IIFYM or flexible diet | What is it, benefits and drawbacks

IIFYM stands for "If It Fits Your Macros", which is basically eating on a flexible diet. To lose weight, studies show that the most important factor is to create a caloric deficit with a protein intake high enough to prevent loss of muscle mass. It seems simple, right?
The flexible diet or IIFYM allows you to do that while enjoying some of your favorite foods. Do you think it is too pretty to be true? Below, we'll take a look at the pros and cons of this type of diet to see if it really works.

In this article you will find:

●    What is IIFYM?
●    How to calculate the basal metabolic rate (TMB)
●    How to calculate macros
●    IIFYM Benefits
●    Disadvantages of the IIFYM
 
What is it?

The IIFYM protocol is basically a self-monitoring system with which you can keep track of calories and the composition of macronutrients in the diet. 1 Macronutrients are the three main sources of nutrients in food: protein, carbohydrates, and fats.
It is based on the idea that as long as caloric and nutritional needs are met, body fat will be lost. 1 This means that you can continue consuming your favorite foods, but in the right amount and proportion and still improve your physique.
Calculate the TMB

First you have to calculate the basal metabolic rate (TMB), which is the calories that the body needs at rest. For example, these are the calories your body consumes while lying in bed all day without moving.

Various formulas can be used to calculate the TMB. Its precision will depend on how much you resemble the group of people to whom the formula was applied. 2,3 An example to calculate the TMB is the Miffin-St Jeur formula, which works like this:
TMB - 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) - 5 x age (y) + s = (kcal / day)
S = +5 men -161 women.
Physical activity level
Once the TMB has been calculated, the level of physical activity must be taken into account, which is known as PAL. 5 This number can vary between 1.2 for sedentary people and 2 for very active people. To know an estimate of the total daily energy expenditure, the result of the previous formula must be multiplied by 1.2 or 2 depending on the level of physical activity.

Desired weight

Then, you have to calculate the caloric deficit according to how fast you want to lose weight. But the greater the calorie deficit, the more likely you are to lose muscle mass.4 For starters, a calorie deficit of about 500 kcal a day is fine.
Calculate daily macros

After calculating the calories, the macronutrients (proteins, carbohydrates and fats) must be distributed.

Next, we will see how to calculate the macros and, for this, we will use the example of a 25-year-old man, 185 cm tall and 80 kg in weight.
●    The first thing is to know how many proteins you need. Studies have shown that a high protein intake helps maintain muscle mass during a caloric deficit. 2 g per pound of body weight per day is a good brand. 4 Protein contains 4 calories per gram, so you will need to multiply your daily protein intake by 4.
●    For example, for our 80 kg man, it would be 160 g of protein (640 kcal). For health reasons, it is recommended that the daily fat intake be approximately 20-35%. 6 Based on body weight, it would be approximately 1 g per kg of body weight. Our man would need 80 g of fat (720 kcal), because fats contain 9 calories per gram.
●    To calculate carbohydrate intake, add the calories from protein and fat and subtract the result from the number of daily calories. For the 80 kg man in our example, it would be 1,360 kcal.

Based on the TMB of 1828 kcal (result of the previous formula), a moderate level of physical activity of 1.4 and a deficit of 500 kcal daily, the total daily calories of the man in our example would be 2070 kcal.
To calculate grams of carbohydrates, divide the remaining calories by 4, which are the calories contained in one gram of carbohydrates. (2070-1360 = 710). 710/4 = 178 g of carbohydrates.

In summary, the calorie breakdown of our 25-year-old man, 185 cm tall, 80 kg in weight and a deficit of 500 calories, would be as follows:
●    2070 kcal
●    160 g of protein (2 g / kg / d)
●    80 g of fat (1 g / kg / d)
●    178 g of carbohydrates
 
IIFYM Benefits

1. Flexible
The main benefit of the IIFYM is its flexibility, which will surely make the diet much easier to follow, and that is one of the most important factors in achieving the goals. 2 For example, as long as the correct number of macronutrients are consumed each day, you can consume foods that are not considered entirely healthy. cenforce

Continuing with the man in the previous example, a conventional chocolate bar contains 10 g of fat (260 kcal). If you do not exceed 80 g of fat or 2017 kcal with other meals, in theory, eating that chocolate bar would not affect fat loss.
This is important because, to achieve the best results, physical changes must be achieved in the long term.

As a result, a caloric deficit has to be done in a controlled and moderate way to ensure you maintain the highest possible lean body mass, even if it means that it takes a little longer to achieve the expected results. The more aggressive your daily calorie reduction is, the more likely you are to lose muscle mass. Therefore, to achieve good results, you must follow the diet long enough.

