IIFYM Full Book PDF

THE OFFICIAL RESOURCE FOR
FLEXIBLE DIETING
SANCTIONED BY
THE OFFICIAL RESOURCE FOR
FLEXIBLE DIETING
SANCTIONED BY
IIFYM.COM
IIFYM STANDS FOR: IF IT FITS YOUR MACROS.

In other words, your body requires a specific
amount of protein carbs and fat in order to function.
If you eat more than your body needs, you’ll gain fat.
If you eat less than your body needs, you’ll burn fat
If you are ready to throw out every diet plan you
have ever tried or heard of and learn how to eat all
the foods you love all while getting healthy, lean
and sexy, then congratulations, you have found the
right plan.
I AM ABOUT TO BLOW YOUR MIND!
THE OFFICIAL RESOURCE FOR FLEXIBLE DIETING | 2

CONTENT
Introduction 4
Chapter 1:
What Is Required For Fat Loss To Occur 12
Chapter 2:
Is It All Just About Calories? 24
Chapter 3:
Macronutrients 101 26
Chapter 4:
Introduction To If it Fits Your Macros 39
Conclusion 44

INTRODUCTION
Welcome to your guide to what
may just be one of the simplest,
most straightforward, and most
effective diet plans ever created.
IF IT FITS YOUR MACROS.
In this book, I’m going to
share with you the single most
overlooked nutrition concept that
dieters everywhere completely
neglect as they attempt to burn
fat. It is truly the only concept
that matters when it comes to
burning fat and losing weight.
We’re going to discuss the in’s and out’s of what’s required to turn your body
in to a fat burning furnace, while eating all the food you love, staying sane
and actually enjoying your diet. In fact, IIFYM is the only diet around that
encourages you to eat the same exact foods (within reason) that got you fat
and out of shape.
We’ll make it easy to comprehend and super easy to follow, so that you truly
understand how and why it works, rather than just following the rules of yet
another fad diet.

You’re not alone. When most people hear the
word ‘diet’, they think restriction, they think
bland food, and they think hunger – along
with massive cravings for the foods they are no
longer allowed to eat.
They firmly believe that if they want to shed
excess body fat, they’re going to have to endure
some torture. Sound Familiar?
I’m here to tell you that this line of thinking is
completely wrong. Not only do you NOT have to
suffer through another boring diet with boring
food choices only to get mediocre fat loss
results, but that you can actually have some fun
all while seeing the best results you’ve ever seen
How often have you made the before.
decision to start up on a diet That’s right – the word ‘fun’ was just
plan only to find feelings of associated with the word ‘diet’.
anxiety and dread set in? …Bet you never say that coming!
It’s a fact though and in this book, I am going to
Every time? prove it to you. I’m going to outline how IIFYM
is completely different from all diets you’ve
done in the past and why this is the diet that
you are finally going to succeed on.
And why will What use is a diet if the results

you succeed? are only temporary?
Let’s stop for a moment and take a look at why Would you invest your money or energy in a car,
all of the other diets that you have tried in the a house or a relationship if you knew for a fact
past have failed you. that in 6 months, it would break down and you’d
And for those of you who claim that not all your be right back to square one?
diets have failed you, I’d ask you to think again. Of course not, yet time after time, we sink our
If those diet hadn’t failed you, you wouldn’t be trust, our emotions and our money in to a failing
reading this right now with the desire to lose diet plan all because we HOPE it will work or
weight, right? You are here for a reason and it’s because someone claimed it worked for them.
because those diets didn’t work – at least not That is where IIFYM is different. It is permanent
for the long term. They may have helped you because it’s so doable. In fact, I venture to say
lose weight initially, but they have not helped this is one diet you will love being on.
you keep it off. An effective diet helps you lose
weight and keep it off forever. It’s no good, after Let’s look at some of the places where most
all, to shed the weight only to gain it (and lots traditional diets go wrong so you can see
more) back six months down the road. exactly why you haven’t seen success before.

Where Most Diets Go Wrong
If you’re like most people and have yo-yo’d on and off multiple diets before, chances are high that you
already have a decent idea where most of these diets have gone wrong.
You’ve been there, done that, and know that you were miserable the entire time you were on them.
Low carb, low fat, high protein, HCG, cayenne honey and lemonade cleanse, water only detox, hours of
cardio, boot camps, core training, spin classes all for what?
Disappointment, that’s what!
PROBLEM #1 - RESTRICTIVENESS
The first problem with most diets is that they are highly restrictive. You’re given a list of six to
ten different foods that you’re ‘allowed’ to eat on that diet and all other foods immediately go
on your ‘hit list’. They’re banished from your food intake and you’re forced to succumb to dietary
boredom, eating the same meals over and over again.
We as humans crave variety. It doesn’t matter if

I told you to eat cake, cookies, and chocolate. If
after 20 days that’s all you were eating, you would 20
be mighty sick of cake, cookies, and chocolate. DAYS
It’s simply too much of only a few types of foods.
You need a wider variety than what most chicken breasts, egg whites, oatmeal, and
fad diets allow you to eat, but yet, that’s the apples, you’re still going to miss out on a ton of
approach most diets take. If the truth is told, if key nutrients that your body needs to function.
we are going to limit ourselves to “health food” Vitamins, minerals & fibre.
there are plenty of healthy food options available If you only remember one thing about this book,
that there’s really no need to limit yourself so please remember this next paragraph:
extensively. In fact, there’s no need to limit
yourself at all (we’ll get to more on this later). Eating healthy does not equal fat loss. There is
nothing magical about “clean” or “healthy” food.
What’s worse is that along with this highly Not when it comes to losing weight. See, most
restricted food intake that so many diets put you people associate fat loss with eating “clean”
on, you’re also setting yourself up for long-term either because of how brain washed they are, or
nutritional deficiencies. because they, or someone they know lost weight
It doesn’t matter if the five foods you’re allowed eating egg whites, low fat cottage cheese, and
to eat are 100% healthy and include broccoli, garden salads for months on end.

Sure, they might have lost weight, but why? The reason is calorie reduction. Clean
foods generally have fewer calories than so called ‘dirty foods’. Look at it like this. On two
plates you have 1 pound of food:
PLATE #1 PLATE #2
Contains grilled salmon Contains lasagne and
and broccoli cheesy bread sticks
(total weight, 1 lb). (total weight, 1 lb).
Which do you think is "clean"? Which is healthy? Which will help you stay lean?
Pretty obvious right? Does the plate #1 have suffering through mundane food options when
some sort of magical powers that the other dieting. They think that eating clean food will
plate does not possess? Nope. It simply has make them healthy and skinny. Not so. Eating
fewer calories. fewer calories will lead to increase fat loss and
Please note, I did not say, fewer grams of fat or that will make you a healthier person. Not the
fewer grams of carbs. I said fewer calories! other way around.
Now, which is more enjoyable? The beauty of IIFYM is that it does not
Yeah.. I agree. restrict you to these boring and bland food
That does not change the fact that the clean option. IIFYM allows you to eat the foods you
foods have way fewer calories. This is why most love, burn fat, and stay lean for the rest of
people associate fat loss with eating clean and your life!

PROBLEM #2 - RIGIDITY
The second big problem with most diets is that they don’t allow freedom and flexibility for
your unique individual preferences, making them less sustainable.
When you look at most diet plans, they’re

going to give you a definite plan to follow.
At 8 am, you eat these foods.

At 10 am, you get this for a snack.
At 12 pm, you can select between
these two lunches.
…and on and on it goes.
What if you don’t want to eat at 10 am? What if you are working late and your
lunch doesn’t arrive until 1?
For some people who follow these rigid diets, consuming thousands of calories and now
they feel that if they don’t follow it to the letter, they’re heavier than they’ve ever been.
they’re essentially failing miserably. They get into
black and white thinking patterns and now that A diet needs to be flexible. Life happens
they feel like a failure, they decide to just toss in whether you like it or not and any diet that
the towel altogether. doesn’t account for this and have some
They’re simply not cut out for this dieting flexibility built into its structure is only going
business. As such, they go on to binge-eat, to set you up to fail.

PROBLEM #3 - COMPLICATED RULES
The third problem that most diets have going for them is that they just contain far too many rules.
Don’t eat carbs and fats together – that will

immediately cause fat gain. (WRONG!!!)
Make sure that you stay out of the kitchen past 6
pm – any food eaten at this time is going straight
towards your hips, especially carbs (WRONG!!!)*
Be sure to eat every two to three hours in ramp
up your metabolic furnace and burn fat all day
long! (WRONG!!!)
Make sure that you do 30 minutes of cardio prior
to your first meal to burn the most fat possible.
(WRONG!!!)*
Who can stick to such rules? And furthermore, why are rules that are not based
on proven scientific studies being spouted off by so-called professionals as fact?
If the diet that you’re following has so many rules you feel like understanding it
is like taking an advanced level biophysics class at Harvard, how likely do you
think it is that you are actually going to do that diet?
Let me tell you one thing right now. lose the weight, you’ll gain it right back as soon
The #1 secret to success on any diet plan is as you start up with your old eating habits again
consistency. Look, most diets out there work. (regardless of how good your intentions are).
At first. How you feel during the diet will directly Adherence is vital to success and this is why other
determine how long you keep it up for. diets that have too many rules fail miserably. You
As long as the diet is somewhat well formulated end up feeling overwhelmed, confused, and you
and has some degree of calorie control, chances may not even know where to start. Even if you
are it is going to work well. It may not be do lose some weight, it all comes back with a
‘optimal’ from a nutritional point of view, but you
vengeance once you stop.
will still lose weight – if you stick with it.
Simple, easy, and straightforward is what
If you don’t? Well, you won’t be having
you want. It is what you NEED.
much success at all.
So even if you had the perfect diet plan all When a diet accomplishes this, it’s
lined up, planned and ready to go, if the diet’s going to be easy to not only follow in
impossible to do long term, it is going to fail the immediate future as you work to
you. You might as well just stop before you start lose the weight, but to also adopt as a
because you won’t be lasting long. Once you long-term eating strategy as well.

