Module 3 – IIFYM and macros
“Tracking helps you relalize how easy it is to do the wrong thing.” – Chemaine Linnie
As much as we don’t count calories, because remember; when we eat clean nutrtious foods, they are naturally low in calories. But, I do feel for some people that monitoring macros can be very effective and educational. It can help bring awareness to portion sizes, amounts, and areas that need work. Especially if there is a plateau or I feel the metabolism has slowed down – I need to see data (tracked numbers) if I am to consider next steps or even a reverse diet. When I am on a serious weight loss campaign I will stay vigilant with my macros and track them in Cronometer. This never fails me and I have seen it help many of my other clients who need a little more discipline or ‘focus’. But this does not mean its a viable option for everyone.
So IIFYM means ‘if it fits your macros’. It helps users lose weight by tracking macro nutrients or macros (protein, fat, carbohydrates, and alcohol) without restricting food “choices”. Macros are the only place calories come from so by hitting macros, many users inherently hit weight loss calories. And we know that having a daily calorie deficit is a 100% a factor in weight loss.
This concept is great except the creators and most who follow the IIFYM protocol pay little regard to dense nutrition, super foods and herbs, modbiotics and SIRTfoods. And this is their downfall in regards to health, including insulin resistance, inflammation, hormone imbalances, brain damage etc. They say – ‘Unlike restrictive diet plans that require that you eat boring food, our weight loss program encourages you to eat the foods you love. As a result IIFYM can help you restore a healthy relationship with food’.
This is questionable in my opinion because, this relationship with food that they speak of, is based on the concept that you can eat whatever you like and still lose weight as long as it fits your macros. This for some, is still maintaining a poor relationship with foods that may be health damaging. So yes you consume less calories and lose weight, but from a health perspective, all calories work in different ways in the body. Some are good and some are bad.
But alas, all is not lost, as the concept of tracking macros in combination with a knowledge of good nutrition and a strong micro nutrient base can yield amazing results.
When we set a specific target for each macro nutrient, and we stay under or hit those targets through high quality foods, our calories will be naturally lower, so we don’t stress about that, but our dense nutrition and micro nutrients will be high. And this is where we see a sweet spot for weight loss sand optimized health.
It’s incredibly beneficial to keep a log of the food you eat. In fact, a 2011 meta-analysis of 22 studies on self-monitoring found this: “All of the 15 studies that focused on dietary self-monitoring found significant associations between self-monitoring and weight loss.” In other words, tracking your daily food is a great way to boost your results.
If you choose to track, please let me know and I will assign macro targets. I encourage you each to try this – its only 5 to 6 days!
Practice makes perfect with tracking – the more you practice, the easier and faster it gets. Trust the process.
But why is counting calories so effective for so many people? There are a couple of reasons:
Portion Confusion.
Manufacturers tend to keep their serving sizes low so that you interpret the product as being healthier for you. By tracking your calories, you will no longer be tricked by the cunning food marketers and will eat more reasonable portions because of it.
Hidden Carbs.
If a label says it has zero carbs, this doesn’t necessarily mean that it has absolutely no carbs. It means that there are less than 0.5 grams of carbs per serving. Anytime you see 0 grams of carbs on the nutrition facts label that has a sugar-containing ingredient on it, it is best to assume that it has 0.5 grams of net carbs per serving.
Delusional Beliefs.
When we are not measuring and tracking the foods we eat, we tend to underestimate how many calories we are actually consuming. We are wired to eat as much as possible when food is available, and calorie tracking is the perfect way to mitigate those primal responses to food.
TOO MUCH FAT!
One of the most MIND BLOWING discoveries for clients once they start tracking is how much fat they are consuming. And the truth is, most people need to reduce fat to lose weight, improve metabolic markers, and improve The Randle Cycle (you learned about this in module 1).
♦ 1 gram of fat contains 9 calories. Compared to 1 gram of protein at 4 calories and 1 gram of carbs at 4 calories. Oh and 1 gram of alcohol is 7 calories.
As you track you will agree that the hardest part is getting your fat down. Which is where I come in to help you to continue to refine and tweak things.
Do I have to track my macros? I hate tracking.
For most, I like to prescribe a “basic” macro target of the below in the beginning;
%
Protein
%
Carbs
%
Fat
So, this coming week you are going back to your basic eating style, with an emphasis on monitoring your macro numbers. If you also add in the 2 day core plan, you will be able to compare the numbers on those days, to the numbers on your basic eating style days. The 2 day core plan is specifically for fat burning, increasing energy, optimizing the gut and bacteria ratios (this also helps with mental health), so this is a good point of comparison.