“If It Fits Your Macros” (IIFYM) is a dieting strategy that has gained increasing popularity in recent years, but what does it mean and is it for you?
Key Takeaways
- The “If it Fits Your Macros” or “IIFYM” approach says that you can eat whatever you want as long as it fits certain nutritional targets.
- However, we cannot discount the importance of food quality when it comes to optimising adherence, performance and recovery.
- Long-term flexibility is key, but only once healthy habits are well in place.
If you’ve ever scrolled through social media, you’ll have encountered the zealots who tell you that “flexible dieting” and its close cousin “If it Fits Your Macros”, more popularly known as IIFYM, are the best ways to eat to get lean.
Nevertheless, in the world of personal training, I know that this advice is wrong for most individuals when they’re starting out. Despite this, long term, a flexible dieting approach is often a wise solution once all the habits, education and health improvements have been locked in place. All of which come after you’ve learned how to build a meal plan that works!
What is IIFYM?
IIFYM means you can eat what you want so long as it fits your macronutrient targets, which you can adjust through the app. The problem is that many people focus on hitting those targets regardless of nutritional quality.
Can IIFYM work if we adhere to sound nutritional practices that are as simple as choosing the right foods? Absolutely.
However, too many people fall into the trap of thinking that if they’re getting their carbs and fat from chocolate bars, then they’re doing the right thing.
We all know this isn’t right, but when it comes to people that are new to dieting, certain facts can get lost along the way.
The exact same principles hold true for the concept of flexible dieting. Put simply, this is a less strict, more user-friendly version of IIFYM and one that should ultimately form the bedrock of most people’s eating habits.
I firmly believe that most of us don’t want to be chained to spreadsheets and number counting when enjoying our meals.
Flexible dieting, in my opinion, is simple, common-sense eating. It means keeping an eye on a few numbers. At bare minimum, we want to have an idea of a daily protein goal and rough calories, and to balance out the days that you go overboard.
The problem with IIFYM and flexible dieting is that most of us lack the ability to properly control our eating habits, which is where the U.P. app really comes into its own.
The app will help you to create and commit to a meal plan, teaching you several eye-opening lessons about how your eating habits affect your body composition.
We also know, from our experience working with clients, that achieving transformational results in a short time frame requires a disciplined and measured approach. Once you have achieved your transformation, you can use your newfound dietary awareness to transition to more nutritional flexibility, as you move to a more health-focused approach.
