6. The Best Way To Achieve Your Physique Goals: IIFYM

TL;DR: Use the IIFYM approach to aid in changing your physique from where it is, to where you want it to be.

Note: We recommend you read our How To Gym 101 article, our Intro to Kinesiology and check out a resource to understand dieting in general like HealthLine’s How To Count Calories before reading this one.

Introduction

Welcome back biohacker, today we will be covering a dietary approach that is often presented not so much as a nutrition tool, but rather as a tool in your physique-building arsenal. Although this technique requires a device or two and a heck of a lot of dedication, with time, it will allow you to continue towards your fitness and physique goals by allowing you to make dietary compromises within reason (this will make more sense to you as you read on).

This approach fundamentally shatters the idea that only the renowned Atkins diet works for weight loss or one must be on a Mediterranean diet to develop visible abdominal muscles. Instead, IIFYM allows the practitioner the flexibility to consume whichever foods they want, provided they fit within a given range.

So, without further ado, we will now delve into If It Fits Your Macros (IIFYM) and how to actually implement it.

IIFYM and How It Works

IIFYM, in short, is basically a play off of the classic “calorie counting” approach to diet but with a more sophisticated – and in our view, necessary – spin to it. Although these two approaches do share the same lineage in terms of preaching “consume more – gain weight; consume less – lose weight,” these two views demand different levels of attention from the practitioner regarding what foods they intake on a daily and weekly basis. Instead of just counting calories, IIFYM calls for you to track macronutrients instead. For the layman out there, perhaps it would be expedient to think of macronutrients as the building blocks for calories. Each calorie comes from, generally speaking, 1 of a potential 3 different macros. Briefly though, for those of you who do not know what a macronutrient actually is, here is the Wikipedia definition:

There are three principal classes of macronutrients: carbohydrate, protein, and fat.[1] Macronutrients are defined as a class of chemical compounds which humans consume in relatively large quantities compared to vitamins and minerals [micronutrients], and which provide humans with energy. Fat has a food energy content of 38 kilojoules per gram (9 kilocalories per gram) and proteins and carbohydrates 17 kJ/g (4 kcal/g). [1]

Essentially, what we are seeing here is that the family of macros is made of 3 major groups: carbs, proteins, and fats. With fats representing larger amounts of kcals (9 kcals/g), protein and carbs come in at a mere 4 kcals/g each. Importantly though, these macros serve incredibly important functions in the body (with the potential exception being carbs, which we will discuss in a moment) and yet the functions each group of macros serve, differ from each other drastically. The principle of macros serving different functions will ultimately be a critical lynchpin in the IIFYM approach, especially when compared to its predecessor, basic calorie counting.

Now, where IIFYM immediately differs from simply counting calories, is that a basic calorie counting approach could conceivably have a practitioner eat 100% of their calories from say, carbs and so long as they do not exceed their allotted daily limit, would be technically in the clear. IIFYM rejects this notion on the grounds of over-simplicity.

IIFYM differentiates between macronutrients because, as we just mentioned, these macros serve different functions in the body. For sake of concision, we will quickly explain some of the different central functions of these macros in the body. This will in no way be exhaustive, but will cover some of the basic functions so as to understand the IIFYM approach better:

Dietary Fats → Aids in the body’s production of hormones; aids in brain function; aids in the lubrication of joints (required)
Protein → The building blocks of the body’s muscles and tissues; a versatile macronutrient that the body can use to create glycogen (glyconeogenisis) (required)
Carbs → The body’s preferred source of energy (not required)

In the gym or on the track, it seems pretty clear how protein and fat would be necessary for performance. I.e. You need your hormones to function properly, your joints lubed up, and your body to repair so that it can perform again next time. Carbs, however, even though they taste great and the body will prefer them if they are present in your system, do not serve any vital functions. [2] Yes, they can help with performance as they provide the body with more glycogen in the muscles, but they are by no stretch of the imagination required to perform at high levels. (It is worth noting though, that carbs are beneficial to athletes who train multiple times a day or train with incredible intensity. Again though, they are beneficial – not required.)

How IIFYM works is by allowing you to basically keep your two required macronutrients relatively constant, with weight loss and muscle building goals being achieved by tinkering with the carbohydrate levels you intake. Think of macros like 3 knobs to a machine. While the protein and fat knobs move slowly, the carbohydrate knob can be changed pretty much as desired in order to align with your goals. While the fat and protein knobs can be adjusted, for the most part they ought to remain pretty much the same throughout the whole time you are on IIFYM.

