IIFYM- If It Fits Your Mental Stability
Rant time.
This whole IIFYM "diet" is a scam. Why? Because EVERYTHING has macros. Surprised? Don't be- a lot of people don't realize EVERY SINGLE HUMAN is on a macro diet. Some people just don't choose to count them or "fit" them into anything.
What are macros? Calories, carbs, fats, and proteins. That's right, you guessed it, EVERY SINGLE FOOD ON THIS PLANET has a macro count. All foods also have a micro count (fiber, vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, etc).
If you have been following my blog for awhile or decided to go on a stalker rampage and read every single post in one evening (hats off to you, i'm sure you were entertained), then you have probably read my clean eating v macro debate.
Clean eating is also a scam but that's in another post so search in the little handy search bar above to find it.
I think the macro approach to eating is GREAT because it gives you a goal to hit. I think the macro approach to eating is AWFUL because it gives you a goal to hit. In short, if you plug your height and weight, activity level, and goal into a generic online calc, it will spit out that you need, for example, 1700 calories, 206 carbs, 115 protein, 46 fat, and 23-29 fiber. Why is this bad? Nutrient dense food (aka lean protein, rice, oatmeal, green veggies, etc) fill you up a lot faster because they are filled with nutrients with lower calories, relatively speaking. Calorie dense foods (such as processed foods, baked goods, etc) will give you a quick feeling of satisfaction but are not good for your overall health.
My point, I'm getting there: if you eat 1700 calories of nutrient dense foods, it will look drastically different than eating 1700 calories of calorie dense foods. A lot of people who follow the IIFYM approach will eat nutrient dense foods until they hit their goals and then if they have extra macros to fill, they will fill those with calorie dense foods. This is not bad in moderation but if you follow IIFYM, you're almost forced to log EVERY SINGLE THING that goes into your mouth. Why? Because how else will you know how many cups of cereal you can have right before bed if you don't log everything. This sets a lot of people for obsession with counting calories and numbers.
For my meal plans, I believe in a carb cycling approach (it's what I do as well), because it keeps your body guessing and allows for fat loss with muscle preservation. But guess what- there are still macros attached to those foods. There are macros attached to the foods you're eating right now whether you count them or not.
If IIFYM has worked for you, then great, keep doing it. I personally have noticed an immense difference in my body composition when following carb cycling and my clients also see amazing results.
Also, as mentioned above, processed and junk foods are NOT BAD in moderation. I have a blog post on here somewhere about poptarts post workout if you're bulking. I am in no way trying to contradict myself. Again, all I am stating is that there are macros attached to all foods whether you choose to count them or not. Follow whatever style works for you, macros, clean eating, paleo, vegetarian, GF, carb cycling, shoving your face with unicorn meat, WHATEVER WORKS FOR YOU. Just don't do something because it's the "current fad" without doing some research first.
This whole IIFYM "diet" is a scam. Why? Because EVERYTHING has macros. Surprised? Don't be- a lot of people don't realize EVERY SINGLE HUMAN is on a macro diet. Some people just don't choose to count them or "fit" them into anything.
What are macros? Calories, carbs, fats, and proteins. That's right, you guessed it, EVERY SINGLE FOOD ON THIS PLANET has a macro count. All foods also have a micro count (fiber, vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, etc).
If you have been following my blog for awhile or decided to go on a stalker rampage and read every single post in one evening (hats off to you, i'm sure you were entertained), then you have probably read my clean eating v macro debate.
Clean eating is also a scam but that's in another post so search in the little handy search bar above to find it.
I think the macro approach to eating is GREAT because it gives you a goal to hit. I think the macro approach to eating is AWFUL because it gives you a goal to hit. In short, if you plug your height and weight, activity level, and goal into a generic online calc, it will spit out that you need, for example, 1700 calories, 206 carbs, 115 protein, 46 fat, and 23-29 fiber. Why is this bad? Nutrient dense food (aka lean protein, rice, oatmeal, green veggies, etc) fill you up a lot faster because they are filled with nutrients with lower calories, relatively speaking. Calorie dense foods (such as processed foods, baked goods, etc) will give you a quick feeling of satisfaction but are not good for your overall health.
My point, I'm getting there: if you eat 1700 calories of nutrient dense foods, it will look drastically different than eating 1700 calories of calorie dense foods. A lot of people who follow the IIFYM approach will eat nutrient dense foods until they hit their goals and then if they have extra macros to fill, they will fill those with calorie dense foods. This is not bad in moderation but if you follow IIFYM, you're almost forced to log EVERY SINGLE THING that goes into your mouth. Why? Because how else will you know how many cups of cereal you can have right before bed if you don't log everything. This sets a lot of people for obsession with counting calories and numbers.
For my meal plans, I believe in a carb cycling approach (it's what I do as well), because it keeps your body guessing and allows for fat loss with muscle preservation. But guess what- there are still macros attached to those foods. There are macros attached to the foods you're eating right now whether you count them or not.
If IIFYM has worked for you, then great, keep doing it. I personally have noticed an immense difference in my body composition when following carb cycling and my clients also see amazing results.
Also, as mentioned above, processed and junk foods are NOT BAD in moderation. I have a blog post on here somewhere about poptarts post workout if you're bulking. I am in no way trying to contradict myself. Again, all I am stating is that there are macros attached to all foods whether you choose to count them or not. Follow whatever style works for you, macros, clean eating, paleo, vegetarian, GF, carb cycling, shoving your face with unicorn meat, WHATEVER WORKS FOR YOU. Just don't do something because it's the "current fad" without doing some research first.
IIFYM- If It Fits Your Mental Stability
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Reviewed by Unknown
on
16:05
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