The Ultimate Guide to MFP.
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psuLemon
Posts: 38,394 MFP Moderator
As a long term resident and moderator of MFP, I thought I would leverage some of my observations to provide greater clarity into the what people say vs what is meant (commonly misunderstood by many new comers and some not new comers). More often than not, many arguments/debates start from misinterpretation of what others mean, combined with extreme examples to validate their claims (on both side of the equation). Also, to further use my mod powers for the good, I intend to make this an active running list as new phrases get brought up; feel free to PM me translations or post them for review.
For those who are new and don't know all the acronyms:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1069278/acronyms-and-terms-for-new-mfp-members-v-6/p1
Weight loss comes down to CICO
Weight management comes down to energy balance; if you have a net negative energy balance, you will lose weight; if you have a net energy surplus, you will gain weight; if you have a net 0 energy balance, you will maintain (meaning, you consume the equivalent amount of calories you burn on average). CICO refers to an energy balance equation. It’s components: Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) + Thermal Effect of Food (TEF) + Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) + Thermal Effect of Activity (TEA). Keep in mind, that CI and CO are both estimates. Real world feedback loops should be considered and utilized as necessary. A feedback loop is looking at calorie data over a 4-6 week period and making adjustments from there. Unfortunately, we can only estimate CI (and even with all the tools, we can be very inaccurate) and CO (you can get a rough average if you take average intake + average loss converted to calories = ~ maintenance calories). 1 lb = 3500 calories
CICO is all the matters for weight loss
Weight management (as noted above) is about overall energy balance. One should focus on a balanced diet to support health. This includes addressing any special dietary requirements for medical issues.
You can consume all foods in moderation
You should first address your nutritional requirements (which support health and your overall goals), but if it will help with dietary compliance, then incorporating a treat or junk food in your diet is ok. This does not mean that one should eat an entire diet of junk food because that would mean that you would not be addressing your nutritional requirements.
You should have a balanced diet
A balanced diet refers to eating in a manner that will address your nutritional requirements; this would mean eating a variety of foods to maximize micronutrient uptake (vitamins and minerals) and eating macronutrients (carbs/fats/protein) in the manner that will satiate you and support your goals (muscle development, cholesterol issues, controlling diabetes).
Diet is for weight management, Exercise is for fitness
For a large majority, it is much easier to restrict calories as a function to lose weight, than add additional exercise to help you lose weight. Exercise provides additional benefits outside of just burning calories, which can support your ultimate goal (i.e., running a marathon, body builder, or just lean and fit).
Cut “xx” out of your diet
I find that reducing this food has helped me reduce my intake and allowed me to achieve a deficit
All calories are the same or A calorie is a calorie or All calories are not created equal
A calorie is a unit of measure. When people talk about not all calories are equal, they are actually referencing the metabolic difference amongst macronutrients (carbs/fats/protein/alcohol). These arguments may or may not consider satiety. Proteins and fiber are largely tied to high satiation levels, fats and carbs are going to vary based on the person. It may require you to modify your food combinations to find the ideal profile for you.
You are majoring in the minors
This is a highly used MFP-ism. This means overly caught up in the minute differences between different dietary components; an easy example is the TEF of protein. A body will burn more calories digesting protein (20 to 25%), than it will carbs (5 to 6%) and fats (1 to 3%). So yes, eating more protein would be more calories, but for every 100 (25g) calorie increase in intake, you would see an increase in EE by 20 or 25 calories. In the context of a whole diet, you would be lucky if you saw an increase of 100 calories. Unfortunately, calories still have to be controlled before worrying about the effect of macronutrients.
http://vonblancofitness.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/The-Pyramid-Of-Nutritional-importance.png
Missing the forest for the trees
Looking at each dietary component without looking at the whole. The typical argument is a donut vs broccoli as it relates to health; the argument goes, what is more healthy, a diet that is all broccoli or a diet that is all dount. The answer is always neither. Extremes do not have any value or real life applicability to dieting or fitness. They do not support an answer. Both would be devoid of nutrients and probably kill you from nourishment. If you see this argument, run.
