IIFYM Diet

IIFYM stands for 'If it fits your macros' and is a type of flexible dieting that helps people lose weight without any major restrictions.

You don't focus on calories, more on macro-nutrient breakdown so you've got a lot more flexibility since all foods can be enjoyed as long as they fit into your daily macros.

There are 2 main steps:
- calculating your macros in order to reach your weight goals (you do this on the IIFYM website and they send you your breakdown)
- meeting your macros and staying within them each day.

Dietary concerns - The program offers access to online coaches but these are not required to have any formal nutrition training. There is no emphasis on micro-nutrients like vitamins and minerals and no tracking is done to see if people are falling short on these. This diet does not take health conditions into account. There are different types of carbs and people with diabetes need to monitor this. Also, people with kidney disease need to watch sodium and protein consumption.
Lastly, if you are just eating to fit macros and not actually eating for health, whole, nutritious foods, you may lose weight but also may be causing internal problems to your body. just because your macros allow for the fat and carb intake of 4 donuts, this doesn't mean you should be eating them. These are processed and can cause diabetes long term as well as mood swings and crashes during the day.

On a positive note, if done correctly, this diet can make you feel like you're not actually dieting as you can have a little of what has been labelled 'bad' for you. Unfortunately, it can be very tricky to get the correct tally of macros from the food you eat as every macro counter out there will give you a different amount and they also change when you cook them as most give the amounts in the raw version of foods.