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What is the IIFYM or Flexible Diet
Now is the information age, and sometimes there is so much information and information garbage that it is impossible for an ordinary person to find something truly useful without the admixture of myths and misconceptions. Therefore, I want to tell you about a flexible diet .
What is IIFYM?
IIFYM is a type of flexible diet that was designed to make dieting easier for athletes and people trying to lose weight. When adhering to IIFYM, it is important to monitor the macronutrients of the diet , therefore, the ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates . That is, these macroelements can be consumed in various combinations, as long as their amount does not exceed the body’s daily needs. This means that if the balance of each group of macronutrients does not reach the acceptable level, a person can eat any type of food and continue to achieve their health and beauty goals. [1]
The IIFYM Flexible Diet was developed by Anthony Call after he became personally frustrated with many of the traditional diets he had tried. IIFYM is a new type of diet because it focuses on macronutrients . Macronutrients or macros are the three main sources of energy for our body. Namely [1]:
- proteins having 4 calories per gram
- carbohydrates having 4 calories per gram
- fats having 9 calories per gram
The principle of the IIFYM diet is based on the fact that the ratio of the calories you consume to the calories you burn is the decisive factor in losing or gaining weight. However, it is important to stick to the proportion of calories you get from each macro. [2]
So if you decide to stick with IIFYM, follow these simple steps [1]:
- Calculate your macros - determine the number of grams of protein, carbohydrates and fat you need to consume daily to reach your goal
- Stick to your macronutrient ratios – you need to determine how many macronutrients you consume at each meal and track your daily intake to make sure you don't exceed the maximum.
IIFYM is mainly followed by people who want to lose a few kilos and cannot give up their favorite foods. [1]
The Psychology of Food: What IIFYM Teaches Us
One of the main goals of the guide here was to provide a realistic understanding of the IIFYM diet, with all its pros and cons.
I would be remiss not to touch on a final, important point that I believe IIFYM can teach many athletes and fitness enthusiasts about their diet. This moment has a psychological component. Food is mainly a biological necessity for humans, but at the same time, it is also a privilege that nourishes us not only physically, but also morally. Eating is not an obligatory tedious task that causes negative emotions in you and makes you a victim of your own ambitions.
If the IIFYM diet can teach us anything, then, first of all, that we need to be in harmony with our body, not torment or torture it. Work aimed at strengthening your health and improving your physique should bring joy and pleasure.
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How to calculate macros?
If you are interested in a flexible diet, first you need to determine your daily macronutrient needs . You can use any online macronutrient calculator or you can also calculate your macronutrients yourself. How to do it? [1]
Calculate your BMR (basal metabolic rate)
BMR (basal metabolic rate) is the basal metabolic rate , which can be calculated using the equation. Based on your age, gender, height and weight, you can calculate your BMR and this will give you a number that expresses how much energy your body uses at rest . To perform calculations manually, use the following formulas . [15]
BMR calculation formula
- women – BMR = 655.1 + (9.563 x weight in kg) + (1.85 x height in cm) – (4.667 x age)
- men – BMR = 66.47 + (13.75 x weight in kg) + (5.003 x height in cm) – (6.755 x age)
Calculate your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure)
If you exercise, multiply your BMR by your activity factor . This will calculate your total daily energy expenditure or TDEE .
TDEE calculation formula [17]
- minimum physical activity – TDEE = BMR x 1.1
- workouts 1 – 3 times a week – TDEE = BMR x 1275
- workouts 3 – 5 times a week – TDEE = BMR x 1.35
- intense training 5+ per week – TDEE = BMR x 1.525
Adjust your calorie needs to achieve your desired results
Stick to IIFYM according to your goals, hence [1]:
- if you want to lose weight , reduce your calorie intake by 15 – 25%
- if you want to gain weight , increase your calorie intake by 5 – 15%
Determine your daily macronutrient needs
The last step is to divide to determine your ideal macronutrient intake per day. This means that you need to calculate how much protein, fat and carbohydrates you should consume.
- proteins – it is generally accepted that between 0.7 – 1 gram of protein per 0.5 kg of body weight
- fats should be consumed in the range of 0.25 – 0.4 g per 0.5 kg of body weight
- all remaining calories determine carbohydrate intake [1]
Once all the calculations are done, you'll create a personal IIFYM plan that tells you how many grams of protein, fat, and carbohydrates you need to consume each day. [1] For example, a 25-year-old woman who is 175 cm tall and weighs 70 kg has a BMR 1531 , meaning she needs to consume 1531 calories at rest. However, she trains 3 times a week and therefore needs to calculate TDEE as well. Her TDEE result is 1952 calories per day.
