IIFYM has been popular for some time now. In fact, due to a misinterpretation, it has been dubbed a diet of “eat what you want” – but that is not quite how it works… What is this system about, and what is the other side of the coin?
Everyone would like to eat literally everything they feel like and at the same time enjoy results, right? You eat what you want, and your physique improves. Many people see IIFYM exactly this way, which results from misinformation and a lack of basic knowledge about nutrition and how the body works (together with its needs). To a certain extent, you can eat “everything” – but that does not mean you can put fast food into your meal plan and everything will be fine in the long run.
Why do you have a mistaken idea about IIFYM?
Let us start with the fact that in Poland (though not only there), the IIFYM diet, or “If It Fits Your Macros,” has a large group of supporters. Why? Precisely because it has been labelled as an effective but flexible diet, in which you can work within calculated macronutrients and calories. In short: as long as it fits the set amount of calories and nutrients, everything is fine.
Following this line of thought, many people interested in or using IIFYM do not look at the individual groups of nutrients by breaking them down into specific types. So they take into account only calories, energy-providing nutrients (carbohydrates), fats and building nutrients (proteins). Everything comes down to the calculation, that is, their amount.
We of course know that, for the body, it makes a difference whether we consume, for example, fructose or complex carbohydrates. Similarly, fats contained for example in coconut oil, olive oil, fatty fish or evening primrose oil will be received by the body differently than fats from a street hamburger, supermarket mayonnaise or fries fried in palm oil. It will also result in different responses to a given type of consumed nutrient.
Of course, something like a “cheat meal” exists and, if you are aiming for sports or physique results, you can allow yourself some deviations. Nevertheless, if you think you can base your diet on poor-quality, low-nutrient, highly processed products and achieve an aesthetic physique in the long run (not to mention health and well-being), then you are mistaken. That is not IIFYM in its original form.
What should you pay attention to, and what should the IIFYM system look like?
I do not deny the positive role of calculations and determining an individual need for calories and nutrients – quite the opposite – I believe this is one of the key issues in striving for a better physique. All the same, products providing essential macronutrients should be of the highest possible quality and be highly nutritious.
The three main nutrients are not only energy or building functions. The products we use in the diet should also meet the body’s needs for, among other things, micronutrients. This is especially important because people who want to change their body, are physically active or often ill have an increased need.
In turn, deficiency states negatively affect well-being, immunity, physical and mental condition, and at the same time are often responsible for destructive processes that exhaust the body. As a result, they make it harder to achieve the desired results. Of course, another aspect to pay attention to is ensuring that the products used do not irritate the digestive, gastrointestinal and immune systems. They should therefore be easy to digest and low in allergens. If you struggle with food intolerances, avoid those as well – that seems logical to me. It is worth considering this in terms of anti-nutrients (e.g. lectins).
An unquestionable advantage of IIFYM is the lack of monotony, as in some restrictive diets. We have a broad range of products that we can juggle as needed, although while keeping the above-mentioned elements in mind.
IIFYM was meant to consist mostly of valuable products, with room for “loosening up,” where we could allow ourselves something less healthy in order not to put so much pressure on ourselves and maintain mental comfort. Roughly, it was supposed to be an 80% to 20% ratio in favour of nutritious food.
Over time and with the tendency to distort facts and take them out of context, the boundaries blurred, and the system took the form of “eat what you want as long as it fits the calculations.” If I am not a genetic phenomenon, then in the long run such a wrongly interpreted system will not bring anything good, and certainly not an aesthetic physique. Even people with outstanding genetics would certainly benefit more from following the original assumptions (meaning less noticeable negative effects in their case).
If you asked whether proper IIFYM is a good method, I would answer that it depends on the individual’s body. The diet is chosen individually according to needs, characteristics and the condition of the body. It can be a good approach, but it does not have to be – everything depends on our approach. Nevertheless, caution should be exercised above all by people:
- struggling with numerous allergies and food intolerances,
- who do not know their body well,
- with restrictive clinical recommendations regarding the consumption of specific types of nutrients,
- with eating disorders,
- with hormonal disorders,
- with poor self-discipline,
- with digestive and food-related problems.