CICO did not work for me
On MFP, this could have many meanings. In many cases, when you get down to the nuts and bolts, "CICO didn't work for me", really means counting calories did not work for me. As noted, CICO is about energy balance. All diets are a based on CICO. Counting calories is a tool. There are many reasons why calorie counting may not work for someone but some of the most common reasons why counting calories fail is inconsistent logging and inaccurate logging. In many of those cases, food scales were not used, quick adds were used, incorrect entries (a medium banana vs 125g of banana). And if the OP was willing to correct that, in many cases they were successful. But one should note, there should still be a feedback loop. Log for 4 to 6 weeks, and adjust calories based on actual results (PM me if you have questions).
What is calorie counting
Calorie counting is a tool that will allow you to measure how many calories that you are consuming. This in turn can be utilized to enable you to reach your goal, whether that is weight loss, maintenance or gaining. Other tools can improve accuracy of calorie counting (a food scale) and maintaining your food diary can will help consistency. As previously noted, accuracy and consistency are the biggest reasons for why calorie counting hasn't worked.
Muscle weighs more than fat
Weight is the same (if you compare 5lbs vs 5lbs) but density is different. See picture below.
http://static1.squarespace.com/static/5163bc02e4b0928e3b203980/t/5423e4a9e4b0dab08d8e5163/1411638441200/
I want to tone my body
Industry term for losing body fat while maintaining muscle mass.
Muscle burns fat
It is true, that the more muscle that you carry, the higher your metabolic rate and the greater your overall expenditure but gaining muscle is 1) not overly easy (requires progressive resistance, adequate calories/protein), 2) has limiting factors (training, nutrition, genetics and 3) is ideally done in a surplus or closer to maintenance (recomp). Having said that, even if you do gain muscle, your daily expenditure will only increase 5-6 calories per day.
Those pesky limiting factors in gaining muscle
In the event you would like to gain muscle, there are limitations that will occur and how much you can gain in a given month is small. I would highly recommend read Lyle's McDonalds general philosophy.. He has done a ton of research on this topic and very knowledgeable. But generally, with good/ideal conditions women can gain 1/4 lb per week, males 1/2 per week. This is assuming, you are not using drugs.
WTF, the scale is going up
There are a variety of things that can influence the scale and can cause people to freak the hell out. The body naturally will fluctuate, not only throughout the day, but also throughout the week/month/etc. That is why it is important to monitor progress over an extended period of time (i suggest 4-6 weeks). I recommend this because things like sodium levels, training, glycogen levels, the amount of food being digested and TOM can all influence it. So collect data, monitor over time and go from there. And most importantly, realize that weight loss is a non-linear thing. Some days/weeks will be up, some neutral and others will be down.
Do you need to exercise to lose weight?
It goes without saying, that you can lose weight without exercise, but there are plenty of reason to add exercise to your regime. Several studies would suggest that people are more likely to maintain weight loss if they continue to exercise. Part of this is because exercise improves caloric expenditure which allows you to eat more. Additionally, there are many other benefits of exercise depending on the type; cardio will improve cardiovascular/heart health and can improve stamina; resistance/weight training can help maintain muscle mass (which will help maintain metabolic functions), make you strong and less susceptible to injury, and provide overall better body composition.
Should you follow XX diet
Quite frequently in today's society, people will be told they should follow one diet or another, or that xx diet will protect you from this disease or that. The truth is, it's very complicated and no one diet is right for everyone (regardless of science behind those diets/lifestyles). Dietary compliance and potentially ethical views, largely influence which approach is ideal for you. And depending on your personality, lifestyle, fitness goals and home life, a particular diet may or may not be beneficial or supportive towards those. This is why I am a firm believer to trying a few different approaches to find what lifestyle works best.
