So I have been applying the IIFYM or flexible dieting to the way I eat foods, and I'm going to post this quick intro on what I've learned and honestly how surprising it can be. When most people want to lose weight they imagine themselves stuck on a food plan consisting of chicken breast, broccoli, and brown rice. 6 meals a day with nothing but this cardboard tasting food in pursuit of that dream body. But as anyone who has tried this method knows (I am one of you) it isn't sustainable. We want those delicious foods that taste so good even if they're bad for us. Sooner or later we end up caving in, getting even more frustrated with the whole process, and it just sucks. Well if you haven't heard of this before you will probably think there's no way this can work, but trust me it does.
IIFYM is a flexible dieting approach where you don't really label foods such as “junk food” and “clean food” and instead focus on your total caloric intake (calories in, or calories out), and your daily set macro-nutrient targets (proteins, carbs, fats), in order to achieve your desired body composition.
The best part of this approach is it allows balance for an individual to eat the foods they like while not feeling restricted to a meal plan that isn't going to work in the long run. This isn't so much a diet as a lifestyle and we all know how much diets fail right? Like, almost 100%
So, what are macros?
Macros are basically the 3 categories that food breaks down to
- Protein
- Carbohydrates
- Fats
Each of these macros provides calories to our bodies
Protein - 4 calories per gram
Carbs - 4 calories per gram
Fats - 9 calories per gram
So what does our bodies do with these and why do we need them to survive?
Protein is found in meat, fish, poultry, cheese, milk, nuts, legumes, and in small amounts in starchy foods. Our bodies break down protein into amino acids which are the building blocks of protein. Protein that comes from animal sources contains all of the essential amino acids that we need. Plant sources of protein though, do not contain all of the essential amino acids
Protein is used for:
- Preserving lean muscle mass
- Growth (especially important for children, teens, and pregnant women)
- Immune function
- Making essential hormones and enzymes
- Tissue repair
- Energy when carbohydrate is not available
Carbs are generally the macro we eat in the largest amount, and are the body's main source of fuel. Carbohydrates are mainly found in starchy foods: grain and potatoes as well as fruits, milk, and yogurt. Other foods like vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds and cottage cheese contain carbohydrates, but in lesser amounts But they are also important for other reasons
Carbs are used for:
- Carbohydrates are easily used by the body for energy.
- All of the tissues and cells in our body can use glucose for energy.
- Carbohydrates are needed for the central nervous system to function properly
- Carbohydrates can be stored in the muscles and liver and later used for energy.
- Carbohydrates are important in intestinal health and waste elimination.
Fats are generally the enemy when it comes to trying to lose weight, I mean we are bombarded with low fat this low fat that. But Fats are also an important part of the foods we eat and some fat is essential to survival. Fat is found in meat, poultry, milk products, nuts, butters or margarines, oils, lard, fish, grain products and salad dressings. There are three main types of fat, saturated fat, unsaturated fat, and trans fat.
Saturated fat (found in foods like meat, butter, lard, and cream) and trans fat (found in baked goods, snack foods, fried foods, and margarines) have been shown to increase your risk for heart disease. Replacing saturated and trans fat in your diet with unsaturated fat (found in foods like olive oil, avocados, nuts, and canola oil) has been shown decrease the risk of developing heart disease.
Fats are also used for:
- Normal growth and development
- Energy
- Absorbing certain vitamins ( like vitamins A, D, E, K,)
- Providing cushioning for the organs
- Cell health
- Taste, consistency, and stability to foods
OK, so now that there's the basic breakdown and information on macros, how on earth do we use this information to lose weight, or build muscle, while enjoying the foods we want? Balance, moderation, and a little bit of discipline is key. Here's an example.
So if I told you that you had a choice between a McDonalds Seared Grand Chicken Burger or a meal of 130g of chicken breast, 120g of boiled rice, and 25g of cashews which would you choose? Likely if you want to lose weight you'd think the chicken breast meal right?
The Mcdonalds burger breaks down to 501 calories consisting of (53g of carbs, 15g of fat, and 35g of protein)
The meal with the chicken breaks down to 520 calories consisting of (55g of carbs, 16g fat, and 38g protein)
When you eat either of these meals, your body breaks it down based on the macro nutrient values, which are extremely close. Both of these meals will yield the exact same effects on your body composition. Even though one would be labeled as "dirty" and one is "clean". So why does eating at Mcdonalds make us fat? Well we combine some fries, (you should check out the nutrition in those, yikes!) or a pop, or maybe a coffee with 3 or more cream. It's about moderation, and how much we are really taking in.
In conclusion, there are alot of tools out there to help you figure out this stuff, and lots of calculators to get you started. I would advise people to download the myfitnesspal app as it's extremely helpful in tracking your macros and calories. I also advise people to go out and pick up a food scale. It may sound like a huge pain to have to measure out and weigh your food but once you get in the habit and start to actually see what you can eat, and also lose weight in the process, you'll be able to stick with it alot better because you won't have that typical frustration with dieting and not seeing any results. Finally, I would recommend that if you haven't already to start a fitness routine or just get out and start walking, running, riding a bike. Diet is most of it, but not all. We can't watch what we eat and just be couch potatoes and think well why isn't this working? I promise this is all worth it.
Use this link to get started with how many calories you should start with per day, and then I use that in my myfitnesspal app to set the % on my macros and go from there!
http://www.iifym.com/iifym-calculator/
Good luck, and I hope this has been helpful to anyone looking for an alternative to the daily struggle with eating right and meeting your goals
-Jason