Iifym causes eating disorders?

[oxford123]

Every one preaches IIFYM allows more flexibility and relaxation due to eating whatever you want (granted you hit your fiber/fruits/veggies) and you hit your daily macros... however... i've noticed a lot of young kids (around 18-22) have been getting WAY too obsesssed with tracking every single macro to every single gram every single day for days/months/years on end (if you are PREPPING for a show, imo it is the only way to get that lean).. YES it is optimal and a way of monitoring your weight but people won't eat out with their families or enjoy a meal out with friends... it's affecting more of their mental state than physical state. examples include people getting REALLY worried about their quest bars having more chunks than the last one... weighing their micky d's quarter pounder... won't eat with friends in college at the cafe b/c they can't track accurately... these examples are causing eating disorders... would love to hear other peoples thoughts on this...

[HealingHands8]

Idiots will always take things to the extremes. Nothing new.

[lllDBOlll]

Extremes of both cases.

Eating "Clean" causes eating disorders because people breakdown if they "cheat".

IIFYM causes eating disorders because people breakdown if they go over their macros.

The key is to be sensible and find balance.

[FsAxis92]

Extremes of both cases.

Eating "Clean" causes eating disorders because people breakdown if they "cheat".

IIFYM causes eating disorders because people breakdown if they go over their macros.

The key is to be sensible and find balance.

This

[shesprints]

Ten or fifteen years ago, the idea of calorie counts posted at restaurants was very new and rare. What I now seriously wonder is that if other food outlets like salad bars will continue to follow the trend (like froyo shops) of making food scales available. I mean, seriously... weighing your food and calculating macros might become the norm in twenty years. Food establishments will likely make these things available as consumer demand increases.

I mean, knowledge is power, right? And many studies show people SUCK at estimating volume visually (just how our brains work, no one's fault). So it kind of makes sense.

The IIFYM/always weighing food crowd will then be the new normal and it will be much easier to live that way and still eat more freely. Sorta.

[EdenPrime]

Every one preaches IIFYM allows more flexibility and relaxation due to eating whatever you want (granted you hit your fiber/fruits/veggies) and you hit your daily macros... however... i've noticed a lot of young kids (around 18-22) have been getting WAY too obsesssed with tracking every single macro to every single gram every single day for days/months/years on end (if you are PREPPING for a show, imo it is the only way to get that lean).. YES it is optimal and a way of monitoring your weight but people won't eat out with their families or enjoy a meal out with friends... it's affecting more of their mental state than physical state. examples include people getting REALLY worried about their quest bars having more chunks than the last one... weighing their micky d's quarter pounder... won't eat with friends in college at the cafe b/c they can't track accurately... these examples are causing eating disorders... would love to hear other peoples thoughts on this...

It goes both ways. For me, "clean eating" errr, food exclusion, causes me to binge eat because I tend to go the "all or nothing" approach. For someone else, not so much.

In my experience, it all comes down to people and their insecurities and or addictive personalities--whichever food lifestyle you choose only counters or makes worse.

[snorkelman]

... examples include people ... weighing their micky d's quarter pounder... ..

please take a picture of this. I wanted to make a meme about that but found no images on google except for a japanese one

[AAOBob]

please take a picture of this. I wanted to make a meme about that but found no images on google except for a japanese one

When I was cutting I weighed the chicken breast at a Portillo's (best fast food in Chicago), because I wanted to make sure I was hitting my protein number and Portillo's does everything it can to hide its calories so they have no nutritional information.

Did it once, now have a pretty good guesstimate for the calories/macros of their chicken sandwich, no ****s were given.

[Voltri]

IIFYM actually fixed the disordered eating patterns I developed from eating "clean."

[WonderPug]

Ten or fifteen years ago, the idea of calorie counts posted at restaurants was very new and rare. What I now seriously wonder is that if other food outlets like salad bars will continue to follow the trend (like froyo shops) of making food scales available. I mean, seriously... weighing your food and calculating macros might become the norm in twenty years. Food establishments will likely make these things available as consumer demand increases.

