I wouldnt really say that the IIFYM diet is really a diet, but more of a nutrition philosophy or action plan. If you have been browsing RIPPEDCLUB.net or maybe you saw one of my YouTube videos on nutrition, then you have no doubt heard me talk about macros. “macros” is short for macronutrients, which are defined below:
There are three primary macronutrients defined as being the classes of chemical compounds humans consume in the largest quantities and which provide bulk energy. These are protein, fat, and carbohydrate.
I have been using the “IIFYM diet” for over two years now. Well, not the IIFYM diet as it is truly defined. At the heart of it, its just tracking your nutrition, which I have always been a fan of. I am not fond of keeping track of portions like you would with the P90X portion plan, but I am also not fond of the real version of IIFYM…
…and here is why.
IIFYM, or “If It Fits Your Macros” is a dieting philosophy that states as long as a food or meal fits into your daily macros targets, then its okay to eat. So lets say that you have 75g of carbs left for the day and 20g of fat. Well it just so happens that a sleeve of oreo cookies and a tall glass of whole milk meets those targets. According to the IIFYM diet, this would be completely acceptable. The main focus is just hitting your target macros for the day and the food choices really dont matter. While I dont agree with this and I will explain why, I DO like that it requires you to track your nutrition! The thing that I dislike about IIFYM is that people use it as an excuse to fit in as much processed, nasty junk into their diet as they can get away with. In essence, IIFYM can just become an excuse…
For some reason, the IIFYM diet is synonymous with fitting pop tarts into your macros, lol. I dont get it, but thats kinda the joke behind it.
Like I said, the heart of IIFYM is tracking your nutrition. And thats exactly what I have been preaching for two years now as the BEST way to get extreme results! I base my calorie intake and macronutrient breakdown on whatever my goal is at the time. If I want to cut fat, I operate at a calorie defecit around 1900-2000 calories and a 50/30/20 ratio of proteins/carbs/fats. If I want to maintain, I know that I need 2700 calories per day at a 40/40/20 ratio of proteins/carbs/fats. I track everything that I eat throughout the day…in fact I plan it the night before to be sure I hit my targets perfectly! Then its just a matter of following what I entered into myfitnesspal! So at the heart of my plan…I guess you could say I am doing IIFYM.
I am a firm believer that food choice DOES MATTER! I personally choose to hit my carb targets with complex carbohydrates from whole food sources; like oats, yams, whole wheat, veggies, etc. For proteins I prefer to meet my targets with lean meats and the occasional low fat dairy product. For fats, I choose to get my fats from raw nuts and natural nut butters.
What you wont find is me getting my carbs from simple sugars and refined carbs like white bread. You wont find my eating ground beef and deep fried chicken that is loaded with saturated fats…You wont find me eating processed foods on a regular basis and you certainly wont see pop tarts on the menu, LOL. I dont think I have eaten those since middle school!
All foods carry not only macronutrients, but micronutrients as well…vitamins, minerals, etc. And all of these things affect your health, they affect energy levels, they effect blood toxicity, they affect blood sugar levels, they affect mental clarity…the list goes on and on and on.
What the IIFYM diet DOES NOT focus on is overall health! Ya you might be able to lose some fat on your Twinkie diet which could show signs of improvement on the major health factors, but in the long run…you are fueling your body with junk…You cant expect peak performance from your body and mind if you are fueling it with low grade fuel.
I dont want to be some kind of dieting Nazi, but I recommend that a majority of your calories need to be coming from “good” sources of food. The occasional treat can actually help you stay on track, but just as you have been doing, PLAN for it! Work it into your daily targets and if it fits your macros, then dont sweat the occasional “bad” food. Just dont make it a habit. Remember that your are trying to form NEW habits and if you keep returning to old ways, its will be that much more difficult to establish and solidify the habits you want to have, that will help you reach your goal.
Just put in the work, and make sure it fits first!
“If you fail to PLAN, then plan on FAILING!”
…Now you just have to take action! First things first is to learn the nuts and bolts of planning your nutrition which is what I teach you in my FREE 5 Day Bootcamp. It will not only teach you the HOW of getting extreme results, but you are actually going to learn how to PREVENT FAILURE! So enter your name and best email HERE to get your Day-1 Video!
Now its time to BRING IT & inspire others to do the same!
Coach Todd
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