PROBLEM #4 - LACK OF LONG TERM PLANS
Finally, the last major problem that you’re going to face when using most diets is the fact that
they only focus on the diet; not the recovery. Yes, I said recovery! Some diets may provide you
with an active plan but as soon as that weight is off, you’re given little to no guidance with how
to get back to living life again.
They don’t address that

hormonal shift that occurs
as a result of months of
dieting and they do nothing
to help restore your
metabolism and address
hunger pangs or cravings.
If you’ve been using a very strict and structured See, you shouldn’t feel like you have to re-learn
approach, you’re likely going to feel incredibly lost how to eat properly after coming off a diet plan.
when coming off the plan and this may cause you The diet should be the learning curve period. It
to gravitate back to the old eating habits you had should be a time when you try different things and
before. Even if they do offer some sort of structure, learn about what works for your body and your
you still have to follow their plan, their foods, their body alone.
restrictions and their ideology. A good diet plan is a diet plan that you actually
You’ll go back to eating how you used to eat and want to continue on with even once you reach
before you know it, you’ll be right back searching your goal weight – not something that you have
for another diet plan to use, or worse, giving up to force yourself to keep at until you (God willing)
entirely. reach your dream weight.
Instead, you need an approach that teaches you IIFYM does just that. It gives you the exact
how to eat properly for life. It needs to be a diet formula for your body and for your success.
that’s realistic to follow long-term so that once All you have to do is implement it and you will
you do lose the weight, you can actually eat MORE arrive at your goal body weight and stay there
food and still not gain back all the fat. This is for good! You will want to stick with it because
exactly what IIFYM offers. A scientifically backed of how easy it is and how fun it can be.
foolproof approach to burning fat and keeping it So as you can see, there are many places
off, all while eating the foods you love. where diets go wrong.

Also keep in mind that what might be a problem highly organized and having everything planned
for one person, won’t necessarily be a problem out, such a diet may give them a feeling of being
for another. in control and make it much easier to stick with
while gaining a feeling of accomplishment.
For example, say you live a very varied
Again, this is why flexibility is key. If a diet is good,
lifestyle and never know what your it will work for many different people who have
day is going to bring. Are you going to various needs and preferences, not one ‘cookie-
do well on a diet that has a high level cutter’ type of person.
of structure and requires you to have If you happen to stumble upon one of those
your meals at specific times each day? ‘cookie cutter’ types of plans and it does work
for you – great, you’re probably one of the few
Obviously you will not.
people who would do well on it. But if you don’t
But, for someone who works an office job and have such luck, you won’t be seeing the success
strives on keeping a regular schedule and being that you deserve and want so badly.
So now that we’ve had the

chance to explain where all
the previous diets you’ve
done have gone wrong,
let’s now dig into how IIFYM
is going to change things
so that you end up on the
right path to success.
Want us to create a custom

macro program for you?
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Chapter 1:
What Is Required For
Fat Loss To Occur
What better place to start out discussion of IIFYM than explaining to you what you need to have
in place if you hope to see fat loss success.
Understanding how fat loss occurs in the body will make it easier to stick with the plan as you
understand the ‘why’ behind it.
If you don’t understand how a diet works, it can be hard to stay motivated to continue on with it.
You will feel like your actions are leading nowhere and will quickly drop off.
Once you understand how what you are doing is helping in the long-term scheme of things, that’s
when motivation will no longer be an issue for you. I will make this painless as possible - and get
right to the facts in easy to understand terms.
Let’s begin by talking about the most important aspect of IIFYM and for that matter EVERY
OTHER DIET IN THE WORLD; calorie deficit.
The Calorie Deficit

Requirement For Fat Loss
To lose weight, you really only have to do one If you eat more calories than your
simple thing. Something you probably already body needs, you gain weight.
know, but until now have never really focused on in If you eat less calories than your
the way you need to be. body needs, you lose weight.
To lose weight all you have to do is eat fewer
calories than your body needs. It really is that The amount of weight loss that comes from fat
simple. This is not about carb restriction, fat vs muscle will depend on a few things (protein
reduction, or sodium manipulation. This is about consumption, exercise, genetics, etc.) but for our
total calories required vs. total calories consumed. example we are only talking about weight loss.
See, your body requires a specific number of Ideally you want to preserve as much muscle as you
calories to function. Yours requires a different can, while burning as much fat as possible. More
number of calories than mine and everyone else’s. about this later!
The more active you are, heavier you are and the Before going any further, it’s important for you to let
younger you are, the more calories your body this next section sink in. Read it a few times if you
needs. need to.

What is a calorie?
We all know what a calorie is, right? Sure. But do 3. Set the potato chip on fire
you know what a calorie means? 4. Measure the temperature increase of the water
See, when scientists want to find out how many as the chip burns
calories are in a certain type of food, they burn it. 5. The number of degrees (in celcius) the water
Yup, they burn it with fire. A quick internet search temperature increased over baseline is the
will give you a bunch of calorie testing videos that number of calories in the potato chip.
show you how it is done but basically it goes like
this:
1. Take a potato chip and place it under a metal can That number, that unit of energy is referred to as a
filled with 1 gram water. kilocalorie, or as we know it, a calorie.
2. Measure the temperature of the water The more energy stored in a given food, the hotter
and longer the water temperature increases, thus,
the more calories that food has.
When you consume calories through your food

intake, your body burns them, kind of like the fire,
only much slower and through a complex set of
events. First, your body breaks the calories down
and combines them with oxygen after which they
are released as energy to the body to fuel all the
cellular actions that are taking place.
For fat loss to occur we have to consume fewer

calories than our body needs. Eat fewer calories
and you essentially are eating less energy. Thus in
turn you create energy deficit in your body. This is
In easier to understand terms, a referred to as a ‘calorie deficit’.
calorie is the amount of energy
If you did the opposite and took in more calories
needed to raise the temperature of than you consumed, you would be in what’s
referred to as a ‘calorie surplus’.
1 GRAM OF WATER by Being in a calorie surplus would mean that you’d
be gaining additional weight rather than losing it.
1 DEGREE CELSIUS.
Cool fact of the day:

Did you know that gasoline has about 31,000
calories per gallon?

To give you a more clear understanding of how this process occurs
I will compare it to something most of us are decently familiar
with: a truck.
Let’s say that every day you drive your truck 100 Now, what would happen if instead of pumping
miles. You go to work, go shopping, visit friends, 10 gallons of gas in to your truck every day, you
and what not. 100 miles every day give or take a pumped 11 gallons instead? Maybe you like
few, for years on end. To drive this distance your pumping gas, or maybe just never paid attention to
truck would need pretty much the same amount of how much gas you were pumping in to your truck.
fuel every day. Let’s say 10 gallons of gas. Well you would have too much fuel. The gas would
Your body is the same way. It needs a specific spill over, and you would store it in a gas can and
amount of fuel every day to keep up with your daily the back of the truck to use at a later day.
activities; work, sleep, playing, exercise, etc. See, your car’s gas tank can only hold so much gas
(fuel) before it starts to overfill and spill outside of
the car onto the ground. Likewise, your body only
requires so much energy (fuel) each day before that
energy will ‘spill over’ and be stored as fat for use at
a later time.
Before you know it, you’ll be driving

your truck around with 50 extra gallons
of gas that do nothing but weigh you
down, slow you down, and make your X 50
gas mileage even worse than it was
when you started!
So then how do we get rid of that extra fat that we have stored as a result of eating too many calories for so
long? Very easy! We use them in the exact manner for which our body intended them to be used. For energy!
The first, and only thing we need to do to get the ball rolling is to create an energy deficit, or as it’s often
called, a ‘caloric deficit’.

If we look to our truck example we have 2 options:
1 2
We drive further than 100 miles every day, thus We can pump less gas every day (eat fewer
increasing our truck’s need for fuel and creating an calories). If we only pump 8 gallons of fuel every
energy deficit. When we run out of fuel (calories), day, but still drive 100 miles, we will create a 2
we simply pull a few gallons from the back of the gallon deficit and will have to use the fuel from the
truck (stored fat) and use it rather than pumping back of the truck (fat) to finish our driving route.
more (food & calories) into the tank. Eventually The end result is the same as option 1. Eventually
we will burn through all of the stored fuel (fat) and we will burn through all of our stored fuel (fat) and
we will be lighter, faster and will get much better end up lighter and leaner.
gas mileage. The human version of this is called
exercise.
It’s basic math, and simple science. Since energy cannot be

created nor destroyed (it can only transferred from one form or
So your mission is
another) when you take in too much calorie energy, the body simple. Eat less and
has to do something with that energy. Just like the gasoline.
Either it spills on to the ground or in to a container. Either move more.
way it still exists. Unlike the gas however, our bodies are very
efficient and don’t allow us to waste precious energy. After all, Tilt the energy
food = energy and our bodies know that food is not always balance scale in
guaranteed. Our body has no choice BUT to store it for use at a
later date. your favor so that
If you are highly active, some of the extra calories that were you burn off more
stored as fat are going to get burned off. (The amount that gets
used depends on how much your body needs, how active you each day than what
are, and how much you eat.)
you consume. If
If you aren’t very active, the calories are going to get stored as a
usable form of energy for down the road when it might need it you accomplish this,
(namely, as body fat stores).
you’ll get the fat loss
Likewise, if you eat less food than your body requires then you
are going to find fuel elsewhere. The first place your body looks results you want.
for energy is the last place it hid it: in the fat stores. How IIFYM comes into
The end result is that your body start burning body fat as fuel.
play is where it gets
Think of it in extreme terms. If you eat absolutely nothing, for
10 days, you are essentially running on no gas. Your body still fun. Keep on reading
has to function and still requires fuel to do so. Since food is not
an option, it will use the stored fat from your belly, your thighs, and be ready to have
your butt and everywhere else to create the energy it needs. your mind blown!

Figuring Out Your Calorie Deficit
How much of a calorie deficit should you be using for optimal fat loss to occur?
The answer to this question depends on your own goals and preferences.
Every pound of fat has 3500 calories. This means that it

takes a 3500 reduction in calories (either by increasing
your exercise by 3500 calories, or by eating 3500 calories
less) to lose one pound of body fat. So if you have 10
pounds that you want to lose, this means you’ll have to
create a calorie deficit of 35,000 calories over time. (8-12
weeks would be a healthy and steady goal).
The faster you create that deficit, the faster your Where most ‘calorie restrictive’ diets go wrong,
weight loss will occur – within reason. I say within is that they are way too general. They tell men to
reason because if you’re sitting there thinking that eat 1800 calories per day, and woman to eat 1200
you will just eat nothing (or as little as possible) calories. They make general assumptions and lump
and create the calorie deficit rapidly to get that everyone into the same 2 groups; men and woman,
weight off ASAP, this method is likely to backfire without once taking into consideration how many
on you. You’ll burn fat and muscle and might die calories the individual needs for their own body.
in the process. Remember IIFYM is all about eating You need something that is customized to your own
the foods you love. At no point will you be starving body.
yourself. Nor should you EVER!
Where most people go wrong is by thinking that What if I told you that you could lose weight,
extreme dieting is the only thing that will work burn fat and get healthy all while eating 3000
for them. This is why IIFYM is so different. calories per day, rather than 1800?
We help you figure out your body’s caloric Well that very well may be your number. Once you
needs based on gender, age, height, weight and get through this book, you’ll know exactly where
activity level. See, everyone is different so IIFYM you stand and won’t have to give up pizza or
approaches everyone individually based on their lasagna to get fit. Most people can’t fathom the idea
own needs (don’t worry, it is simple math, and of eating pizza while on a diet, so they rely on the
takes about 30 seconds to figure out with the help whole starvation approach and end up failing time
of the TDEE calculator at iifym.com). and time again.

