5 Reasons You Will Never Lose Weight With Calories In, Calories Out (CICO)

What is Calories In, Calories Out (CICO)?

Calories In, Calories Out (CICO) is a weight loss diet plan or method that tends to balance the calories you consume through food and the calories you burn through physical activity. The idea is that to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, you need to burn as many calories as you consume or even more. CICO advocates for calorie deficiency, especially if you want to lose weight. This means that if you eat more calories than you burn, you will gain weight, and if you burn more calories than you consume, you will lose weight. 

While CICO sounds like a simple concept, it is more complicated. This is because other factors can affect weight loss and weight gain. Some of these factors include hormonal imbalances, genetics, and underlying medical conditions.

Bottomline: CICO means counting calories; if you dislike counting calories, this weight loss method may not be for you! CICO is a weight loss myth, read about other weight loss myth!

Do you Plan to Start the CICO Diet?

Please talk to your healthcare professional if you intend to use the CICO diet method. It’s always advisable to consult your healthcare professional before significantly changing your diet or exercise routine.
Are you thinking about losing weight? Check out TJA.

Does CICO Really Work?

Not too fast.

Unfortunately, the weight loss industry has poisoned this phrase by making people believe that weight loss “is just calories in and calories out when it comes to weight loss and maintenance.” They neglect other vital facts that play a significant role in weight loss. There is way more to maintaining a healthy weight than calories going in and out of the body.

The fact remains that the losing and gaining of weight do not solely rely on the intake and burning of calories. Diet quality may play a role in weight loss as well as hormones.
Additionally, CICO doesn’t take into account how food impacts the body. How about the time of calorie consumption? Do you eat late at night? CICO doesn’t consider that as well.
Interval? That too… Do you consume dessert after every dinner every evening?

5 Reasons You Will Never Lose Weight With Calories In, Calories Out (CICO) – Disadvantages of CICO:

Let’s take a look at some of the major disadvantages of calories in calories out that may prevent you from actually losing weight! 

1. CICO Can Be Time-Consuming!

No matter how easy the CICO diet method may sound, it is definitely time-consuming! Tracking every calorie, you consume and burn becomes tedious and time-consuming eventually. You may become successful for a week or a month, but it may become a challenge after a long time!

2. Difficult to Accurately Track Calories

It can be difficult to accurately track calories every single time! For instance, it is easy to assume that a bowl of soup is 350 calories when it is actually 550. Unfortunately, calorie counts can easily be inaccurate or misleading. Most people mismeasure calories anddddd most people like me do not like counting calories! Question: Do you like counting calories? If you don’t, then you may struggle.

3. Calories In, Calories Out, Promotes Unhealthy Relationship With Food!

Calories in, calories out, CICO can lead to an unhealthy relationship with food, sadly. Focusing solely on calorie intake and expenditure can lead to an unhealthy relationship with food, as it can place a heavy emphasis on restriction and deprivation. Some people may eat very little calories in order to burn small calories.

4. CICO Does Not Account for Nutrient Quality

It is crucial to ensure that you eat nutritious calories most of the time. And this is even more essential if you are trying to lose weight. Unfortunately, the calories in calories out diet method doesn’t account for nutrient quality: While CICO focuses on calorie intake and expenditure, it doesn’t necessarily consider the quality of the foods you’re consuming. This means consuming a diet high in processed foods and lacking essential nutrients may have negative health consequences.

5. Calories In Calories Out Is Not Sustainable!

Sadly, CICO may not be sustainable because it simply is not! For some people, the strict tracking and calorie counting required for CICO may become too much in the long term! Not tracking calories correctly could lead to weight gain, defeating this diet method’s purpose. It may equally lead to unhealthy eating habits as the CICO diet doesn’t account for nutrient quality. Check out this Mayo Clinic post for a more sustainable weight loss tips!

Calories In, Calories Out Is NOT The Best Approach For Everyone!

CICO may not be the best approach for everyone, especially if they want a sustainable, lasting healthy lifestyle. I am a firm believer in healthy lifestyle change; I think that when you continue on a healthy lifestyle, the weight will eventually fall. In other words, you can maintain a healthy weight!

Losing weight and maintaining your weight is not simply a matter of calories in and calories out. It is more than that and requires a more whole/holistic approach. Plan and continue to make better food choices. Most importantly, don’t give up! If you want to lose weight, I can help; check out The Juice Approach!

Here Are 7 Simple Lifestyle Changes to Make If You Want a Healthy Weight:

1. Drink plenty of water throughout the day and less sugary drinks if you can do a sugar detox. Using a fruit-infused water bottle may help you drink more. Watch this video to see how I use my fruit-infused water bottle.
2. Eat nutrient-dense food. Eat more whole foods like fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins. Want an example of nutrient-densed meals? See this Berry Spinach Salad and Quinoa Black Beans Bowl.
3. Reduce processed foods and snacks.
4. Add physical activity to your routine! Move more and aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise each day.
5. Better sleep. Get enough sleep every night.
6. Reduce stress, practice stress-reducing techniques like meditation or yoga.
7. Add juicing to the mix! Do you juice? Healthy homemade juices are fantastic and can help you maintain your weight! Some of my favorite healthy juices include celery juice, pineapple-cucumber juice, and beet juice!

Making simple lifestyle changes can be an effective way to maintain a healthy weight. I hope the tips listed above help you to start going!

Wanna lose weight? Become more intentional about losing. Know when and what to eat by following The Juice Approach! Click below to check out TJA!

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