Can't wrap my head around CICO
harley79
Posts: 79 Member
Hi starting over again I'm 49 and weigh 301 MFP has my calories at 2000 which I'm fine with but is it really just as easy as eating what u want as long as you stay within your calorie allowance
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Replies
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Mmm hmm. Ayup. Don't overthink it. Eat the foods you like in reasonable amounts. Track your data points every single day and you will get there.10
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yes.
Of course it's best to try to get decent nutrition, and I would say make sure you are getting sufficient protein since women in particular tend to over eat on carbs and not get enough protein.
But it's all about calories for weight management. Keep it simple. Log food, the good and the not as good. Study your FOOD page: make adjustments either before you eat it or learn and make changes going forward, but log everything all the time. Seeing those numbers and breakdowns every day helps a lot.11 -
Yes, it really is that easy. You can eat anything at all that you want and you will lose weight if you are consistently within your calorie goal. You don't have to cut out any foods or follow any named diet unless you're required to do so in order to treat a specific medical condition.
You may find certain macros or foods more satiating than others. Many people feel full for longer if they eat more protein, fat, and/or fiber, but some people find certain carbs--like potatoes--satiating. Some people feel full when they eat large volumes of food, such as low calorie vegetables. You have to figure out what works best for you through trial and error. However, those are all just things that can help you stay in a calorie deficit; they aren't directly related to weight loss.11 -
Hi starting over again I'm 49 and weigh 301 MFP has my calories at 2000 which I'm fine with but is it really just as easy as eating what u want as long as you stay within your calorie allowance
Yup, pretty much. I've lost over 35 pounds so far with no real exercise and just staying in a calorie deficit. I eat the foods I love so I don't feel deprived.
It's magic but don't tell anybody else. 😉9 -
Yep it is pretty simple. I eat kettle popcorn 100 calorie bags, dark chocolate 2 pieces or 1 depending. Most importantly though weigh everything, get a scale.
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Yes, it works. That and patience with the scale but you will lose if you stay within your recommended calorie goal. Log everything that passes your lips and log your weight trend regularly so you can see it go down. You don't need to eat healthy but if you do you can often eat more so be more satisfied. Check your portion sizes with a food scale for maximum accuracy and read the calories and check the calories are for the amount in the packet because sometimes they are only for half a packet of whatever food.5
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Yes. It really is that simple. Unfortunately the idea is not that easy to make money off of, which is why you have heard so much differently. The diet and fitness industry makes billions off of convincing you that weight loss is complicated and you need to follow their system to get results. But it is really not the case.
You can eat whatever you want within your calories and you will lose weight. While good nutrition is great, the single biggest thing you can do for your help is to reduce your weight. So sticking to your calorie goal by eating whatever you need to in order to make it work is the most important thing.9 -
I concur--get a digital food scale and start weighing your food. Log everything you eat and drink. Stay within your daily calorie goal. It isn't necessary to exercise, but will help you look better after you've lost. Good luck!3
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If you haven't already, read the stickies at the top of the getting started forum. Very informative and helpful.4
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To add to the above, yes it's that easy. And as you drop the pounds, you will be utilizing fewer calories so you may find that at some point you need to eat less than 2000 calories/day to continue losing. As you drop weight, update MFP
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To add to the above, yes it's that easy. And as you drop the pounds, you will be utilizing fewer calories so you may find that at some point you need to eat less than 2000 calories/day to continue losing. As you drop weight, update MFP
To add to this point the confusing thing for people with more generous starting allowances is that some people do not get them. Some people start with pretty meager allowances and they have to eat more food that you might normally associate with weight loss to stay in the goal and still have some treats.
As you lose weight your calories will decline because your body will need less energy as you get smaller. Depending on how much you have to lose and how active you stay you may eventually find that you have to compromise more. The good news is that you do not have to start there. You can make small changes as you need so that you can become accustomed to the changes instead of a big drastic overhaul.
