My best friend doesnt believe in CICO

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  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    kimny72 wrote: »
    Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »
    I started calorie counting more than 20 years ago. It has always "worked," except when I stopped and gained at least some weight back again. I'm currently pondering how to not let that happen, but I think this is what people mean about calorie counting "not working." Sure it works, every time I do it!

    I recall a friend saying to me "I want to lose weight, but I don't want to become obsessed with what I eat." Now that is a tall order. You have to at least become aware of what you eat. For people who tend to gain weight when not paying close attention (like me) this awareness seems to always border on obsession. Too bad for those around us.

    And isn't that so weird? For countless years human society was (and in many places still is) firmly centered on the acquiring, cooking, and consuming of food - it was practically all we thought about, it was our primary motivation and goal. But now society seems to feel like paying any attention at all to your food is some kind of disorder or torture. Hopefully we can find a happy medium some day.

    I only talk about counting with people who genuinely ask for guidance, and almost every person I've discussed it with has expressed either concern that I was doing it, or disbelief that they could possibly put that much effort into determining what to eat. Several have insisted it must take all the joy of eating somehow. Despite watching me thoroughly enjoy pizza, beer, restaurant desserts and bagels with cream cheese while maintaining a healthy weight. <shrug>

    For some it probably would take the joy out of eating. It took the joy out of cooking for me.
  • Penthesilea514
    Penthesilea514 Posts: 1,189 Member
    That's a difficult situation- I can sympathize. I save the bulk of my calories for dinner and so I eat a lot around that time and even though I stick to my calories and goals, my husband occasionally make comments about how I shouldn't eat X or just drink more water (I drink over 90 oz a day already, no thanks). I have been losing weight steadily so the comments have dropped off but it can be frustrating when someone you care about thinks that the only way to lose weight is to suffer. I am also getting good at my withering stare :wink:

    Honestly, the results so far have spoken for themselves- so keep up your hard work and show your friend that it does work. Good luck!
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    navaris wrote: »
    Your friend isn't the only one that believes misinformation! I have had two doctors in the past that told me "walking wasn't exercise"

    I had the opposite a couple of years ago. The GP told me I should do a bit more exercise following a blood pressure check. I pointed out I ran 40 miles per week and had a Half Marathon in two weeks. What he'd meant was to go for a walk.

    Turned out to be an adverse reaction to some other medication.
  • laurenebargar
    laurenebargar Posts: 3,081 Member
    Penthesilea514 wrote: »
    That's a difficult situation- I can sympathize. I save the bulk of my calories for dinner and so I eat a lot around that time and even though I stick to my calories and goals, my husband occasionally make comments about how I shouldn't eat X or just drink more water (I drink over 90 oz a day already, no thanks). I have been losing weight steadily so the comments have dropped off but it can be frustrating when someone you care about thinks that the only way to lose weight is to suffer. I am also getting good at my withering stare :wink:

    Honestly, the results so far have spoken for themselves- so keep up your hard work and show your friend that it does work. Good luck!

    My husband can be the same way, but in his case I know he is coming from a caring place, and doing what has always worked for him. He has no reason to try to lose weight but he doesnt disagree with me that what im doing is working, he just makes helpful (sometimes) suggestions lol
  • batgirl_273
    batgirl_273 Posts: 70 Member
    I have this argument with my family and friends all the time. I had a hard time believing it too because I wanted it to sound so much harder to lose weight so I had an excuse. Literally. It was only when I actually started counting and using MFP that I realized it's really that simple. And now, my friends and family are watching the weight fall off, and my sister actually had the ignorance to say "well now I have to do it because I don't want to be the fat sister". It hurt, but it spurred me on to keep going. While she eats her ice cream not in moderation and doesn't offset it with any activity..... then the tables will have turned and only then will she 'get it'.
  • laurenebargar
    laurenebargar Posts: 3,081 Member
    PaulaWallaDingDong wrote: »
    panda4153 wrote: »
    Okay, I need to derail this for just a minute, why all the fro yo hate people! LOL I love fro yo and I love ice cream! Both are delicious, and can be incorporated in your diet successfully. Also, why would anyone be against a milkshake for breakfast if it fits your goals haha. Ok, I'm done.

    Don't get me wrong. I'm totally not against a milkshake for breakfast. Just saying, it's not a bragging point for nutritional superiority.

    I agree its no better than vanilla ice cream however the choice at this particular ice cream stand makes fro yo the lesser of two evils calories wise lol
  • clicketykeys
    clicketykeys Posts: 6,580 Member
    I would love to know why your friend thinks CICO doesn't work. Not what works instead, but what she thinks is wrong with the idea. Science aside, the principle of "things have to equal out" is such a core concept in human thinking that we apply it even when we shouldn't, such as in the stereotypes of smart-but-weak and strong-but-dumb. You have to balance the equation.
  • lilolilo920
    lilolilo920 Posts: 184 Member
    edited May 2017
    Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
    The "it wasn't exercise because it wasn't in a gym" seems more ridiculous than not believing it's all about CI<CO to me.

