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Anyone know if CICO works? "Calories in, Calories out"

‎03-07-2017 12:19

‎03-07-2017 12:19

Hey everyone!

 

I've heard a lot of buzz over CICO "Calories in, Calories out" and I just got my FitBit Blaze and want to know if this method actually works. Am I understanding correctly that if you are trying to loose weight, you should consume 500 calories less than what you burn so regardless of how much you burn, you will always consume 500 less?

 

example (exaggerated for understanding purposes)

 

If today I burned 3000 calories, I should consume 2500 calories?

or if I burned 5500, I should still consume 5000 calories because it is 500 calories less?

 

I have also heard that this is because if the deficit of calories is larger than 500 calories, then your body stores anything you eat to create energy since it will believe you are staving it. So even if I eat a salad, my body will automatically store it as fat because I am consuming less than a 500 calorie deficit.

 

Sorry if this is confusing! lol but is anyone else going through this?

Help/explain! Thank youuuuu! 🙂

Best Answer
20 REPLIES 20

‎03-08-2017 14:10

‎03-08-2017 14:10

CICO *does* work, but a 500 calorie deficit is not a hard rule and there are some other things to watch out for.

 

Depending on your overall calorie requirements for your body, it is possible your deficit can safely be much larger than 500 calories. Your body needs a certain amount of energy to function on a day-to-day basis (BMR). For a very small person, their BMR will be very low. If they have too much of a deficit they will be at risk of starving their body.

 

On the other hand, people who are very large (either with a high fat percentage or very muscular) can safely maintain deficits of 750-1000 calories. This is because they are getting the calories their body needs to function and they are burning so much more to maintain that extra fat or muscle.

 

There is also *some* concern for the types of calories you're eating. Technically speaking your body should burn fat when it needs energy it is not getting from food. However, if you have been eating a diet that is high in carbs/sugar for a long period of time your body has the potential to become insulin resistant. That can cause issues where the body struggles to release fat from cells and becomes reliant on the easy-to-use glycogen instead. It can hinder your weight loss as well as cause problems with blood sugar and intense cravings for carbs/sugars.

 

CICO also works in the opposite. If you are trying to GAIN weight, you would eat 250-500 calories MORE than you are burning. Eating at a surplus and strength training is a good way to put on muscle.

 

So the TL;DR is:

 

Yes, it works. 500 calories is a good starting point, but your body may be able to tolerate deficits that are higher (or lower) than that depending on body composition and activity level. Sugar is terribly bad for you, and should be avoided, but shouldn't cause any serious problems unless it has been a long-term staple in your diet.

 

 

Best Answer