Why Starvation Doesn’t Work
If you create too large of a calorie

deficit in the body, the body will
start to fight you as it thinks that
starvation is beginning to occur.
Your body is much smarter than
you think and just because you
may have the preference and
desire to fit into a size 3, that
doesn’t mean that your body has
the same desire.
Your body’s main priority is survival and when You are, after all, feeding it less than it needs
you go on an extremely low calorie diet, it feels as to keep its organs functioning and your brain
though its survival is threatened. After all, you’re running optimally (so if you wonder why you feel
consuming far less energy than you need. To help so miserable on those ultra low calorie crash diets,
reduce the risk that you do in fact starve to death, there is your answer).
the body will begin taking action. Again, everyone is different. Everyone has a
First, it’s going to decrease your metabolic rate. different body that has different caloric needs
This is referred to as your BMR (Basal Metabolic (gender, age, weight, height, activity level). The
Rate) – You can see what your BMR is by using the higher your metabolic rate, the more calories you
BMR Calculator at IIFYM.com. burn each day and therefore the easier fat loss will
be. You won’t have to cut your food intake nearly
Your metabolic rate is the number of calories as low in order to achieve the calorie deficit you
that your body requires to survive on a daily desire.
basis without exerting any energy. No activity
whatsoever. Basically, if you sat in bed and didn’t Keep in mind that you don’t just lie in bed all day
move – just lied there consciously, this is the without moving so your actual daily calorie burn
amount of calories you would burn. It’s when you will be much higher than your basal metabolic rate
go under this amount, especially for extended will be, but your basal metabolic rate (BMR) does
periods of time that the body is really going to account for the greatest proportion of your calorie
react. burn for most people.

The other calories you burn The longer you stay on that crash diet, the worse
this situation is going to get. Before long, you won’t
throughout the day while working, be making any progress, you’ll be eating so few
playing, eating & exercising get calories that you are almost driving yourself mad,
and you’ll be frustrated and ready to toss in the
added to your BMR to create your towel. Sound familiar?
Total Daily Energy Expenditure Even worse is that when you do come off these
(TDEE). crash diets, your metabolism will be so slow that
if you suddenly jack up your calorie intake (and
FINALLY give in to those food cravings), you’ll start
gaining body fat almost immediately. Chances are
you’ll not only re-gain all the weight you just lost,
but you will likely gain even more on top of that.
Sound familiar?
24
HOUR
To top things off, when you reduce your calorie
intake far too low in the quest for survival, rather
than burning off any body fat as you normally
would, your body will actually begin to burn off
muscle.
The reason it does this is because at rest, muscle
TDEE is the true and total amount of calories your is a metabolically active tissue. It’s going to burn a
body burns in a 24 hour period with all things huge amount of calories simply existing on the body
considered. It’s impossible to figure out this each day. Fat burns hardly any.
number exactly (unless you were to sit in a calorie
If your body wants to stay alive optimally, burning
chamber all day long), so the best thing you can do
off muscle is far wiser than burning off fat. Fat is
is estimate your calorie burn based on a number of
what keeps you alive, muscle is what sucks up all
formulas and equations.
the energy.
So getting back to our topic of what happens when
The good thing is that when we diet RIGHT, muscle
you cut your calorie intake far too low, your body
is our ally. The more muscle we have, the more
will sense that starvation is occurring and will begin
calories we burn at rest and the more we can get
to burn fewer and fewer calories each day.
away with eating, and still burn fat.
This is thanks to a particular hormone in the body
This is why weight lifting can be such a powerful
called leptin, which is produced by the body fat
tool in the fight against fat. Weight lifting builds
cells. When total body start starts decreasing or
muscle, raised our BMR and allows our bodies to
your incoming energy level decreases, leptin shifts
take in more calories without storing them as fat.
downward.
So the more muscle you have, the easier fat loss will
The less energy your body burns off staying alive, happen and the better you will look as you continue
the longer your body fat stores are going to last. to lose weight.
Meaning, you outsmart death (starvation is not
So as you can see, a very low calorie intake to create
something your body takes lightly!).
a massive calorie deficit to speed up fat loss is
Sadly for you, this means weight loss comes to a precisely what you don’t want to be doing.
screeching halt. If your metabolic rate is moving
It is not going to help you see results and it’s not
along so incredibly sluggish, this is not going to
going to have you feeling very well either. Moderate
bode well for helping you create that calorie deficit
calorie reductions are far better.
we talked about earlier.

So how much is moderate? And, more
importantly, how much is too much?
Getting back to the idea that it takes 3500 calories For those who are more overweight and who have
to burn off one pound of body fat, most people a higher amount of weight to lose, you can likely
will do best by aiming for a reduction of between utilize a higher calorie deficit without too much
250-500 calories per day. At this rate, you would worry. Your body will have a higher metabolic rate
be losing about half to one pound of body fat per due to the higher amount of total body weight and
week, which is a good place to be. since your fat stores are much higher, there is less
threat to your survival so the whole ‘metabolic
slow-down’ issue isn’t nearly as significant for you.
These individuals can utilize a calorie deficit of up
250-500 1/2-1 to 1000 calories per day, producing a rate of weight
CALORIES POUND OF BODY FAT GOOD PLACE
TO BE
loss equivalent to about 2 pounds per week.
PER DAY PER WEEK
I caution you from going above a 1000 calorie deficit
however as this would place you at risk for not
being able to get all the nutrients that your body
No, you won’t reach your goal weight in record
needs to stay healthy. It is the official position of
time, but you can be sure that you are making
this books author that anyone practicing IIFYM
ongoing progress and when you do finally reach
never exceeds a caloric deficit greater than 25%
your goal weight and that you’re actually losing
of their TDEE, while 15-20% is an idea calorie
body fat and not muscle. Furthermore, that fat will
reduction.
be much more likely to stay off for good.

So to summarize all this calorie deficit business, let’s look at
the pros and cons of small versus larger calorie deficits.
Small Calorie Deficits Larger Calorie Deficits

(250-500 calories per day) (500-1000 calories per day)
PROS: PROS:
Easier to manage from a diet point of view Will create a faster rate of weight loss
since you’ll be taking in more food
Some people will find planning the diet is
Less likely to cause hunger, fatigue, feeling easier since there won’t be as many calories
generally quite weak to track
Will not pose quite the threat of slowing
down your metabolic rate
CONS:
Will provide plenty of energy for intense
workout sessions (provided you eat the right Is more difficult to stick with and has a much
variety of macronutrients – more later on this higher rate of failure
topic). Is more likely to cause fatigue, light-
headedness, and low blood sugar
You’re more likely to lose muscle mass
CONS:
instead of fat mass, thus stalling your weight
Weight loss rates will be slower (but you’ll be loss
guaranteed to keep the weight off over the
Could reduce your metabolic rate, making
long term!)
further fat loss more difficult and putting
you at a higher risk of weight re-gain while
making dieting in the future more difficult
Is typically only appropriate for those who
have more overall fat to lose (not suitable for
those who are already quite lean)
So there you have the basic run-down of how to properly structure your calorie deficit for optimal fat loss
results.
Keep in mind here that you don’t necessarily have to maintain a particular calorie deficit for a lengthy period
of time either. It’s perfectly alright to use a higher calorie deficit for a week or two and then move to a more
moderate calorie deficit after that.
Adjusting your calorie deficit based on the progress that you’re seeing as you go along with the program is
actually one of the best things that you can do to guarantee that you see success.
Constant evaluation and adjustment as time goes on is what will ensure that you keep progressing onwards.
If something stops working at some point or another and you aren’t continuing to see fat loss occur, this is
your first signal that something needs to be changed.

As a rule, check your TDEE
every 2 weeks and adjust your
calories accordingly.
The final issue to discuss with regards to your Furthermore, it should be noted that those who
calorie deficit for fat loss is how you go about combine a diet plan with an exercise program are
creating that calorie deficit. more likely to maintain their lean muscle tissue
Up until now, you may be thinking that this is while losing weight than those who don’t.
achieved entirely through dietary means. You This goes back to that notion that when faced
simply reduce back your food intake until the deficit with a lower calorie intake, the body will be more
you’re after has been established. likely to get rid of muscle tissue, which only further
Not so. threatens its survival. If you are exercising however
as you use the lower calorie diet, that exercise
There are two ways that you can go about creating is sending the signal to the body that it needs to
the deficit that you need for fat loss to occur. maintain its muscle in order to get through the daily
The first method is through reducing your food activities it’s being asked to perform, therefore
intake. This method does tend to work incredibly you’ll be less likely to lose it.
well because with some simple changes, you can Note that weight training is the most
easily slash 250-500 calories from your diet. effective form of exercise for sending
For example, if you typically start this signal, especially compared to
your day with a large gourmet coffee cardio training. While cardio training
completed with whipped cream and is good, done excessively with a strict
flavored syrup from your local coffee diet plan, it could actually further
shop, swap the syrup with stevia, and increase the risk of lean muscle mass
use fat free milk in place of the cream (which is yet another reason to stop
and you’ve just about completed the doing those hour-long, dreadful
deficit right there. treadmill sessions!).
Some food choices will add up incredibly quickly so If you are aiming for a 500 calorie deficit to lose
small changes can yield massive results. one pound per week, you could reduce your calorie
That said, not everyone wants to cut back on their intake back by 250 calories and increase your
food intake too dramatically. In that case, there is activity level so that you burn around 250 more.
another way to achieve that deficit. Together these will get you to that 500 calorie
As you may have guessed, that way deficit that you’re targeting.
is through increased activity levels. Like we talked about on the diet side of things,
If you are more active throughout don’t let this make you think that you can just
the day, you will increase your daily exercise for hours each day and burn off thousands
calorie expenditure since moving of calories. Again, this will back-fire.
does burn off calories, increasing the The body can only tolerate so much exercise each
deficit on that side of the balance day – especially if you haven’t been doing all that
scale. much exercise in the months leading up to the diet.
For many people, a combination of both is ideal. Do too much and you’ll quickly begin overtrain and
This way you don’t have to reduce your food intake likely wind up injured. Then you won’t be doing any
back quite as much and you also get all the added exercise at all.
health benefits that exercise brings as well.

