The debate between IIFYM and clean eating has been RAMPANT over the last few years.
The IIFYM argument is that you can eat whatever you want and still get results, as long as it fits your macros. The clean eating argument is that your body craves whole, natural foods and as long as you stick to those foods, tracking is unnecessary. On one hand you have a program that feels like you are throwing health out the window and giving your life over to my fitness pal. On the other hand, it seems as though your life will revolve around Tupperware containers and chicken and broccoli. So which is really better to see the best results? IIFYM, or clean eating? Let’s break it down 👇
IIFYM For Quick Results
IIFYM is excellent for people who are on the go constantly and who love numbers. If you are an avid calorie counter already, then this approach is probably a good fit for you. IIFYM gives you the flexibility to be able to eat anywhere and everywhere, anything and everything you want as long as it fits into your numbers. The hard part with IIFYM is that many times when people start using this approach the majority of their diet becomes processed food like protein bars, protein cookies, protein ice cream, etc. The reason for this is because it is much easier to track something that comes out of a package than a healthy homemade recipe.
IIFYM can also be stressful. Before one of my clients began working with me, she wouldn’t even take a bite of something if she didn’t know how to track it. Tracking can become a bit of an obsession. I have been in that situation before and it leads to frustration, anger, and honestly despair because you feel so cut off from enjoying life without tracking. You start to resent people who don’t track. However, if you need to hit goals in a specific time frame, then IIFYM is a good approach because by tracking all of the food that you eat it is easy to make adjustments to continue seeing progress.
Clean Eating for Micro-Nutrient Wins
Clean eating is much stricter than IIFYM in the sense of which foods you can eat. The idea behind clean eating is that you eat nothing that comes out of a package. Everything you eat comes from whole, natural sources like chicken, plain Greek yogurt, fresh veggies and fruit, plain rice, etc. Seasonings are fine, as long as they are salt free and there is no sugar in them. Clean eating meals are very basic, “bro” like meals which consist of whole eggs and oats for breakfast, chicken and rice and broccoli for meal 2, etc. Thisstrict of a style of eating is also not great long-term, like IIFYM because you get burned out eating nothing but broccoli. However, this style of eating is excellent for getting micro-nutrients in because you are focusing more on whole, natural foods.
I have done clean eating. I did it religiously for several months when I first got started on my fitness journey. It is not sustainable long-term because being so strict with my diet made me feel like I was cut off from everyone else, like I couldn’t go out to eat or go to family functions and actually enjoy myself. It was pretty frustrating all the way around. And I still didn’t get the real results I was looking for.
IIFYM vs. Clean Eating: Which is Really Better?
After breaking down some of the pros and cons of IIFYM and clean eating, the best answer I can give you is to use a little bit of both approaches. If you have a set deadline for your goals (and it’s relatively close) or you are a complete beginner who is unsure of portion sizes, then I would recommend tracking your food using the IIFYM approach, but also try to focus on getting at least 80% of your foods daily from “clean eating” foods.
If you have been on your journey for a while, or are sick to death of tracking, or just want to live life, then using the clean eating approach + adding in the flexibility of IIFYM is going to be your best bet. No tracking, focusing on whole, natural foods, while allowing yourself to have a treat now and then with no guilt.
What is your number one biggest struggle with your nutrition? Comment below!
