The CICO (calories in, calories out) attack to value absorption is fashionable due to the fact that it seems simple. If you devour less calories than you pain done workout and regular living, you’ll suffer value (1). Take successful much calories than you request to substance your lifestyle, and you’ll summation value (1). If you conscionable your body’s calorie needs connected the nose, you’ll enactment the aforesaid (1).
This elemental attack is effectual for many, but determination are respective CICO myths that tin oversimplify things. These myths mightiness mislead you into reasoning that value absorption boils down to a mathematics equation.
In this article, we’ll debunk immoderate of the astir communal misconceptions surrounding CICO and supply a wide knowing of however it works truthful that you tin get the astir from this tool.
The Myth: CICO is Simple
One of the astir communal CICO myths is that it’s a elemental vigor equilibrium equation. The premise is that each it takes is simply a calorie surplus oregon shortage to summation oregon suffer weight.
The truth: value nonaccomplishment is complicated
“While the CICO method is elemental successful concept—eat less calories than you pain successful bid to suffer weight—it isn’t the full representation of however harmless and sustainable value nonaccomplishment happens,” says Melissa Jaeger, RD, LD, Head of Nutrition astatine MyFitnessPal (1).
Your assemblage is complex. Many factors, similar genetics, age, and hormones, interaction assemblage value (1). Also, each idiosyncratic assemblage processes nutrients from foods a small otherwise (2).
In different words, your assemblage isn’t a calculator. Weight nonaccomplishment is much than conscionable calories in, calories out.
The takeaway
Although CICO virtually stands for calories successful vs. calories out, CICO is conscionable an informal mode of expressing the vigor equilibrium equation (1).
However, value absorption isn’t arsenic elemental arsenic that. The prime of your food, your metabolic rate, and idiosyncratic differences each power however your assemblage manages value (1, 2). So, does this mean you shouldn’t bash a CICO diet? Not exactly, but it’s important to retrieve that it’s 1 origin among galore erstwhile it comes to your weight.
The Myth: You Can Eat Whatever You Want arsenic Long arsenic You Stay Within Your Calorie Limit
A communal story surrounding the CICO approach is that each calories number the aforesaid way, whether they travel from protein, carbs, fats, oregon processed foods.
This gives you the content that arsenic agelong arsenic you instrumentality to your CICO calorie goal, it doesn’t substance what types of nutrient you devour oregon erstwhile you devour them, specified arsenic precocious astatine night.
The truth: there’s a batch much to it
It’s adjuvant to beryllium alert of the fig of calories your assemblage needs to lose, gain, oregon support your weight, however, there’s overmuch much to it than that (1).
According to Jaeger, “One downside of focusing solely connected calories successful vs. calories retired is that it doesn’t thatch america the value of the nutrients successful those calories (2).” When you absorption lone connected the large representation numbers and not the components that marque up those numbers it tin beryllium challenging to follow healthier habits and grant our bodies’ hunger and satiety cues during our value nonaccomplishment travel (2).
When you devour influences value management, too. Our bodies are designed to devour erstwhile it’s airy and accelerated erstwhile it’s dark. Disruptions to this bushed tin abbreviated circuit your body’s feedback signals and effect to food, resulting successful a higher accidental of value summation (3).
The takeaway
The prime of your nutrient and repast timing affects your hunger and wide wellness (2, 3). Focus connected eating prime foods, specified arsenic protein- and fiber-rich, nutrient-dense foods, and getting astir of your nutrient wrong daylight hours (2, 3).
The Myth: Cutting 3,500 Calories Always Equals One Pound of Weight Loss
A longstanding content is that 3,500 calories is the fig of calories successful a pound, truthful it’s been thought that reducing your calorie intake by this overmuch volition effect successful a lb of value loss.
The truth: value nonaccomplishment tin beryllium unpredictable
The world is that our bodies don’t suffer value successful specified a predictable way. Factors similar metabolism, musculus mass, stress, and genetics interaction however your assemblage responds to calorie deficits (1). As you suffer weight, your assemblage volition pain less calories, slowing down your advancement (4). Basically, your idiosyncratic result is little straightforward than the mathematics suggests.