Like diet, moderation is your best policy. Exercise So now that you know the important information
regularly, but don’t overdo it. Similar metabolic about creating a calorie deficit, it’s time to learn
problems can also happen with very high energy your own numbers so that you can prepare for your
expenditures as well as you’re still creating that journey ahead.
massive deficit that the body really does not like. There are multiple equations and formulas that you
Remember with exercise that the calories you burn can use to approximate your daily calorie burn. You
due to exercise do not necessarily only encompass should keep in mind at all times that these are only
what you burn off while you’re at the gym. Certain approximations. Whatever you do, don’t take them
forms of exercise – namely the more intense forms to be the absolute truth. Everyone is unique and
such as weight lifting or interval sprint training, some of these formulas can be off by 10% or more.
will cause you to burn a considerable amount of It would be virtually impossible to know with exact
calories after the session is completed and while certainty how many calories you burn all day, every
your body moves into recovery, so that should be day. Since each day also varies in terms of how
factored in as well. active you are, your day to day calorie burn will vary
This boost to your metabolic rate will add up over slightly as well.
time and is just another thing that will progress you As long as you have a good estimation however,
onwards to your fat loss goals. that will help you get started on the right foot.
Another formula you can use if you don’t

know your body fat percentage and lean
body mass is the Harris Benedict Equation.
It is:
WOMEN:
BMR = 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) +
The first formula that proves to be really (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)
quite accurate if you know your lean body
MEN:
weight is the Katch-McArdle Formula.
BMR = 66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) +
It is:
(12.7 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in year)
BMR = 370 + (21.6 X lean body mass in kg)
To save yourself the math, visit IIFYM.COM Since this one takes into account total body
and use the BMR calculator weight and not lean body weight, it tends to
be slightly less accurate. For example, if you
It doesn’t matter if you are a male or female, have two people who each weigh 150 pounds,
this one works well to determine about how but one person is 10% body fat and the other
many calories you burn each day. person is 35% body fat, the 10% body fat
The primary difference between a man’s person is going to burn much more than the
BMR and a woman’s BMR comes because of 35% body fat person would.
the increased amount of lean muscle mass This is why this equation divides males and
that most males possess. Since muscle is so females up – females have a higher amount of
metabolically active as we mentioned before, essential fat, therefore their total daily calorie
men tend to have higher daily calorie burns. expenditure needs to reflect that.

Take some time right now to account for this. mind that this, even more so
choose the equation you will use than the former equations, will
You’re now going to multiple
and work through it to get your be approximations only. You may
the number that you got above
approximately basal metabolic burn slightly more or you may
rate. Remember, this is the by something referred to as an burn slightly less.
number of calories that you ‘activity multiplier’.
This is why it’s important to
would burn each day if you sat in This is an approximation of continually assess the progress
bed and did nothing. how many additional calories you’re making on your diet plan
Now, since you are going to be you will burn because of your and make adjustments as you go
moving around, we need to activity level. Again, keep in based on those results.
Here are the activity multipliers Using these multipliers, take your BMR value that you
got and multiply it by wherever you happen to fall.
that you want to use:
This is now your target maintenance calorie intake.
Basically, if you wanted to maintain your body
If you are sedentary
weight, this is about how many calories you would
(little or no exercise – ex. Desk job):
need to take in each day.
Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
Since your goal is not to maintain your weight but
rather lose weight, you need to now apply your
calorie deficit. So take whatever calorie deficit
If you are lightly active you’ve decided you want to use (250-1000 calories)
(light exercise 1-3 days/week and subtract that from the number you arrived at.
or active job): This is now your new target fat loss calorie intake.
If you can remember this number, you’re on your way
to success. This number is also a huge component of
what makes the If It Fits Your Macros diet such a huge
If you are moderately active success. Diets that don’t hold any regard for calorie
(moderate exercise 3-5 days/week): intake are very likely to be successful.
Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55 While some people who naturally don’t have that
much of an appetite and who don’t really enjoy
eating all that much (as you can imagine, these
people are few and far between) may succeed on
If you are very active them because naturally they keep their calorie intake
(hard exercise 6-7 days a week): quite low, most people will not. They’ll simply eat too
Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725 many calories without any sort of tracking and this
will prevent the fat loss process from taking place.
This now concludes this chapter on what is required
for fat loss. Achieving success with fat loss really
If you are extra active isn’t all that difficult as long as you do have a good
(very hard exercise & physical job):
grasp over your calorie requirements and how many
calories are in most of the foods you’re eating.
If you can learn this and tailor your diet accordingly,
you are going to be headed towards success.

Chapter 2:
Is It All Just About
Calories?
Now that we’ve finished talking about calories, the question that begs to be asked
is, ‘But is it just about calories?’
Basically, is that all it takes – eating fewer calories than you burn?
Surely there must be more to it than that…
The answer to this question is YES and NO.
In all actuality, no, all it really does take to lose To put this into perspective, which of the
weight is consuming fewer calories than you following meals would you feel less hungry
burned off. If the truth is told, you could eat
after eating:
nothing but cake, candy, and chocolate all day long
and provided you ate the same number of calories
that you figured out in the previous chapter for your
target fat loss calorie intake, you would see weight 1. A medium bagel with two
loss take place. tablespoons of full fat
What you must keep in mind with this however cream cheese
is that the type of weight you lose may not be
favorable (you’d be more likely to lose lean muscle
mass as opposed to fat mass due to lack of protein),
and you likely won’t be feeling so hot on a diet
consisting of these foods either. 2. A 3 oz. grilled chicken
Remember that whenever you take in fewer breast with 1 cup cooked
calories than your body desires, hunger does go wild rice and 2 cups
along with it. How much hunger you experience steamed broccoli along
however will be directly correlated with the foods with 1 ½ cups of sliced
that you’re choosing. strawberries for dessert
Hopefully you choose the second. If you eat the right foods, hunger control is far more manageable and
this makes sticking with your target calorie intake far easier. If you eat the wrong foods, you’ll likely end up
hungry only an hour after you eat them and this may cause you to eat more food overall, thus not hitting the
calorie deficit that you need for fat loss to take place.

So while it is all about calories, For example, fat rich foods will have far more
calories per gram of food as compared to protein
where those calories come from and carb rich foods. This is because for every gram
of dietary fat, you’ll take in nine calories, while with
will matter in terms of how easy protein and carbs, it’s just four calories.
it is to stick to that diet plan. If you load up on too much high fat food in your
diet, you won’t be getting much volume with
Furthermore, if you choose proper foods, you’ll your food intake before hitting your calorie
also be getting a much better intake of all the requirements.
vitamins and minerals (collectively referred to as Likewise, fruits and vegetables will contain far less
micronutrients) that you need for optimal health. If calories per unit of measurement (cup, ounce, etc.)
you’re healthy, you’ll feel better overall and this can compared with candy. These foods are considered
help you stick with your plan as well. a high-volume, low energy density food, meaning
Finally, if you choose your food choices wisely for you’d have to eat a lot of them for them to amount
the most part, your energy levels will stay more to many calories at all.
stable and this means you’ll experience fewer highs For someone on a fat loss diet plan, these are a
and lows throughout the day and have more quality very good thing. You would literally have to eat
workout sessions. truckloads of vegetables before it would have any
impact on your body weight.
All of these things are important
So it will be a combination of the right foods
for making sure your diet is along with the right calorie intake that will yield a
maximum amount of fat loss success.
livable and something that you
do want to stick with. Now let’s move on and take this
So while hitting your calorie intake is the most
one step further, looking at the
important thing that you need to be focused on macronutrients that make up
to get results, getting those calories from good
sources is also going to help out tremendously with the calories that you eat.
your progress.
As you go about researching up on the calorie
intakes of your various food choices, you’ll also
likely notice that different foods have different
calorie values.

Chapter 3:
Macronutrients 101
When we speak about calories, we’re really talking about proteins, carbs, and fats. Each of
these is considered to be a ‘macronutrient’ and will contribute calories to your total daily calorie
intake.
As we mentioned earlier, proteins and carbs will each contribute around four calories per
gram. Fats, on the other hand, will contribute nine calories per gram. Most foods will contain
some type of mixture of two or three of the nutrients, arriving at their total calorie value. For
the record’s sake, alcohol contains 7 calories per gram and has no nutritional value. This is one
reason cutting out alcohol while dieting is so wise. The calories from it add up quickly!
Each of these types of macronutrients is going to have a different role in the body and impact
how you feel in a different way.
Let’s look closer at what each one has to offer.
Protein
The very first macronutrient to discuss is dietary Of these amino acids, there are three particular
protein. Protein is responsible for a wide number amino acids that are referred to as branched chain
of roles in the body, including but not limited to amino acids, which are especially important for
creating the raw materials your cells are made up muscular repair during and after exercise, as well as
out of, generating hormones, neurotransmitters, for repair from any other form of physical stress.
and enzymes, as well as for building and repairing Often you will hear people supplementing with
muscle tissues especially. branched chain amino acids and this is the primary
Protein is absolutely essential for life and without reason why.
enough of it, you would rapidly begin to lose your Protein in the diet is going to primarily come
lean muscle tissue, grow weaker, and eventually from animal based foods as well as low fat dairy
death would take place. products.
Each gram of protein you consume is made up of
a number of different amino acids that are bound
together. There are 28 different amino acids and
these act as the building blocks in which your cells
are formed from.

