Remove all the trendy fads, slimming foods, and fat-reduction tactics from a weight loss diet, and what you’re left with is the core principle of the CICO diet. CICO stands for “Calories In, Calories Out” which is the fundamental concept behind most weight loss plans.
In this article, we’ll explore the CICO diet in more detail, examining its pros and cons, and assessing how effective and healthy it really is for weight loss. Keep reading to learn more!
What is the CICO Diet?
The CICO diet, which stands for “Calories In, Calories Out,” simplifies weight loss by focusing on the balance between the calories you consume and the calories your body burns [1]. To lose weight, you need to eat fewer calories than you burn, creating a calorie deficit. This approach is flexible, allowing you to eat any food, as long as your calorie intake is lower than your calorie expenditure.
While CICO simplifies weight loss diets, it focuses solely on calorie counting, and therefore doesn’t factor in the quality or nutritional value of the foods you eat. This can lead to potential nutrient deficiencies if not managed properly. Overall, CICO can be an effective weight loss tool, but it’s important to stay mindful of nutritional balance and where your calories are coming from.
Learn more about calories: How Many Calories Should I Burn a Day?
How Does the CICO Diet Work and Help With Weight Loss?
The CICO diet is based on a simple concept: to lose weight, you need to consume fewer calories than your body burns. This principle is the foundation of an effective weight loss diet. Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) represents the number of calories your body requires to maintain its current weight, which depends on factors like age, height, weight, and physical activity [2]. You can calculate how many calories your body needs through this Calorie Calculator.
Once you know your TDEE, you can create a calorie deficit by consuming fewer calories than your body needs. For example, if your TDEE is 2,800 calories, you would aim to eat 2,600 calories a day to start losing weight. By consistently staying below your calorie needs, your body will burn stored fat for energy, resulting in weight loss over time.
What makes the CICO diet appealing is its simplicity. It doesn’t require you to focus on food types, nutrients, or macronutrients—just the total calories you consume. In theory, you could lose weight by eating foods like chocolate and pizza, as long as you stay within your calorie goal. However, while this proves that calorie balance is key to weight loss, it’s not a healthy or sustainable approach.
Overall, the CICO diet helps with weight loss by focusing on calorie intake and expenditure, making it easy to track and adjust your eating habits to create a calorie deficit and lose weight.
More tools for understanding your calorie intake:
Benefits of the CICO Diet
Following are the benefits you can reap from following the CICO diet for weight loss:
- Simplicity and Flexibility: CICO focuses on tracking calories in versus calories out, without complex meal plans or food restrictions. This simplicity makes it easy to follow and sustainable over time.
- Increased Awareness: Tracking calories raises awareness of portion sizes and food choices, leading to healthier substitutions and smarter eating habits.
- Promotes Weight Loss: By maintaining a calorie deficit, CICO effectively supports significant weight loss. A 2-year study calorie restriction study showed that even modest calorie reductions can lead to significant health benefits.
- No Forbidden Foods: The diet’s flexibility allows you to enjoy your favorite foods as long as they fit within your calorie goals, preventing feelings of deprivation.
- Encourages Physical Activity: CICO also encourages increased physical activity for losing weight, which boosts calorie expenditure,supports weight loss, and overall health.
- Affordability and Accessibility: With free calorie-tracking apps, CICO is an affordable and accessible approach to weight management.
Workouts for weight loss:
28-Day Indoor Walking Challenge for Weight Loss [Free PDF]
Best Chair Exercises For Belly Fat Loss and Abs
Drawbacks of the CICO Diet
It is important to take these drawbacks of the CICO diet into consideration before diving into it:
- Emphasis on Calories, Not Food Quality: Focusing only on calorie intake and counting calories can lead to unhealthy food choices. Relying on processed foods may cause nutrient deficiencies, potentially resulting in long-term health issues.
- Sustainability Issues: While effective for short-term weight loss, CICO may not promote lasting habits. People often return to old eating patterns after reaching their goals, leading to weight regain [3]. Sustainable changes should focus on overall health, including physical activity and emotional eating.
- Tracking Can Be Tiresome: While apps can make tracking easier, logging numbers to count how many calories you consume every day can become tedious, which may decrease long-term adherence.
- Not Suitable for Everyone: CICO may not be appropriate for individuals with a history of eating disorders or unhealthy relationships with food and body weight. It also doesn’t account for other factors affecting weight gain, such as hormonal imbalances, medications, or metabolic conditions.
- Nutritional Deficiencies: Focusing solely on calories can lead to an unbalanced diet, causing deficiencies in essential nutrients like protein, calcium, and iron. This can result in health issues such as weakened immunity or bone problems.
CICO can help you lose weight, but it’s important to prioritize a nutrient-rich, well-balanced diet and try to stay clear of junk food to avoid unintentional weight gain and practice healthy weight loss. Consult with a healthcare provider before starting, especially for those with specific health conditions or dietary needs.
Learn more about weight loss diet plans:
7-Day Weight Loss Low-Carb Diet To Achieve Your Dream Body
7-Day Smoothie Weight Loss Diet Plan
Conclusion
Before taking on any dietary strategies, it’s important to ensure that you have all the information you need before diving in, and we hope that this article has helped you with that for the CICO diet. Remember to always consult your physician to know if something is right for your body, and then go ahead to check it out! For more information on how you can lose weight safely and effectively, check out the JustFit app!
