It's funny how controversial this fitness world is, is not it?
Many begin at the gym to exercise and forget about the diet, and on the other hand many start by setting up a super diet, super-regulated, but in the end end up giving up.
It was thinking of this type of people that was invented the "flexive diet".
Simply your goal is to eat what your body needs, regardless of what.
You can eat a delicious x-bacon with lots of cheese if it fits inside what you need.
Imagine for a second how much easier it would be if you could gain weight and lean mass by eating something other than chicken and sweet potatoes.
Or lose weight and set your body while sipping an ice cream?
Sounds silly, but it's not! And that's what we're going to talk about today.
Why is IIFYM so popular?
Because it revolves around the concept that dieters can eat ANYTHING as long as it fits their prescribed set of macros. This is refreshing for many who are coming from most other dieting trends that are very restrictive.
With If It Fits Your Macros (Flexible Dieting)
- There are no forbidden or “bad” foods;
- People feel they can eat “normally” again;
- It’s much easier to stick with during social events;
- People can generally eat more and eat the foods they love while still reaching their weight loss or muscle building goals.
Your IIFYM TDEE and Your Set of Macros
The crux of IIFYM revolves around two main concepts; establishing your personal TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) and establishing your personal set of daily macro (macronutrient) targets.
Establishing your TDEE
The first thing a dieter must do when beginning IIFYM is to establish their TDEE or in other words, how many calories their body burns during a 24 hour period considering their REE (Resting Energy Expenditure), their general movement/activities, and their intentional exercise.
The formula that most people use to find their TDEE is the well respected Mifflin, M. D., St Jeor formula for finding a person’s REE.
The formula for Men
10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (y) + 5 = REE
The formula for Women
10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (y) – 161 = REE
This is then factored in with the amount of exercise or movement a person does to establish the TDEE.
These can be broken done into 4 Categories
- Sedentary
- Lightly active
- Moderately active
- Extremely active
Establishing Your Set of IIFYM Macros
Most calories are made up of 3 macronutrients; Carbohydrates, Protein, and Fat and each is essential for a healthy functioning body.
The only calories that don’t fall under these three are calories from alcohol.
Generally, 25% of your calories should come from fats. This can vary and IIFYM allows dieters to adjust this macro to a level that works with his or her body and goals.
Your protein amount is determined by your body weight. Again, this varies based on what your goals are.
IIFYM isn’t a low carb diet so this macro generally ranges between 35-40%. Carbs are what fuels your body and your workouts.he only calories that don’t fall under these three are calories from alcohol.
Generally, 25% of your calories should come from fats. This can vary and IIFYM allows dieters to adjust this macro to a level that works with his or her body and goals.
Your protein amount is determined by your body weight. Again, this varies based on what your goals are.
IIFYM isn’t a low carb diet so this macro generally ranges between 35-40%. Carbs are what fuels your body and your workouts.
Losing Weight with If It Fits Your Macros
To lose weight with IIFYM, you simply eat less than your established TDEE for maintaining your current weight.
IIFYM doesn’t cut calories as drastically as most low-calorie diets but advocates a moderate reduction of 20%. This allows for slow and steady weight loss.
This way, the metabolism doesn’t slow and the body doesn’t switch over to “starvation mode”4 because of too few calories being consumed to support both the metabolism and a person’s activity level.
This too is flexible, some may do better with a little more calorie reduction and some may do better with a little less.
Gaining Weight
Although IIFYM can be used to gain weight in general by simply eating more calories than your maintenance TDEE, most use it to gain muscle mass without adding fat.
This can be a delicate balance for most people and also requires dedication to a good muscle building workout routine at the gym.
In general, increasing calories to 20% more than your maintenance TDEE in combination with strategic weight bearing exercise will result in an increase in muscle.
However, some may find at this level, fat doesn’t burn or some fat is gained.
Why are Macros Tracked?
IIFYM tracks macros because they fine tune your results. The TDEE determines whether you lose, stay the same, or gain, but keeping track of your macros helps you lose or gain in a way that allows you to reach your body composition goals.
If muscle building is your goal, then you want to make sure you are eating adequate protein so that your muscles will have the raw materials needed for growth.
This is why essentially dieters can eat any food they want as long as it fits their prescribed set of macros. It doesn’t matter so much where the macros are coming from, but rather, not eating too much or too little of a macro.
If weight loss is your goal, you want to be eating enough protein that your body doesn’t start cannibalizing muscle tissue for extra energy instead of your fat reserves.
Others may need to make sure they are eating enough carbs to properly fuel their intense workouts. Tracking macros really helps the flexible dieter be in control of their eating and what effect it will have on their body.
Popular Apps for IIFYM
MyFitnessPal
iOS or Android: MFP is perhaps the most popular app used to keep track of food eaten, calories, macros, and calories burned.
MapMyFitness
IOS or Android: MMF is a more robust fitness tracker than what MFP offers on its own. It links up with MFP and send your calorie burn data to your daily diary.
MyMacros+
MyMacros+ is also pretty popular and although it is designed for people who are more into body building, it can be used for general food and macro tracking as well.
Flexible Dieting Calculator
I found this wonderful calculator, where you can calculate automatically what you need for your day to day life.
Flexible Dieting Calculator
If you like, share the site with your friends.
And this is the worksheet in excel, which I use. But it is restricted only to those who want to gain weight.
Download Here
You will only edit, your Weight, Height and Age ok? The rest is calculated automatically.
You will need to Know your type of genetics
ECTOMORPH
An ectomorph is a typical skinny guy. Ecto’s have a light build with small joints and lean muscle. Usually ectomorph’s have long thin limbs with stringy muscles. Shoulders tend to be thin with little width.
MESOMORPH
A mesomorph has a large bone structure, large muscles and a naturally athletic physique. Mesomorphs are the best body type for bodybuilding. They find it quite easy to gain and lose weight. They are naturally strong which is the perfect platform for building muscle.
ENDOMORPH
The endomorph body type is solid and generally soft. Endomorphs gain fat very easily. Endo’s are usually of a shorter build with thick arms and legs. Muscles are strong, especially the upper legs. Endomorphs find they are naturally strong in leg exercises like the squat.
I know the article was long I'm sorry for this, but now you're ready to start.
Be happy by reaching your goal in a more pleasurable way.
great job
Aways thank you
Hi! I am a robot. I just upvoted you! I found similar content that readers might be interested in:
https://healthyeater.com/iifym-guide
thank you robot ; D
@fantin, you might want to quote your sources, as the vote from @cheetah links to a website that a large portion of your post comes from.
Cutting and pasting is not against the rules but you can get flagged if you copy and paste without quoting sources.
Hi my dear, how are you? I put it together with the calculator link. But I edited more clearly, okay? Search for "article credit source". Thanks for the warning, big hug XD
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