IIFYM Macro Calculator... thoughts?

[ChaseTheYoke]

Age: 24
Weight: 186 first thing am
Height: 6'2"
bf: 12% (used GNC's little hand thingy about two days ago)

Guys I'm gonna be brutally honest with you. My diet is the weakest part of my game. I can gain weight natty but I tend to just try to eat a lot with mostly good complex carbs and a lot of protein. However I bet half my protein a day comes from shakes. I usually take 30g whey pre/post workout. One in the am with a giant bowl of oatmeal and casein before bed. So that's 120g from shakes right there. Anyways am really studying hard trying to get my diet together right now. Seems like planning the meals is going to be the headache.
Oh yeah almost forgot... I'm hyperthyroidic (slightly >1.5 normal range)

BMR: 1977
TDEE: 2805

Here is what the calculator gave me for a "textbook" bulk. (+10% calories)

Carbs Protein Fat Fiber Cals
436 188 65 37-47 3038

Protein seems low as fark to me.

Thoughts? Advice?

 

[ChaseTheYoke]

Bump. Any suggestions/advice/criticism would be appreciated. Really trying to get my shit together and quit being lazy in the kitchen.

I wanna be a BEAST. Working hard but I got some learning to do.

 

[DreDay187]

What is your TSH value? By claiming you're > than the range on a thyroid test means you're HYPOthyroid NOT HYPERthyroid. If you're less than ~.5 on TSH than you could be hyperthyroid and above ~3.5 on TSH you could be hypothyroid.

Protein and fats could be slightly higher if you want them to be. Just reduce carbs and increase protein and fats. Changing them is up to you as you're right around minimum protein and fat needs. If you truly are hyperthyroid then chances are you'll need to eat more than the 3000cals bc your TDEE will be higher than what a TDEE calculation will give you. Just start at those numbers and adjust total calories as needed after 2wks if you don't notice any weight gain.

 

[ChaseTheYoke]

What is your TSH value? By claiming you're > than the range on a thyroid test means you're HYPOthyroid NOT HYPERthyroid. If you're less than ~.5 on TSH than you could be hyperthyroid and above ~3.5 on TSH you could be hypothyroid.

Protein and fats could be slightly higher if you want them to be. Just reduce carbs and increase protein and fats. Changing them is up to you as you're right around minimum protein and fat needs. If you truly are hyperthyroid then chances are you'll need to eat more than the 3000cals bc your TDEE will be higher than what a TDEE calculation will give you. Just start at those numbers and adjust total calories as needed after 2wks if you don't notice any weight gain.

Synthroid (levothyroxine) is a replacement for a hormone normally produced by your thyroid gland to regulate the body's energy and metabolism. Levothyroxine is given when the thyroid does not produce enough of this hormone on its own.

Synthroid treats hypothyroidism (low thyroid hormone). Synthroid is also used to treat or prevent goiter (enlarged thyroid gland), which can be caused by hormone imbalances, radiation treatment, surgery, or cancer.

Wow.. so apparently I'm HYPOthyroidic. What an eediot. I got bloods after test-e PCT but I can't find them. The Dr. said that's how he found other than my kidney's being slightly elevated (assumed from BCAAs from whey). So apparently my diet is way more fucked than I thought. Got some serious priorities to get straight before I start any cycle. I'm going to get bloods in 3 weeks and will go from there. Thanks for the advice.

One other question: Trying to put a meal plan together on swole.me . A lot of the stuff it's throwing on there is like strawberries and rasberries. Do you guys actually eat a lot of fruits like this in your daily meals? Seems quite costly.

 

[DreDay187]

Synthroid (levothyroxine) is a replacement for a hormone normally produced by your thyroid gland to regulate the body's energy and metabolism. Levothyroxine is given when the thyroid does not produce enough of this hormone on its own.

Synthroid treats hypothyroidism (low thyroid hormone). Synthroid is also used to treat or prevent goiter (enlarged thyroid gland), which can be caused by hormone imbalances, radiation treatment, surgery, or cancer.

