What is IIFYM

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IIFYM is exploding with popularity lately. The acronym stands for “If It Fits Your Macros” and it is a flexible way of eating. When you look on social media at people preaching IIFYM you’ll most likely seem them eating donuts and pizza and still reaching their fitness and physique goals. But how is this possible? And is it even healthy? Let me explain..

IIFYM is a new way to look at calorie counting. With regular dieting you are simply looking at calories in vs. calories out. As long as you stayed below a certain number of calories per day, you would lose weight. However it never really is this simple is it? Some people lose weight eating 1600 calories a day and then the next day just stop. Some people struggle to lose weight their entire life, and some people have no problem. Why is that?

It typically comes down to what kind of calories a person is consuming. 1600 calories of fresh veggies and lean meats is much better than 1600 calories of candy. And this is what IIFYM is trying to capture.

By tracking your macros you aren’t just looking at calories. Instead you are looking at the amount of each macronutrient you consume each day. Therefore you need to make sure you are getting the right ratio of carbs, fats, and proteins for your body and activity level. When you think about it, this should start to make a bit of sense. I mean I wouldn’t just want to eat 1600 calories of carbs each day. It’s important to balance out each macronutrient.

One of the biggest draws that IIFYM has is the flexibility it gives you. Essentially, as long as you hit your macro goals for the day, you can eat whatever you want. Meaning if you wanted to fit a donut or a slice of pizza into your macros, you could! However if anybody tries to tell you that you can eat junk all day and still reach your goals, they are a liar! It is pretty much impossible to hit your macros with junk food alone. You’ll need to rely mostly on whole, clean foods like fruits, vegetables, and lean protein. I like to think of it as following the 80/20 rule. Meaning you should eat healthy, whole foods 80% of the time, and then fun foods 20% of the time.

I think that macro tracking is a wonderful tactic when trying to lose weight or bulk. It allows you to still enjoy all of the things you love in moderation. It also is a healthier approach to eating since it really opens your eyes to what’s in certain foods. Do you want to start macro tracking today? Grab a copy of The Macro Tracking Guide today and I will show you step-by-step what you need to do to calculate your own personal macros, and how to start tracking them. Check it out here.