For those who are new and don't know all the acronyms:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1069278/acronyms-and-terms-for-new-mfp-members-v-6/p1
Weight loss comes down to CICO
Weight management comes down to energy balance; if you have a net negative energy balance, you will lose weight; if you have a net energy surplus, you will gain weight; if you have a net 0 energy balance, you will maintain (meaning, you consume the equivalent amount of calories you burn on average). CICO refers to an energy balance equation. It’s components: Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) + Thermal Effect of Food (TEF) + Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) + Thermal Effect of Activity (TEA). Keep in mind, that CI and CO are both estimates. Real world feedback loops should be considered and utilized as necessary. A feedback loop is looking at calorie data over a 4-6 week period and making adjustments from there. Unfortunately, we can only estimate CI (and even with all the tools, we can be very inaccurate) and CO (you can get a rough average if you take average intake + average loss converted to calories = ~ maintenance calories). 1 lb = 3500 calories
CICO is all the matters for weight loss
Weight management (as noted above) is about overall energy balance. One should focus on a balanced diet to support health. This includes addressing any special dietary requirements for medical issues.
You can consume all foods in moderation
You should first address your nutritional requirements (which support health and your overall goals), but if it will help with dietary compliance, then incorporating a treat or junk food in your diet is ok. This does not mean that one should eat an entire diet of junk food because that would mean that you would not be addressing your nutritional requirements.
You should have a balanced diet
A balanced diet refers to eating in a manner that will address your nutritional requirements; this would mean eating a variety of foods to maximize micronutrient uptake (vitamins and minerals) and eating macronutrients (carbs/fats/protein) in the manner that will satiate you and support your goals (muscle development, cholesterol issues, controlling diabetes).
Diet is for weight management, Exercise is for fitness
For a large majority, it is much easier to restrict calories as a function to lose weight, than add additional exercise to help you lose weight. Exercise provides additional benefits outside of just burning calories, which can support your ultimate goal (i.e., running a marathon, body builder, or just lean and fit).
Cut “xx” out of your diet
I find that reducing this food has helped me reduce my intake and allowed me to achieve a deficit
All calories are the same or A calorie is a calorie or All calories are not created equal
A calorie is a unit of measure. When people talk about not all calories are equal, they are actually referencing the metabolic difference amongst macronutrients (carbs/fats/protein/alcohol). These arguments may or may not consider satiety. Proteins and fiber are largely tied to high satiation levels, fats and carbs are going to vary based on the person. It may require you to modify your food combinations to find the ideal profile for you.
You are majoring in the minors
This is a highly used MFP-ism. This means overly caught up in the minute differences between different dietary components; an easy example is the TEF of protein. A body will burn more calories digesting protein (20 to 25%), than it will carbs (5 to 6%) and fats (1 to 3%). So yes, eating more protein would be more calories, but for every 100 (25g) calorie increase in intake, you would see an increase in EE by 20 or 25 calories. In the context of a whole diet, you would be lucky if you saw an increase of 100 calories. Unfortunately, calories still have to be controlled before worrying about the effect of macronutrients.
http://vonblancofitness.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/The-Pyramid-Of-Nutritional-importance.png
Missing the forest for the trees
Looking at each dietary component without looking at the whole. The typical argument is a donut vs broccoli as it relates to health; the argument goes, what is more healthy, a diet that is all broccoli or a diet that is all dount. The answer is always neither. Extremes do not have any value or real life applicability to dieting or fitness. They do not support an answer. Both would be devoid of nutrients and probably kill you from nourishment. If you see this argument, run.
CICO did not work for me
On MFP, this could have many meanings. In many cases, when you get down to the nuts and bolts, "CICO didn't work for me", really means counting calories did not work for me. As noted, CICO is about energy balance. All diets are a based on CICO. Counting calories is a tool. There are many reasons why calorie counting may not work for someone but some of the most common reasons why counting calories fail is inconsistent logging and inaccurate logging. In many of those cases, food scales were not used, quick adds were used, incorrect entries (a medium banana vs 125g of banana). And if the OP was willing to correct that, in many cases they were successful. But one should note, there should still be a feedback loop. Log for 4 to 6 weeks, and adjust calories based on actual results (PM me if you have questions).
