Weightlifting/IIFYM

Do you compete? I am taking a year off while I plan my wedding and I'm working on reverse dieting. I have competed for a few years now so I think my body needed a break. I have just gotten into IIFYM in the last year or so.

What is IIFYM?

I used to! Former bikini competitor here. I unfortunately became obsessed with tracking & hitting macros daily. Long story short, I ruined my mind, body, & soul.

Not saying it's bad at all! Just not for everyone.

@missptomrss it stands for "if it fits your macros". It's a dieting style that a lot fitness competitors use. I had a pretty good article about it I could try to find for you.

@hailymarie. I know what you mean! My coach for my first competition had me eating tilapia and asparagus for 5 of 6 meals each day with a ton of cardio. It was miserable and I still came in under conditioned. I changed up my dieting style for my next season and my conditioning was 1000x better with a higher calorie intake and 1/3 of the amount of cardio. I'm not sure if it was your coaching or not but I think it makes a huge difference.

@taryn No I don't compete, but I think it's cool to see what the human body can do! I personally like bulking more because I get to eat all the time hehe. During this phase, I only am really trying to make sure I'm still consuming enough protein. I'm doing it waaay more loosely than if I was cutting. Even when I did cut earlier this year, it wasn't to the extreme of doing it as a competitor. I could never eat JUST tilapia and broccoli, I would end up binging.

@hailymarie I agree with you 100%! I can totally see that happening for some people. It worked for me because I would have some Lucky Charms every night to curb that sweet tooth of mine.

@ogjaci There's a website (if you google IIFYM) that will ask you some questions about what your goals are and calculates those breakdowns for you. It's confusing at first, but you find what works for you and what doesn't after doing it for a week or so!

I used to do this! You're still supposed to eat healthy to see good results within your IIFYM. I liked it but it was a lot of work

ETA: follow Katy Hearn she's a fuckin inspiration and does IIFYM.

@ogjaci katyhearn.com has an easy way to calculate your macros!!

I have really been wanting to get into weightlifting but have been a little scared.

Do I have to lose the fat first and then start? Orrrrr where do I begin?

I still love to lift and run, but I had to stop tracking most things. It wasn't good for me mentally. I have an addictive personality and it became a problem for me. I eat until I'm satisfied and don't eat a lot of crap.

Not yet but I use to be more into heavy weights. But I got super sick last year and totally fell away form it.

My plan right now is to do cardio for the first month to get my body going and then back to the gym for those weights.

As far as IIFYM, I dont follow it. Tried once but wasnt for me. I prefer more in vs out and making sure my protein intake is high.

I don't do the macros thing, but I DO lift all the heavy things! Love it, and it completely transformed my body. @takemetotuberville...no need to lose the fat first, building the muscle just helps you speed your metabolism. Cardio and weights and a good meal plan (not diet). Worked for me, I lost half my body weight

I'm a weightlifter and have been following IIFYM for a year and a half now. I love it!

I love weight training and used to lift very heavy. I went from a size 4 to a size 8 in two years and now I'm trying to cut to get down to a size 6. I love my new body a lot more than my old one because I have all these curves now! It's so hard passing the weight room or lifting weights I know are way too light for me. I try to eat as healthy as I can, but I don't track my food. I think it would make me obsessive.

@FutureMrsBueno you look SO good!! Perfect example of what lifting weights can do for you!

What type of meal plan did you use @FutureMrsBueno

I was a huge proprietor of IIFYM a year ago. It helped me realize that even though I was cutting I was undereating. I ended up bumping my calories to almost 2000//day and I lost weight even faster! I felt great and got great results. It definitely taught me that centering your diet around whole foods was important, as well as eating enough carbs to support your activity level. However I still felt restricted. What if I wanted to be spontaneous with FH (then boyfriend) and go to a late night happy hour? Or it was taco tuesday and that's what he wanted for dinner when I'd already planned my meal? It made me anxious to live my life and I'm not even a competitor. I'd say IIFYM isn't for everyone because I know these feelings are common. Even though IIFYM is supposed to help you learn "balance" and that even though it can lead to incredible results, you have to be in the right place mentally.

100% IIFYM and 100% pro lifting.

@D- you should watch the BroFessors video on bulking (I think it was bulking- it might have been the IIFYM one)

Whatever he goes "IF IT FITS IT FITS" and takes a muffin out of his pocket and shoves it in his face.

hy-sterical.

what I truly love about IIFYM- is it's much more flexible than a lot of other "plans"

although I don't even think of it as a plan- more like a mentality of how to approach food.

I am not a die hard IIFYM. I go for "averages"- and in that way- it allows you to go out and have that burger and beer and get back on track wtih something more macro oriented later.

Scooby has an online calculator that's GREAT.

Ultimately NO SINGLE PERSON can tell you what macro split you need or will work for you.

When I'm cutting I aim for 40 protein, 40 fats and 20 carbs.

Odds are good it's much closer to 35/35/30 if I eat naturally- but I AIM for higher protein and higher fat- and I generally leave plenty of room for my sweet treats (i have 3-5 small utz pretzles a day- and usually 3-6 small chocolate snacks like snickers minis, kisses or hersey nuggets- those types of things)

it just gives you somethign to AIM for.

You're not going to die if you don't make it- but it gives you something to AIM for. And to me- that's the beauty.

And yes. Shameless plug for grrrl clothing here... Lift like a grrrl!

I lift heavy weights and eat everything in moderation. I didn't get bulky - I actually leaned out a bit