I mean, knowledge is power, right? And many studies show people SUCK at estimating volume visually (just how our brains work, no one's fault). So it kind of makes sense.

The IIFYM/always weighing food crowd will then be the new normal and it will be much easier to live that way and still eat more freely. Sorta.

Food for thought: obesity was nearly nonexistent(<1% prevalence in the in the States and Western Europe) in the late 1800's, before caloric content of food was known.

In societies that, today, lack industrial foods, obesity is still largely unseen despite a nearly total absence of caloric content information.

[gbullock32]

please take a picture of this. I wanted to make a meme about that but found no images on google except for a japanese one

Dunno, I might weigh a quarter pounder at the counter just to see if it actually was a quarter of a pound. Make 'em add more beef until it is if they short me on the weight.

[SuffolkPunch]

I use my experience and knowledge so that I DONT have to calculate every macro and calorie. I can guesstimate, taking no more than a few moments though each day and still hit my targets.

[naturalguy]

Counting calories can make one obsessive

[snorkelman]

Dunno, I might weigh a quarter pounder at the counter just to see if it actually was a quarter of a pound. Make 'em add more beef until it is if they short me on the weight.

[shesprints]

Food for thought: obesity was nearly nonexistent(<1% prevalence in the in the States and Western Europe) in the late 1800's, before caloric content of food was known.

In societies that, today, lack industrial foods, obesity is still largely unseen despite a nearly total absence of caloric content information.

I would say that blaming the obesity epidemic on knowledge of calories is like blaming the AIDs epidemic on awareness of AIDs.

The problem isn't that we know about calories now; it's the total lifestyle change we underwent during and after industrialization. It may be that education about nutrition and energy measuremen coule become the way technology can save itself.

[determined4000]

weighing your food and calculating macros might become the norm in twenty years. Food establishments will likely make these things available as consumer demand increases.

not sure if srs

People are more and more careless with their diets now than ever before.
Obesity continues to rise.

I think your opinion is shaped by being on bb.com. I seriously don't know 1 person not on this site that weighs their food and I don't know hardly anyone who even counts cals. And I know plenty of healthy people. Most of them just eat reasonably and balanced diets. They don't track, count, or measure anything.

[Lvisaa2]

Eating disorders are largely based on when a person who may be predisposed (due to both situational and psychological factors) simply finds a tool which enables them to exercise it. Saying a diet causes eating disorders is like saying syringes cause drug addiction.

[dnold55]

Stupid people (and serious health dispositions) cause eating disorders.

[Lvisaa2]

Stupid people (and serious health dispositions) cause eating disorders.

I'm going to give the benefit of the doubt, but are you actually saying anyone who suffers from an eating disorder is stupid?

[dnold55]

I'm going to give the benefit of the doubt, but are you actually saying anyone who suffers from an eating disorder is stupid?

I was referring to his point that iifym causes eating disorders. The parentheses were to clarify that there are actually people with unfortunate health problems that cause their eating disorders, such as childhood obesity or family history. My "stupid people" was talking about the people that have no clue what they're doing when it comes to the iifym concept.

If my post was too out there, then hey, I apologize. You win some you lose some lol.

[Slow-N-Steady]

not sure if srs

People are more and more careless with their diets now than ever before.
Obesity continues to rise.

I think your opinion is shaped by being on bb.com. I seriously don't know 1 person not on this site that weighs their food and I don't know hardly anyone who even counts cals. And I know plenty of healthy people. Most of them just eat reasonably and balanced diets. They don't track, count, or measure anything.