This means the healthiest choices of lean protein include:
Lean beef Eggs and egg whites

Venison Low fat cottage cheese
Turkey Greek yogurt
Chicken breast Skim milk
Fish Low fat hard cheese
Seafood Whey protein powder
Protein is especially important to be consuming suppressing effects of protein, you may find that
when on a fat loss diet for a number of different you take in even fewer calories each day naturally
reasons. First, those who are getting enough because you’re less hungry, so the effect could be
protein daily will find their hunger level is even more pronounced.
considerably lower. Protein takes a longer Another important reason why getting sufficient
amount of time to break down and digest than protein will be important while you’re on a fat loss
carbohydrates do, so higher protein diets tend to diet is because protein is what will ensure that you
keep you feeling satisfied longer than diets that are maintain as much lean muscle mass as possible. If
lower in protein. you aren’t eating enough protein in the diet, you’re
In addition to that, protein has a higher thermic going to be at risk for using some of the protein that
effect of food. This refers to how many calories you do eat as an energy source. When this occurs,
your body will burn simply breaking down the food that means less protein is left over to maintain your
that you’re eating. Digesting protein rich foods muscle tissues (and rebuild them after exercise
takes quite a high amount of work for the body, so takes place), meaning you may lose lean muscle
this increased energy expenditure will therefore mass.
increase your total daily calorie burn, increasing the The more lean muscle mass you lose while on a fat
deficit that you create. loss diet, the slower your basal metabolic rate will
While obviously you can’t eat a diet that’s strictly get and the harder further fat loss will be.
protein only, adding more protein than normal is The recommended protein requirements are set at
one of the best ways to boost your daily calorie 0..66-1 gram per pound of body weight for non-
burn. Even if you burn off an additional 100 calories active and active individuals respectively, as stated
per day because of a higher protein consumption by United States Department of Agriculture.
(which is quite a reasonable figure to obtain), this
would mean an additional pound of fat lost each Keep in mind with these figures that this represents
month simply because of that food choice – no those who are eating calorie sufficient diets, not
other changes made. calorie deficient diets. Since you’re consuming
fewer calories than you burn, protein should be
In all reality though, due to the appetite elevated slightly beyond this amount.

Carbohydrate
The next main macronutrient that we come to is the
carbohydrate. Carbohydrates are essentially your
primary source of fuel. Carbohydrates break down
into glucose in the body and this glucose is what
provides an immediate source of energy for the
muscles, brain, and all other body cells.
Most body cells can also use fat as a fuel source,
however the break-down of fat into a usable form
of fuel does take slightly longer than with glucose,
making fat not a usable form of fuel during intense
physical activity. Note that the only exception to
this is medium chain triglycerides, which can be
utilized much quicker, more like carbohydrates as
an energy source.
Otherwise, when exercising at intense levels,
glucose is required.
Carbohydrates can be divided up into complex
carbohydrates or simple carbohydrates. Complex
carbohydrates are those that are going to take
longest to break down as they are made from long
chains of sugar molecules that are linked together.
This is in contrast to simple carbohydrates, in
which the glucose molecules are not bound
together and digest much more rapidly in the body,
releasing their energy almost instantly. Simple
Complex carbohydrates can further be subdivided
carbohydrates will cause an increase in blood sugar
down into fibrous and non-fibrous sources. Fibrous
levels faster than complex carbs do, which release
sources consist of most vegetables and are very
over time. This type of carb is most often found in
low in calories and carbs, and will have minimal
highly processed foods and ‘sweet treats’ and are
impact on your blood sugar levels. These sources of
also found in fruit and dairy products.
carbohydrates are excellent for dieters who want to
It should be noted with these last two however control hunger and their calorie intake and should
that eating them won’t have quite the same impact make up the bulk of their diet plan.
on your hunger level as eating a bag of candy
Non-fibrous carbohydrates, which are sometimes
would. With fruit, you’ll also be taking in some
referred to as starch based carbohydrates are those
additional dietary fiber with the simple carbs,
that are found in whole grains as well as potatoes.
so this decreases the speed in which they hit the
These carbohydrates will contain far more calories
bloodstream.
so moderating your intake is important to stay
With dairy products, the carbohydrate found here within your target calorie intake for the day.
will be milk sugar, but since protein will also be
As these sources do break down more slowly in the
found in dairy products, this helps to control the
body but provide a higher amount of energy, they
release of those sugars into the blood.
are the sources that will be best for times around
Both of these foods can be a smart addition to your physical activity. By adding them to your day at this
diet plan. point, you’ll help sustain higher energy levels.

Let’s give you a summary list so that you can see for
yourself how these carbohydrates are classed.
Fibrous Starch Simple Simple

Carbohydrates Complex Carbohydrates Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates that provide that are low in
nourishment nutrition
Asparagus Brown rice Apples Candy

Green beans Oatmeal Oranges Soda
Cabbage Buckwheat Bananas Cakes
Cauliflower Millet Peaches cookies
Celery Potatoes Pears Muffins
Carrots* Yams Berries Chocolate
Cucumber Sweet potatoes Melons Ice cream
Broccoli Quinoa Grapes Fruit spread
Peppers Barley Pineapple Baked goods
prepared
Onions Multi-grain bread Kiwi
with white flour
Mushrooms Rye Nectarines
Honey
Spinach Beans – lima, kidney, Guava
brown, black Fruit juice
Bok Choy Milk
Lentils White bread
Romaine lettuce Greek yogurt
Chickpeas Sugary cereals
Zucchini Plain yogurt
Corn Cereal bars
…etc. Cottage cheese
Bran cereals Energy bars (most)
…etc.
*These do contain more simple sugars/starch than the other vegetable choices do so should be eaten in moderation

Unlike proteins, carbohydrates are not an absolute this is quite high for most people who are looking to
necessity to stay alive. While they do help provide lose weight.
energy, if you were to completely eliminate all Since carbohydrates do tend to increase hunger
carbohydrates, your body would begin to shift over levels, using a lower level typically proves to make
to using fat as a fuel source and the brain would sticking with the diet easier.
begin to utilize ketone bodies (as the brain can only
use glucose or ketones for fuel). This choice is completely yours, however. Low carb
diets do not automatically cause fat loss to happen
It’s important to remember thought that removing at an accelerated rate, which has been proven time
all carbohydrates completely would never be a and time again by numerous research studies.
wise move as the body does require vegetables
for important micronutrients and vegetables do In fact, some studies even show that replacing
contribute carbohydrates (although it’s a very low some of the fat in your diet with carbohydrates can
amount). help increase total rates of fat loss.
As such, there are no direct requirements set The more important thing with regards to your
for the amount of carbohydrates you need to carbohydrate intake is that you simply make sure
consume. Some people will do better adding more that it is keeping you within your target calorie
carbohydrates to their diet plan while others will do intake for the day.
better adding fewer carbohydrates to their day. You’ll want to subtract the number of calories you’ll
As a general guideline, to avoid moving into a state be consuming due to your protein consumption
of ketosis (where the brain does switch over to from your target calorie intake (remember that
using ketones as fuel), you should aim for no less protein contains four calories per gram) and then
than about 100 grams of carbohydrates per day. the remaining calories will be subdivided between
This is the amount the brain will require to function carbohydrates and dietary fats.
optimally on glucose. We’ll be talking about dietary fat next so you’ll get
Those who are more athletic and participating in an insight into how much you need to be eating
rigorous workout programs will want to add more here as well. The more dietary fat you include in
carbs to their daily diet to fuel this activity. your diet, the fewer carbs you will eat and vice
versa.
While you’ll see many standard recommendations
for carbs set to 50-60% of your total calorie intake,

Dietary Fat
Speaking of dietary fat, this is the last
macronutrient to consider on your diet. Dietary
fat is the most calorie dense nutrient at 9 calories
per gram and is used primarily as a long-term
fuel source. Unlike carbohydrates, which are
used almost instantly for energy, fats can be used
over the long haul once the energy from any
carbohydrates you’ve eaten has been utilized.
Additionally, fats also break down very slowly in the
body as well, so adding them to your meals tends
to make that meal ‘stick to your ribs’ better than
meals without them. In other words, dietary fat will
help to ensure that you don’t get hungry an hour
after you consume your last meal. This can come
in very helpful for those who are on fat loss diet
plans since it’ll mean that you have an easier time your cholesterol rather than whether or not you are
controlling your total calorie intake. eating dietary fat period.
One of the important roles that dietary fat plays in Eat healthy varieties of fat (more on this in a
the body is transporting the vitamins A, D, E, and K. second) and you’ll actually work to reduce your
Each of these nutrients is vital for good health and overall cholesterol level.
without enough fat coming into your meal plan, Finally, there are certain fats known as essential
you’ll likely fall deficient and some of the negative fatty acids (omega fats) that the body cannot
side effects that can occur are issues with blood produce on its’ own so you absolutely must take
clotting, proper kidney health, bone growth and these in through dietary or supplementary sources.
repair, as well as maintaining adequate energy They are imperative for good health so also cannot
levels. be overlooked if you hope to stay feeling well.
Dietary fat is important for maintaining proper So which fats should you be eating?
brain function, especially the omega fats which play
a key role in mental health. Dietary fat can be divided up into a few
different kinds. This includes saturated fat,
The dietary fats that you consume will also help monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, omega
out with the production of various hormones in the fatty acids, as well as trans fats.
body, which regulate various cellular activities as
well as the reproduction process. Those who aren’t Saturated fat is a fat variety that you generally
taken in enough dietary fat may not be producing should avoid and is found in high fat animal
optimal levels of testosterone or estrogen, the two products such as meat, cheese, and dairy. It’s also
primary male and female sex hormones. found in most baked and processed foods such as
biscuits, cakes, tarts, pastries, chocolate, cookies,
When you consume dietary fat in the diet you’ll granola bars, and so on.
also cause the production of bile to be stimulated
and this bile is important for eliminating the waste This form of fat will increase your bad cholesterol
products that occur as the body breaks down red levels and increase your risk of heart disease.
blood cells. As a general recommendation, no more than
10% of your dietary fat intake should come from
For those that think that eating fat will cause an saturated sources (reference) http://www.health.
increase in cholesterol, you need to keep in mind gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/document/html/
that it’s more the type of fat you eat that influences chapter6.htm

Some saturated fat is important however, especially
for males, as it will help with the synthesis of
the hormone testosterone, which is vital for
reproduction, muscle building, and a number of
other functions.
The next type of fat is monounsaturated fat. This
is a healthy variety of fat that should be included in
the diet and will help to support good health. This
fat will increase the level of good cholesterol you
have in the body (HDL) while helping to lower the
amount of triglycerides present.
You’ll be most likely to find monounsaturated fats
in canola oil, peanut oil, olive oil, avocados, nuts, as
well as seeds.
The polyunsaturated fats are the next variety that
you’ll want to consume if you want to promote
optimal health. Like the unsaturated fats, these
will also improve your overall cholesterol profile,
increasing the good cholesterol in the body
while decreasing the bad, lowering your risk of
developing heart disease.
These fats are found in some vegetable oils such
as safflower oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, peanut
oil, along with nuts and seeds (these foods will
contain a mixture of fats). One thing to keep in
mind however is that because these fats are a rich
source of omega-6 fatty acids, which can become
inflammatory when taken in with larger doses, keep
your intake of these oils moderated.
Ideally, you’ll want to consume a ratio of 1:1 to 1:3
of omega-6 fatty acids to the omega-3 fatty acids
mentioned next.
The omega fatty acids are the essential fats that
you simply cannot do without. These fats provide
a wide number of benefits to the body, including
such roles as decreasing your risk of depression,
lowering your chances of cancer, reducing
the threat of diabetes, improving your insulin
sensitivity, strengthening the immune system, and
reducing free radical damage.