Wow.. so apparently I'm HYPOthyroidic. What an eediot. I got bloods after test-e PCT but I can't find them. The Dr. said that's how he found other than my kidney's being slightly elevated (assumed from BCAAs from whey). So apparently my diet is way more fucked than I thought. Got some serious priorities to get straight before I start any cycle. I'm going to get bloods in 3 weeks and will go from there. Thanks for the advice.

One other question: Trying to put a meal plan together on swole.me . A lot of the stuff it's throwing on there is like strawberries and rasberries. Do you guys actually eat a lot of fruits like this in your daily meals? Seems quite costly.

I have never seen evidence linking diet as an etiological cause of any sort of thyroid condition. It's likely it was genetic/hereditary and nothing to do with your diet. If you're on only levothyroxine I would talk to your doctor about switching to T3 or thyroid armour or at least adding them to your regimen. T4 still has to be converted and some hypothyroid people have a problem with this conversion. If you're only getting ~180-200g of protein I doubt it's the bcaa or protein that's causing the kidney issue unless your kidneys are weak. In a healthy athletic population up to 2g/lb BW of protein was shown to be well tolerated.

I eat a lot of fruit and by a lot I mean a shit ton. I recommend everyone have some fruit bc of the micros, fiber, etc. I've eaten a whole 5lb box of clementines in a day before, a whole bag of peaches or nectarines, etc but I love fruit. I also throw in some blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries with my protein pancakes, shakes, etc. Eat whatever fruit your budget allows. No need to load your diet with it and go broke or force feed yourself shit you don't like but conversely no need to stay away from fruit either.

 

[ChaseTheYoke]

I was referring to the fact that I'm 12% bf and HYPOthyroidic? Leads me to believe I'm not eating near as much as I thought I was.

Do you guys just have nutritional values memorized or what? Lol. I've been playing with the form on this website for an hour trying to find something. If I alter anything on the meals they produce I completely mess up my macros and can't seem to find a combination that fits them on my own. Usually seems to lower my carbs by 40-80 and up my fats.

 

[DreDay187]

I was referring to the fact that I'm 12% bf and HYPOthyroidic? Leads me to believe I'm not eating near as much as I thought I was.

Do you guys just have nutritional values memorized or what? Lol. I've been playing with the form on this website for an hour trying to find something. If I alter anything on the meals they produce I completely mess up my macros and can't seem to find a combination that fits them on my own. Usually seems to lower my carbs by 40-80 and up my fats.

I have a good amount memorized from imputing them so much but I use myfitnesspal to track calories. I don't create a meal plan ahead of time really. I eat what I want, track it with MFP, and fit the foods I eat into my calorie and macro goals.

 

[3J]

Jesus I hate iifym.. Lol. Glad you are around d to answer these questions dre. I have no patience for this philosophy of dieting.

 

[DreDay187]

Jesus I hate iifym.. Lol. Glad you are around d to answer these questions dre. I have no patience for this philosophy of dieting.

Lol, hopefully it takes some pressure off you having to answer EVERY diet related post on this entire forum

 

[ChaseTheYoke]

Jesus I hate iifym.. Lol. Glad you are around d to answer these questions dre. I have no patience for this philosophy of dieting.

And the man walks in... SERIOUSLY considering your program 3J. Do you recommend I try to do some macro tracking/dieting on my own for awhile before hand? Would hate to have you trying to hold my hand through the whole process.

I chose IIFYM basically because it seems more "convenient". If you have any suggestions they would be welcome.

 

[snowpatrol123]

IIFYM is an excuse to eat shitty foods IMO. Just because a chocolate bar "fits" into your daily macros doesn't mean it's a good substitute for healthy fats from natural peanut butter and better carbs from whole grains / oats / rice etc. Not bashing you chase, I know you aren't necessarily defending it since you're asking questions.

If someone wants to have a cheat meal every few days even, go for it IMO, but 95% of your remaining diet should be tailored to meet whatever your goals are.

