I lost 70 pounds in last 2 years IIFYM works

[alex2363]

The concept of IIFYM or “if it fits your macros” has been spreading like wildfire through the online bodybuilding community over the past couple of years.

This has led to huge debates on discussion forums, chatrooms and YouTube videos between proponents of “clean eating” and those who side with IIFYM.
The “clean eaters” typically point the finger at IIFYM’ers as being lazy and unmotivated, while the IIFYM’ers accuse the clean eaters of being uninformed “bro scientists” with a poor understanding of nutrition.
At the end of the day, there isn’t really much to argue here.
IIFYM is actually not a “diet” or a specific nutrition protocol. All IIFYM really means is this…




As long as your overall macronutrient totals (protein, carbohydrates and fats) as well as your micronutrient needs (vitamins, minerals, antioxidants etc.) are being met for the day, it doesn’t matter which specific foods you consume in order to meet those totals.That’s it. That’s all “if it fits your macros” really means. (I actually think it would be more accurate and cause less confusion if it was called “if it fits your macros AND your micros”, but I digress)
At the end of the day, there’s no real way to argue against this.
Your body does NOT view your nutrient intake within the context of individual food items.
1 chicken breast, 1 cup of rice and 1 bowl of Fruit Loops are not seen as separate entities. The body can’t say “that’s a chicken breast”, “that’s rice”, “those are Fruit Loops”. In addition, it doesn’t say “those first 2 items are healthy” and “that last item is unhealthy”.

What does the body actually recognize? 468 calories, 36 grams of protein (broken down into individual amino acids), 70 grams of carbs, 6 grams of fat (broken down into individual fatty acids) as well as an assortment of fiber and micronutrients all mixed together in a giant blob of chewed up goo.
The truth is that bodybuilding nutrition is really just a numbers game.
As part of a diet designed to support muscle growth and overall health, you have specific daily macronutrient and micronutrient needs in order to achieve optimal results. Your goal is to meet those numbers at the end of the day, period.
As long as the total “mixture” of food that you consume throughout that day meets those numbers, it really makes no difference at all what those exact food items are!!!!

 

[alex2363]

Most traditional bodybuilders allow for a cheat day once a week anyway, and this has always been considered a perfectly acceptable practice. The only difference is that those following IIFYM typically consume a small amount of cheat foods every day as opposed to a large amount of cheat foods once a week.

In actuality, having a full on cheat day once a week could be viewed as being potentially more harmful. That’s because many people simply binge out without counting anything, while those who follow IIFYM track everything to make sure that they don’t exceed their daily calorie totals.

 

[commanderkeen]

There are problems with the approach that make it sort of impractical.
1. You can never exactly know your daily calorie expenditure
2. It is difficult to accurately calculate your daily intake to within 200 kcal
2b. It is impossible if you don't prepare your own meals

Point 2 you could argue until the cows come home but the first point holds every time. I think anyone who wants to lose should read up on calorie counting but personally I advocate intermittent fasting because it is more practical to accomplish weight loss through.

There is also a lot of debate on what sort of split one should do. 30/40/30 protein/carbs/fat is pretty common, and most others are around those numbers. Yet you find extremes like atkins were the split is closer to 40/5/55 p/c/f. Both approaches work, but look quite different on a plate. I'll leave it up to everyone to decide which is best for themselves.

Meal frequency is the third factor. Some say 6-8 small meals a day (a meal in this case is minimum 50 calories) some say 1 big meal, yet others say whatever just eat it between 12-20 o'clock.

The point I'm trying to make is that IIFYM works, but so do many other protocols. The real deciding factor is if you can devise a way so you can work with it on a daily/weekly/monthly basis (whatever the approach you choose is).

I'm glad you have found a way of eating that allowed you to lose such a substantial amount of weight and I hope you keep the weight off for the years to come.

 

[Commander Quan]

In addition to chasing the imposable task of matching your exact caloric needs for the day, how is someone supposed to calculate what their exact marco nutrient breakdown is supposed to be? If I have to chase my dog down the street am I supposed to eat more to compensate for that? What If I get sick for 3 days? Yes, on paper saying "eat exactly what your body needs" sounds like the perfect plan, but in real life there are extraneous factors that either up or down regulate someone's metabolism. If you are a competitive body builder, it may be necessary to hack your diet to the enth degree, but these people turn fitness and nutrition into a hobby, and take it to levels beyond what most are willing to do. Most people may want to look like a young Arnold Schwarzeneggger, but in reality would just be happy if they don't jiggle while they brush their teeth.

 

[alex2363]

There are problems with the approach that make it sort of impractical.
1. You can never exactly know your daily calorie expenditure
2. It is difficult to accurately calculate your daily intake to within 200 kcal
2b. It is impossible if you don't prepare your own meals

Point 2 you could argue until the cows come home but the first point holds every time. I think anyone who wants to lose should read up on calorie counting but personally I advocate intermittent fasting because it is more practical to accomplish weight loss through.

There is also a lot of debate on what sort of split one should do. 30/40/30 protein/carbs/fat is pretty common, and most others are around those numbers. Yet you find extremes like atkins were the split is closer to 40/5/55 p/c/f. Both approaches work, but look quite different on a plate. I'll leave it up to everyone to decide which is best for themselves.

Meal frequency is the third factor. Some say 6-8 small meals a day (a meal in this case is minimum 50 calories) some say 1 big meal, yet others say whatever just eat it between 12-20 o'clock.

The point I'm trying to make is that IIFYM works, but so do many other protocols. The real deciding factor is if you can devise a way so you can work with it on a daily/weekly/monthly basis (whatever the approach you choose is).

I'm glad you have found a way of eating that allowed you to lose such a substantial amount of weight and I hope you keep the weight off for the years to come.

I have tried the Fat diet/keto and many other diets. For me the IIFYM works, it is a life style that works and you dont see actors on TV advertising it because it is a approach to keeping the weight off without sacrifising food favorites. All in moderation though. This past weekend i had pizza, ice cream, and still i am a size 32 waist .

 

[alex2363]

In addition to chasing the imposable task of matching your exact caloric needs for the day, how is someone supposed to calculate what their exact marco nutrient breakdown is supposed to be? If I have to chase my dog down the street am I supposed to eat more to compensate for that? What If I get sick for 3 days? Yes, on paper saying "eat exactly what your body needs" sounds like the perfect plan, but in real life there are extraneous factors that either up or down regulate someone's metabolism. If you are a competitive body builder, it may be necessary to hack your diet to the enth degree, but these people turn fitness and nutrition into a hobby, and take it to levels beyond what most are willing to do. Most people may want to look like a young Arnold Schwarzeneggger, but in reality would just be happy if they don't jiggle while they brush their teeth.

It does not have to be an exact science. Just keep track of your food intake and eat to your specific needs, if i can do it anyone can.