However, her goal is to lose weight and therefore she needs to reduce her daily calorie intake by 20% , which is 390 calories. Its daily intake to achieve the goal should be 1562 calories . Her daily macronutrient requirement is 140 grams of protein , hence 560 calories. She also needs to consume 56 grams of fat, which is another 504 calories. Therefore, carbohydrates account for 498 calories .
If you don't want to waste time on manual calculations, you can also use online applications . Find out about the best apps in our article.
What are the main principles of a flexible diet?
Everything is very simple here: - keep your daily caloric intake (the norm or a little less than the norm to lose weight); - don’t worry about healthy and unhealthy foods; - don’t worry about meal times; - don’t worry about the number of meals; - eat only when you are hungry (and not out of boredom, stress, etc.).
Daily calorie intake . Determine your daily calorie intake (how much energy your body burns even if you lie in bed all day). This is very easy to do: install the application on your smartphone, where everything will be calculated for you, or use the formula:
When you determine your norm, subtract 200-300 kcal from it, and this will allow you to lose weight safely and painlessly. Calorie examples:
Men: 2088 kcal, 222 g carbohydrates, 170 g protein, 58 g fat.
Women: 1651 kcal, 160 g carbohydrates, 150 g protein, 46 g fat.
You can also use other calorie calculators for weight loss.
Healthy and unhealthy foods . There is no such thing, because at first glance, healthy foods turn out to be completely opposite. For example, vegetables and herbs are rich in nitrates, even if they are grown with their own hands or in their grandmother’s garden. This is inherent in nature. Therefore, some fast food is not unhealthy food as long as you do not abuse it. Therefore, you can eat whatever you want, as long as it does not go beyond your caloric intake. By the way, you can learn about how you can lose weight on McDonald’s and alcohol in Boris Tsatsouline’s video “How to lose weight on junk food?”
Number and time of meals . A lot of research has been done on the timing and number of meals per day. These two variables don't play a big role in weight loss.
Diet IIFYM
The point of IIFYM is the importance of macros , not the source of calories. Therefore, sometimes you can treat yourself to your favorite cake, pizza or ice cream, however, basically your diet should consist of healthy foods . Thus, IIFYM provides a constant calorie intake that can be adjusted and changed depending on your desires.
However, to quickly and successfully achieve your fitness goals, you should be aware of the best sources of individual nutrients. High quality protein foods include [1]:
- beef, chicken, turkey, lamb or pork
- dairy products such as cheese, milk, whey or yogurt
- eggs
- legumes such as lentils, chickpeas, beans, peas or soybeans
- nuts
- quinoa
- seafood and fish
Healthy foods high in fat are [1]:
- avocado
- egg yolk
- some fish such as salmon, sardines or anchovies
- full fat dairy products
Foods containing carbohydrates [1]:
- bread, confectionery, cereals, pasta
- pulses
- grains such as oatmeal, barley, wheat, rye and rice
- buckwheat, millet, quinoa
- fruits, especially banana, mango and apple
- vegetables such as potatoes, sweet potatoes or corn
We mentioned earlier that with IIFYM the source of calories does not matter. However, this was not always the case, let's see how the idea of flexible nutrition has changed over time .
Flexible diet IIFYM in the past and today
In the beginning, the goal of IIFYM was to provide a little freedom in diet planning so that athletes did not have to adhere to strict and monotonous eating habits. The core idea of IIFYM was that you can achieve your fitness goals even if you eat foods that don't fit a standard bodybuilding diet. [3]
However, it was about small changes in the diet , such as choosing regular potatoes instead of sweet ones or allowing yourself a favorite cheat meal once a week. [3] In fact, no one expected that IIFYM could become an official way of eating. The phrase itself was born on fitness forums , where people asked questions such as: “Can I have one Kit Kat?” And the answer was always: “ IIFYM” . [4]
However, the meaning of “IIFYM” has been distorted by time and the influence of social media. Today, many people think of IIFYM as meaning that they can eat anything as long as the foods they eat meet their daily nutrient intake. Therefore, you can often see posts on Facebook where people eat chicken breast with ice cream and sweets, claiming that they are losing weight. The IIFYM idea has become so hot that 100 calories of chocolate is considered as healthy as 100 calories of broccoli. And this is a big misconception . [3]
Different types of food
I believe it is unreasonable to strictly regulate the components of a fitness regime when, for example, they say: “results depend 90% on diet and 10% on exercise.”