The takeaway
Instead of relying connected the 3,500-calorie rule, absorption connected creating sustainable habits—like eating filling foods—that enactment semipermanent wellness successful summation to value absorption (2).
Non-starchy veggies and macromolecule are a filling duo, truthful I promote my clients to marque a wont of including astatine slightest 20 grams of macromolecule and a fractional sheet of non-starchy veggies astatine each meal. Bonus: Recent probe suggests that losing value successful a gradual manner is amended for your metabolism (5).
About the Experts
Melissa Jaeger, RD, LD is the Head of Nutrition for MyFitnessPal. Melissa received a Bachelor of Arts successful Nutrition (DPD) from the College of Saint Benedict and completed her dietetic internship done Iowa State University. In May 2024 she was recognized arsenic the Registered Young Dietitian of the Year awarded by the Minnesota Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Samantha Cassetty, MS, RD, is simply a nationally recognized nutrient and nutrition expert, media personality, nutrition consultant, and author. Cassetty is simply a erstwhile nutrition manager for Good Housekeeping and the co-author of the publication Sugar Shock.
The Myth: CICO is Just About Food and Exercise
Another communal misconception is that the CICO attack is lone astir however overmuch you devour and however overmuch you exercise, which whitethorn pb you to overlook different important factors that power value management.
The truth: Many different manner factors count
While nutrient and workout are captious components of value management, so, too, are different eating and manner behaviors. For instance, mediocre slumber tin disrupt hormones that modulate hunger and satiety, starring to overeating (6). Additionally, precocious accent tin summation levels of cortisol, which whitethorn beforehand abdominous storage, particularly successful the abdominal country (7).
Your metabolic complaint is influenced by factors similar age, musculus mass, and adjacent definite aesculapian conditions. All of this means that simply cutting calories oregon expanding workout whitethorn not ever pb to the predicted results (1).
The takeaway
CICO is not conscionable astir fare and exercise. To execute sustainable value nonaccomplishment and wide wellness, it’s indispensable to see sleep, accent management, and fare prime (1, 2). That doesn’t mean attempting to overhaul each of your habits astatine once. Making immoderate tweaks to your fare to execute a calorie shortage is simply a large archetypal step!
The Myth: All Calories Are Created Equal
A communal content is that a calorie is simply a calorie, careless of its source—whether those calories travel from strawberries oregon strawberry crystal cream.
The truth: The prime of your calories plays a relation successful value absorption (2)
Case successful point: A small, well-designed 2019 survey compared calorie depletion and value summation connected an ultra-processed nutrient fare to a minimally processed diet. People followed 1 fare and past switched to the other fare aft a washout period–the clip betwixt the 2 diets erstwhile there’s nary prescribed eating program (2).
Even though the meals provided to some groups had the aforesaid amounts of calories, fat, sugar, fiber, carbs, and protein, participants connected the ultra-processed fare consumed astir 500 much calories per time than those connected the minimally processed diet.
The processed nutrient radical gained an mean of 2 pounds during the two-week period. However, these aforesaid folks mislaid the aforesaid magnitude of value (about 2 pounds) connected the little processed fare implicit 2 weeks pursuing that eating pattern.
The takeaway
Food prime is an important portion of the value nonaccomplishment equation. Jaeger suggests utilizing MyFitnessPal to assistance you take nutritious foods for value management. “Tracking with MyFitnessPal tin assistance you not lone place your full regular calories for value loss, but besides cardinal nutrients, specified arsenic protein, fiber, and saturated fat, to enactment your wellness and fittingness goals.”
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The Myth: CICO Is the Same arsenic “Eat Less, Move More”
CICO stands for calories in, calories out, truthful it’s casual to recognize wherefore galore radical deliberation it boils down to eating little and moving more.
The truth: There’s much nuance
While calories and question are portion of your vigor equilibrium equation, there’s much to it than that. (1) Other factors, specified arsenic your value history, genetics, musculus mass, slumber patterns, stress, and property tin impact your value (1).
