okay, I’m going to just say it how it is here. I did an experiment.
I AM on a IIFYM plan in that I am assigned macros from my nutritionist, and then I can choose whatever foods that hit those macros. However, if you want to label me, I tend to choose foods that are considered traditional “clean eating” foods.
Here is my typical meal plan that I created for myself:
Meal 1: pre-workout: egg whites and oatmeal
Meal 2: post-workout: egg whites and oatmeal
Meal 3: chicken or fish, veggies, rice, some type of oil like macadamia nut oil
Meal 4: chicken or fish, veggies, rice, some type of oil like macadamia nut oil
Meal 5: chicken or fish, veggies, rice, some type of oil like macadamia nut oil
Truth be told, I love the foods that I eat! I think they are super tasty, filling, and I have not gotten sick of them yet! I honestly feel super content to eat them again and again and keep on eating them! Maybe one day that will change but for now, I am really happy with my food!
BUT, I felt the pressure to eat more traditional “IIFYM” foods, so I decided to prep a new batch of foods (hitting the same macros, of course). So, I switched my meal plan to include skinny cow ice cream sandwiches, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, baked sweet potato chips, garlic steak, panko-encrusted fish, eggs with tabasco sauce, and salad with ranch dressing.
You know what?
I honestly was happier before.
I’m going back to my old food plan.
There is something I like about my tried and true meal plan, with my fiber-rich, more voluminous, bodybuilding staples. I felt like the PB&J sandwich, for example, was just not as filling as a bowl of oatmeal. It took me like 2 seconds to eat the sandwiches. I felt like the new batch of foods that I created SOUND tastier, perhaps, but in actuality are not as optimal for dieting for me, because they are smaller portions, because they are more calorically dense.
Also, I like cooking in bulk, because it cuts down the work I have to do. So, I am perfectly content with cooking big portions of protein, veggies, and rice, and distributing it into different meals for a day, rather than cooking many different dishes for a day! Not much payoff for me, I suppose, because I am really content with having the same foods everyday! If I truly craved variety, then perhaps it would be worth it to cook so many different things, but I am totally cool how I am. I found out that I have a deviated septum, which impacts my sense of smell, so perhaps that is why I am not as picky with my food?
In any case, I appreciate the IIFYM philosophy because it allows people to have flexibility with their meal plan when they want it. I guess I don’t want it right now 😉
Going back to my oatmeal, egg whites, chicken, rice, and broccoli 🙂
Love,
Kristina
MAY