All in all, you cannot miss out on these fats. You
don’t need a high amount of them, but you do
definitely require them. The top sources of omega
fats include cold-water fish such as mackerel,
salmon, and herring, along with ground flaxseeds,
flaxseed oil, and walnuts.
If you aren’t eating these foods on a regular basis,
then you would want to look at using a fish oil
supplement to get your needs met.
Finally, the last type of fat to touch upon is
trans fat. Trans fat is fat that is created during a
manufacturing process and is used mostly to help
prolong the shelf life of many foods. This form of fat
is incredibly harmful for the body and needs to be
eliminated entirely if at all possible. The body has
zero need for trans fats in the diet.
The primary sources of trans fats to note include
margarine, snack foods like granola bars, cookies,
cakes, and muffins, along with some meat and dairy
products as well.
Always get into the habit of reading label
information and if you see trans fat listed, avoid
that food.
In terms of how much dietary fat you should be
eating, again, there are no clear cut requirements
that you absolutely must follow. It’s recommended
that you don’t consume any less than 15% of your
total calorie intake from fat sources otherwise you
may start to become deficient in some of the fat
soluble vitamins that the body needs to sustain
good health.
Since your total dietary fat intake must balance
out with your carbohydrate intake so that you are
still consuming an appropriate amount of calories,
that’s the more important thing to worry about.
You can either set your fat or your carbohydrate
intake after you’ve figured out how much protein
you’ll be eating and once both of those are in place,
the third macronutrient will be established for you.

Fiber
While not a major macronutrient, another element Getting a good balance of both types of fiber
of the diet that is important to discuss is that of throughout the day will be important for weight
fiber. Fiber is found in foods that contain complex control and overall health.
carbohydrates and comes in two different varieties, Some of the primary benefits from eating fiber
soluble fiber and insoluble fiber. include more regular bowel movements and
Soluble fiber is the type of fiber that will dissolve in elimination health, decreased blood cholesterol
water and that will form a gel-like substance that levels, stable blood sugar levels, and it may also
slows down the rate of movement of food through help to decrease the risk of colorectal cancer.
the digestive track, increasing the satiety you feel
from that meal. This form of fiber is very important The recommendations for your
for hunger control and is most commonly found in
whole grains such as oats, brown rice, and barley, fiber intake are set at about 30-
along with in beans, apples, citrus fruits, as well as 38 grams per day for males and
psyllium husk powder.
Insoluble fiber on the other hand is the type of
21-25 grams per day for females.
fiber that doesn’t dissolve in the digestive track but If you are currently eating a
rather increases the total volume of stool and helps
with the elimination process. If you want to stay lower fiber diet, it would be a
regular, this is the type of fiber to be eating.
wise move to add more fiber to
This form of fiber will also decrease the amount
of hunger you feel as it is quite filling as well and your diet slowly so as to avoid
is most commonly found in high-volume, low-
calorie foods. Such foods containing insoluble fiber
digestive upset.
include most vegetables, wheat bran, and whole
wheat.

If you go adding 10 grams or calories to the diet because it know in the diet. It’s important
more per day to your fiber intake, passes right through the system, that you get a firm handle over
you’re likely to find you feel quite but this isn’t the case. These which foods supply each type of
bloated, your stomach may begin individuals will often get into the nutrient, so if you feel like you’re
to feel upset, and more often than habit of subtracting their fiber still slightly overwhelmed by it
not, gas will be present. intake from the total grams of all, it would be well worth your
Add 3-5 grams every few days carbohydrates in the food they’re time and effort to begin looking
until you get up to your target eating and omitting those calories through a food database (or
fiber intake. Also keep in mind from their diet. alternatively visiting your grocery
that fiber intake does not need Instead, each gram of fiber store and reading food labels) to
to vary depending on whether should be counted as around two see which foods are highest in
you are active or not, so this is calories rather than the four that which nutrient.
one nutrient that will stay fairly the typical gram of carbohydrate Again remember that most will
constant throughout the diet. provides. This will give a better provide a combination of the
Those who are using lower calorie approximation of how many three nutrients however you’ll
intakes may naturally eat more calories you’re consuming from typically find they are much higher
fiber in their day however as the foods that you eat. in one nutrient over the others.
they are simply consuming more Finally note that too much dietary So now that we’ve covered
foods high in this nutrient. If you fiber, especially in men, can lead macronutrients, let’s touch upon
eat a very vegetable based diet to lower testosterone production, micronutrients.
you’re going to be taking in a high so you can get too much of a good
amount of fiber without making thing here. You want enough fiber,
much effort to. but not too much.
Finally, some people believe So this covers the main
that fiber will not contribute any macronutrients that you need to

Micronutrients In Your Diet
While macronutrients are the main nutrients every micronutrient, but note that you should never
that are going to supply you with energy, the let this cause you to believe that it means you don’t
micronutrients are those that are found within each need to focus on eating the right foods.
of the macronutrients. These are referred to as Regardless of whether you’re using a supplement
vitamins and minerals and are required for a wide or not, you should still be making sure that you are
variety of different processes in the body. always taking in nutrient dense foods as often as
Let’s look at the main ones that you should note possible so that you can provide your body these
and where you will get your intake from. Note nutrients in food form.
that many people will turn to a multi-vitamin When on a calorie reduced diet, since you aren’t
and mineral supplement for support with these going to be taking in quite as many calories, adding
micronutrients. This can be a very good idea for a multi-vitamin does tend to be a very good idea as
assurance sake as it is hard to make sure that the risk of deficiency is going to be higher, so make
you’re getting 100% of your intake for each and sure to give it some strong consideration.
Here are the micronutrients to be aware of.

Vitamin A regeneration as well as making sure Vitamin B9 (Folate)
(also referred to as Beta Carotene) that you are able to utilize the energy Folate is a very essential nutrient for
Vitamin is going to help assist with from carbohydrates effectively as proper growth and development of
the maintenance of healthy skin as well. babies, so anyone who is pregnant
well as support proper bone growth. This vitamin is also critical for will need to be making sure they
In addition to that, it also plays a key maintenance of the skin, hair, and take it in regularly. It’s also essential
role in keeping your eye sight optimal nails and will help improve the for the production of red blood cells
and can help to reduce the risk of healing process the body goes and for keeping the nervous system
night blindness. through. functioning optimally. Vitamin B9 will
You’ll find vitamin A in foods such as It’s found in eggs, fish, fortified help to keep the brain healthy.
whole eggs, oranges, cantaloupes, cereals, dairy products, kiwis, You can find folate in dark green
carrots, and green vegetables. avocados, broccoli, turnip greens, vegetables, beans, peas, lentils, some
asparagus, as well as spinach. cereals, liver, orange juice, and wheat
Vitamin B1(Thiamine) germ.
This B vitamin is important for Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
converting the carbohydrates that Niacin is important for maintenance Vitamin B12
you consume to energy and is also of energy levels and is also important Vitamin B12 is important for
going to support healthy nervous for improving the nervous system producing healthy nerve cells and for
system functioning. In addition to function as well as for supporting keeping your red blood count where it
that, it will also ensure that your a healthy digestive system. When should be. In addition to this, vitamin
muscles and heart contract optimally deficiencies occur, some of the B12 will also help to manufacture
and improve the digestion process. negative side effects can include DNA in the body, so is vital for cell
You can find this vitamin in pork, depression, diarrhea, dizziness, replication and may help contribute
legumes, bananas, fish, nuts and fatigue, headaches, indigestion, to optimal energy levels.
seeds, potatoes, watermelon, insomnia, low blood sugar levels, a You can find this vitamin in dairy
avocado, and whole grains. feeling of weakness in the body, as products, eggs, cereals, liver, beef, as
well as inflammation. well as claims.
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) You can get this vitamin from beef
Vitamin B2 plays an important role liver, peanuts, chicken, tuna, salmon,
in the growth and development of almonds, mushrooms, and lentils.
the body, improving the rate of cell

Vitamin C occurs, so eating enough will help the diet, maintaining adequate
Vitamin C is a vitamin that most maintain your red blood cell count. energy levels. This mineral also
people will easily take in provided Vitamin K is found in broccoli, improves your immune system health
they eat enough fresh fruits and Brussels sprouts, cabbage, leafy and can help to promote healthy and
vitamins. This vitamin is important green vegetables, as well as soybean strong bones as well.
for maintaining the level of collagen and olive oil. You can find copper in beans, raisings,
in the body and for helping to Now let’s switch our focus and look at chocolate, nuts, meat, as well as shellfish.
enhance your immune system. Those the main minerals that you should be
who fall deficient in vitamin C may consuming. Iodine
notice that they are slow to heal from Iodine is a mineral that most people
wounds, injuries, or the common Calcium will naturally have no problem getting
cold, so getting enough is essential Calcium is the main mineral that enough as it’s found in table salt.
for optimum well-being. is going to help promote strong This mineral is important for proper
This vitamin also offers antioxidant bones and will also be important thyroid gland function so it will help
support, so will help to protect the for assisting with the regulation of assist with maintaining a strong
body against free radical damage. the heart beat along with muscular metabolic rate.
You can find it in citrus fruits, contractions. It’s also vital for Iodine can be found in seafood,
grapefruits, lemons, berries, melons, maintaining healthy nerves and seaweed, dairy products, as well as in
tomatoes, potatoes, green peppers, supports strong teeth. table salt as mentioned.
as well as leafy green vegetables. You can find calcium in milk and
other dairy products, as well as Iron
Vitamin D leafy greens, in the bones of canned Iron is an essential mineral to support
Vitamin D is sometimes referred to salmon, in sardines, almonds, and proper energy levels as those who
as the ‘sunshine vitamin’ and will be broccoli. fall short will often suffer from fatigue
produced naturally in the body any It should also be noted that those throughout the day and will not be
time you’re in daylight. This vitamin who consume more calcium in their able to sustain endurance activity
is important for increasing your diet will also experience a greater rate very well.
ability to absorb the calcium that of fat loss from the abdominal region, Women lose some iron each month
you consume as well as for helping to proving to make this a very important with their menstrual cycle, so it’s
maintain strong bones. nutrient to take in when you’re on a important for them to be especially
You can get vitamin D from liver, fat loss diet plan. careful that they are taking in enough.
fatty fish, whole eggs, as well as from Iron is going to assist with the
fortified milk. Most people who are Chromium carriage of oxygen through the blood,
going outside on a regular basis The next mineral that you should delivering it to all the tissues in the
will not have to worry about falling consider adding to your diet is body. This mineral is found in liver,
deficient in this vitamin. chromium. Chromium will be red meat, whole eggs, legumes, as
essential for regulation of the well as in many dark leafy vegetables
Vitamin E metabolism as well as sugar in the such as spinach.
Another vitamin that offers antioxidant blood and is also going to influence
protection for your body from free the insulin-blood sugar control Magnesium
radicals is vitamin E. This vitamin is system. Many of those who do have Magnesium is an important mineral
important for warding off disease. It poor blood sugar control supplement that will assist with proper muscle
is found in highest concentrations in with additional chromium to help function and can also improve the
nuts and seeds, peanuts and peanut improve the state of this condition. metabolic rate and the amount of
butter, vegetable oil, wheat germ, as This nutrient is found in beans, cheese, bone growth that you experience.
well as whole grains. whole grains, peas, as well as many Those who do not take in enough
different animal protein sources. magnesium in their diet may find they
Vitamin K suffer from high levels of fat, poor
Vitamin K is the vitamin that will be Copper memory abilities, as well as have a
primarily responsible for making Copper is the next mineral that will rapid heartbeat.
sure that your blood clots properly. be essential to include in your diet. This mineral is going to be found
Those who don’t get in enough from This mineral is going to assist with red most predominantly in whole grains,
their diet may find they bleed almost blood cell formation and can help to nuts, legumes, apricots, bananas, and
uncontrollably even when a small cut improve your uptake of iron through soy beans.

