If It Fits Your Macros vs. Clean Eating. Seemingly one of the greatest fitness debates of our time. Which is better? Which is the most optimal approach and which will give you better results? And this video will dive right into it. So, let's first start it off with the pros of ?If It Fits Your Macros.
Number 1. You can build a better relationship with your food. Now, why do I say this? With this type of diet, no foods are off limits. Now, that's not to say you can eat whatever you want. But with moderation and a little bit of planning ahead, flexible dieting can be a lot more exciting than your typical boring body builder chicken and rice diet.
Point Number 2. It's much easier to maintain on a smaller budget. Think about it. If you can only eat the same foods day in and day out, and one of those foods is on the more expensive side, you could start having money problems potentially very soon. But with the typical 'If It Fits Your Macros' approach, you can swap out foods as you please. So for example, if you're sick of steak, you can switch to ground beef, and if you're sick of chicken, you can switch to fish. Not only will this help you keep your food cost down, it will help you keep sanity throughout the week. By not sticking to the same foods over, and over, and over again.
Point Number 3. You'll have more flexibility do go out and eat. It drives me nuts when I see someone stay home from a social event in the name of their diet. Now, if you're getting ready for competition, that's one thing, but if you're the average Joe, just trying to look better and lose a few pounds, you should never and I repeat, never skip out on a social event just because of food. All you have to do whether you go a restaurant or a party is to choose the lower calorie options. Instead of the steak, have chicken; instead of the dessert, have fruit. Yes, you can be more exact by looking up the foods on MyFitnessPal, but the power of guesstimating can also be a useful tool in this scenario. If your diet is so rigid that you can't go out from time to time and enjoy yourself, then you might need to re-evaluate your diet plan and your strategy.
Point Number 4. You'll hit a greater variety of nutrient. Because you're implementing all types of foods into your diet instead of the same ones over, and over, and over again, chances are that you're having a greater variety of micronutrients, which is also not beneficial to your health, but beneficial to your sanity as well. Now, it's time for the switch to the dreaded con section.
Point Number 1. It can cause people to binge. Well, If It Fits Your Macros does give you flexibility of your foods options this can be a downfall for others. For example, someone will try to fit a cookie into their daily macros. If you're anything like me, you know you can't just have one. And before you know it, you've had the whole roll of Oreos and you've ruined your progress for the entire day. This is largely prevalent in individuals who are highly overweight or obese. So, if you fall into this category, a clean eating diet might be a better option for you.
Point Number 2. Going overboard with processed foods. While if it fits your macros, was never supposed to be an excuse to fit in as much junk as possible into your diet, some individuals go about it this way. If you plan on living a healthy lifestyle and keeping your performance up in the gym, I suggest at the minimum, and I said minimum; 80% clean foods to 20% processed foods. And when I say clean foods, I mean whole foods. This way, you can still make progress and feel great while incorporating some of the foods you love into your daily ritual.
Negative Point Number 3. It's going to be a lot harder to track your calories. Now in the overall scheme of things, this really isn't a big deal. But with anything in life, the more accurate you are, the better your results will be. So, while going out occasionally and eyeballing the foods you eat isn't a big deal. You might find yourself overeating without even realizing it. The one real benefit of eating the same foods day in and day out, is you know exactly how many calories you are eating with little to no effort. Now, that pretty much covers the If It Fits Your Macros side of things, so it's time to head over to the clean eating side. First, we start with the pros.
Point Number 1. You'll feel better and perform better. Now this is isn't to say you can't feel great doing If It Fits Your Macros, but if all of your foods are very high in micronutrients, minerals and vitamins, there's no question that you will feel great day-in and day-out. You're body feels craves foods that give it energy and the vitamins and minerals it needs. So, it's no surprise that if health is your number one priority, a clean eating diet might be the best way to go for you.
Point Number 2. It's easier to adjust your daily macros. Now, let me explain what I mean by this. Now, if you're eating the same foods day in and day out in your weight loss stalls, all you have to do is cut back that cup of rice to half a cup, or that 200 grams of chicken to a hundred grams of chicken. So by simplifying what you eat, you make it much easier to adjust your diet and stay on track.
Point Number 3. You'll have fewer errors. So to re-emphasize my previous point, if you eat the same foods day in and day out, it shouldn't be too terribly difficult to hit your calorie total every day. Now, for the cons. Point 1. Binge eating. Although I use the same point If It Fits Your Macros the same thing can be said for clean eaters. What I personally notice over the years, is that a majority of clean eaters eat healthy all week long only to have massive cheat meals on the weekends. So, if you eat healthy all week long, only to ruin it and muck it up by having cheat meals on the weekend - is your diet really any different than If It Fits Your Macros? Just food for thought.
Point Number 2. You can develop deficiencies. Now, while there are obvious exceptions to this rule, if you continue to eat the same foods day after day, and week after week, and month after month, eventually at some point there's a good chance that you'll develop deficiencies from foods you're not eating. So, if you decide to go with the clean eating based approach, you need to make sure that your body is getting all the vitamins and minerals that it needs to function at an optimal level. So at the end of the day, is one eating plan better than the other? Absolutely not. What is most important is what you can adhere to long term and your personal preference. All I want to do in this video was bring up points that could help you along your way to decide which diet is right for you and how to go about it. So, make sure to weigh out the pros and cons and decide which diet works best for you
