nenna4 answered to your post “IIFMM = Weight Watchers”
have you ever watched and/or read any of Layne Norton's research, articles, etc?
Yes! Layne is one of the few doctors in my field. He is also an IFPA pro! Sadly, he is often misquoted and used as a excuse for people with horrible eating habits. "Layne says it doesn't matter as long as it fits my macros."
When the concept utilizes whole, nutritious foods on a 95% basis to reach the assigned macronutrient and caloric requirements is when it flourishes. This allows 5% for that night out where you can indulge. Not only have I found this approach to be even more successful than complete rigidity, but also keeps dieters sane.
I do believe that many IIFYMers (I find it funny that something myself and others been promoting for years gets an acronym attached to it and is now this ‘new’ way of eating LOL) actually go too far in one direction. Most people who origionally promoted targeting macronutrient intakes instead of obsessing about food choices actually eat ‘clean’ foods 95% of the time, we just don’t agonize over having a homemade burrito with a low carb wrap or some reduced calorie ice cream. We see the value of a controlled intake in order to prevent uncontrolled binging. But I do see IIFYM followers who eat as much sugary, high fat foods as they can and wear it like a badge of honor. That is not the point. If you are following a macronutrient intake that is friendly for body composition you will be eating a lot of ‘clean’ foods by default because you will not be able to hit a protein, carb, fat, and fiber intake conducive to body composition improvement if all you eat are high sugar/fat foods.
Dr. Norton is usually spot on with it comes to nutrition. But like he states there are "extreme" people out there who aren't doing it right. I tell my clients all the time, "a piece of cake is not a big deal when you been spot on for every meal up to it during the week". A piece of cake is a big deal when Monday night you drank, Wednesday you had cookies, now it's Saturday and you're eating cake...
