Flexible Dieting and IIFYM- How To Diet Down Eating Non-traditional Food Choices
by John Gorman
Owner of Team Gorman Physique Transformations, STRONG Gym and 1st Phorm Spokesman
It seems these days there are a lot of people fascinated by IIFYM (if it fits your macros) and using that approach to dieting, be it for a contest or just to get leaner. Heck, there’s even websites dedicated to it and prep coaches who will swear by it and allow their clients to eat cheeseburgers and pizza while dieting. What I want to do in this article is explain the way you can approach using non-traditional “unhealthy” foods with your diet, and the ins and outs of it along with how it will could be different from using traditional, “healthy” foods such as sweet potato, brown rice, rolled oats, whole wheat pasta, chicken, eggs, etc etc. I will refer to dieting for a body building competition a lot in this write up but rest assured it applies to dieting in general as well.
Let’s face it, dieting can get extreme. We see all sides of this, from complete starvation diets, to fasting diets and gorging yourself at the end of the day, to ketogenic dieting, you name it, I’ve see it. I am seeing an extreme side to IIFYM – people saying “hey if it fits your macros, feel free to eat it, at the end of the day it doesn’t matter.” This to me is an extremely lazy way to approach a diet, we will want to put some effort in here folks.
Matt Eubanks (pictured above) used IIFYM and Flexible Dieting to lose 40 lbs and get multiple class wins and 5 overalls in 2013.
Basically the IIFYM approach is a way a lot of people like to diet and be able to eat non-traditional foods such as baked chips, poptarts, yes even pizza or burgers can be on there, as long as you hit your macros for that meal or even if you just hit the same macros by the end of the day. We follow a similar approach at Team Gorman and what I tell my clients that build their diets based on the macro’s per meal I give them is this- “I suggest you use the healthiest foods possible, BUT if you want to go and break up the monotony and have some baked chips or poptarts for your carbs feel free, just make sure to eat your slow digesting protein FIRST (usually chicken or some other lean meat or eggs, NOT whey). If you do this, you will also need to keep an idea of how much fiber you get a day because refined/sugary carbs lack a lot of fiber, so make sure to eat veggies and get at least 30-40 grams of fiber a day.” These are very simple guidelines but in my experience necessary.
Some of you may ask why eat protein first? Im glad you asked that. Normally if you eat a poptart or sugary/refined carb source first, it digests very fast and causes a quick insulin spike, which also leads to a quick drop in blood sugar once the insulin has cleared blood sugar and done its job. By eating a slow digesting protein first (chicken for example) it actually will slow the absorption of a fast digesting carb that is following it into the digestive system, making it lower glycemic. Also, if there trace fats or added fats in there that will also slow the digestion if eaten first. (how do I know this? Ive tested it with a glucometer and stuck my fingers plenty of times just to see eating carbs first, eating them mixed/together ) Let me give you an example using of a favorite meal of mine when I get tired of chicken and rice. I will take chicken and cut it up, put it in a salad bowl and use about 50 carbs from low fat baked chips, and also get my fats from some salad dressing or olive oil. The veggies, protein and fats will slow the digestion of the baked chips vs. if I ate the baked chips first. By mixing the salad, chicken, dressing and chips together it acts to slow the digestion of the food and how fast it hits the blood stream. Heck, I could even eat a chicken salad and have some ice cream after, but I certainly wouldn’t want to eat the ice cream first as that would hit the blood stream quickly and spike insulin.
The reason you will want to eat protein first to slow the digestion is to help with blood sugar and cravings. People think they will get cravings from eating junk food like this, and that is a legitimate concern. A lot of the time I am seeing people eat the fast acting carbs first, and when their blood sugar drops in 20 mins they start getting cravings since that’s a side effect of lower blood sugar (even though it only lasts for a very short period of time). Another side effect of a sharp drop in blood sugar is feeling tired, weak, shaky, light headed, etc etc. Most of us that eat solid proteins first or mixed together with carb sources wont experience this problem as it slows the digestion and rate the food hits your blood stream. Essentinally, by either eating a solid protein first or by mixing it all together like in the example in the paragraph above, you will turn a fast digesting carb into a slower digestion carb source.
Now there are people who are eating things like cheeseburgers from fast food joints or pizza. Yeah, this will work as well but the problem is these are “grey” area foods, there’s definitely no way to be certain how many pro/carbs/fats are in these foods and when someone is busting their tail to get lean, nothing drives me more crazy than seeing this approach to IIFYM. At least with some foods like low fat ice cream or cereal they are close to being accurate according to the nutrition label. But pizza- yeah good luck knowing exactly what youre getting. You think that 17 year old kid at Pizza Hut is putting the same amount of cheese on every pizza? Or the same amount of meat, or sauce? It’s just my opinion here, but let’s not be so lazy if you want to diet and get good results, spend some time at least use foods you know are somewhat accurate.
One thing to also make sure you take into consideration- traditional foods to diet on such as potatos, brown rice, oats, etc is that they are usually abundant in vitamins and nutrients and minerals that can help us while dieting. I am a firm believer that there is no greater carb source than a white potato- it’s loaded with potassium and vitamin C. To those that like them I recommend making them a carb source on your diet. You wont find any refined/sugary carbs that pack a punch like that.
So, if you choose to use IIFYM style dieting with foods that aren’t healthy, there are some things you can do to make it work for your diet. 1. Eat 30-40 grams of fiber daily, I suggest mostly from a fibrous green veggie source and from a fiber supplement if needed 2. Make sure and eat the solid protein first at your meal, and if you have fat at that meal as well that will slow digestion even more. Veggies will slow digestion as well by eating them before your fast acting carbs. 3. If you do have a meal that is all going to be higher glycemic and faster digesting make sure and have this at times when your insulin sensitivity is correct- one of the best places is right after a workout. A good example is whey protein and kids cereal.
Yes you can eat low fat ice cream multiple times a day and still get in the best condition of your life
At the end of the day the IIFYM approach isn’t a bad thing, it’s a good thing that we have more options to diet on to keep from getting bored, or from getting burned out on chicken rice and green beans. Whether you choose to eat a mix of traditional foods and some other foods like poptarts it’s more about what helps you stay on the diet and keep some flexibility in your plan than it is about being a good or bad source of calories. Im seeing way too many people take IIFYM to the extreme, kind of like I see fellow competitors also take the clean foods to the extreme and only eat chicken and rice for 25 weeks with no alternative. It’s about balance, and if done right using the IIFYM approach can help provide some good variations.
Here are a couple favorite meals of mine and clients that you can alter to fit your macros-
96% lean burger with low fat cheese, white or wheat bun, ketchup/mustard, veggies
Chicken, lettuce, salsa, dressing, and crunched up baked Doritos
Casein protein, pbutter, and low fat ice cream all mixed up in a bowl.
Sushi (home-made)
Beef jerky and granola bars (popular for those of us who are at shows all day, or out of town on trips and need something in a pinch)
If you elect to try some of these options in your next prep I do believe you will find more enjoyment in your diet and foods you eat daily, but not at the expense of losing bodyfat as I have seen zero difference in my own personal clients who choose to have some flexibility in their plans. Enjoy!