Now, people will probably ask, “how do I find what my maintenance macros should be?” Well, first off we will need to look at the caloric component. You need to determine what your maintenance calories are. You can accomplish this by tracking your food every day for 2 weeks and weighing yourself each day of those two weeks. This is done in order to see whether you are gaining, losing, or maintaining weight. If you get lucky off the bat and are maintaining weight, boom, you’ve found your maintenance calories. Simply check the calorie tracker, and determine an average daily caloric intake over the last two weeks. If you lost weight, increase calories and start again. The inverse, i.e. lower caloric intake, for if you gained weight. Again, we are aiming for maintenance and we want to get it as accurate as possible.

The next step is to break down your caloric maintenance into macros. Typically for protein, it is recommended that a person stick to 1g of protein per lbs of Lean Body Mass (LBM). Another way to do this is to take 0.8 g’s of protein per lbs of total body weight, or something close (the optimal amount of protein will vary slightly from person to person). For dietary fat, there is a general view out there that one should never go below 45g of dietary fat per day, as beyond that your hormones start getting thrown out of whack. We recommend that you take 20%-35% of your daily caloric intake from fat. Now onto carbs. While the rest of your remaining calories could be filled with either more fat or protein in theory (and this may actually be beneficial in some cases), carbs generally are supposed to fill the remaining calories once fat and protein amounts are set. Remember that carbohydrates are not essential to the body and so if you enjoy them, consume them with the remaining caloric pocket. If carbs aren’t really your thing (I personally don’t trust these types of people… something’s up…), consume more fat or protein.

Gradually, to lose weight, all the proverbial knobs will turn down slightly – fats and proteins slower than carbs. Conversely, to gain weight/muscle, the inverse should be done.

Note: If you are not an enhanced athlete (on steroids), there is an upper limit to the amount of protein that can actually be allocated to anabolism (muscle growth). While this number varies slightly from person to person, generally speaking, lots of studies point to the number being approximately 20-25g of protein per meal. So, even if you eat a diet of just meat (see UpRiver’s Carnivore Diet HERE), that unfortunately does not mean that all that meat will just turn to muscle, sorry (some exceptions may be OMAD, look out for our article on that). [3]

Note: Another interesting note on protein is that when compared to the other two macronutrients, protein has the highest thermic effect of food (TEF). Now while we won’t get into science too much here in this article, basically this means that the body requires more energy to process protein. This results in the body actually expending more energy when intaking protein causing the body to warm up more so than when ingesting dietary fat or carbohydrate. In short, if you eat more protein, over the long haul, you will likely lose more body fat than a person who eats less protein. [5]

Body Composition Vs. Health

For people who have been on UpRiver before, you likely will have already come across this distinction, but there are likely no articles where the following distinction is more relevant. Someone can be healthy and have a slight belly. Likewise, someone can have washboard grate-your-cheese-on-them abs and not be healthy. Unfortunately, when it comes to body fat, without obvious extremes one way or another, it’s hard to tell someone’s internal health by strictly looking at their body. This misconception though, leads people to believe that if you have muscle, you’re healthy and if you have fat then you’re not.

The issue here as it pertains to this article’s central topic is that some people fall into the trap of filling their fat and carb portion with Poptarts and Pizza Pops every day simply because it “fits their macros.” While from a body composition standpoint, yes, you may be able to make similar gains eating foods that are not great for you, you are harming your health. Compounding with the fact that oftentimes these foods cause inflammation, which will make you appear to be holding onto more body fat than you actually are, these foods spell difficulty down the line. If you’re in a weight loss phase, for example, you will be eating less and less food as your diet progresses. This means that not only are you consuming less food i.e. nutrients over time, but the food you will be consuming is devoid of nutritional value to begin with (assuming you’re filling your macros with Poptarts and Pizza Pops).

Exchanging high-quality foods for processed garbage alternatives is not exclusive to fats and carbs however, although they may be the most tempting to substitute. In fact – and we speak from experience – the same can easily go for protein too. Lots of people will fill their daily protein requirement with a low-calorie protein isolate shake or something of the sort. While it may seem tempting, as typically you can get 27g of protein for 120-130 calories, these drinks are heavily processed and are not the adequate meal replacements they are touted to be. You would be technically “hitting your macros” you may say, and perhaps doing this once in a while in order to make space in your macros for a dirtier meal later in the evening may seem to make sense. However, implementing as a daily dietary approach will inevitably lead to a suboptimal health situation down the road.

