If It Fits Your Macros

Last Updated on December 4, 2020 by TheMealPrepNinja

If it Fits Your Macros: Beginners Guide

What is “If it fits your macros.” All of us dream of following diet plans, losing weight and being in our best shape. But honestly, diet plans are boring, there are numerous diet plans out there, and it’s very confusing to choose one that suits you the best and follow it religiously. Keto diet, crash diet, GM diet, there are so many diet plans that are being marketed all over the world by different brands that it becomes intimidating to stick to one.

IIFYM

We all love food and do not want to restrict ourselves to eating only clean foods like veggies and chicken breast. The majority of the time, the so-called healthy foods are tasteless and make our life miserable. It becomes very difficult to resist our favourite foods that are obviously unhealthy, according to dieticians.

So what do we do? Do we keep following those restrictive diet plans and wait for the beloved cheat day? The answer is to eat it if it fits your macros, well also known as a flexible diet plan, or IIFYM, this diet puts no restrictions on your eating and enables you to stay healthy while you enjoy eating everything you love.

Counting Macros

I use this approach when I make my healthy meal prep recipes. Here is an example of my Oatmeal Lemon Muffins.
 120 calories per muffin, 3 grams of fat, 18 grams of carbohydrate, and 9 grams of protein.

That is F 3g, C 18g, P 9g.

So let us understand what is the If it Fits Your Macros diet Plan

What is the “if it fits your macros diet”?

If it fits your macros suggest the users eat food without worrying about the source of macronutrients as long as the daily target for the intake of macronutrients is met and not exceeded. The macronutrients or macros are elements essential for the smooth functioning of our body and are typically divided into three parts- Protein, Carbohydrates, and Fats.

So each of us needs to monitor our daily intake of these three macronutrients and make sure we do not over or under consume them through the food we eat.

Macro Calorie Calculator

If you need help with calculating your calories and macros, you can use our Macro Calorie Calculator to determine your macros for your nutrition goals.

Now, the fun part is that IIFYM does not restrict you from eating foods like burgers, subs, red meat and desserts, which are otherwise considered unhealthy. If you are following IIFYM it really doesn’t matter whether you are eating at McDonald’s or having smoothies at home as long as your macros are in the limit.

That’s why this diet is called a flexible diet plan and is more practical to follow for long periods. Unlike the majority of the diets that restrict carbohydrates and advise you to lower their intake, IIFYM sets you free to continue eating your daily foods.

I like to still eat healthy low calorie-dense foods because it makes it easier to stay fuller longer. It is much better to eat a large bowl of watermelon compared to eating a piece of candy with the same amount of calories. But it does make it nice to be able to eat whatever type of food you like.

So let us understand how you can start following your own IIFYM plan–

How to start an IIFYM diet?

Typically in any food Protein are 4 calories per gram, and carbohydrates have 4 calories per gram whereas fats have 9 calories per gram. In order to start your IIFYM diet, you need to know your weight goal, that is whether you want to gain or lose weight and what your new target is.

Once you know your weight goal, you can calculate the number of calories you are allowed to consume per day, and this will help you to determine the amounts of macros or Proteins, Fats and Carbohydrates that you can consume. Then the only thing left is to enjoy your favorite foods as long as you keep track of the macros consumed daily and meet the required target.

You can make slight alterations in your meals to meet the macro target without compromising on any of your favorites healthy meals.

Use the following process to determine your macros:

Calculating Macros

Determine your Metabolic Rate: Basal Metabolic Rate is determined using standardized equations and depends upon various body factors like your age, weight, and sex. Know your Activity Factor: Depending upon your daily physical activities, the calorie requirements for each person vary.

You need to multiply the BMR with your activity factor in order to determine your calorie requirements. Determine weight goals: Depending upon your weight target, you will have to modify your daily calorie requirements.

The great news is that we have a Macro Calorie Calculator that will do the math for you.

If you want to increase your weight, you will increase the calorie intake up to 15%, whereas if you want to reduce your weight, you will lower the calorie intake up to 25% Calculate your Macros: For every 0.45 kg of weight, you need to consume 0.7-1.0 gm of protein, for every o.45 kg of weight you have to consume 0.25-0.40 gm of Fat and rest all calories are dedicated to carbohydrates.

Once you follow the above steps, you will know your daily intake in terms of the number of calories and amount of Protein, Fats, and Carbohydrates that can be consumed per day. You can take the help of a nutritionist to calculate Macros if you find it challenging to do it on your own.

Remember for weight loss, the key is to minimize fat and calories and optimize protein intake so that you get that slim dream and healthy body you always dreamt of sustainable.

What are the benefits of if it fits your macros diet?

The majority of diets put a lot of restrictions on the followers, making them tiring and boring, which leads to higher dropouts before the actual results are achieved. Diets like crash diet and liquid diets restrict calorie intake and intake of carbohydrates this can result in a lack of energy, depressing sugar levels and weakness amongst the followers.

Some of the diet plans made by nutritionists are highly costly to follow on a daily basis and include many unique ingredients and tablets, making them impractical for daily use. If it fits your Macros diet plan is suitable for all kinds of cuisines and geographies, making it more acceptable worldwide and more sustainable long term.

Since the diet does not restrict us from eating anything, it can be followed even by teenagers and youngsters who are picky eaters and not ready to change their dietary habits. This diet does not make any false claims or extreme changes in your body makeup which makes it easy to follow and suitable for everyone.

If it fits your Macros diet plan does not have any side effects on your physical and mental health and does not require any medical supervision. IIFYM can be used both to increase and reduce weight and also to maintain your current weight as it is keeping you healthy and happy.

So go ahead and get started with your IIFYM plan today, no need to crave for a cheat day as long as you watch your Macros! If you are still looking for more information here is a YouTube video I found that explains IIFYM.

Beginners Guide If It Fits Your Macros

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