Now let's just figure out what and how we eat. Imagine a large piece of pecan pie on your plate. How can we determine how harmful this piece is for our body, and whether it contains useful substances? You can tell me, “Even though this is a pie with a lot of sugar and butter, nuts are a source of essential fatty acids for the body!” Then we can safely eat part of the big pie, and then it will not cause harm to the body.”
But how can we maintain a balance between the harm and benefit of the same foods that we eat every day?
Have what you want
The problem with IIFYM is its definition, because it's not just about the macros you consume, it's about the quality of your food source. Foods and sources of calories are important to achieving your goal as well as your health . However, when following IIFYM, people often ate only fast food and sweets because they failed to properly define the essence of flexible dieting. What are the consequences?
Of course, in the beginning, IIFYM works , and you can lose weight by following this diet. Anyone who maintains a calorie deficit loses weight , and everyone knows this. Weight loss, however, does not mean loss of subcutaneous fat . The question is how this form of diet can affect your figure and health.
It makes a big difference which fat source you choose , whether it's avocado or fried chips. Of course, there is no need to completely eliminate fats from your diet, you just need to consume healthy fats. For example, omega-3 fatty acids , which are found in fish and have many benefits for human health, which you can learn about here. On the other hand, saturated and trans fats can cause health problems such as heart disease or diabetes. The same goes for calories from different sources of protein and carbohydrates. [3]
So how do you choose your diet for IIFYM? We recommend eating a diet that includes fruits, vegetables, quality sources of protein, nuts, seeds and whole grains. Of course, you can also “sin ” and treat yourself to your favorite junk food, but don’t build your diet around it. Also get inspired by our fitness recipes.
Pros and cons of IIFYM
If you analyze everything about IIFYM, you can easily find the positive and negative aspects of flexible dieting . Let's look at them one by one.
Benefits of IIFYM
1. Learn more about macros
If you start following IIFYM, you will learn a lot about food . For example, a Snickers bar (50g) has a comparable amount of calories to a serving of salmon (154g). However, both have different macronutrient compositions . Although both products contain a high proportion of fat, salmon mainly contains healthy omega-3 fatty acids . In addition, Snickers contains more carbohydrates , while salmon contains more protein . Interesting, isn't it? The longer you stick with IIFYM, the more amazing food information you will learn. [6] [7]
2. Will help you achieve your desired goal
Research shows that protein-rich diets like IIFYM can speed up metabolism and help regulate body weight . [8] [9] [10] Additionally, research confirms that reducing calorie intake leads to weight loss in the short term. Considering that the IIFYM weight loss diet reduces calorie intake by 15-25% , it can lead to successful weight loss and weight loss. [11] [12]
3. Does not prohibit any food
Do you want to eat a hamburger, chocolate cake or other high-calorie dish? No problem, with IIFYM there are no prohibited dishes or foods . The big advantage of a flexible diet is that it is varied , making it easy to stick to over the long term. But be careful, we have already mentioned above that even with IIFYM you should not forget about quality foods , and not just build your diet from junk food.
4. Flexible and easy power supply
If you follow IIFYM, you don't have to worry about what you can eat at social events or on vacation . A flexible diet can easily be adjusted to your lifestyle and daily routine.
Disadvantages of IIFYM
1. Micronutrients are not taken into account
With so much emphasis on macronutrients, IIFYM does not take into account micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals. People on flexible diets may not be getting enough vital nutrients, namely micronutrients. And this, in fact, is the next disadvantage of IIFYM.
2. Doesn’t delve into health issues
Because IIFYM does not consider the importance of micronutrients, we recommend supplementing your diet with vitamins and minerals through supplements or fruits and vegetables. In addition to macros, monitor your intake of micronutrients.
Moreover, IIFYM is not suitable for everyone. Especially for those who suffer from health problems that require special diets, such as diabetics or patients with kidney disease. If you have a medical condition that requires you to follow a special diet , consult your doctor about IIFYM. [1]
3. May Cause Eating Disorders
Research has shown that controlling food intake leads to the development of eating disorders, especially among young women. One study shows that 73% of college students with eating disorders believe that the use of eating apps contributed to their disorder. [15] [16]
We've summarized the biggest pros and cons of IIFYM or flexible dieting. Whether you choose this particular diet or another diet, the choice is always yours . However, it cannot be said that IIFYM is a revolutionary way of eating. It all comes down to a calorie deficit and adequate intake of protein, fat and carbohydrates from quality food sources.
What do you think about IIFYM? Have you tried this diet? If so, share your experience in the comments and tell us about your favorite cheat meal. If you liked the article and found it useful, please support us by reposting.