The point is here guys, as we mentioned in the introduction to this article, IIFYM does allow you to make compromises with your diet. You can maintain your body comp goals while still fitting in the odd Mars bar and/or Kraft Dinner here and there, or simply a daily treat of your choosing. But, do keep in mind that this diet is not an excuse to say “welp, I need 200g of protein, 300g of carbs and 80g of fat today… reckon I’ll have 10 protein shakes, 2 boxes of donuts, 4 shots of canola oil, 7 beers, and a stick of butter to wash it all down.” Remember that there is a balance to be maintained here and that an IIFYM approach to diet as well as physique-building requires you to monitor yourself in order to stay both fit and healthy.

In the aim of maintaining wellness while on our body composition pursuits, we now turn to one of the great natural physique building coaches of our time, Eric Helms. Helms offers us a visual pyramid by which to evaluate the particular IIFYM model we choose for our unique physique journey.

Eric Helms and the Nutrition Pyramid

As you can see, the base of Helms’ pyramid is calories. Calories are the central part to body composition and physique-building as ultimately the gaining or losing of weight (for natural individuals) comes down to the famous energy equation mentioned countless times here on UpRiver: Eat more than maintenance, gain weight; eat less than maintenance; lose weight. This principle should be ingrained in your mind regardless of your physique goals as it will ultimately dictate if you’re headed in the right direction or the literal opposite one.

Next up on Helms’ pyramid, we have macronutrients. As mentioned above, macros take your goals into account with increased sophistication over a bland teeter-totter weighing equation of energy. The reason this comes after calories is, yes, you do need to be in a caloric deficit to lose weight for example, but you can drastically increase the results of your protocol by altering your macros to optimize for your goal (think back to the note above on protein’s thermic effect in the body).

Following macronutrition, we have micronutrition. This tier is a nod back to the last subsection of this article – health and body composition. Even though the first two tiers of the pyramid have you mostly covered when it comes to body comp, this tier is predominantly a bridge between the last two. Essentially, ‘micronutrition’ means vitamins and minerals. The reason this tier is a bridge between health and body comp is that if your body does not get enough of the required micronutrients to run your endocrine system (i.e. your hormonal system), caloric surplus and deficits get a little more complicated. You can eat less and not lose weight, and you can eat more and not gain weight. Suffice it to say, that your body needs to consume what it’s supposed to, for it to perform like it’s supposed to. You’re not going to fuel a high-performance car, or any [present day] car for that matter with Gatorade, no matter how “electric” their last ad was. Your body requires a certain amount of crucial vitamins and minerals in order to stay healthy and continue your body composition goals. Check out our List of All Nutrients HERE for a deep-dive into what the body needs to run as intended.

(Helms, pictured on the left, replicating a classic bodybuilding pose.)

Fourth on the list, we have nutrient timing and frequency. There is a lot of hype out there, predominantly marketing shenanigans, that preaches one MUST have a protein shake within 30 minutes after their workout to optimize this, that, or the other thing… The truth is, science indicates that the alleged “anabolic window” following a workout, is much more like 24-48 hours post-workout – not 30 minutes… [4] The whole “it’s crucial to pound a shake within 30 minutes post-workout or you lose all your gains, become impotent and your pet will die, etc” nonsense is just that, nonsense. It’s better read as “hey there, not sorry to bother you. We know you’re committed to the gym and fitness generally speaking, and it would really mean a lot to our corporation if you conditioned yourself to take our product routinely after each session you did… you’re welcome.”

Note: The reality is, there is actually emerging science indicating that it might even be better to not consume calories for a matter of hours following your workout. [6] Quickly, the science is basically that exercises cause an increase in human growth hormone (HGH) in the body, and leaving that heightened level of HGH in your blood for longer might be decently anabolic in the long run. Eating food, thereby causing an insulinogenic response, would cause the HGH to diminish and thwart the body’s ability to use that increase in HGH to grow bigger muscles more efficiently.

Finally, and at the top of the pyramid (least crucial), we have supplements. Simply put, supplements are supposed to be exactly that, supplements. They supplement your diet and as such should not be treated as staples. Like we just mentioned, a lot of marketing dollars go into convincing people that shakes and pills are essential. Take it from us and Helms, they’re not. Don’t misunderstand though, supplements can very much help you out on your journey, especially when low on calories while in a ‘cutting’ phase. Admittedly, sometimes it’s hard to fit in all the nutrients you need with food as your calories have become too restrictive. This may be the time to supplement. While you won’t find foods in their whole form, some nutrition is evidently better than none. The takeaway point here is, do not rely on supplements, use them in conjunction with whole foods, and only if needed. If you do decide you are interested in supplements, check out UpRiver’s guide HERE.

(If interested in further reading about this pyramid and how it works, check out Eric Helms’ Website HERE or look Helms up on YouTube.)

