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IIFYM, or “If It Fits Your Macros,” is a type of flexible dieting that helps people lose weight without feeling overly restricted.
Rather than focusing on calories, IIFYM tracks macronutrients instead — namely protein, fat and carbohydrates.
This allows for much more flexibility since all foods can be enjoyed as long as they fit into your macros for the day.
Here are the basic principles of IIFYM, details on how to follow it and the pros and cons of this approach.What Is the IIFYM Diet?
What Is the IIFYM Diet?
The IIFYM diet was originally designed by fitness enthusiast Anthony Collova after he became frustrated with traditional dieting recommendations.
IIFYM is a new spin on dieting that focuses on macronutrients rather than calories.
Macronutrients, or macros, are the four types of food molecules the body can break down for energy. Three types of macronutrients are tracked in IIFYM:
- Protein, which has 4 calories per gram.
- Carbohydrates, which have 4 calories per gram.
- Fat, which has 9 calories per gram.
Alcohol is the fourth macronutrient, containing 7 calories per gram, but it’s not included in the IIFYM diet.
Following the IIFYM diet is pretty simple, and only requires a few steps:
- Calculating your macros: Calculations are used to determine how many grams of protein, carbs and fat you need each day in order to meet your weight goals.
- Meeting your macros: Once you know your macros, you just need to stay within them each day. Food intake is tracked and adjusted as needed.
Since all foods are allowed, many people consider this diet a welcome change from strict calorie counting or eliminating entire food groups.
IIFYM is typically used for people who want to lose weight but can be modified for those who want to gain weight as well.
Summary
The IIFYM diet involves calculating the amount of protein, fat and carbs to be eaten each day in order to meet your weight goals. Food choices are tracked and adjusted as needed in order to stay within these macros.How to Calculate Your Macros
How to Calculate Your Macros
The first step in getting started on the IIFYM diet is to calculate your macros.
Most people use the free macro calculator on the IIFYM website, but you can also calculate them manually.
The general process is:
- Calculate your basal metabolic rate: Standardized equations are used to determine how much energy your body uses at rest, based on age, sex, height and weight. This is known as your basal metabolic rate or BMR.
