Does anyone follow CICO

Smallville127

If so what is your calorie allowance a day and do you watch how many fats, carbs and protein you get? Or just eat what you want within calorie allowance?

MichelleSilverleaf

Everyone who loses weight is experiencing CICO, that's how the body works. Me though I lose on 2070 and the only thing I pay attention to is protein. I let the rest fall where it falls.

lynn_glenmont

MichelleSilverleaf wrote: »

Everyone who loses weight is experiencing CICO, that's how the body works. Me though I lose on 2070 and the only thing I pay attention to is protein. I let the rest fall where it falls.

Everyone who gains weight is following CICO, too. Everyone who maintains is following CICO. It all depends on the relation between CI and CO.

lynn_glenmont

Macros don't matter for weight loss, at least not directly. I pay attention to getting enough protein and fiber for nutrition and satiety (if not getting enough fat were a thing that happened for me more than once in a blue moon, I would pay attention to that, too).

ceiswyn

EVERYBODY follows CICO. Just like they follow gravity.

Yes, I track my CI and my CO. I don’t worry too much about my macros, just make sure I get at least five portions of fruit/veg a day and that my protein isn’t too low.

livingleanlivingclean

CICO determines whether you lose, maintain or gain. Those losing weight will be consuming less calories than they expend whether they are tracking or not, regardless of food choices.

I track macros.

YvetteK2015

Basically, CICO is an energy balance that affects everyone no matter what and how your eat and is not the same thing as calorie counting.

CarvedTones

I am not going to nit pick about technical details of verbiage; I get the OP's question - is paying attention to CICO (instead of letting it happen as a side effect of whatever popular diet you are on) the primary way I diet? Yes, it is. I am in maintenance and currently trying 1700 + exercise calories, using about 2/3 of what mfp gives me for a given exercise. Like a couple of others, i look hardest at protein and mostly just make sure others aren't crazy low all the time.

amfmmama

Yes. 1350, and more if I exercise. I use my macros as a guideline, but they don't determine my every food choice. They are helpful when I am trying to determine what is working and what is not.

toxikon

CICO = calories in vs. calories out. The energy balance that determines every living creature's weight.

Calorie Counting = making sure you're eating at a calorie deficit by tracking your food intake.

IIFYM/Flexible Dieting = eating whatever you want as long as it fits into your preferred protein/carb/fat ratios.

It helps to clear up those terms. Some people like to calorie count and eat whatever they want. Others like to find other solutions to intuitively control their calorie intake without counting, usually by following a plan that naturally reduces their hunger. Lean proteins, fiber and high-volume veggies tend to be filling for fewer calories, so many diet plans focus around that.

But yes, I've had great success with calorie counting and eating the foods I enjoy eating.

quiksylver296

I agree that you probably mean "calorie tracking" and not CICO. Whatever, we get ya.

I follow IIFYM.

kimny72

Smallville127 wrote: »

If so what is your calorie allowance a day and do you watch how many fats, carbs and protein you get? Or just eat what you want within calorie allowance?

So you've just found out we get a little passionate about the difference, but I assume what you meant is do we count calories Because CICO applies for everyone.

I did count calories to lose the weight. I ate 1500 cals while losing, but you really shouldn't go by that, because gender, age, height, starting weight, and lbs per week all affect that number. So your number might be quite different from mine.

Macros don't directly affect weight loss, but they can affect satiety and compliance. And they are very personal. So you have to figure out which ones are important for you. I found making sure I hit my protein and fiber goals kept me from being hungry, personally.

Pick a reasonable weekly goal, get your calorie goal from MFP, and just start logging. As you go, make a note of what foods fill you up and which leave you hungry or tired, and tweak from there. Log accurately and consistently. Log your exercise and eat back at least some of those cals. Keep logging, learning, and tweaking until you find a way of eating and calorie level combination that works for you. Good luck!

endermako

I vary my CI based on my exercise for the day. My sedentary is 1330 and I eat back some of my exercise most of the time. I really only try to get above 20 for fiber and I try to hit my Protein goal.

workinonit1956

Yes, I’m losing staying below 1300 calories/day. I wish I was taller

busyPK

I eat around 1500 calories, plus my exercise calories if I workout that day. I don't pay attention to macros. I lose around 1lb per week.

apullum

If you want to lose weight, you have to eat fewer calories than you burn. How you choose to get those calories is irrelevant to weight loss. Macros are irrelevant to weight loss, but may be important for other goals, like satiety or muscle development.

callsitlikeiseeit

Smallville127 wrote: »

If so what is your calorie allowance a day and do you watch how many fats, carbs and protein you get? Or just eat what you want within calorie allowance?

i eat between 1200-1400 most days. dont sweat it if im over or near maintenance (for me around 1600). lost 100 pounds, eating what i want as long as it fits.

i dont worry about macros. protein and fats are what keep me full, so thats naturally how i gravitate.

try2again

Smallville127 wrote: »

If so what is your calorie allowance a day and do you watch how many fats, carbs and protein you get? Or just eat what you want within calorie allowance?

I don't understand the purpose of asking what others have for a calorie allowance. Every person's calorie allowance depends on his/her own height, current weight, activity level, and selected weekly weight loss goal and is of little value to anyone else.

lightenup2016

I agree, obviously OP is simply asking who logs and/or counts calories to be sure they're in a deficit for weight loss. This is the only way I've ever lost weight, even 20 years ago when I kept track on paper. I can lose weight on 1600 to 1800 cal per day, +50% of my exercise calories. Maintenance I haven't done so well at so far, but once I am at my goal weight this time (I'm losing slowly on purpose) I'm hoping to do better.

ETA: I'm female, 5'6", current weight 144. My maintenance calories are around 2150. I do try to keep my protein at least at the recommended amount in MFP, but I don't really care much about the others.

paperpudding

I would assume most people on a calorie counting site do count calories, either meticulously or in some sort of loose approximation.
Or at least they did to reach their goal.

My maitenance calories are 1710. When I was losing weight, I lost on 1460.
This may or may not have any similarity to amount you should be eating, OP.

Smallville127

try2again wrote: »

Smallville127 wrote: »

If so what is your calorie allowance a day and do you watch how many fats, carbs and protein you get? Or just eat what you want within calorie allowance?

I don't understand the purpose of asking what others have for a calorie allowance. Every person's calorie allowance depends on his/her own height, current weight, activity level, and selected weekly weight loss goal and is of little value to anyone else.

I was just curious. I am not a moron I am aware of that fact. Wow...