Manganese Potassium Sodium
Manganese is the mineral that is vital Potassium is a mineral that is Sodium is another mineral that is
for keeping your bones healthy and going to be important for anyone important for regulating the amount
improving the rate of cell production maintaining an active lifestyle as it of water in the body and will also
in the body. It’s also important for will help with muscular contraction. help to reduce the amount of fatigue
maintaining blood clotting ability In addition to that, it’s also important you experience and prevent muscle
along with vitamin K. You can find for helping with nerve function and cramps during exercise.
Manganese in foods such as whole with maintaining the right amount of You can find this mineral in table salt
grains, fruit, vegetables, whole eggs, blood pressure in the body. and dairy products.
as well as in tea. Potassium is found in highest
concentrations in fruits and Zinc
Molybdenum vegetables as well as beans and Finally, the last mineral that you
This mineral is important for your potatoes. should be adding to your diet plan is
nerve function, so will essentially zinc. Zinc is going to be an integral
help assist with the regulation of Selenium part of wound healing and can also
movement and muscular contraction. Selenium is a mineral that will help to assist with proper smell
This nutrient is found in dark green provide antioxidant support, reducing and taste. In males, zinc can also
vegetables, peas, milk, beans, as well the damage to cells in the body while help to maintain adequate levels
as whole grains. Beans are especially also assisting the thyroid gland to of testosterone, which will be very
high in this mineral, so adding them help maintain a healthy metabolic important for your muscle building
to your diet would be a very wise rate. efforts as well as your recovery ability.
move. This mineral is found in brazil nuts, Zinc is found in whole wheat
tuna, eggs, whole grains, chicken, products, peanuts, poultry, eggs,
shellfish, as well as regular fish. legumes, beef, as well as shellfish.
So there you have a closer look at all the minerals in the body. Together with the vitamins these make up the
micronutrients that you need to be taking in on a daily basis.
By ensuring that you get enough of them, you can do your part to promote optimal health and well-being.
This now sums up our section on the basic nutritional needs of the human body. If you take care to ensure
that you’re eating a mixed and varied diet, you shouldn’t have any problem taking in the right mix of
nutrients to support good health and feel your best at all times.
Now let’s move forward and speak more about the set-up of the ‘If It Fits Your Macros’ diet

Chapter 4:
Introduction To If it
Fits Your Macros
By now you should have a very good idea of what a calorie is along with the different nutrients
that are found in foods that provide these calories.
At this point, it’s time to lay the foundation for what IIFYM is about.
Simply put, IIFYM is designed to allow you to eat whatever you like provided you stick with
your target calorie intake and macronutrient requirements.
This means that if you want to serve chicken as your main source of protein – go for it.
If you would prefer to eat Greek yogurt, that’s fine as well.
Likewise, if you tend to enjoy the taste of whole wheat pasta over brown rice, so be it – both
choices are an acceptable part of IIFYM plan.
On IIFYM, no food is off limits. Even if you wanted to Now, this is going to likely clash with just about
indulge in a slice of chocolate cake at dinner, you everything that you’ve read about diets before. In
are allowed to do so – as long as it fits your macros. previous times, you’ve likely heard that you need
The take-home message that we’re trying to give to eat ‘clean’ in order to see fat loss success Or that
you with IIFYM is that it doesn’t necessarily matter, you need to eat these 10 super foods to help speed
from a weight loss perspective, exactly where the up your metabolism. Maybe you read that you have
macronutrients and calories you eat come from as to stay away from carbs, fat, dairy, sweets, or diet
long as they satisfy the requirements that your soda in order to lose weight. What about, not eating
body needs. carbs before bed? Or eating only certain kinds of
carbs? Portion control, fast food? What about all of
When it comes right down to it, speaking strictly in these gimmicks?
terms of weight loss, your body doesn’t really know
the difference between 10 grams of carbs coming Clean eating here referring to the fact that all the
from brown rice versus 10 grams of carbs coming foods you consume should be as natural as possible
from candy. and come straight from the ground or directly from
the animal (as is the case with lean protein or eggs).
Both will supply you with 40 calories and be broken
down into glucose for the cells to use. If you want Now I’m sitting here telling you that it doesn’t
to lose weight, you simply need to stay within your matter?
target calorie requirement and make sure that you You might think something just doesn’t add up.
do provide the right amount of each protein, carb, So let me back track for a second. Keep in mind that
and fat nutrient in order for your body to function. when I say it doesn’t matter, I’m strictly speaking in
Do that and the food choices you choose to make terms of weight loss.
those calories up with won’t influence the rate of
weight loss taking place.

I’m not speaking in terms of health, hunger, blood some of the problems that other diets had that
sugar regulation, disease prevention, and so on. caused you to be unsuccessful?
For all of those elements, it does matter. It also What was the general concept behind many of
matters in terms of what type of weight you lose – these problems?
body fat or lean muscle mass. Lack of adherence. Simply, the diet was either too
You simply won’t be as healthy feasting on a diet difficult to follow or you simply hated being on it so
of cookies, chocolate, and chicken, as you would you came off it rapidly.
feasting on a diet of sweet potatoes, oatmeal, IIFYM attempts to change that. As soon as you put
vegetables, fruit, nuts, and chicken. a food no the ‘off limits’ list, it’s going to be the
The latter food choices simply provide more of food that you obsess about.
those micronutrients that we identified in the For example, let’s say that I tell you cannot, under
previous chapter. Since those micronutrients no circumstances have ice cream on your diet. If
are important for your overall well-being, I would you eat that, you have failed and your diet is over.
encourage you to eat these most of the time, and Ice cream is the ultimate ‘bad’ food to avoid.
at a bare minimum, take a gender specific multi
vitamin to help fill in the gaps of your missing What’s your mind going to do?
micronutrients. It’s going to fixate on ice cream. You may (and I
…But, don’t get hung up if you want to pig out. make no joke about this) even start dreaming about
it. We always want what we can’t have and food is
IIFYM allows you to eat all the no different.
foods you love, provided you IIFYM removes that ‘can’t

can fit them in to your macros. have’ list.
Likewise with hunger, foods that are wholesome Want ice cream?
and contain more fiber will fill you up far better That’s fine – have it after dinner – just make sure
than processed foods that contain no volume and that you account for the calories, carbs, and fats
don’t provide much satiety at all. that it provides.
When you provide complex carbohydrate choices By allowing all foods back onto your diet plan,
over simple carbohydrate choices, you will you’re going to find that you stress less about being
maintain more stable blood sugar levels which will on the diet and that you have a much easier time
help to keep your energy level constant all day long. sticking with it.
When you provide simple carbohydrates, you will Ironically enough, you may find yourself naturally
notice you feel a rapid energy spike followed by a making smarter and healthier food choices simply
crash leaving you hungry, tired, irritable, and just because you aren’t obsessed over all the foods you
feeling overall very unwell. can’t have. You know you can have them if you
Again, food choices do matter in terms of how you wanted, so they tend to lose their appeal.
feel. They simply don’t matter when it comes to The more you ingrain it in your mind that you
the weight loss that you experience, assuming, of can’t eat something, the more you will focus on it.
course, that you do make sure you eat sufficient Instead, by making it allowable, you shift your focus
calories and protein. and it’s not on your mind 24/7.
So if food choices contribute to how you feel, That is the secret behind this diet’s success.
function, and your overall health state, why aren’t Adherence is easy while on this plan. You won’t
we giving you guidelines on what you must eat? experience any food cravings because if you do,
The reason is because of adherence. you’re allowed to give in immediately. Just work
Remember how we discussed in the beginning them into your totals – it’s that easy!

No diet will ever be as fun You are in the driver’s seat with IIFYM. You get to
pick and choose which foods you will and will not
and enjoyable as this one is. eat within the nutritional guidelines that are set.
Therefore, you will never have to eat a meal that
Plus, IIFYM will work for you truly do not enjoy. How great is that?
everyone. Each person is I would recommend that you try and follow the
80/20 formula. What this means is that 80% of the
unique in their food choices time, try and eat nutritious food choices. This will
and that is a big reason why keep you healthy and feeling well. 20% of the time,
have some fun. Enjoy yourself – food is meant to be
so many people fail on enjoyed so treat yourself to whatever you desire.
other programs as well. And if you have an off day where it’s more like
50/50, relax. Just make sure that the food choices
They hate the foods they’re you’re eating are fitting your macros and calorie
being told to eat so even if requirements and it will make no difference on the
rate of fat loss you see (keep in mind however that
the diet is designed well, certain foods may be higher in sodium than others,
so you may temporarily see an increase in the
they despise being on it. scale due to excess water weight, but this does not
represent true fat gain).
So to get started, let’s go over some

important IIFYM rules you have to know.
Rule #1: Rule #2:

Use a Digital Scale to Use An Online Food Journal
Measure Your Food (or phone application if preferred)
The very first rule to get in place is to use a digital food Second, after you’ve weighed and measured out your
scale to measure everything you eat in grams. food, the next important thing that you must make sure
you’re doing is using an online food journal to list these
Most digital scales allow you to use grams or ounces. foods out.
Since grams area a smaller unit, grams will always be Online food journals make things incredibly easy as they
more accurate. will provide you the complete calorie and macronutrient
breakdown of what you’re eating.
We suggest that you weight all of your food raw, and log This way, you can quickly assess how you’re doing with
it raw on your online food journal (see Rule #2). regards to achieving your daily target values.
Some people prefer to weigh food cooked, and this is Some good online food journals to consider are:
fine, as long as you pick one method and stick with it. www.macrotracker.com
Consistency is far more important that accuracy over www.getmymacros.com
the long term. www.myfitnesspal.com
Do this daily and make sure that by the end of the day,
That being said, we suggest that you are as accurate as the food you’ve eaten is meeting your target intake. If
possible so that you give yourself the best chances are you go under or over by any degree (which you should try
rapid fat loss. very hard to avoid), add or subtract these calories to your
next day’s total.