What is calorie counting
Calorie counting is a tool that will allow you to measure how many calories that you are consuming. This in turn can be utilized to enable you to reach your goal, whether that is weight loss, maintenance or gaining. Other tools can improve accuracy of calorie counting (a food scale) and maintaining your food diary can will help consistency. As previously noted, accuracy and consistency are the biggest reasons for why calorie counting hasn't worked.
Muscle weighs more than fat
Weight is the same (if you compare 5lbs vs 5lbs) but density is different. See picture below.
http://static1.squarespace.com/static/5163bc02e4b0928e3b203980/t/5423e4a9e4b0dab08d8e5163/1411638441200/
I want to tone my body
Industry term for losing body fat while maintaining muscle mass.
Muscle burns fat
It is true, that the more muscle that you carry, the higher your metabolic rate and the greater your overall expenditure but gaining muscle is 1) not overly easy (requires progressive resistance, adequate calories/protein), 2) has limiting factors (training, nutrition, genetics and 3) is ideally done in a surplus or closer to maintenance (recomp). Having said that, even if you do gain muscle, your daily expenditure will only increase 5-6 calories per day.
Those pesky limiting factors in gaining muscle
In the event you would like to gain muscle, there are limitations that will occur and how much you can gain in a given month is small. I would highly recommend read Lyle's McDonalds general philosophy.. He has done a ton of research on this topic and very knowledgeable. But generally, with good/ideal conditions women can gain 1/4 lb per week, males 1/2 per week. This is assuming, you are not using drugs.
WTF, the scale is going up
There are a variety of things that can influence the scale and can cause people to freak the hell out. The body naturally will fluctuate, not only throughout the day, but also throughout the week/month/etc. That is why it is important to monitor progress over an extended period of time (i suggest 4-6 weeks). I recommend this because things like sodium levels, training, glycogen levels, the amount of food being digested and TOM can all influence it. So collect data, monitor over time and go from there. And most importantly, realize that weight loss is a non-linear thing. Some days/weeks will be up, some neutral and others will be down.
Do you need to exercise to lose weight?
It goes without saying, that you can lose weight without exercise, but there are plenty of reason to add exercise to your regime. Several studies would suggest that people are more likely to maintain weight loss if they continue to exercise. Part of this is because exercise improves caloric expenditure which allows you to eat more. Additionally, there are many other benefits of exercise depending on the type; cardio will improve cardiovascular/heart health and can improve stamina; resistance/weight training can help maintain muscle mass (which will help maintain metabolic functions), make you strong and less susceptible to injury, and provide overall better body composition.
Should you follow XX diet
Quite frequently in today's society, people will be told they should follow one diet or another, or that xx diet will protect you from this disease or that. The truth is, it's very complicated and no one diet is right for everyone (regardless of science behind those diets/lifestyles). Dietary compliance and potentially ethical views, largely influence which approach is ideal for you. And depending on your personality, lifestyle, fitness goals and home life, a particular diet may or may not be beneficial or supportive towards those. This is why I am a firm believer to trying a few different approaches to find what lifestyle works best.
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Replies
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CICO = calories in, calories out, yes? Just to clarify.
0 -
KatieTee83 wrote: »CICO = calories in, calories out, yes? Just to clarify.
Correct.0 -
You've been reading my diary again, haven't you? I would suggest the following, which you can write up translations for because you tend to be less verbose in your responses:
Processed foods: This always seems to devolve into a conversation about how picking a fruit off a tree and washing it is technically processing, so for the sake of conversation, I think clarifying that people using the term are often referring to ultra-processed foods would be helpful.
All calories are not created equal: This statement seems to crop up in two ways, the first (and more frequent usage that I've seen) refers to the source of the calories, i.e. nutrient-dense whole foods, as being more "desirable" calories due to the presence of nutrients and how the person feels when making it the focus of their diet. The second usage seems to be more about how certain macros are absorbed by the body, but I don't see that usage as often and usually those conversations tend to get more science-y than the average conversation. I think some clarification that the person most likely does not mean that calories are measured differently would be helpful.
