La IIFYM diet or “if it fits into your macros” is a flexible type of diet, which helps you lose weight without feeling overly restricted.
Instead of focusing on calories, in this diet the focus is on macronutrients: protein, fats and carbohydrates.
This allows a greater flexibility since all foods can be eaten, as long as they are part of the macronutrients of the day.
Let's find out everything there is to know about the IIFYM diet.
Index
What is the IIFYM Diet?
La IIFYM diet was devised by Anthony Collova, fitness enthusiast, after getting frustrated with all the nutritional recommendations received.
I macronutrients, the cornerstone of this diet, are the types of food molecules that the body can break down for energy:
- Protein: have 4 calories per gram
- Carbohydrates: have 4 calories per gram
- Grassi: have 9 calories per gram.
Following the IIFYM diet is pretty simple and requires just a few steps:
- Calculate macros: it is used to determine how many carbohydrates, proteins and fats you can eat to reach your weight goals
- Respect macros: once you discover your macros, just stick to them every day.
Since all foods are allowed, many people find this diet to be a nice change from counting calories or cutting out tons of foods.
How are macros calculated?
There are many handy app to take account of macros, but they can also be counted manually:
- Calculate your basal metabolic rate: standardized equations are used to determine the amount of energy consumed by the body at rest, based on age, height, gender and weight; the value obtained is called the rate of basal metabolism or BMR
- Adjust according to activity level: BMR is multiplied by an activity factor to increase calories based on activity level; this figure is known as total daily energy expenditure
- Adjust according to weight goals: if you want to lose weight, reduce your calorie intake by 15/20%; If your goal is to gain weight, increase your calorie intake by 5-15%
- Determine macros: the protein intake should be between 0.7/1 g per body kilo; the fat intake should be between 0.25 and 0.4 g per kilo and, finally, all the remaining calories should be allocated to carbohydrates.
After doing all the calculations, the IIFYM plan should indicate how many calories and how many grams of carbohydrates, proteins and fats to eat each day.
How to meet macros?
Once you have established the amount of grams of each macronutrient to consume each day, it is good monitor your food intake to determine if you are meeting your macros.
In addition to the various monitoring apps, you need to buy a digital scale to weigh foods accurately. IIFYM diets tend to be richer in proteins and fats and lower in carbohydrates, therefore it is also helpful to understand which foods contain the highest amounts of each macronutrient:
- Foods rich in protein: meat, fish, cheese, yogurt, eggs, legumes, nuts, quinoa, seafood
- High-fat foods: avocado, egg yolks, oil, salmon, cream, milk whole, cheeses, mayonnaise, dried fruit, seeds
- Carbohydrate-rich foods: bread, cereals, pasta, baked goods, fruit, legumes, pseudocereals, potatoes.
Benefits
Following the IIFMY diet allows you to obtain several benefits:
- It's an eye-opening experience: It is a great tool for people who don't know the composition of foods (for example a snickers bar and a pound of salmon have the same calories, but completely different macros)
- Helps achieve weight goals
- There are no forbidden foods: This is a way to teach balance and eliminate the pressure and guilt associated with more restrictive methods
- It is flexible and easy to comply with.
And you, have you ever tried the IIFYM diet? Let us know in the comments and don't forget to follow us on our telegram channel
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