Rule #3: Rule #6:
Mentally Take Note Of How Remember IIFYM Is Not
Various Foods Make You Feel An Excuse To Pig Out
The next rule to make note of and follow as you go At the same time though, keep in mind that this plan is
about IIFYM is to start paying closer attention to how the not an excuse to pig out all day long on junk food. While
various foods you’re eating make you feel throughout you can treat yourself when you’re craving a particular
the day. food, keep in mind that health is still important.
This will allow you to better learn your own body and We haven’t designed IIFYM to give you the free pass to
how the different foods you eat react to it. Over time, eat junk and lose weight. We’ve designed it to teach you
this will then help you figure out the best foods to fit that you can enjoy your diet and still see the results that
your macros that will have you feeling and looking great. you’re looking for.
Maintain some self-control with the food choices
that you’re making because this is what will help you
Rule #4: maintain your weight long term.
Hit Your Fiber and Eat At You don’t want to develop bad habits where you start
binging on junk food and if you rely too much on these in
Least 5 Servings of your diet, this could eventually happen.
Vegetables Every Day
The one recommendation that we are going to make
Rule #7:
with IIFYM over and above making sure that you meet Weight Yourself and Take Pics
your macro requirements is that you hit your fiber goal. Once per Week to Track
To do this we suggest you eat at least 5 servings of
vegetables each day. Progress
The seventh rule to remember about IIFYM is that you
Vegetables are an absolute necessity with IIFYM due should monitor your progress regularly. To do this we
to the high volume of micronutrients they provide. suggest that you take full body pictures and weigh
yourself once per week.
You can eat your cake, cookies, and ice cream, but you Take the pics in the same spot, in the same light,
also must get your vegetables in. If you only manage wearing the same swim suit, first thing in the morning
three servings some days, don’t stress – just do your before you eat or drink anything.
absolute best for five (or more) each day. The more consistent you can be, the better you will be
able to tell what kind of progress you are making.
Rule #5: Remember, the scale is a dirty liar!! While it can be a

useful tool, don't use it as your only means of gauging
Don’t Allow Guilt To your progress.
Enter The Picture
Also try on your favorite pair of jeans , and ask a friend
Guilt is something that we need to banish from the
how you look.
picture on IIFYM plan. If you often find yourself feeling
guilty, this could cause you to either start cutting back
your calories dramatically (which is not what you want)
or cause you to lose all self-control and eat a box of
cookies rather than the two that fit your macros.
The whole point of IIFYM is to learn to enjoy food

without guilt. As long as you enjoy it sensibly and in
moderation, there is absolutely no reason to feel guilty
after eating a food you crave.

Rule #8:
The Only Time You Will Rule #9:
Change Your Macros is Have an IIFYM Diet Buddy
When Fat Loss Stalls or Support Group
Once you start IIFYM you will never have to recalculate Having a friend or group of that are equally devoted to
your macros. Well, at least not until your goals change. achieving their goals as you are to yours can be a surefire
Regardless of how much weight you have lost, if you are way to help you succeed.
still burning fat, and losing weight, CHANGE NOTHING! Obviously we cannot lose sight of how important our
goals are, and we cannot rely on others to do the work
After 10 full days of ZERO fat loss then, and only then for us, but having a coach, a training partner, a friend or
should you make an adjustment. a group to help us stay strong a remind us of why we
started is just one small way to stay focused and on
We have our clients drop 10-15 grams of carbs the first track .
time they stall, then 5-10 grams of fat the next time they In some cases, friends fall off and can in fact hurt our
stall. The third time, we add 10 minutes of cardio, then progress (if we let it), so it is up to you to select your
repete the cycle the next time fat loss stalls. support system wisely. For some people, your spouse
might be the perfect diet buddy to keep you encouraged
Changes to your macros should be small and and on target. For other people.. not so much.
infrequent.
In some cases something as simple as a Facebook group
can get us through the difficult stick points.
We highly encourage you to check out the official IIFYM

Facebook page: www.facebook.com/groups/iifym
Having a diet buddy is not mandatory, but it certainly

can help!
Rule #10:
Have Fun!
Finally, the last rule is to have fun. Remember, IIFYM is
meant to be fun. It’s meant to show you that diet
doesn’t have to be associated with torture or something
that you must endure.
You want to make this as enjoyable as a process as you
can. Try new recipes – try new foods – eat out – just
make sure it fits your macros and you’ll be fine.
If you follow these ten rules as you progress along with
the IIFYM diet plan, you will achieve success.

CONCLUSION
This wraps up everything that you need to know to
get started with the IIFYM approach immediately. Always
remember that calories are the single most important
determinant of success. Eating the right macros help
ensure that you lose fat mass as opposed to lean muscle
mass and have the energy to get through your workout
session.
Then, your food choices establish how healthy you are,
how you feel on a day to day basis, and how easy it is to
stick with that diet plan.
Choose wisely as you design a diet that you enjoy and you
will never find yourself seeking out another diet plan again.
References:
Deighton, Kevin, Jessica C. Zahra, and David J. Stensel. “Appetite, energy intake and resting metabolic responses to 60min
treadmill running performed in a fasted versus a postprandial state.”
Appetite 58.3 (2012): 946-954.
Bellisle, France, Regina McDevitt, and Andrew M. Prentice. “Meal frequency and energy balance.”
British Journal of Nutrition 77.S1 (1997): S57-S70.
Poppitt, Sally D., et al. “Long-term effects of ad libitum low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets on body weight and serum lipids in
overweight subjects with metabolic syndrome.”
The American journal of clinical nutrition 75.1 (2002): 11-20.
Baggio, Giovannella, et al. “Olive-oil-enriched diet: effect on serum lipoprotein levels and biliary cholesterol saturation.”
Simopoulos, Artemis P. “The importance of the ratio of omega-6/omega-3 essential fatty acids.”
Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy 56.8 (2002): 365-379.
Dorgan, Joanne F., et al. “Effects of dietary fat and fiber on plasma and urine androgens and estrogens in men: a controlled
feeding study.”
Zemel, Michael B., et al. “Calcium and dairy acceleration of weight and fat loss during energy restriction in obese adults.”
Obesity research 12.4 (2004): 582-590.

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THE OFFICIAL RESOURCE FOR

IIFYM STANDS FOR: IF IT FITS YOUR MACROS.

THE OFFICIAL RESOURCE FOR FLEXIBLE DIETING | 2

THE OFFICIAL RESOURCE FOR FLEXIBLE DIETING | 3

THE OFFICIAL RESOURCE FOR FLEXIBLE DIETING | 4

And why will What use is a diet if the results

THE OFFICIAL RESOURCE FOR FLEXIBLE DIETING | 5

We as humans crave variety. It doesn’t matter if

It’s simply too much of only a few types of foods.

THE OFFICIAL RESOURCE FOR FLEXIBLE DIETING | 6

THE OFFICIAL RESOURCE FOR FLEXIBLE DIETING | 7

When you look at most diet plans, they’re

At 8 am, you eat these foods.

THE OFFICIAL RESOURCE FOR FLEXIBLE DIETING | 8

Don’t eat carbs and fats together – that will

THE OFFICIAL RESOURCE FOR FLEXIBLE DIETING | 9

They don’t address that

THE OFFICIAL RESOURCE FOR FLEXIBLE DIETING | 10

So now that we’ve had the

Want us to create a custom

THE OFFICIAL RESOURCE FOR FLEXIBLE DIETING | 11

The Calorie Deficit

THE OFFICIAL RESOURCE FOR FLEXIBLE DIETING | 12

When you consume calories through your food

For fat loss to occur we have to consume fewer

Cool fact of the day:

THE OFFICIAL RESOURCE FOR FLEXIBLE DIETING | 13

Before you know it, you’ll be driving

THE OFFICIAL RESOURCE FOR FLEXIBLE DIETING | 14

It’s basic math, and simple science. Since energy cannot be

THE OFFICIAL RESOURCE FOR FLEXIBLE DIETING | 15

Every pound of fat has 3500 calories. This means that it

THE OFFICIAL RESOURCE FOR FLEXIBLE DIETING | 16

If you create too large of a calorie

THE OFFICIAL RESOURCE FOR FLEXIBLE DIETING | 17

THE OFFICIAL RESOURCE FOR FLEXIBLE DIETING | 18

THE OFFICIAL RESOURCE FOR FLEXIBLE DIETING | 19

Small Calorie Deficits Larger Calorie Deficits

THE OFFICIAL RESOURCE FOR FLEXIBLE DIETING | 20

THE OFFICIAL RESOURCE FOR FLEXIBLE DIETING | 21

Another formula you can use if you don’t

THE OFFICIAL RESOURCE FOR FLEXIBLE DIETING | 22

THE OFFICIAL RESOURCE FOR FLEXIBLE DIETING | 23

THE OFFICIAL RESOURCE FOR FLEXIBLE DIETING | 24

THE OFFICIAL RESOURCE FOR FLEXIBLE DIETING | 25

THE OFFICIAL RESOURCE FOR FLEXIBLE DIETING | 26

Lean beef Eggs and egg whites

THE OFFICIAL RESOURCE FOR FLEXIBLE DIETING | 27

THE OFFICIAL RESOURCE FOR FLEXIBLE DIETING | 28

Fibrous Starch Simple Simple

Asparagus Brown rice Apples Candy

THE OFFICIAL RESOURCE FOR FLEXIBLE DIETING | 29

THE OFFICIAL RESOURCE FOR FLEXIBLE DIETING | 30

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THE OFFICIAL RESOURCE FOR FLEXIBLE DIETING | 32

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THE OFFICIAL RESOURCE FOR FLEXIBLE DIETING | 35

Here are the micronutrients to be aware of.

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