Reducing carbs/sugar: While fruits and vegetables do contain carbs/sugar, the majority of users who come to the site are not talking about cutting out fruits and vegetables. They are talking about reducing or eliminating foods like breads, pastas, and sweets, and added sugars from their diets. This usually results in an increase of consumption of fruits and veggies, and while that may technically mean that are still consuming carbs/sugar, it's not what the person means for purposes of discussion.7 -
Now if people would read this before posting! Too bad we can't make people read the basic info and pass a little quiz on it before they post the same question 20 times a day, you know, like your job requires when you have to prove to read something or take required training.
3 -
You've been reading my diary again, haven't you? I would suggest the following, which you can write up translations for because you tend to be less verbose in your responses:
Processed foods: This always seems to devolve into a conversation about how picking a fruit off a tree and washing it is technically processing, so for the sake of conversation, I think clarifying that people using the term are often referring to ultra-processed foods would be helpful.
I completely agree that it would be great to clarify and have a consensus for "processed foods" but then processed is an all encompassing phrase. Ultra processed brings no additional clarity in my opinion...is bread ultra processed? Is sourdough bread which only contains flours and water ultra-processed?
All calories are not created equal: This statement seems to crop up in two ways, the first (and more frequent usage that I've seen) refers to the source of the calories, i.e. nutrient-dense whole foods, as being more "desirable" calories due to the presence of nutrients and how the person feels when making it the focus of their diet. The second usage seems to be more about how certain macros are absorbed by the body, but I don't see that usage as often and usually those conversations tend to get more science-y than the average conversation. I think some clarification that the person most likely does not mean that calories are measured differently would be helpful.
Reducing carbs/sugar: While fruits and vegetables do contain carbs/sugar, the majority of users who come to the site are not talking about cutting out fruits and vegetables. They are talking about reducing or eliminating foods like breads, pastas, and sweets, and added sugars from their diets. This usually results in an increase of consumption of fruits and veggies, and while that may technically mean that are still consuming carbs/sugar, it's not what the person means for purposes of discussion
Not sure I agree with the reducing carbs/sugar definition. IME it generally seems to be positioned as a must do this to lose weight rather than a WOE to achieve adherence to CICO. It is, very unfortunate in my view, allowed to be frequently wrapped up with pot science and bizarre medical claims, and really I've seen far more evidence of people low carbing to increase fat and protein than replacing with a wide range of nutritionally rich fruit and vegetables and worrying about all sugars rather than just added
.4 -
Can you comment on needed cups of water? Explicitly, is a couple of no-sugar tea as Google as a cup of water? How about a cup of diet soda? Does a cup of regular soda (eg. Coke) have the same "water" benefits with the sugar just adding extra calories and other sweetening detriments? Thanks!
Mom2 -
Can you comment on needed cups of water? Explicitly, is a couple of no-sugar tea as Google as a cup of water? How about a cup of diet soda? Does a cup of regular soda (eg. Coke) have the same "water" benefits with the sugar just adding extra calories and other sweetening detriments? Thanks!
Mom
Personally, i would count water and tea. I generally dont count soda.0 -
Some people just like to argue.
Seems like this stuff gets posted a hundred times a year to no avail.
Heck, a hundred times a DAY! Ha. Common sense isn't so common. I'm surprised humans can communicate at all sometimes.3 -
I can't believe no one had brought up "muscle weighs more than fat"0
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Not everybody has all day to lurk on the computer to pick out pertinent data useful to their goals. So I like that you did this...just a week ago I ran across CICO and could not figure out what it meant from it's usage in the post/thread. Then Monday I did. So, yeah this might be useful for a newbie. Thank you!4
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Just thought of another: CICO as the concept of an energy balance vs Counting Calories. I see a lot of confusion about that, particularly when the OP will ask something like "what do you do," and someone else will reply "CICO, I just weigh and log my food." Another person will reply "I cut out foods, CICO doesn't work for me," because they misinterpreted the meaning of CICO based on the previous reply. Then drama ensues because people don't realize that the wording is what tripped them up and think they are arguing that the energy balance doesn't apply to them, when they meant that just straight calorie counting didn't work for them.2
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You've been reading my diary again, haven't you? I would suggest the following, which you can write up translations for because you tend to be less verbose in your responses:
Processed foods: This always seems to devolve into a conversation about how picking a fruit off a tree and washing it is technically processing, so for the sake of conversation, I think clarifying that people using the term are often referring to ultra-processed foods would be helpful.
