Quantity > Quality

Nutrition is something with which many people in America struggle.  In today’s culture, practically everybody wants to either lose fat or gain muscle.  However, the ability to diet correctly is usually the most common setback that people encounter when trying to improve their physique.  The term “diet” itself is often intimidating, carrying the implication that it is going to be extremely restrictive with the quality of food it allows one to consume.  Layne Norton, a professional, natural bodybuilder, power lifter, and fitness coach with a PhD in Nutritional Sciences defines diets as “interventions that typically target weight loss by elimination of certain types of foods, food groups, or macronutrient groups.” It is this definition that gives people the impression that dieting has to be a tedious and monotonous process in order to see physical improvements in their body composition.

Food is made up of calories.  A calorie is defined as “the amount of heat required at a pressure of one atmosphere to raise the temperature of one gram of water one degree Celsius that is equal to about 4.19 joules.”  There are three forms of calories, known as macronutrients.  The three macronutrient categories are: protein, carbohydrate, and fat.  Protein and carbohydrates each contain four calories per gram, while fat contains nine calories per gram.  The energy our bodies use is measured in calories. Thus, every person has a maintenance level in which their body will neither gain nor lose weight, but will remain the same.  When it comes to losing or gaining weight, the only thing that matters is calories in vs. calories out.  If a person is in a caloric surplus of +500 calories per day, he/she is going to gain weight regardless of the type of food he/she is eating, even if it is “clean”.  On the other hand, if a person is in a caloric deficit of -500 calories per day, he/she is going to lose weight, regardless of the food he/she eats.  Thus it may be concluded that the only unavoidable element contributing to weight loss or gain is food quantity, meaning calories in vs. calories out. The quality of these foods—meaning their macronutrient components—while important in determining the composition of weight loss, are not the most important factor, and can even be manipulated, so long as they fall under proper caloric guidelines.

A new dieting trend called “if it fits your macros” (abbreviated IIFYM) puts this concept to the test. IIFYM is a dieting method that can be used for bulking up muscles, cutting down on body fat, or even maintaining one’s current physical state.  The dieting style focuses on consuming the correct amount of macronutrients that are needed in order to improve body composition, whether that be through fat loss or muscle gain.  The food being consumed does not matter so long as the right quantities of it fit into the provided guidelines.  There will still be a daily caloric goal while following this diet, but so long as the macronutrient requirements are met, the way in which one arrives at that goal is up to that person.  For instance, if someone’s daily macronutrient requirements called for 120 grams of protein, 200 grams of carbs, and 83 grams of fat, he/she would be consuming 2,027 calories per day.  This person can literally eat whatever he/she wants so long as these macronutrient requirements are met.

The only issue that IIFYM seems to face is that some people claim it is not a “clean” diet because it allows its participants to indulge in foods they like if they elect to manipulate their macronutrient quotas.  For instance, someone who follows this diet can treat themselves to something like a cheeseburger every once in a while if he/she calculates his/her macronutrients carefully, making sure that the meal still remains within his/her macronutrient boundaries for the day. While something like a cheeseburger is often labeled as “junk” food, if calculated properly, it can be implemented into one’s diet without being detrimental toward one’s goal of achieving a better body composition.

Not only can the flexibility of IIFYM produce physical results, but it can also help ease one’s mental state while dieting.  Most other diet plans try to restrict people to eating very specific foods, which, if done for long periods of time, can lead to eating disorders.  A common issue that can occur when following traditional, restrictive diets is orothorexia, a disorder that causes a person to become so obsessed with this/her diet food that any other type of food can cause him/her anxiety. This person might acquire quality physical results, but his/her mental and social health will certainly decline.  A 2004 study was conducted to test the likelihood of the occurrence of orthorexia in people when following a very strict, healthy eating program.  Out of four hundred and four people tested, twenty-eight of them developed orthorexia.  This indicates that about seven percent of people who restrict their eating habits for dietary purposes develop this sort of obsessive-compulsive disorder toward food.  Because this type of diet is not restrictive, it allows people to have a greater variety in their food choices.  It enables people the flexibility to customize their diet to their own needs.