-bulking? eat 1.5g protein / lb of desired bodyweight...add icecream instead of skim milk to shakes, maybe eat a sweet potato instead of salad. Add olive oil/ natural peanut butter / almonds to everything you can. Fruits are awesome if you can afford them.
-cutting? at least 1.0g protein/lb, calories need to be counted (and below TDEE), salad/veggies instead of potato, focus on real food > shakes. Fresh chicken breasts, cartons of egg whites and steel cut oats are your new BFFs.
-recomp? tren, var, see cutting diet but add some healthy carbs.

Just my beginner diet advice; 3J and others with actual diet fabrication experience are way better suited to hook you up with a specific plan.

 

[DreDay187]

IIFYM is an excuse to eat shitty foods IMO. Just because a chocolate bar "fits" into your daily macros doesn't mean it's a good substitute for healthy fats from natural peanut butter and better carbs from whole grains / oats / rice etc. Not bashing you chase, I know you aren't necessarily defending it since you're asking questions.

If someone wants to have a cheat meal every few days even, go for it IMO, but 95% of your remaining diet should be tailored to meet whatever your goals are.

-bulking? eat 1.5g protein / lb of desired bodyweight...add icecream instead of skim milk to shakes, maybe eat a sweet potato instead of salad. Add olive oil/ natural peanut butter / almonds to everything you can. Fruits are awesome if you can afford them.
-cutting? at least 1.0g protein/lb, calories need to be counted (and below TDEE), salad/veggies instead of potato, focus on real food > shakes. Fresh chicken breasts, cartons of egg whites and steel cut oats are your new BFFs.
-recomp? tren, var, see cutting diet but add some healthy carbs.

Just my beginner diet advice; 3J and others with actual diet fabrication experience are way better suited to hook you up with a specific plan.

Please don't mistake extreme views of IIFYM/DCA as the norm, they're just extreme views. Although it is completely possible to maintain a great physique with what most here would call shitty foods. What's the difference between adding ice cream to a shake and adding chocolate bars instead of PB? What if someone has an allergy to PB? Is it still the better choice? Dark Chocolate also has many micronutrients and polyphenols and flavanols, 2 different kinds of antioxidants. Some of them aren't even found in blueberries so one can make the argument chocolate is better than blueberries in a way.

I'm not bashing you either Snow but I would like to see a definition of healthy carb. It is such a subjective term it's impossible to define universally making it a fruitless attempt to try and define it.

Here is some reading material on what REAL DCA/IIFYM is about.

http://www.steroidology.com/forum/diet-forum/659460-primer-dca-iifym-aspiring-dieters.html

 

[snowpatrol123]

Caramilk bars and dark chocolate aren't very similar.

If you're allergic to peanut butter don't eat it?

Add ice cream to a shake instead of skim milk for calories - if you aren't buying the 4litre bargain tubs; it's a pretty healthy/tasty alternative to full fat coconut milk or half & half.

"Healthy" carb? Something lower on the glycemic index.
"Less healthy" carb? High-fructose corn syrup.

Maybe somewhat subjective but that's a pretty good metric for me

 

[DreDay187]

Caramilk bars and dark chocolate aren't very similar.

If you're allergic to peanut butter don't eat it?

Add ice cream to a shake instead of skim milk for calories - if you aren't buying the 4litre bargain tubs; it's a pretty healthy/tasty alternative to full fat coconut milk or half & half.

"Healthy" carb? Something lower on the glycemic index.
"Less healthy" carb? High-fructose corn syrup.

Maybe somewhat subjective but that's a pretty good metric for me

We never specified which chocolate bars we're talking about.

You stated healthy fats like PB, would it still be healthy if one is allergic to it? My sole point was fats are fats. Some are essential some aren't but even saturated fat is beneficial as that's what's primarily used to stimulate P450scc enzyme into making endogenous testosterone. So long as I get enough essential fatty acids it won't make much of a difference where the remainder come from.

Why can you use ice cream for the added calories but not chocolate bars? Both have carbs and fats but you disregarded one in favor of the other, I just want to know the reasoning behind it.

