What is the IIFYM nutrition plan? If It Fits Your Macros

IIFYM is an acronym for a type of eating called "If It Fits Your Macros". Basically the theory behind this type of eating is that you can eat whatever you want as long as it fits within your macro-nutrient and caloric goals that you have set for yourself.

To completely understand the IIFYM plan one must first understand what is a macro nutrient. Macro nutrients are typically grouped into 4 main categories with a 5th category taken into consideration. These categories are:

• Protein
• Carbohydrates
• Fat
• Alcohol
• *Fiber

The basic theories and concepts of the IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros) style of eating:

• IIFYM is a form of macro nutrition that focuses on caloric intake and is simply a means to improve body composition.
• IIFYM does not address health concerns of the heart, brain or other organs and does not put an emphasis on so called clean or healthy eating
• IIFYM believes that regardless of the types of foods you eat, if you eat less calories than your body requires you will lose weight.

Considerations

The IIFYM plan is not for everyone. The reason why people tend to gain weight when eating "dirty" is because "dirty" or un-healthy foods are typically more calorie dense which makes it WAY easier to overeat and put on weight. Junk foods also are not evenly balanced as far as nutrition so you may find it difficult to get enough protein/carbs/fat/fiber while eating this type of diet. Take for example eating two slices of pizza and a breadstick at Pizza Hut. You will be dominating 700 calories and probably still be hungry. Combine that with a beer or one of their huge Pepsis and you can quickly be over 1000 calories for a small pizza dinner.

On the flip side, if you can find a balance and get the IIFYM plan down you will find it much easier to stick with as your foods are not restrictive in any way.