Before I get to the meat of this article, I wanted to take a quick second to say that I’m totally aware that I may offend some people with what I have to say.
I also wanted to take a second second to say that I don’t care.
Seriously.
I’m not trying to be mean. Or rude.
I’m just sayin’. You have been warned.
In a world full of things I consider epically stupid, the idea that you can eat whatever you want, so long as it fits your macros is, without doubt, the unanimously elected president. If all the stupid ideas in the world got together and selected the two utmost supreme stupid ideas, and those two stupid ideas had a baby…that baby would grow up to be bossed around by the idea that you can eat whatever you want, “if it fits your macros.”
IIFYM (that’s the acronym) isn’t just stupid. It’s asinine.
As I alluded a second ago, the idea behind this ridiculous concept is that keto folks can eat whatever they want, as long as it fits their macros.
So if your macros are 100g fat, 70g protein, and 30g carbs, then you can eat a snickers bar every day. You can also eat a bunch of soybean oil. And all the diet sodas you want. Totally keto, right?
No. No, it’s not. It’s totally absurd.
So where did this idea come from? I wish I knew. I’d like to punch the originator in their stupid face.
[EDITOR’S NOTE: We do not advocate punching people in their stupid faces. Unless they’re asking for it. If they’re asking for it…actually, according to legal counsel, even then it’s not okay. So, bottom line, stupid face punching is right out.]
I don’t know where the IIFYM originated. But I suspect it originated from people who have no idea what keto is, why it works, and how it works best. Introducing processed, artificial, crap food is not okay. It’s not healthy. Just because it fits into your macros does not make it acceptable.
Food matters. Your macros are guidelines that are supposed to be tools that you can use if you track that sort of thing. Pretending that you’re keto by eating a bunch of crap and claiming that it fit your macros is…stupid.
If you are keto, your food will be high fat. But it’ll be good fat.
If you are keto, your food will be moderate protein. But it’ll be real food.
If you are keto, your food will be low carb. But the carbs will be unprocessed.
Success comes by disciplined consistency over time. There’s no magic. There’s no secret. It’s that simple.
You don’t find success by trying to sneak “cheats” or “snacks” or “horribly bad food choices.” You find success by cutting all that crap out and keeping it real, simple, honest, and, well, ketogenic.
Okay…so I’ve said my piece, so now I want to address one possibly exception. Sometimes you can’t make the best choices. Sometimes you have to make the best of the choices available to you. If that means you have to grab a reasonably keto-friendly bar or snack, then you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. An 80% solution is better than a 40% solution. The number one way to fail in keto is to not be able fit it into your life. Sometimes life happens and you have to make the best of a less-than-ideal situation.
That’s…life.
But opting for bad choices just because you “feel deprived” or you “deserve a treat,” as long as they fit your macros…that’s just stupid.
Don’t do it.
Period.
It’s a bad idea.