The idea behind “If It Fits Your Macros” is that dieters can eat whatever they choose, so long as their macronutrient quota for the day is met. This concept has caused controversy between traditional dietitians and modern advocates of this lenient dieting style. Some may say that this diet is just a justification to eat nothing but junk food all the time. Yes, this dieting style does allow for some “fun” meals with sweets or “junk” food, but only in moderation. Eating at McDonald’s or Burger King is allowed, but in order to make it work, one would have to be willing to deplete his/her fat – and probably carb – macros for the day in order to make the meal fit within his/her macronutrient requirements. In fact, in order to stay on track for the rest of the day, the remaining portion of this person’s diet will have to be lean sources of protein with low amounts of carbohydrates since his/her fat quota for the day is already met, as well as a decent portion of his/her carb limit. Another concern that is often expressed when looking into IIFYM is micronutrient consumption. Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals that are found in food, such as vitamin D in milk, or omega 3 fatty acids in fish. A common concern with IIFYM is that it focuses too much on macronutrients and not enough on micronutrients, which are essential for optimal overall health. Since those that follow this diet do not necessarily have to consume foods rich in micronutrients, it is possible that this could prove to be a flaw in this dieting method. An ideal option for those that are skeptical about this aspect of IIFYM would be supplementation. With modern advances in the supplement industry, it is very easy and effective to simply take a daily supplement to make up for any vitamin or mineral that may be lacking in one’s diet. Those that do follow “clean” diets typically opt out of taking multivitamins because their diet already provides them with their necessary micronutrients. In this case, though, something like a multivitamin could prove to be a quick fix for those that feel their diet is lacking necessary vitamins and minerals.

Mark Haub, a professor of Human Nutrition at Kansas State University, conducted an experiment on himself to test this idea of eating primarily “junk” food to lose weight.  The study went on for ten weeks.  Each day, Haub ate one twinky, along with some Doritos and Oreos, every three hours instead of meals.  These snack foods made up two-thirds of his overall diet, the other one-third coming from a daily protein shake and either a can of green beans or four celery sticks he ate each day.  In addition to his diet, he was also taking a multivitamin supplement.  His logic in doing this was that since raw caloric consumption is the main determining factor of weight loss and weight gain, the value of his food did not matter.  In two months, he lost twenty-seven pounds.  He was consuming about 1,800 calories daily, a caloric deficit of 800 calories from his maintenance level of 2,600 calories per day.  His body mass index decreased from 28.8 to 24.9.  His “bad” cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein, or LDL), went down twenty percent, while his “good” cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein, or HDL), increased by twenty percent.  His triglyceride levels, a form of fat, also decreased by thirty-nine percent.  Haub’s overall body fat after this experiment decreased from 33.4 percent to 24.9 percent.

After being made aware of what calories are and how they work, it is clearly evident that a diet such as IIFYM is an effective method for improving body composition.  With all of the modern research that has been conducted about nutrition and fat loss, it is undeniable that the main cause for weight loss and weight gain ultimately comes down to calories consumed vs calories burned.  As Professor Haub’s experiment proved, people who are dieting should focus primarily on the quantity, not the quality, of the food they are consuming.  The importance of the quantity of the food being consumed far outweighs the quality of the food.

Works Cited

Bray, George A., MD, Steven R. Smith, MD, Lillian Jonge, PHD, Hui Xie, PHD, Jennifer Rood, PHD, Corby K. Martin, PHD, Marlene Most, PHD, Courtney Brock, MS, RD, Susan Mancuso, BSN, RN, and Leanne M. Redman, PhD. “Effect of Dietary Protein Content on Weight Gain, Energy Expenditure, and Body Composition During Overeating.” JAMA Network. The Journal of the American Medical Association, 4 Jan. 2012. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. <http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1103993&gt;.

“Calorie.” Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/calorie&gt;.

Donini, L. M., MD, PhD, D. Marsili, M. P. Graziani, M. Imbriale, and C. Cannella. “Orthorexia Nervosa: A Preliminary Study with a Proposal for Diagnosis and an Attempt to Measure the Dimension of the Phenomenon – Springer.” Orthorexia Nervosa: A Preliminary Study with a Proposal for Diagnosis and an Attempt to Measure the Dimension of the Phenomenon – Springer. Springer International Publishing, 01 June 2004. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. <http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF03325060&gt;.

 Hollis, Jack F., Christina M. Gullion, Victor J. Stevens, Phillip Brantley, DR, Lawrence J. Appel, Jamy D. Ard, DR, Catherine M. Champagne, Arlene Dalcin, Thomas P. Erlinger, Kristine Funk, Daniel Laferriere, Pao Lin, Catherine M. Loria, Carmen Samuel-Hodge, William M. Vollmer, and Laura P. Svetkey. “Abstract.” National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, Aug. 2008. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2515566/&gt;.

“Nutrition and Athletic Performance : Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.”Nutrition and Athletic Performance : Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, Mar. 2009. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. <http://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Fulltext/2009/03000/Nutrition_and_Athletic_Performance.27.aspx&gt;.

Park, Madison. “Twinkie Diet Helps Nutrition Professor Lose 27 Pounds.” CNN. Cable News Network, 08 Nov. 2010. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. <http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/&gt;.