“Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are.
Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
IIFYM stands for “If it Fits Your Macros.”
IIFYM, stands for “If It Fits Your Macros.” This dietary approach is what I personally recommend over strict calorie counting any day, to an extent. It’s a form of nutrition tracking beneficial for those that enjoy the freedom that comes from having both structure and flexibility. The general idea of IIFYM is that you can have anything you like as long as you remain inside your calculated macronutrient requirements.
For a better understanding of what macros are, I recommend reading my post on setting up MyFitnessPal (found here) if you have not yet done so.
What’s Good About IIFYM?
Well first let’s talk about what’s good about IIFYM. There’s a lot of greatness when it comes to this particular dietary method. It encourages both spontaneity and responsibility, and it doesn’t entrap it’s followers in an ever shrinking cage (I’m looking at you, HCG diet).
For starters, it is devoid of the entrapments that come with any strict dieting approach. With the IIFYM, you aren’t being told a specific dish or food group is prohibited. Because we all know how well that goes. It works great initially. But then over time that off limits “forbidden fruit” so to speak just keeps looking better and better. Until you have to take just one bite, and then next thing you know you’ve eaten a whole package of oreos.
Another great thing is that it gives you some sense of accountability to yourself. With IIFYM, you have to calculate and determine just how many macronutrients you should be taking in on a daily basis. And let’s not overlook the fact that with IIFYM, you are almost guaranteed to stay within a specific calorie range without even really trying. So there is undoubtable guidance and (albeit loose) structure that comes along with the IIFYM method. These are all good things, for sure.
What’s Bad About IIFYM?
What’s bad about IIFYM?? The bad comes in to play (and it plays hard) if you use this “diet” as a free pass to eat literally whatever you want. In this case there can be a lot wrong with it. At least when it comes to your overall health and nutrition:
1. First off, it completely ignores micronutrients (also went over in my earlier post on MFP). So while you may be getting the right amount of macros your body needs, you could seriously be missing out on paramount vitamins and nutrients.
2. Second and equally important, is gut health. And in the case of IIFYM, it isn’t something that is being considered either. A healthy gut microbiome is necessary for optimal brain function, a thriving immune system, efficient nutrient absorption and a comfortable operating digestive experience.
3. Which brings me to number three. It can encourage an unhealthy dependency on junk food. Not only does it essentially give you a free pass to eat less nutritious food choices, but in doing so you’ll actually find that you continue to crave even more crap. This is because when you eat crappy food you feed the crap loving bacteria living within your digestive system which in turns grows them stronger. Next what happens is these little crap lovers begin to be the ones dictating your cravings. And of course the crappy little bacteria are going to crave more crap food which in turn will leave you feeling like- you guessed it- crap.
The Bottom Line.
I guess the bottom line is IIFYM can be great for getting you on the right track nutritionally speaking. It requires you to calculate nutrition needs. To a certain degree, it encourages you to track what you’re eating. However, it can be detrimentally bad to your health if you simply run with it. So yes I absolutely recommend using IIFYM. But like all things in life, finding a comfortable balance is going to get you the best results. Be mindful about what you’re eating. Choose foods that nourish your body and make you feel good.
Have you tried using IIFYM to meet your own nutrition goals? Share your experience below!