When I started I had a huge allowance and I took advantage of it and still lost a lot of weight. It really helped me because in the past I would deprive myself of everything I thought I had to cut. These days my calorie allowance is much less and I have changed quite a bit from the guy who was eating a lot of treat food. I still eat it but I have to moderate it more now. I am okay with that because ultimately if I do not permanently change my habits as I lose I am at greater risk of regaining.1 -
Just a heads up, if you are eating something that doesn't have nutritional label, don't trust the very first item you search for, especially the MFP database. Do a couple MFP and google searches for the item you are going to eat just to find a consistent entry. A lot of items in the MFP database are underestimated and not reliable.3
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it is pretty easy to wrap your head around, in fact no diet is easier.2
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Yup. I’ve lost 50 lbs without having to cut out any of the foods I love.1
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It’s just math. CICO works and it’s simple.
That said, I found that I started getting judicious with my calories. If you have 2000 cals/day to work with, you’ll soon find that you don’t want to blow half of them on one huge high calorie meal. You may decide that it’s better to eat some lean meat and veggies for a 600 calorie meal because it will make you feel more satisfied longer, than eating a giant 600 calorie muffin and you’re famished 2 hours later.
Good luck!6 -
It’s just math. CICO works and it’s simple.
That said, I found that I started getting judicious with my calories. If you have 2000 cals/day to work with, you’ll soon find that you don’t want to blow half of them on one huge high calorie meal. You may decide that it’s better to eat some lean meat and veggies for a 600 calorie meal because it will make you feel more satisfied longer, than eating a giant 600 calorie muffin and you’re famished 2 hours later.
Good luck!
Yup. It's all about figuring out how to best get the most bang for your caloric buck. This will vary widely from person to person as it's based on personal food preferences.5 -
yes, I am a true believer of CICO. Down 78 lbs as of today. Staying CONSISTENT with your calorie deficit is key!2
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Sure is! I'm 47, 5'8.5ish and started at 301 as well. I've been doing CICO since March 2017 and I'm down 122lbs so far. I still want to lose about 17 - 20 lbs more and I know I'll get there eventually by making sure I'm in a calorie deficit while still eating what I love. You can do this!! Just weigh your food portions and ingredients, don't eyeball unless absolutely necessary (you're away from your kitchen, etc) and make sure that you log everything you eat. it really is that simple.5
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snickerscharlie wrote: »It’s just math. CICO works and it’s simple.
That said, I found that I started getting judicious with my calories. If you have 2000 cals/day to work with, you’ll soon find that you don’t want to blow half of them on one huge high calorie meal. You may decide that it’s better to eat some lean meat and veggies for a 600 calorie meal because it will make you feel more satisfied longer, than eating a giant 600 calorie muffin and you’re famished 2 hours later.
Good luck!
Yup. It's all about figuring out how to best get the most bang for your caloric buck. This will vary widely from person to person as it's based on personal food preferences.
Absolutely this!
I'm down 70lbs and eat whatever I fancy. However, I've found that as I lost the weight and my allowance reduced accordingly I started making different choices about how to "spend" my calories. I often have arguments with myself about whether or not something is worth it.
I love sweet things, especially chocolate, but now instead of having a bar of chocolate I have a rice cake with chocolate on it - I still get my chocolate fix but save about 400 cals.
The more logging you do the easier it gets as you then become accustomed to the calorie content of things, but don't get complacent - as others have said weigh as accurately as you can.
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The other thing that figures into the equation is finding out which 'sacrifices' you are (or aren't!) willing to make to reduce calories.
For me, for example, that means having the pizza that I love less often and reducing the quantity that I eat, too. Things like low/no fat cheese or cauliflower crusts are *not* gonna happen! I tried them. My virtuous atta-girls just didn't compensate enough for the fact that I simply didn't enjoy it.
Working within a calorie budget, for me, means making sure I'm enjoying every single one of 'em.
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Its also figuring out which types of calories are more satisfying for you personally. Certain foods for everyone I would assume are just not particularly filling and it can be easy to over eat. For some it is calorie dense items. Others carb heavy and so on. CICO is like a giant experiment trying to figure which food combinations keep you happiest while staying under your calorie goal.1
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How dare you. You'll have to pry the apple cider vinegar out of my cold dead hands.just_Tomek wrote: »This is the problem with CICO. Its too simple of a concept for people to think that this actually works.... and they go onto other physics defying magical diets.