It is at this point that flexibility becomes more important. Stopping consuming favorite foods for a long time can be very difficult. There are many psychological factors that influence when following a diet and eliminating favorite foods does not help. 1 A long period of food restriction can clearly lead to a period of "excesses" that can affect progress. 

4Basically, eating a diet that takes into account food preferences can help maintain it for long enough to achieve good results and reduce the risk of the rebound effect.

2. Studies Support It

There are many studies that show that when it comes to losing weight and body fat, the most important factor is maintaining a negative energy balance. 4 This means that caloric expenditure is greater than caloric consumption.

During a negative energy balance, the body will expend the accumulated energy, that is, the fat deposits, which results in a general loss of weight. 4 Properly following the IIFYM protocol also ensures that protein intake is high, which will result in less long-term loss of muscle mass. This makes it a better option than a simple diet with a caloric restriction without taking into account the composition of macronutrients. 4

3. It can be educational

Following the IIFYM protocol or the flexible diet for a considerable period of time can help you better understand the nutritional and calorie content of food. These insights should help you better follow a long-term diet.

There are times when it can be surprising to know how many calories some of our favorite foods have, regardless of whether or not they are healthy. For example, an avocado is rich in vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats, but a medium-sized avocado contains about 240 kcal. Although it is a healthy food, if its consumption makes the energy balance positive, it will lead to weight gain.

Knowing a little more about the nutritional and caloric composition of foods can help when planning daily and even weekly meals, knowing when to make changes and what aspects to consider for it. This personalized planning can help maintain constant weight loss, basically because we are aware of the food we eat and how it affects us based on our goals.
 
Disadvantages

1. Constant monitoring
In order for the diet to be fully personalized and adjusted to the needs of each individual, constant monitoring of both calories and macronutrients must be carried out. This is not something that everyone can do and it can be really difficult to keep such close control of your meals every day.

Actually, this type of monitoring is not entirely necessary to lose weight. Simply by making some changes in our lifestyle you can achieve a caloric deficit without having to keep track of macronutrients and calorie consumption. For example, simply avoiding alcohol and consuming smaller servings may be enough to achieve an energy deficit without the need for careful monitoring of meals.

There are cases in which this type of monitoring can be very stressful and complicated, especially when you have a tight schedule, since not having enough time can make nutritional reports not completely accurate. For example, filling out the food diary the next day can make you forget things to write down. 

It is important to emphasize that the IIFYM diet or flexible diet is born from the world of bodybuilding, where the bodybuilders who follow the protocol themselves are highly motivated and accustomed to dieting. For people who are dieting for the first time and just want to lose a few pounds, the IIFYM diet may not be the most recommended option.

2. Accuracy of the monitoring mechanism

In addition to the time it takes to keep a complete track of your meals, you must also take into account the precision of this. Although there are applications that can scan food barcodes for easy tracking, there is still a margin for error.

In a study that analyzed the use of an application to track food in real cases, the participants omitted an average of up to 445 kcal of their caloric intake. 5 This was due to the omission by the application of some foods such as condiments, cooking oils and beverages between meals.

Failure to take into account each and every food and drink consumed could significantly affect overall daily caloric intake, which means that we could actually eat much more than we think, thus affecting the results of the diet.

In addition, some of the foods that we consider “quirks”, such as pizza or ice cream, can have many calories, so it is very important to make sure to write down the exact amounts of the rations of each food, because it is easy to consume this type of food in excess.
For accurate tracking accuracy, it is best to write it all down in real time and make sure you keep in mind cooking oils, condiments, drinks and milk added to coffee.

3. Food is not just numbers

Food does not only contain proteins, carbohydrates and fats, they also contain other things that can be beneficial or harmful.
For example, micronutrients are a fundamental

 part of the diet, and fruits and vegetables contain them in large quantities. Although the IIFYM or Flexible Diet protocol focuses on the most important aspects of losing weight (energy balance and macronutrient composition), it does not care much about vital micronutrients. This was demonstrated in a recent study of bodybuilders following the IIFYM diet, in which more than half of the participants consumed less than half of the recommended amount of various micronutrients. 

This data is important because the body cannot synthesize the micronutrients by itself and we must consume them through the diet. 7 Micronutrients are all the vitamins and minerals necessary to maintain good health and prevent disease and other ailments.
There is a recent theory that micronutrient deficiency can increase feelings of hunger. The idea that the body craves these micronutrients is shuffled and therefore increases the feeling of hunger to have them. For example, if you are calcium deficient, your body will have cravings for calcium rich foods. 

8conclusion
The IIFYM protocol is a flexible type of diet that can help you follow a diet for longer. But, you have to be careful when tracking your meals and you also have to make sure you consume the right amount of micronutrients.