Like you, I def don't think counting daily calories or weighing food will ever become a norm. However, I do think people are more aware of higher calories in fast foods and healthier eating/living styles--whether they consistently follow them or not. The demand/awareness of 'healthy foods', organic produce, etc and the desire for restaurants to provide nutrition info have all gone up over recent years. America's a bit more conscious, yet still fat lol

just my $.02

[BFJ]

Every one preaches IIFYM allows more flexibility and relaxation due to eating whatever you want (granted you hit your fiber/fruits/veggies) and you hit your daily macros... however... i've noticed a lot of young kids (around 18-22) have been getting WAY too obsesssed with tracking every single macro to every single gram every single day for days/months/years on end (if you are PREPPING for a show, imo it is the only way to get that lean).. YES it is optimal and a way of monitoring your weight but people won't eat out with their families or enjoy a meal out with friends... it's affecting more of their mental state than physical state. examples include people getting REALLY worried about their quest bars having more chunks than the last one... weighing their micky d's quarter pounder... won't eat with friends in college at the cafe b/c they can't track accurately... these examples are causing eating disorders... would love to hear other peoples thoughts on this...

could not agree more i've been guilty of it as well when i was on IIFYM - i think it just depends on how a person's wired as to whether or not it's a good fit for them. in episode 57 of my podcast http://appliedmusclescience.com/b i had brian st. pierre from precision nutrition on and he talked about how for a lot of people it just becomes this weird obsessive pattern where hitting the macros was the only factor without any consideration for if the meal tasted good or made sense, was what they wanted, etc. yet i know many people who just follow it very easily without becoming stressed or obsessed. some people argue it only takes 30 secs to weigh food, agreed, but when ur out and about and weighing food off your plate at the restaurant in full off season mode....ehhhh, dunno i think then it gets too far. i also think people have gotten way to much of only thinking about macros and losing sight of what's actual healthy food and that saying a gram of macro from one source is the same as from another is also way oversimplified. i've been trying to review a lot of research on my podcast relating to the partitioning effect or propensity of stuff to get stored as fat depending on what foods it comes from - definitely interesting and i am definitely not sold on a macro is a macro, but i am certainly open to it as a very reasonable approach for quite a few people.

[determined4000]

Like you, I def don't think counting daily calories or weighing food will ever become a norm. However, I do think people are more aware of higher calories in fast foods and healthier eating/living styles--whether they consistently follow them or not. The demand/awareness of 'healthy foods', organic produce, etc and the desire for restaurants to provide nutrition info have all gone up over recent years. America's a bit more conscious, yet still fat lol

just my $.02

ues there is more organnic produce available
but how much total (any) produce or any whole is being purchased/eaten in comparison to junk when we compare it to 30 years ago. MUCH LESS on the whole (entire Western world). More 100 cal packs available. More calorie info posted in fast food chains. But more calories being eaten, less active lifestyles being lived.

I think that the opton of menus with the cal counts included will become more common, but so people who want to can pick the lower cal item. Not because they are factoring it in macros or want to know things down to the oz or gram. Ex. Subway got famous with their 300 cal 6 inch subs. People weren't now factoring in 300 cals into their diet, but rather were going there because they knew they could order something lower in calories.
But what is Subway advertising now???? Subs with FRITOS in them!

[Lvisaa2]

I was referring to his point that iifym causes eating disorders. The parentheses were to clarify that there are actually people with unfortunate health problems that cause their eating disorders, such as childhood obesity or family history. My "stupid people" was talking about the people that have no clue what they're doing when it comes to the iifym concept.

If my post was too out there, then hey, I apologize. You win some you lose some lol.

Again, what are you saying? Are you saying people who knowingly take IIFYM and bastardize just so they can eat whatever they want are stupid or that people with eating disorders are stupid? Former is fine, latter is in fact making you look like you belong in the classification of stupid people.

[dnold55]

Again, what are you saying? Are you saying people who knowingly take IIFYM and bastardize just so they can eat whatever they want are stupid or that people with eating disorders are stupid? Former is fine, latter is in fact making you look like you belong in the classification of stupid people.

