you adjust your goals on here? / Which number do you use as a baseline?
- Do you use things like negative calorie adjustments, or do you just aim for your goal number and have done? I have a Fitbit which I sync to MFP, so if I'm getting less activity in than expected, MFP deducts calories from my eating goal.
Thanks so much for any advice.
My name is Layla. I've been on a rollercoaster of a weight-loss and fitness journey for a while, and I'm hoping to get back on the wagon starting right now. I just found and read about IIFYM. Having used EM2WL macros in the past, and seeing pretty similar outcomes in the calculators, I thought I'd give this a shot - though I admit I'm seeing bigger numbers than expected for recommended protein intake. I'll work on it a bit.
My questions to you are:
- Do you use specific things like protein powders or supplements to help meet macros, or do you solely rely on food intake?
- If like me your expected eating goal is higher than what MFP gave you, how do you adjust your goals on here? / Which number do you use as a baseline?
- Do you use things like negative calorie adjustments, or do you just aim for your goal number and have done? I have a Fitbit which I sync to MFP, so if I'm getting less activity in than expected, MFP deducts calories from my eating goal.
Thanks so much for any advice.
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Replies
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Hi!
- Do you use specific things like protein powders or supplements to help meet macros, or do you solely rely on food intake? I use protein powder, a fiber powder, and protein bars pretty often. Some days I definitely get by on everyday grocery stuffs but I like using these things out of convenience and efficiency mostly. Some ingredients like egg whites are awesome for filling specific macro needs too.
- If like me your expected eating goal is higher than what MFP gave you, how do you adjust your goals on here? / Which number do you use as a baseline? I made my MFP calorie goal exactly what my macros all add up to be, and my percentages as close to my macro goals as possible, but they are definitely not the exact grams I follow for protein carbs and fats. I strive to hit my true macro recommendations and use the goals on MFP as a general indicator of how far off I am because they are close (within 10 grams of actual). I made a spreadsheet to convert my true macros to their close percentages of my overall calorie intake.
- Do you use things like negative calorie adjustments, or do you just aim for your goal number and have done? I have a Fitbit which I sync to MFP, so if I'm getting less activity in than expected, MFP deducts calories from my eating goal. Oh ya, I would shut that off. At least for me I follow my exact macros goals to a T everyday regardless of whether I worked out or not, but I know that I need to work out 6 days a week for my macros to benefit me. When you go on IIFYM.com to calc your numbers it asks your activity level, and it gives you numbers that take into consideration that level of activity. You should not incorporate negative OR positive adjustments in your calories/macros. Just strive to hit the same grams every day.
Hope this helps! I'm adding you as a friend b/c I love to chat with other IIFYM activists! I've been following it for the majority of the last year and lost a bunch of weight while gaining muscle so it's pretty amazeballs! My journal is open I'm pretty sure too if you want meal ideas. You can also add me on instagram morgan_mfit
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Hi @morgan_mfit - thanks so much for the responses! I'm looking into the Fitbit thing, and I suspect you're right about striving for consistency in daily goals. I definitely love the Fitbit as a tool for activity tracking, but perhaps not for nutrition tracking purposes.
I'm also just starting to think in terms of grams, and I'll be getting a food scale in a couple of days.
It looks like most people who get into this way of thinking really do well, so I'm pretty excited to get started.0 -
It's definitely strange getting used to grams vs. percentages, at first I was boggled, but really it makes a LOT of sense. Say for instance you did a bunch of cardio one day- you would maybe want to eat more carbs but not necessarily more fat or protein as a typical day because while carbs are the main fuel, fat and protein have a different use! Each macro has it's own function in your body, and just by doing general activity it doesn't mean we should be eating more of everything. Weightlifters need more protein, long distance athletes need more carbs, etc. They should be tracked independently imo.0
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morgan_mfit wrote: »Hi!
- Do you use specific things like protein powders or supplements to help meet macros, or do you solely rely on food intake? I use protein powder, a fiber powder, and protein bars pretty often. Some days I definitely get by on everyday grocery stuffs but I like using these things out of convenience and efficiency mostly. Some ingredients like egg whites are awesome for filling specific macro needs too.
- If like me your expected eating goal is higher than what MFP gave you, how do you adjust your goals on here? / Which number do you use as a baseline? I made my MFP calorie goal exactly what my macros all add up to be, and my percentages as close to my macro goals as possible, but they are definitely not the exact grams I follow for protein carbs and fats. I strive to hit my true macro recommendations and use the goals on MFP as a general indicator of how far off I am because they are close (within 10 grams of actual). I made a spreadsheet to convert my true macros to their close percentages of my overall calorie intake.
- Do you use things like negative calorie adjustments, or do you just aim for your goal number and have done? I have a Fitbit which I sync to MFP, so if I'm getting less activity in than expected, MFP deducts calories from my eating goal. Oh ya, I would shut that off. At least for me I follow my exact macros goals to a T everyday regardless of whether I worked out or not, but I know that I need to work out 6 days a week for my macros to benefit me. When you go on IIFYM.com to calc your numbers it asks your activity level, and it gives you numbers that take into consideration that level of activity. You should not incorporate negative OR positive adjustments in your calories/macros. Just strive to hit the same grams every day.
Hope this helps! I'm adding you as a friend b/c I love to chat with other IIFYM activists! I've been following it for the majority of the last year and lost a bunch of weight while gaining muscle so it's pretty amazeballs! My journal is open I'm pretty sure too if you want meal ideas. You can also add me on instagram morgan_mfit
strong IIFYM post +10
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