Switching From Keto To Iifym: Weight Gain Risk?

If you're considering switching from a keto to an IIFYM diet, you might be wondering whether you'll gain weight. The answer is: it depends. While IIFYM doesn't restrict food groups, it's important to remember that it's a flexible dieting approach focused on tracking macronutrient composition to achieve your desired body shape. When transitioning from keto, your body has been trained to perform a certain way, and adding carbs back into your diet can be tricky. To avoid weight gain, it's recommended to slowly increase carbs over a period of 3-6 weeks and ensure a smooth transition. Additionally, seeking guidance from a nutrition coach or using a macro calculator can help you determine your specific macronutrient needs.

The transition from keto to IIFYM can be tricky

Switching from keto to IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros) can be challenging, but not because of the IIFYM approach itself. The difficulty arises because your body has adapted to functioning in a certain way due to the low-carb keto diet.

How your body adjusts

When you start reintroducing carbohydrates, your body may respond positively or negatively, depending on how long you were on keto. If you followed a keto diet for only a few months, the transition to IIFYM will likely be smooth. You can gradually increase your carbohydrate intake over 3-6 weeks until you reach your daily target.

On the other hand, if keto was your lifestyle for a year or more, you may encounter a "glycogen rebound," which essentially means gaining weight from increased sodium, water, glycogen, and fat in your body. This rebound occurs because your body has been deprived of glycogen for an extended period.

Strategies for a smooth transition

The recommended approach to transition from keto to IIFYM is to gradually reintroduce a regular diet that includes all three macronutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Taking it slow and following a structured program will help prevent overeating and indulging in all the foods you craved while on keto.

It's best to reverse out of the keto diet gradually. This means slowly introducing carbohydrates back into your diet over a period of 4-8 weeks. If you were on a strict ketogenic diet with very high fats, you'll need to reduce your fat intake while simultaneously increasing your carbohydrates.

Seek professional guidance

Engaging the services of an experienced nutrition coach is the ideal way to navigate the transition from keto to IIFYM. They can provide personalized advice and support to ensure a smooth and healthy shift in your diet.

If you choose to navigate this transition independently, online resources like the IIFYM macro calculator can be a helpful starting point. However, keep in mind that these are general guidelines, and individual results may vary.

The body adjusts to a low-carb diet

When you start a low-carb diet, your body enters a state of nutritional ketosis. This is when your body, which usually turns carbohydrates into glucose for energy, instead burns through its fat reserves, turning them into ketones, an alternative source of fuel.

To trigger ketosis, you need to eat a very low-carb diet. This means capping your carb intake at less than 10% of your total macronutrient (carbs, fat, and protein) intake. That's 20 to 50 grams of carbs per day.

When you cut out carbs, you will lose weight, but it's mostly water weight at first. This is because cutting carbs also wipes out the glycogen stores in your muscles, and glycogen helps your body retain water. You may also lose some salt, and when you start eating carbs again, the water weight comes back.

It takes 2 to 3 weeks for ketosis to rev up and start burning fat. During this time, you may experience some negative side effects, such as:

• Weakness, fatigue, dizziness, and headaches (known as the "keto flu")
• Stomach pain, nausea, and vomiting
• "Brain fog" or difficulty sleeping
• Bloating, constipation, and trapped gas
• Dry mouth and bad breath
• Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)
• Increased "bad" cholesterol (LDL)
• Mood changes
• Liver and kidney problems

However, there are some positive side effects of a low-carb diet, such as better control of seizures for people with epilepsy.

When you switch from a low-carb diet to a more flexible diet like IIFYM, you need to be careful not to overwhelm your body with carbs. If you ate low-carb for a few months, you can probably add carbs back in gradually over 3-6 weeks. But if you were on a low-carb diet for a year or more, you might gain some weight from sodium, water, glycogen, and fat. To avoid this, it's best to increase your carbs slowly over 4-8 weeks and use a macro calculator to make sure you're getting the right amount of protein, carbs, and fat.

A nutrition coach can help with the transition

Switching from keto to IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros) can be tricky, as your body will have adjusted to performing in a certain way. A nutrition coach can help you make the transition smoothly, optimising your macros and maintaining your progress without setbacks.

Nutrition coaches are experts in the field of nutrition and can help you understand the impact of different foods on your body. They can educate you on the principles of the IIFYM approach, which is based on tracking the macronutrient composition of foods to achieve your desired body shape. This approach does not restrict food groups but allows the consumption of all foods as long as they adhere to your set macronutrient targets. A nutrition coach can guide you in determining your total daily caloric intake and accurate macronutrient ratios, which are specific to your desired physique or sporting goals. This is a crucial step in the IIFYM approach, and a coach can ensure you get it right from the start.