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My husband has watched my journey so far with fascination (I am about 2 months in). He’s a numbers guy - just show him a graph or chart and he is good to go! He tells me all the time how proud he is, and keeps commenting on how “simple” of a process it has been! Although we all know simple is not always easy - it takes willpower to keep the numbers in check. (He has several family members that struggle with their weight). We have had a financial budget for 10 years or so, so we talk about my “body budget” vs. a diet.6
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just_Tomek wrote: »riffraff2112 wrote: »it is pretty easy to wrap your head around, in fact no diet is easier.
This is the problem with CICO. Its too simple of a concept for people to think that this actually works.... and they go onto other physics defying magical diets.
There's a great deal of truth to this. We've been conditioned by marketing to believe that we need something - pill, diet, ShakeWeight, etc. to succeed. Balancing a caloric checkbook seems like fantasy when you are detached from reality.
We need to do a better job in marketing the "how do I execute" CICO, but this is so personal it then seems like a diet plan if the individual doesn't do it themselves.3 -
Hi starting over again I'm 49 and weigh 301 MFP has my calories at 2000 which I'm fine with but is it really just as easy as eating what u want as long as you stay within your calorie allowance
Think about it this way. A calorie is just a unit of energy. Your body requires XXXX amount of energy to maintain the status quo...much of your body's energy requirements come from you just being alive...heart pumping, brain working, lungs breathing, etc. Your body's energy requirements are further increased by general day to day stuff like walking around, brushing your teeth, etc...your day to day humdrum. Energy requirements are further increased with regular exercise.
When you consume a balance of energy...ie your CI is roughly equivalent to your CO, you maintain you weight. When you consume energy in excess of what your body needs, that energy is stored for later use as body fat...your energy reserves...your backup generator if you will. When you consume fewer calories than your body requires, that deficiency has to be reconciled...so your backup generator kicks on and you burn body fat to make up for that energy deficiency.
So yes, calories are what matter the most for weight management. That said, the composition of your diet is important for meeting nutritional needs. What you eat will also matter in regards to keeping your appetite and hunger in check. I can eat a 500 calorie doughnut and personally, I will be hungry shortly after...I can eat 500 calories of eggs, ham, and potatoes and I will be satisfied until lunch.7 -
It sounds easier than it is in practice. I call it the Eat Less Move More diet. People like to give names to things... I still eat almost everything I have always eaten just less and more strategically. Good luck.
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It sounds easier than it is in practice. I call it the Eat Less Move More diet. People like to give names to things... I still eat almost everything I have always eaten just less and more strategically. Good luck.
Yep. As often gets said around here. It's simple, but not necessarily easy. The concept is simple. Doing the work of trial and error, practicing patience, tweaking, and trial and error again can be frustrating. Which is why many people go back to trying to find the magic trick or diet that will make it easy.5 -
snickerscharlie wrote: »It’s just math. CICO works and it’s simple.
That said, I found that I started getting judicious with my calories. If you have 2000 cals/day to work with, you’ll soon find that you don’t want to blow half of them on one huge high calorie meal. You may decide that it’s better to eat some lean meat and veggies for a 600 calorie meal because it will make you feel more satisfied longer, than eating a giant 600 calorie muffin and you’re famished 2 hours later.
Good luck!
Yup. It's all about figuring out how to best get the most bang for your caloric buck. This will vary widely from person to person as it's based on personal food preferences.
I completely agree with these viewpoints! I used to do MFP and eat junk--which left me tired, lethargic, and out of calories very quickly. That was not sustainable, and I continued to yoyo up and down with my weight because of it. This time around it's all whole plant foods for me, which means I can eat about 8 cups of food (no joke) for a meal that's less than 400 calories. This keeps me satiated, energetic, and never deprived. I've been able to stick with it for 5 months now, and have achieved my goal weight and continue to lose. I'm also in the best shape I've ever been in as I've added in a 4-day-a-week fitness regimen. You can do this, just do it smart from the beginning!0
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