IIFYM - an acronym that stands for “If It Fits Your Macros” - is everywhere these days, am I right? If you’ve ever perused the fitness-related hashtags on Instagram, I’d bet that you’ve encountered posts about “IIFYM.”
But have you ever wondered what it means, how it works, and why it’s so popular? Let’s talk about it!
So IIFYM is another name for “flexible dieting,” or the practice of counting the macronutrients you consume - i.e. protein, carbohydrates, and fat.
What that means is that a person following this approach chooses their daily calorie allotment, further broken down into grams of protein, carbohydrates, and fat that they want to consume throughout the day (usually with a specific body composition goal in mind), and then reaches those numbers by plugging in any foods they choose.
Sometimes ice cream is necessary in life!
People who use this approach to flexible dieting weigh, measure, and count everything they eat, staying within their chosen macronutrient guidelines each day. This is usually done with the assistance of a tracking app, like MyFitnessPal, to make things easier. These apps have huge databases of nutrition information, can keep track of everything long term, and they do all the math for you - they're great!
The main reason this style of eating has gained so much popularity is because each person has the freedom to fill their daily macronutrient quota with whatever kind of foods they enjoy, as long as they match their numbers that have been specifically chosen to support their fitness goals.
It is even sometimes referred to as a “lifestyle,” because the freedom it affords allows for a balanced approach to eating that is often more sustainable than other more restrictive or specific diet strategies.
Basically, you can think of each day having a set caloric and macronutrient “allowance,” that you can “spend” on anything you want. You can “spend” some of your daily allowance on chocolate if you want, as long as you hit your big-picture macronutrient goals at the end of the day.
It gives you the freedom to indulge if the desire hits, but by including calorie-dense foods that really cut into your macronutrient “allowance,” it leaves fewer macros left over for other more nutrient-dense and high volume foods… It’s definitely a balancing act, and completely based on personal preference!
The thing about IIFYM is that on the surface, you don’t need to place any emphasis on food quality. IIFYM seems to go ahead with the assumption that carbs are carbs, fats are fats, and protein is protein - regardless of what food source they come from.
When following the IIFYM approach, your protein could come from chicken breast or hot dogs and still totally fit into your daily allotment if you plan correctly. Your carbs could be sweet potatoes or gummy bears. Fats could be from avocado or bacon grease.
If you hit your macro numbers consistently (provided that they’re calculated correctly for your goals), you are almost guaranteed to achieve the desired effect. Will you be your healthiest self overall? Well, that depends…
Because there is the constant freedom to include less healthy options and no rules about food quality, some people forget that eating largely unprocessed foods and taking in plenty of micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, etc.) really does matter for overall health and longevity.
I feel like some of the IIFYM dieters you see on Instagram constantly crushing donuts, pop-tarts, and other highly-processed treats are in some ways missing the point just a tad - they’re definitely getting the job done in terms of their fitness goals, and I agree that donuts are delicious, but I don’t personally believe that neglecting fresh, healthy whole food and the micronutrients they provide is best for the long game in terms of health… But that could be a whole other post entirely ;)
But at the end of the day, regardless of the food choices you make, if you hit your numbers you will make progress toward your fitness and physique goals - and I think that’s pretty cool!
It’s a very mathematical way to assure that your body is getting what it NEEDS to make the changes that you WANT.
Aside from the potential to be extremely effective when executed correctly, the IIFYM approach also has the ability to repair some individuals previously unhealthy relationships with food - as a coach this has been wonderful for me to see happen for a few of my clients, because their enjoyment of life went through the roof!
In our society, foods are labeled all the time - “good,” “bad,” “clean,” etc… This practice can make people feel like some foods are the absolute enemy of anyone trying to achieve a fitness goal, or that they have absolutely no place in a health-conscious lifestyle - this can cause extreme anxiety, binge-restrict cycles, and other disordered behaviors and feelings surrounding food.
By deeming no food off-limits, IIFYM followers are able to incorporate any and all foods occasionally and in moderation without feeling like they’re sabotaging their progress and, most notably in my opinion, without guilt.
It has helped so many individuals recover from unhealthy eating patterns, find balance, and restore their freedom to enjoy the foods they love again (in an intelligent, mindful way) all while continuing to make progress toward their goals.
To take it a step further, especially when coupled with nutrient timing, the macro counting approach can really improve athletic performance as well. Athletes can often have a tough time getting the right kind of fuel, and enough of it, to both perform and recover adequately, and by tracking their intake they can see huge improvements in not only their sport-related measures of success but their energy, sleep, and body composition as well.
Overall, I think IIFYM is a fantastic tool for all kinds of fitness and health enthusiasts. Whether you want to lose 5lbs, put on some muscle mass, improve your marathon time, hit a 500lb deadlift, or anything in between, knowing exactly what’s going into your body and how much can be the key to reaching your physical and performance potential.
Plus, you can eat a donut now and again if you want one. Nice!!!
Have you ever tried IIFYM? What do you think?
Please feel free to comment, upvote, or resteem if you’d like! :)