Additionally, a nutrition coach can provide you with a structured program to help you transition gradually. When switching from keto to IIFYM, it is important to slowly introduce carbs back into your diet over a period of 3-6 weeks. A coach can help you create a plan to do this in a controlled and healthy way, ensuring you don't overeat on the foods you may have been craving while on keto. They can also help you adjust your fat intake, which needs to decrease while your carb intake increases.

Furthermore, a nutrition coach can provide accountability and support throughout your transition. They can monitor your progress and make any necessary adjustments to your plan to ensure you stay on track. They can also provide guidance on how to handle challenges, such as eating out or cravings for your favourite foods.

Finally, a nutrition coach can help you address any psychological barriers or mindset issues that may impact your transition. For example, many people who have been on a low-carb diet develop a fear of carbs, and a coach can help you work through this so you can stick to your new plan.

A slow transition is best

Switching from keto to IIFYM can be tricky, but not because of the IIFYM approach. It's because when eating a very low-carb diet, your body has been trained to perform in a certain way. When you start adding carbs back into your diet, your body might react positively or negatively to the change. This depends on how long you were on the keto diet. If it was only a few months, your transition to flexible dieting will probably be easy. All you have to do is slowly increase carbs over a period of 3-6 weeks until you reach your daily allotment.

If you were on keto for a year or more, you might experience a "glycogen rebound", which is added weight from sodium, water, glycogen, and fat. This is more likely to happen if you go on a "carb orgy". The best way to avoid this is to ease back into a regular diet that includes all three macronutrients. Move into it slowly, and follow a structured program to help keep you focused so you don't overeat all the things you were craving while on keto.

The best way to come off a low-carb or low-calorie diet is to reverse out of it. This means introducing carbs back into your diet in a slow and methodical fashion that will ensure a smooth and body fat-free transition. If you can, work with an experienced nutrition coach to guide you through this process. If not, you can use an IIFYM macro calculator to get a specific amount of carbs to eat.

Many people who have been on a low-carb diet develop a fear of carbs. Even elite-level bodybuilders develop this phobia over time. Luckily, there are great contest prep coaches who can help athletes and general population dieters restore their metabolism. Following a simple program like this will ensure that you transition smoothly into IIFYM with as little unwanted body fat gain as possible.

If you've been low-carb dieting for a long time, you will likely gain weight (water and glycogen mostly, with some fat and hopefully a little muscle). This is when many people get discouraged, quit, and claim that IIFYM doesn't work. But the issue is not with IIFYM; it's with their metabolism and the speed at which they transitioned. If you go it alone, you will have to follow a cookie-cutter plan and modify it as you progress. Stay low and slowly increase carbs over a 4-8 week period. If you were on a true ketogenic diet, your fats should have been very high. While reverse dieting, your fat intake will need to decrease while your carbs increase slowly.

IIFYM is a flexible system, not a diet

IIFYM, or "If It Fits Your Macros", is a flexible dieting approach that facilitates weight loss or muscle gain without imposing excessive restrictions. It is not a diet in the traditional sense but rather a lifestyle philosophy that puts you in control by avoiding strict meal plans or off-limits foods. This approach was started by competitive bodybuilders who grew tired of eating bland and boring food while dieting for competitions.

IIFYM focuses on monitoring macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, and fat) instead of just counting calories. Macros are the only place calories come from, so by hitting your macro targets, you inherently hit your weight loss calorie goals. This approach is based on the principle that the ratio between the number of calories you consume versus how much you burn is what dictates whether you gain or lose weight, regardless of the source of those calories.

IIFYM is flexible because it allows you to enjoy your favorite foods as long as they fit within your daily macro goals. You can have your cake and eat it too! For example, if you want to eat pizza, you can do so as long as you can fit it into your macro diet plan. This flexibility can improve long-term adherence and make it easier to develop sustainable habits.

To get started with IIFYM, first, find your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE), or the total calories your body burns each day. Then, calculate your target macronutrient ratios, which are the grams of protein, carbohydrates, and fats that make up your calorie goals. Finally, track your intake to ensure you stay within your prescribed goals. There are several methods and tools to help with this process, such as using a nutrition app or food scale.

IIFYM is a flexible system that provides knowledge about nutrients and helps develop a healthy relationship with food. It removes the concept of "good" or "bad" foods and allows you to shape your eating around your lifestyle. It is important to note that while IIFYM provides flexibility, it still requires a commitment to tracking and measuring your food intake to ensure you are meeting your targets.

Frequently asked questions