    Agreed. But I mean, come on-Usain Bolt, Simone Biles, Michael Phelps?!!? They might not go to the "gym" but they're sure as hell fit!!
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    lilolilo920 wrote: »
    Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
    The "it wasn't exercise because it wasn't in a gym" seems more ridiculous than not believing it's all about CI<CO to me.

    Agreed. But I mean, come on-Usain Bolt, Simone Biles, Michael Phelps?!!? They might not go to the "gym" but they're sure as hell fit!!

    You can be pretty confident that all the of them spend a good proportion of their training time in the gym. Success means doing a range of things to improve performance.
  • rianneonamission
    rianneonamission Posts: 854 Member
    I recently had a two week spell of only 1 gym visit, as opposed to my usual 4 days a week. I did do five morning runs (outside, does that count?) and in that period I ate mostly below my calorie allowance, but was not eating healthily.

    I lost 3 lbs.

    <sarcasm>Does she also think that one can keep spending money regardless of what money comes in? Lots of smaller amounts can't possibly exceed that large sum that comes in once a month. It's just not possible. </sarcasm>
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    There are people that believe the world is flat.

    Can't fix stupid.
  • LexyGetsFitUK
    LexyGetsFitUK Posts: 13 Member
    Might be an unpopular opinion, but for me CICO only works till a certain point. I have a history with disordered eating, so I've spent lots of time counting every single calorie that gets close to my mouth and obsessively tracking my exercises, but whenever I only focused on CICO, I could never get below 110lbs (I'm 5'2) Most days I was barely eating 300cal and exercising like crazy but I didn't lose another pound or another inch. Looking back, I'm not surprised because more often than not, I ate less than 1000cal and nearly all my food was junk food high in sodium and carbs. (A 300 cal day was usually small fries from McDonalds and a diet coke...) Obviously CICO works, but at a certain point you need to start looking at what you're eating too.
  • Seffell
    Seffell Posts: 2,244 Member
    Because "I can wear that thermal jacket, stuff my face and still lose". Or "I can take these pills, stuff my face and still lose". That's the type of rubish I've been told by my 'friends' loughing at me counting calories... And when it doesn't work for them it is never cico, it is always "slow metabolism"... \hipthrust
  • fatblatta
    fatblatta Posts: 333 Member
    edited June 2017
    It works. But it works less and less the more times it's done. I think the minimum calories per day thing is hogwash as long as you get enough calories over time.

    I enjoyed this article on CICO

    The Truth About Calories: Why Calories-In, Calories-Out Is Total Nonsense
    by Kevin Michael Geary

    https://rebootedbody.com/calories/
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    laurenebargar wrote: »
    So the title says it all. My best friend doesn't believe in CICO. I only told them recently that I started losing weight ( I told them once I was 15 lbs down) we went for a hike the other day, and then were walking back to their house, we stopped for ice cream. I had a ton of calories left so I got a flavor I actually wanted rather than just frozen yogurt. She was shocked and told me i'd never lose weight if im eating ice cream, and that our hike didnt count as exercise because we weren't in a gym (we burned over 1000 calories according to my fitbit!) I explained to her what MFP is all about it, and CICO and she said I was "getting obsessive" with calories I need to stop focusing on that, and eat only healthy foods and go to the gym for an hour every day, dont pay attention to calories. Im shocked that she would have such a strong opinion on it, shes a science major so I assumed something simple like CICO would make sense to her, you need to burn more calories than your body is taking in. Finally I explained I could eat one scoop of ice cream every day, even if thats all I ate, and I was in calorie deficit I would lose weight, she simply just said no you would gain weight and be terribly unhealthy. I agree you wouldnt be healthy, but you would still lose weight. That was it, she said after she didnt want to talk about it anymore. What do you guys think? I know CICO works, its been working for me, and so many other people on MFP. Why do people think CICO wont work??

    @laurenebargar you both are correct actually. She is talking about how to eat to live a long healthy life. You are talking about losing weight in a way that may or may not lead to a premature and painful death.

    CICO does not directly to human beings that are body, mind and spirit but it does apply quite well to a car engine.

    The macro one eats instead of the number of calories that one eats is what determines future health.

    Now if a person has a physical/mental condition that prevents the "You Are Full Stop Eating" signals then perhaps long term calorie counting will be a requirement but not in otherwise healthy humans.

    Intuitive eating may be damaged in people that never ate a healthy macro in their life. In that case they may be required to count calories for life. Just keep in mind in humans CICO is a false concept when it comes to good health and a long life. If one does not get the protein and fats that are required for good health then they will suffer health wise. The ratio of one's macro is not fixed in some book somewhere but is something we learn over time.
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