The takeaway
Think of calories in, calories retired (AKA devour less, determination more) arsenic an informal mode of expressing the vigor equilibrium equation alternatively of the end-all be-all for value absorption (1).
The Myth: Counting Calories is Necessary for CICO
Given that CICO stands for calories in, calories out, galore radical deliberation that counting calories is simply a mandatory portion of pursuing the CICO attack to value management.
The truth: Though helpful, it’s not strictly necessary
Studies amusement that being mindful of your nutrient prime and eating habits (such arsenic information power and eating mindfully) tin inactive pb to value absorption without tracking each azygous calorie (8, 9).
However, calorie counting tin supply operation and awareness, and a 2021 survey recovered that radical are much palmy with value nonaccomplishment utilizing tracking tools, including diet-tracking tools similar MyFitnessPal (10).
The takeaway
While calorie counting tin beryllium helpful, it’s not the lone way to occurrence with CICO (8, 9). Mindful eating, information control, and focusing connected the prime of your fare are further strategies to assistance you execute your goals without strict tracking (8, 9). Though, MyFitnessPals’s caller Premium voice logging feature makes tracking food—and calories—faster than earlier successful the app.
CICO Works the Same for Everyone
The myth
A communal CICO story is that everyone volition suffer oregon summation value astatine the aforesaid complaint if they travel the aforesaid caloric shortage oregon surplus. In different words, radical mistakenly judge that it’s each astir the numbers.
The truth: Everyone is different
In reality, CICO doesn’t relationship for idiosyncratic differences successful metabolism, genetics, musculus mass, slumber patterns, and stress, each of which tin importantly power your value (1).
For instance, if you person a dilatory metabolism and are implicit 50, you’ll apt person antithetic results from idiosyncratic with a accelerated metabolism who’s 25, adjacent if you’re adhering to the aforesaid caloric shortage oregon surplus (1).
Key takeaway
CICO tin beryllium a adjuvant framework, but it’s 1 of galore factors that power your assemblage weight. So it’s adjuvant to tailor your value nonaccomplishment attack to your needs and circumstances (1).
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can you out-exercise your diet?
A sweaty workout sesh feels tough, truthful you mightiness deliberation it tin antagonistic the harm from an unhealthy diet. But this simply isn’t true. Research shows that workout unsocial doesn’t beforehand important value nonaccomplishment (10, 11).
Plus, a fare afloat of saturated fat, sodium, and excessive sweetener tin undermine your wellness (12). Exercise is simply a health-promoting activity, and determination are plentifulness of reasons to enactment successful it regularly–including assistance with value maintenance–but it can’t outdo an unhealthy eating signifier (11).
Can CICO beryllium utilized for thing different than value loss?
CICO is simply a mode to explicit the vigor equilibrium equation, truthful it tin beryllium utilized for value loss, value gain, oregon value attraction (13).
Do you ever request to beryllium successful a calorie shortage for CICO to work?
There are galore factors progressive successful value loss. Aside from a calorie deficit, the prime of foods you eat, entree to foods, hormones, genetics, stress, and slumber patterns each play a relation (1).
Additionally, you’ll request an vigor surplus for CICO to enactment for value summation (13). If you’re trying to support your weight, you’ll request astir the aforesaid fig of calories successful vs. calories retired (13).
Does repast timing substance with CICO?
While calorie equilibrium is simply a origin successful value management, repast timing tin power hunger, vigor levels, and metabolism (3). Eating irregularly oregon skipping meals tin pb to overeating aboriginal successful the day, which makes it harder to support a calorie shortage oregon balance.
Additionally, eating astatine accordant times—especially earlier successful the day—can assistance modulate humor sweetener levels and enactment a steadfast metabolism, arsenic your assemblage processes nutrient much efficiently erstwhile you’re progressive (14).
The station 8 Myths About the CICO Diet appeared archetypal connected MyFitnessPal Blog.
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