Flexible Dieting/IIFYM Whaaaa? The Basics

There is a lot of material out there about flexible dieting and IIFYM, but sometimes it can be a little confusing and hard to find. So what I'm (attempting) here is to provide a single source of IIFYM knowledge and answer some questions that will hopefully help you on your journey :)

First off, what is IIFYM??

IIFYM stands for If It Fits Your Macros
Basically, whether your goal is to lose weight/gain weight/lower your bodyfat/increase strength/whatever, you can eat whatever you want as long as those foods fit your macros. Simple.

But what are macros??

Macros (or macro nutrients) are fats, carbs, and protein.  All foods are made up of these 3 nutrients where:
1 g fat = 9 calories
1 g carbs = 4 calories
1 g protein = 4 calories

The average flexible dieter has a specific number of fat/carbs/protein that they keep track of and attempt to eat everyday. These numbers will vary depending on the person and their goals.

How do I figure out my macros??

If you are familiar with calorie counting, I'm sure you are aware of the several calculators out there that can give you a GENERAL IDEA of the calories you should be consuming to reach your goals. Similar to these calculators, there are macro calculators as well. Personally, I use THIS one.  Just enter your stats and select your goals. Then the calculator will give you a nice ratio of fats, carbs and protein to aim for each day.

Keep in mind this gives a GENERAL IDEA of the macros you should be aiming for. These numbers may need to be changed depending on how your body reacts. Every body is different and these numbers should be treated as a guideline.

So how to I keep track of these macros and make sure I reach them?

In order to start tracking your macros, you are going to have to become very familiar with reading labels. For everything you eat, you will have to make sure to count the fat/carbs/protein. This can be done with a pen and paper or MUCH more easily with a calorie counting app. Personally I use myfitnesspal and I love it! It may also help to purchase a food scale to weigh out portions and measure things that don't have labels.

This 87.9 g avocado for example doesn't have a label, but according to myfitnesspal it has 13.5F/7.6C/1.7P so we can still track it!

There is MUCH more information out there regarding IIFYM and flexible dieting, but I figured this would be a good start! Feel free to ask questions. I'll do my best to answer them and hopefully make more posts soon to help clear up anything else :)