Fiber

A quick word on fiber. There are differing opinions out there on fiber. Some people think you need lots; some people think you need literally none at all. In general, the IIFYM community preaches that you should aim for 10-12g of dietary fiber per 1000 kcals consumed. We recommend that you experiment with your daily fiber and see what works best for you. With that said though, the recommendation we offer above, will likely be the sweet spot for most people. Additionally, fiber is not too difficult to get in if you eat greens and enjoy grains. Other good sources of fiber can be found HERE.

Note: You will often lose the fibrous content of foods if they are blended. General health and wellness wisdom preaches: drink your fruits, eat your veggies.

Author’s Motivation

I discovered IIFYM about 2 years into my bodybuilding pursuit. Until that point, I was totally and utterly convinced that if I had a burger or a chocolate bar that I was destined to see that food show up on my body the next morning, and not in a good way. When I heard about IIFYM from a friend online (who now has a fitness following of over 1m total followers), I was skeptical but optimistic. I told him that I doubted it would work for me and that “my body doesn’t work that way.” He laughed and said that he had heard that many times before and that it “always worked.” So, I gave it a shot. I was now tantalized by the possibility of eating basically what I wanted (no more chicken breasts, brown long-grain rice, and broccoli everyday). Gradually, I started to see the scale do what I wanted it to do. I was truly amazed. I was fitting in a Twinkie or 2 almost everyday for desert, and was getting closer to abs. It was magic. To come clean, I was making the classic mistake of having too many shakes, and obsessing over supplements but ultimately I saw first hand that this IIFYM sh*t works.

Speaking of mistakes I made, if you’ll indulge me, I would like to share with you some of the pit falls you can fall into while doing IIFYM, from personal experience. Let’s start off with the most colorful, shall we?

If you’re a dude and you stop eating enough dietary fat (below 45g-50g or so), your d*ck will stop working. Straight up. You will not be able to get an erection and if you do, it will be both pathetic and short-lived. Make sure you’re keeping those hormones in their right place, fellas.

When you get low on calories and macros, sacrifice the goodies first. There’s a temptation to want to keep eating the Twinkins (in my case), but if you’re on the weight-loss pursuit and you’re lowering calories week after week, there comes a time where you simply do not have the caloric leeway to keep eating them. Remember the basis of Helms’ pyramid and what’s important. If you fill your car with Gatorade instead of gas, it won’t run.

“Diet/Low Calorie” foods. It is incredibly tempting to address your sweet-tooth with diet sodie-pops at every occasion you get. Do not do this. This is a trap because yes, it tastes good, but it can really mess up your health and aspartame has been shown to be carcinogenic i.e. causes cancer and it’s in most foods marketed as calorie-free. For more on this please talk to us on our forum.

Sometimes it’s beneficial to take a break from tracking for a day to a week. The mental discipline of counting not just calories but monitoring macros as well can be very draining, especially when you’re new. Sometimes one needs to live one’s life by cutting a little loose. Of course if you’re in preparation for a competition or a show, this may not be possible, but for us everyday people out there, this is definitely something to implement from time to time. Your body will thank you, and so will your mood.

Drinks and condiments have calories too. If you consume them, you gotta track them. Don’t let Ketchup be the reason you do not see progress.

Lastly, get a good food scale. For the first few months of IIFYM I was using a scale that I later found out basically just spat out numbers at random. I have no idea why or even how it did this, but I found out after weeks of wasted progress. It seems funny now, but when you don’t have experience-backed visual cues for how much 200g of rice is, per say, you can really mess your progress up. Remember, both 30 and 300 calories of peanut butter can fit on the same spoon. Weighing and weighing properly is important.

Conclusion

IIFYM can be a wonderful option for people who are looking to balance their health with a sophisticated yet liberating approach to body composition. With a few tools like a good food scale, some measuring cups, and a macronutrient tracking app (MyFitnessPal leads the charge here), you can optimize your diet to realize some serious results for your body. While this article talks about a dietary strategy, IIFYM is really about your body, it’s composition and your ability to re-compose it through diet.

It is worth mentioning that there are absolutely healthy diets out there where you may put on body fat as a result of caloric surplus and other things. Conversely, when it comes to controlling what your body does, in our humble opinion, IIFYM reigns supreme for all the reasons listed throughout this article. It is our view, that if a practitioner is diligent to follow the pyramid laid out by Eric Helms, does not overdo supplementation, consumes the right amount of fiber for their body, and ensures their health is always factored into the equation, IIFYM can take your physique to heights that other more restrictive eating regiments simply cannot.

As always, best of luck biohacker and keep moving UpRiver.