I'm in no position to say I'm an expert, but I believe that I understand the basics of macros and that I definitely have gained results through the iifym lifestyle... my first post of this thread was just the internet getting to me. I didn't actually mean anything by it; it was an empty post. Not trying to spark any negative attention - but thanks for your comments. Sometimes I forget the purpose of this forum.

[health4life24]

Calorie counting, weighing food, and an overall obsession with nutrition isn't limited to the IIFYM concept. You can't say that one method of eating causes eating disorders, you have to look at the whole picture. People who eat 6-8 times of day can become obsessed and thus develop and eating disorder. There are psychological and environmental factors that contribute to the onset of an ED. From someone who has gone through it, my ED had nothing to do with calorie counting or obsessing over my body when it began, it was because of environmental factors that were going on. Certain diet methods can definitely excacerbate the characteristics of an eating disorder, but that doesn't mean it is the direct cause.

[ErikTheElectric]

Every one preaches IIFYM allows more flexibility and relaxation due to eating whatever you want (granted you hit your fiber/fruits/veggies) and you hit your daily macros... however... i've noticed a lot of young kids (around 18-22) have been getting WAY too obsesssed with tracking every single macro to every single gram every single day for days/months/years on end (if you are PREPPING for a show, imo it is the only way to get that lean).. YES it is optimal and a way of monitoring your weight but people won't eat out with their families or enjoy a meal out with friends... it's affecting more of their mental state than physical state. examples include people getting REALLY worried about their quest bars having more chunks than the last one... weighing their micky d's quarter pounder... won't eat with friends in college at the cafe b/c they can't track accurately... these examples are causing eating disorders... would love to hear other peoples thoughts on this...

This isn't because people practice "IIFYM" it's because we live in a society that focuses on dieting, taking weight loss to an extreme, and placing extreme emphasis on body image.

[Mikelh]

Every one preaches IIFYM allows more flexibility and relaxation due to eating whatever you want (granted you hit your fiber/fruits/veggies) and you hit your daily macros... however... i've noticed a lot of young kids (around 18-22) have been getting WAY too obsesssed with tracking every single macro to every single gram every single day for days/months/years on end (if you are PREPPING for a show, imo it is the only way to get that lean).. YES it is optimal and a way of monitoring your weight but people won't eat out with their families or enjoy a meal out with friends... it's affecting more of their mental state than physical state. examples include people getting REALLY worried about their quest bars having more chunks than the last one... weighing their micky d's quarter pounder... won't eat with friends in college at the cafe b/c they can't track accurately... these examples are causing eating disorders... would love to hear other peoples thoughts on this...

Damn... i rejoice when i get a really chunky one.

In all seriousness though, it can go both ways. For me personally, I have felt anxiety about food during periods where I'm tracking cals as well as during times when i'm not. A history of tracking macros has made it really tough to not do so, even when on vacation, going out, etc. It upsets me that I can't go out and thoroughly enjoy a huge pizza without thinking about macros, and that is something I'm working on. I'm much more loose about counting than alot of people, and thankfully I have never and will never weigh anything at a restaurant... that i believe to be way over the top.

[Shredthetics]

iifym is the opposite of an eating disorder...?

Ie all I keep as a staple is my meat intake for protein/fat minimums then use iifym to eat whatever the f*ck I want for the rest of the day in my calorie allowance.

I've eaten cinnamon rolls with frosting, cereal, chocolate chip cookies, salads, grilled veggies, burritos ect the past week and am dropping bf% and setting Pr's. I don't understand this being an eating "disorder".


At what point does being conscious and aware of how much we are eating become an apparent issue? This is like saying every single bodybuilder who diets proper has an eating problem.

[alex070707]

Eating disorders are largely based on when a person who may be predisposed (due to both situational and psychological factors) simply finds a tool which enables them to exercise it. Saying a diet causes eating disorders is like saying syringes cause drug addiction.

Came in to say this but seems like you were first.
I also don't get what's so bad about counting all the time and not eating low quality food "out with friends" if we do it because we WANT to.