I'm going to be trying IIFYM until the end of the year, using the calculators up on iifym.com and a simple macro tracker.
I'm about 77kg at 180cm, lifting three days a week with a bit of occasional cardio, and while my diet is made up of good stuff in roughly the right proportions, I have been lazy about actually paying attention to it.
If I had to estimate my body fat, I look around 12% on a good day, but at bloatier times this looks like 14%, complete with mini-paunch. The problem with lifting is you can often get stronger and still look soft.
Here goes my experiment, anyway. My plan is to check in once or twice a month and tell you lads if I'm noticeably leaner or not. I imagine the first few weeks are going to be a pain, measuring portions, but my diet is more or less a stable factor I can modify easily.
It's true, I'm not exactly a heffer, and I know I could probably afford to gain a lot more muscle mass, but I honestly care more for being properly lean. It'll also be the first time I've properly experimented with diet, too.
If it works, I can up the calories using the same method in the future. If I see no result or I shit it up, I may consider going the other road.
>>3772 I could probably beat the shit out of you. In fact, I think I would if I ever see someone who matches those statistics and seems like they post on .gs. Go gain some weight else I'd be stamping on your face.
If you actually update this I'll be interested in your progress, how hard you find adherence, if your habits change as you realise certain foods are more caloric than you thought etc etc.
Remember to log your calories and macros for us as well as workout routine (and the regularity with which you stick to it).
What's your goal for the end if the year? You don't want to be going anywhere near gomad unless you're 50kg and 18 years old, but in my early to mid 20s I used to walk around at about 82kg and fight at 78 and I was definitely definitely far too skinny (183cm).
Just adding the first days has been offered a couple of surprises. I always knew juice was filled with carbs, but a 250ml glass of orange juice being more caloric than two slices of back bacon is a good example.
If anyone's interested, I'm using Simple Macro for Android. Where I can I'm going off the nutritional information on the packaging, where I can't I'm just using Google's nutrition stats.
My exercise routine is very simple. Three days lifting minimum, bench, squat and deadlift, always with assistance and bodyweight exercises following the main lift. Around twice a week I run with an emphasis on short distances.
You might find MyFitnessPal useful OP, it syncs in with all sorts of useful things like Fitbit and other fitness monitor tools. It's free and has a substantial food/drink database, you can also scan barcodes with it. You can log data like weight too.
>>3782 You're right about macros. My main focus has always been calories and protein, assuming I will make up other macros by not just having doughnuts and lard sandwiches. I will have a bit of a think about how I might more closely track data on it though.
I certainly won't be posting every day. Like I say, I'm aiming for once or twice a month. But just a few initial observations after completing a full day:
I've defined my main goal as fat loss using the calculators. Though I've overshot today by about 150 calories, I'm still within a range below maintenance. The app makes it very easy to keep an eye on the fat/carbs/protein ratio, and I'm doing very well in that respect. Though you can modify it, the 'textbook' IIFYM diet is very lenient with carbs (43% carbs, 27% protein, 30% fat apparently), and I'm eating a comfortable amount.
Finally, this might not be shocking for you lot, but I'm surprised to find I'm actually eating far less that I initially thought. I would have placed my diet around at least 3000 calories a day, but I've been happily full all day and I've barely skirted 2200. This must be some sort of skinny bastards illusion. Depending on the results I see in the first couple of months, I may well change the ratios and overall calories.
It's been just over a month. It has definitely changed my attitudes toward my daily diet. I generally eat a lot in the mornings, and a solid 500 calorie breakfast of roughly equal fats/carbs/protein seems to set me up wonderfully. I'm paying a lot more attention to how certain foods make me feel throughout the day.
As a result, I've modified the ratios slightly so that I'm eating more fat and slightly less carbs per day. Too many carbohydrates me feel very sluggish, and I seem to do better with fats in my diet. I also want to keep my lifts up, so I'm getting generally between 140g - 160g of protein per day. I may try to fit in more as time goes on. Again, no problems with staying or feeling full.
My weight fluctuates but I'm levelling out at 75kg - 76 kg. It's a negligible loss, but I'd prefer to take things slow and experiment, since I've only just started logging what I eat. It's probably psychological but the mini-paunch certainly feels more forgiving. Still lifting, will probably introduce more conditioning throughout the week (running or rowing at the end of sessions).
Just a note: but my general health is pretty good, too. It's easy to underappreciate when you're shooting for a goal, but just keeping an eye on how you're sleeping, mental fogginess throughout the day, and signs of general health is important. It would be no use to be 10% bodyfat but feel like shit.
>>3814 I dont eat a lot and am quite short (174cm) but it seems no matter how much exercise I do (I generally do 3-4h a week, 2 30 minute runs and 2 1h30 gym sessions) and no matter how well I manage my diet I cannot drop below 77kg, which is quite large for someone my height. It really fucks me off because I've been a bit chubby since I turned 18. I'm wondering if my portions are bit big or something, I don't eat sugary foods and the like and it's supremely frustrating.
Wish I could hire a nutritionist or something. My own chef with a nutritionist determining the meal plan.
>>3815 A quick addendum to this - I say I don't eat a lot, I generally eat one meal a day and my nutritonal balance isn't great. I eat basically no sugar and I prepare all my meals, but they tend to be meat and carb heavy with relatively few vegetables. I suppose this is something I should work on.
I get terribly bored of meal plans and the like though. I did see an interesting article recently about how what we consider a 'portion' has changed significantly over time and how the average breakfast protion of cereal for example is about 50% larger on average than what it should be.
77kg at 174cm doesn't sound particularly chubby, but I suppose it all comes down to body composition. 'Meal timing' is mostly dismissed as irrelevant now, but on a practical level I find it easier to take an interest in what you're eating by preparing several for the day.
If anything it sounds like you may be eating too little, and too little of the right stuff. Work out your basal metabolic rate, factoring in exercise, and try measuring out three meals a day with more veg and a decent balance of macros. I imagine you'll drop weight doing so.
What kind of work are you doing at the gym, by the way? Heavy compound lifts with free weights will be more effective than 90 minutes on the machines.
>>3817 I doubt I eat too little, I guess I get around 2000 calories a day? Maybe 1.5 meals a day, one large one and a sandwich or bruschetta or a salady thing or something.
I definitely need to eat more vegetables and pad out my meals with stuff like that, maybe more fish.
Generally I do freewight exercises (no barbells stuff, I'm kind of limited because I have something which ticks a lot of the boxes of a hernia except I only notice it doing heavy bar stuff and kettlebell swings.) My usual routine is justall body stuff. Dumbell press, flys, rows, dumbell shoulder press, twist things with the weight rack, planks, leg raises and leg press and maybe pullups and dips. I should probably build myself a better routine to be honest.
>>3818 >I doubt I eat too little, I guess I get around 2000 calories a day? Maybe 1.5 meals a day, one large one and a sandwich or bruschetta or a salady thing or something.
Have you ever measured it out? This would be worth doing. Assuming your typical shop-bought sandwich is about 500 calories, a 1500 calorie meal is very large.
I wasn't suggesting you should just eat more. As I said, work out your basal metabolic rate, track how much you're really eating, and make sure you pack in the protein and veg while staying in an overall deficit. That should put you on the right track.
Having a structured routine would help a lot, there's no lack of choice out there. See a GP about the hernia if you've not already.
I don't want to sound like I am taking the piss, but:
>make sure you pack in the protein and veg while staying in an overall deficit.
Well, hammer protein (preferably beans and the like), hammer the veg, specifically leafy greens, and generally do more exercise, mainly cardio, with a few weight sessions and you will be doing what any ever who is qualified in this stuff has ever told me.