CICO is gravity, calorie counting is walking down the steps

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paperpudding
paperpudding Posts: 8,992 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
There sometimes seems some confusion about the difference between CICO (calories in, calories out) and calorie counting

CICO is the science equation that applies to all of us: ie if CI = CO you stay same weight, if CI is greater than CO you gain weight, if CO is greater than CI you lose weight

Calorie counting is one method to monitor and control this.

Most of us on MFP, since it is a primarily a calorie counting site, will be using some form of this.

But there are other methods - WW, just reduce/increase portion sizes, eliminate/add high or low calorie foods, follow a prescribed diet where calories have been worked out for you, stop snacking after x time if that was high CI for you etc

CICO is like gravity - applies to all of us whether we know it or control it or not.

If I am high on a cliff-top, getting down will involve gravity

My strategy or method might be climbing down the steps or parachuting or hang-gliding - that is my 'calorie counting' or otherwise.

Free falling is like a VLCD - might get you there the fastest but not the best health outcome. :o


Today's analogy brought to you by paperpudding ;):DB)

Replies

  • Dante_80
    Dante_80 Posts: 479 Member
    edited September 2021
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    Well, that is a cool analogy indeed!.

    Calorie counting is an integral part of diet culture, but also a pretty cool way to science the kitten out of our weight loss conundrums.

    CICO is simply the way our bodies work (and many other things too).
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
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    Like it--thanks for simplifying what some people find hard to understand.
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,931 Member
    edited September 2021
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    MargaretYakoda wrote: »
    Then is eating 800 calories a day while exercising more than two hours a day equivalent to jumping out of a plane with no parachute?

    I guess it depends whether a dr is there to help you or not haha. Though maybe it's more like a cliff than a plane... a potentially survivable cliff. But you still won't be doing the best afterward unless you have medical help.

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