Is it really CICO? Calories in, calories out?

mjc8080 wrote: »

Is any “diet” succesful soley based on cico? Whether low carb, keto, weight watchers, low fat, etc? Are all calories equal then? As long as you eat below your number allowed, you will lose weight?

Trying to get all my facts before I decided myfitness pal Or Atkins? Thank you in advance!

Calories are equal for weight loss. If your maintenance/break-even point is 2,000 calories and you consistently eat 1500, you will lose weight. (Note: as you shrink, so will your caloric needs. Using myself as an example, when I weighed 254lbs, MFP gave me 1720 calories to lose 1lb/week; I'm a short woman in my 40s. 105 lbs later, I'm on 1360 to lose 1/2lb per week. Because at 149lbs, I don't need as much food.)

For health, energy, satiety, certain fitness goals, and probably other stuff I'm leaving out, what you eat matters. Your body needs adequate nutrition which comes from eating a varied diet. While I haven't given up desserts, eating what I want within my calories doesn't mean that all I eat is cake and candy! (Most people, even on poor diets, don't eat that way unless they're in a situation where they literally have no choice.) That being said, using the person who needs 2,000 calories to maintain as an example? If they are eating 2500 calories worth of nutrient-dense food, they will gain. If they are eating 1500 calories worth of fried food and candy, they will lose. Google "Twinkie Diet" if you want confirmation. That doesn't necessarily follow that there will be no long-term health issues for the person losing weight on a poorer diet, but in general? The single best way to improve one's health markers is to close in on a healthy weight. No matter what you eat to get there, so long as you're not running too aggressive a deficit.

Personally, I pay attention to protein and iron and let the rest fall where it falls. Which is usually moderate to slightly-high carb—I'm a vegetarian; most of my protein sources contain carbs too—and lower (not 'low') fat. Over time (I've been at this for 21 months, now), I find that I'm making more nutrient-dense choices than I used to, but I still make room for cookies and ice cream. Of course, those aren't my dietary staples—they never were, even when I was at my heaviest. But they have a (delicious!) place in my week all the same!

I love it when the laws of physics hold true in our dimension. It's when they don't that I begin to worry.

*edited because auto-correct hates me.

Ultimately, weight loss is all about CICO.

However it's also important to consider individual differences, particularly psychological ones. Some people find that keeping carbs low reduces their appetite. Some people (me) would fall off the wagon in a heartbeat if they couldn't have cake and chocolate. Some people need regularly-spaced meals, others find that spending most of the day fasting is easier for them.

Calories are king; but you need to find for yourself what is the most satisfying way for you to consume them.

Barring medical disorders, CICO is the only way to lose weight.