WTF is IIFYM

Picture found off of google doing a search for IIFYM pics

How to begin with IIFYM/Flexible Dieting:

Become familiar with a food tracker. I personally use MyFitnessPal but others seem to really like Macros+. Both will take some time to get used and you will need to play around a bit but in my opinion, the Macros+ app will take a little longer to become adjusted to. 

If you use MyFitnessPal while tracking macros, do not enter your caloric burn for anything during the day, it will screw up your calories and macros for the day and can cause you to over eat. If you’d like to keep track of calories burned during exercise, you can keep track in the “notes” section in MFP or you can just keep that stored information in your heart rate monitor (if you have one). 

If you are using MyFitnessPal and are following specific macros in grams rather than percentages, there is a plug-in that can be downloaded and added to your program on a desktop/lap top ONLY. It can and will make a HUGE difference in the way you track macros, for the better. 

Familiarize yourself with food labels and what they mean. A serving size does not mean the whole container! This will also mean becoming very familiar and even best friends with measuring spoons, measuring cups, and a food scale. All of which can seem daunting at first, but I can promise you will become quite the expert with practice. 

If this is your first time counting calories/macros it is very important that you understand the three basics of each macro in regards to their caloric content:

Carbohydrates: 1gram = 4 calories
Protein: 1gram = 4 calories
Fats: 1gram = 9 calories

So, let’s say that you consume 100 grams of carbs. The caloric equivalent is 100x4 which = 400 calories. Easy peasy right? 

When counting macros, give your body time to adjust to these numbers. If you’re not seeing results within a few days, don't fret. Give it at least 2-4 weeks and then you can adjust from there depending on how you feel and your results.