HFCS isn't as bad as it's made out to be but I don't try to add it to my diet. If it's there it's there but I won't freak out over a carb source that is chemically identical to glucose and fructose.

Glycemic index has absolutely no bearing on the bodybuilding population or the population as a whole unless you are a diabetic or are eating a meal of solely carbohydrates. Your definition is subjective but that was my point, you should define it as others have different definitions.

 

[snowpatrol123]

No, but when I said chocolate bars, I was implying something different than eating dark chocolate - example caramilk, twix etc.. I wasn't explicit but I'm guessing you understood even so.

RE: peanut butter - I already answered, but- if you have an infection, and you're allergic to penicilin, is it still a good idea to take it?

If you want to blend a chocolate bar into a shake when you're bulking instead of ice cream have at it. I already mentioned why I would be adding it though (tastier version of full fat coconut milk etc)

Pretty sure high fructose corn syrup is worse than it's made out to be, to the general public.

 

[DreDay187]

No, but when I said chocolate bars, I was implying something different than eating dark chocolate - example caramilk, twix etc.. I wasn't explicit but I'm guessing you understood even so.

RE: peanut butter - I already answered, but- if you have an infection, and you're allergic to penicilin, is it still a good idea to take it?

If you want to blend a chocolate bar into a shake when you're bulking instead of ice cream have at it. I already mentioned why I would be adding it though (tastier version of full fat coconut milk etc)

Pretty sure high fructose corn syrup is worse than it's made out to be, to the general public.

FDA doesn't think so about HFCS and as stated it's chemically identical to fructose and glucose bc it's normally 55% glucose and 45% fructose. I'm not saying it's the best source of carbs out there, it does lack micros and other nutrients, but the illogical fear ppl have of it is entertaining.

Just to let you know, I'm not trying to bash you at all. I enjoy your posts and agree with the majority of them. Just debating my side as you are yours. I don't mean to jump on you or anything

 

[ChaseTheYoke]

Would love to jump in but it's all greek to me.

I dont eat shitty foods unless I want to. Im not scared of them but honestly I dont really have a sweet tooth and I cant tell a taste difference in anything regular vs whole grain. Basicallu I try for good carbs but I wont be upset at all over fast food chicken. Greasy deliciousness.

 

[ChaseTheYoke]

Would love to jump in but it's all greek to me.

I dont eat shitty foods unless I want to. Im not scared of them but honestly I dont really have a sweet tooth and I cant tell a taste difference in anything regular vs whole grain. Basicallu I try for good carbs but I wont be upset at all over fast food chicken. Greasy deliciousness.

I started recording my meals today so I can get an idea on what I need to do exactly. Trying it honestly, eating like I always do. Ill post it.

 

[snowpatrol123]

I don't mean to jump on you or anything

No offense taken. Likewise re: post integrity. Anytime it's constructive criticism I welcome it, diet is the last piece of the puzzle I'm trying to complete.

And in my previous lines of work, most criticism was far from constructive so I know a thing or three about dealing with that too.

I feel like being sleep deprived, sick and stressed due to work on Monday isn't doing my temperment or the people it affects any favours.

Doesn't help that I have to work after work (I moonlight as a piano & guitar teacher) so I can't look forward to peacing out at five the way I normally can.

And with kids I have to mask my impatience and pretend I don't suffer from crushing A.D.D. especially with regards to their beginner music studies.

 

[ChaseTheYoke]

No offense taken. Likewise re: post integrity. Anytime it's constructive criticism I welcome it, diet is the last piece of the puzzle I'm trying to complete.

And in my previous lines of work, most criticism was far from constructive so I know a thing or three about dealing with that too.

I feel like being sleep deprived, sick and stressed due to work on Monday isn't doing my temperment or the people it affects any favours.

Doesn't help that I have to work after work (I moonlight as a piano & guitar teacher) so I can't look forward to peacing out at five the way I normally can.

And with kids I have to mask my impatience and pretend I don't suffer from crushing A.D.D. especially with regards to their beginner music studies.

Put the gun down and step away from the computer.....