All calories are not created equal: This statement seems to crop up in two ways, the first (and more frequent usage that I've seen) refers to the source of the calories, i.e. nutrient-dense whole foods, as being more "desirable" calories due to the presence of nutrients and how the person feels when making it the focus of their diet. The second usage seems to be more about how certain macros are absorbed by the body, but I don't see that usage as often and usually those conversations tend to get more science-y than the average conversation. I think some clarification that the person most likely does not mean that calories are measured differently would be helpful.
Reducing carbs/sugar: While fruits and vegetables do contain carbs/sugar, the majority of users who come to the site are not talking about cutting out fruits and vegetables. They are talking about reducing or eliminating foods like breads, pastas, and sweets, and added sugars from their diets. This usually results in an increase of consumption of fruits and veggies, and while that may technically mean that are still consuming carbs/sugar, it's not what the person means for purposes of discussion.
So I will probably not add processed foods to the first post because I don't feel I can provide any greater fidelity to the topic in terms of a clear definition. But let me ramble a bit, for those new members who are willing to listen. To me, when people talk processed, it really does mean ultra-processed. Ultra-processed, at least in my mind, is when you generally combine fats, carbs and salt (not always but fairly often) to make them hyperpalatable. In many cases, the outcomes of these are in the form of baked goods, processed meats, chips, and some deserts. Processed foods to me are things like dairy (like Greek yogurt). They combined a fewer ingredients (Siggi's Cherry Yogurt - Pasteurized Skim Milk, Pasteurized Cream, Black Cherries, Cane Sugar, Fruit Pectin, Lemon Juice, Live Active Cultures). Having said that, all foods have some nutritional value and should be viewed at in the entirety of the diet.
IRT reducing carbs/sugars, this is rather variable. Depending on their dietary preference, it could mean eliminating fruits and many veggies (or a refocus on low sugar veggies); at least this would be in terms of Keto and/aktins and even then it will depend on your carb goal (20 to 50). In some cases, it largely just means reducing added sugar. I think instead of using a jump to conclusion mat, we should ask for clarification.2 -
Just thought of another: CICO as the concept of an energy balance vs Counting Calories. I see a lot of confusion about that, particularly when the OP will ask something like "what do you do," and someone else will reply "CICO, I just weigh and log my food." Another person will reply "I cut out foods, CICO doesn't work for me," because they misinterpreted the meaning of CICO based on the previous reply. Then drama ensues because people don't realize that the wording is what tripped them up and think they are arguing that the energy balance doesn't apply to them, when they meant that just straight calorie counting didn't work for them.
Let me know if the above hits the mark or if you would like for further clarification.0 -
Updated.1
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Hi, new here..is there a page or post that defines all the acronyms used here?0
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Hi, new here..is there a page or post that defines all the acronyms used here?
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1069278/acronyms-and-terms-for-new-mfp-members-v-6/p10 -
queenliz99 wrote: »Hi, new here..is there a page or post that defines all the acronyms used here?
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1069278/acronyms-and-terms-for-new-mfp-members-v-6/p1
Thanks. I added this to the first post since this has been asked a few times.1 -
queenliz99 wrote: »Hi, new here..is there a page or post that defines all the acronyms used here?
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1069278/acronyms-and-terms-for-new-mfp-members-v-6/p1
Thanks. I added this to the first post since this has been asked a few times.
Oops! I didn't see it the first time. Need more coffee 0 -
queenliz99 wrote: »queenliz99 wrote: »Hi, new here..is there a page or post that defines all the acronyms used here?
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1069278/acronyms-and-terms-for-new-mfp-members-v-6/p1
Thanks. I added this to the first post since this has been asked a few times.
Oops! I didn't see it the first time. Need more coffee
I just added it, after you posted. 2
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