Holidays and If It Fits Your Macros (IIFYM)

After a rather intense holiday consisting of free eating and many pints of lager I found myself returning home from holiday 4lbs heavier. Disaster? Perhaps... but I knew that this weight could come off easily if I could get back into routine.

Firstly, I had ensure that all of the salty, fatty foods and alcohol were flushed out of my system so I made it my goal to drink LOTS of water (6 litres plus per day) and eat plenty of varied fruit and vegetables to improve my micronutrient profile (vitamins and minerals). 

Secondly, I slowly got back into a solid eating routine which consisted of 4-5 high protein meals. By doing this I could not slip any further and fall into the trap of binge eating through those infamous holiday blues. As I had been eating pretty similar meals most days I found it easy to get back into routine as I knew that 80% of my calories were already accounted for allowing 20% of 'free' food choices to end the day. 

By applying the 80/20 rule I have found myself having a lot more time to dedicate elsewhere i.e. anything but cooking and eating whilst knowing that I have 20% of my calories left if I had planned to go to the cinema or bowling etc.

This is how I apply If It Fits Your Macros (IIFYM). 80% of my food is set and 20% is free allowing me to mix and match foods that I fancy every day as long as they complete my macros and fill around 20% of my calories (500-600 calories). You may have seen on Instagram the Flex Bowl trend and this is similar to what I do with my 'free' 20%... see some inspiration below!

Anyway, following the two steps above I have successfully dropped below my pre-holiday weight within a week of returning from holiday (0.5lb down on my previous weekly average) showing that sometimes it's okay to reset, chill out and live a little!