You can eat it ‘if it fits in your macros’ has become established as a way of managing your food intake. It’s become so popular it has been shortened to the handy acronym IIFYM in fitness circles. It describes a world where you can eat anything in moderation if you know the impact it will have on the macronutrients you are consuming.
The term ‘macronutrients’ refers to the main nutrient groups of protein, fat and carbohydrates. The IIFYM centres on balancing, rather than restricting, food choices based on the level of macronutrients you need to achieve your fitness goals – whether that is weight loss or muscle gain for example.
IIFYM has many benefits over other approaches to managing your diet. We have summarised three key points below, but they all centre on giving you choices around what you eat.
Enjoyment: IIFYM allows you to make informed choices about your favourite foods. This means you can even enjoy crisps and snacks, but understanding the amount of protein, fat and calories you’ve consumed will help you know when to stop.
Knowledge: (By tracking foods on MyFitnessPal, over time the understanding of foods and macronutrients improves. In the long term, this will slowly help to improve your healthy habits on your long term lifestyle transformation.)
Freedom from guilt – Labelling foods ‘good’ and ‘bad’ is not helpful. A chocolate bar can make you happy and lentils can make you depressed, so which is good? Which is bad? We can give different nutritional values to food but moral values feel a stretch. It’s much better to feel comfortable enjoying the food you love, even if that is Cheese & Onion crisps, within moderation. You can do this if you understand how they contribute to your fitness goals. This comes from balancing your macronutrients – fat, protein and carbohydrates.
The good news is we can kickstart your IIFYM journey. Assessing your macronutrient requirements is an important part of any initial assessment we do. We will help you set daily targets too. You can then use a food tracker, such as MyFitnessPal, to monitor and report the fat, protein and carbohydrates you are taking on. Our nutrition coaching, including daily communication and weekly check-ins, focuses on keeping you motivated to hit your goals.
You won’t reach your fitness goals through IIFYM alone. It is merely a tool to help you manage your diet. It is the best we have because it informs and educates rather than restricts you. One simple question ‘Is It In Your Macros?’ is all you need to know before making a food decision. In a stroke, that removes the pressure and guilt from keeping to your diet.
The easiest way to start on your IIFYM plan is to contact us. Coached by GLJ can arrange an initial assessment of your goals and point you in the direction. Combining our nutrition coaching with a fitness plan is the best way to make sure you make lasting changes to your habits. We will partner with you for as long as it takes.
