Current Events > CICO General - Log your calories here!

(+) Yeah! (+)

I did this a year and a half ago. I'm doing it again, and you can join me if you want to. I'm not a nutritionist, and I don't know if anyone here is, so don't take our advice as professional advice without further research. This is a judgement-free zone. That means you are not to judge others for any reason. Do not put someone down for not eating "proper" food. Even if it is unhealthy food, if they are choosing to go on a CICO journey, then just the extreme reduction in the quantity of junk eaten will help anyone have a better life.

FAQ's

What does CICO stand for?
CICO is Calories-In, Calories-Out. In this topic, we will mainly focus on the Calories-In part as that is what we have the most control over and can easily find out what. It is recommended you at least attempt to guess what your calories-out would be through one of the many calorie-calculators online: https://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html It's a good start to determining what weight loss you can expect based on your calorie-intake.

How healthy does my food have to be?
There are many components that make up food, micro and macro-nutrients, that you could breakdown for hours. There's obviously food that performs better in the nutrient categories, but this is not what CICO focuses on. At it's most basic level, CICO is entirely about how many calories you are putting in your body. In theory, a person could eat strictly chocolate, and still lose weight if the chocolate does not surpass their required calories to maintain weight. Still, if you are someone who ate 2,500 calories of junk food and now will only eat 1,500 calories, it will be a massive improvement over your past lifestyle. If the ratios of components feels overwhelming, just attempt to purely count calories and worry about the "healthier" stuff later.

What other methods should I look into?
Calories-Out, or the calories you burn in a single day, can be heavily altered by your physical activity. Exercise is obviously a major addition you can add to your life to increase the CO, all while you decrease the CI. Be wary, though, if you neglect your macros and micros, this is where limited quantities of food can be detrimental to your workout. Just moving around a little bit will help you out, though, so just take a walk if it's not something you are used to doing. I am not an expert, so I can't tell you anything beyond CICO, but it alone should be able to carry you to your goals. After all, the body has to use energy, and it can't create energy out of thin air. Forcing it to use its reserves of fat is how weight loss happens.

What are the traps to look out for?
First off, you have to count your calories correctly. If estimates are required, and research necessary, don't pick the data that gives you the greatest benefit (a lower estimate of what you just ate). Be prepared to accept the food you ate might be closer to the larger estimates of calories they contain. One big one is do not underestimate the calories of condiments. Ketchup, cocktail sauce, etc., contain calories, and should be measured and recorded just like any other food. Lastly, if you start this, and have a bit of weight to you, you will probably lose weight quickly during your first few weeks. This is weight not related to fat-reserves, and may be the dreaded water weight of glycogen reserves. It's only dreaded because people think they are on pace to meet their goals sooner than what reality will allow, and when weight loss slows down after this initial wave, you may find yourself unmotivated. Just remember that each pound lost is a victory found.

Alright, I'm going to record my first entry:

10/8 - Shrimp Lean Cuisine: 350 calories

Good luck everyone that wants to join!

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10/9 - Totinos pizza: 690 calories


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10/10: 470 calories

• Ramen Noodles: 370 calories
• Gummy Snack pack: 70 calories
• 4 vitamin gummies: 30 calories

Strangely enough, didn't feel too starved today. Ramen, albeit extremely unhealthy, can give a nice sense of fulfillment when you eat it entirely. Been drinking lots of water, which is by far the largest improvement a heavy soda drinker such as myself can make. I probably drink anywhere from 500-1500 calories a day from soda alone.

I have to pee a lot more, but I won't lie, drinking water has a lot of benefits such as my teeth feeling stronger than ever.

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I follow a plant-based diet and do not have to do calorie counting in order to maintain my 6'0" 160lb figure with 10% body fat.

I am also a nutritionist.

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Xenozoa425 posted...

I follow a plant-based diet and do not have to do calorie counting in order to maintain my 6'0" 160lb figure with 10% body fat.

I am also a nutritionist.

Nice. How do you manage protein? Is it food like tofu or do you take protein supplements?

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I'm not worried at all about protein, it's fiber that I try to aim for the most.

For protein, my optimal intake is anywhere from 40g to 60g, and I meet that easily by eating multiple servings of beans, grains, nuts and seeds per day. Mostly from oatmeal, lentils/ black/pinto beans with brown rice, soy milk, seeded bread, peanut butter, flax seed pancakes, etc.

I don't really do tofu or meat substitutes often, maybe once a week or two. I don't take protein supplements either.

If I had to estimate my daily calories then I'd be anywhere from 2000 to 2500. But I haven't been exercising lately, so I keep the weight down by going easy on fats like french fries, peanut butter and cooking oils. For salads, I use apple sauce or fruit squeeze packets instead of dressing.

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Xenozoa425 posted...

I'm not worried at all about protein, it's fiber that I try to aim for the most.

For protein, my optimal intake is anywhere from 40g to 60g, and I meet that easily by eating multiple servings of beans, grains, nuts and seeds per day. Mostly from oatmeal, lentils/ black/pinto beans with brown rice, soy milk, seeded bread, peanut butter, flax seed pancakes, etc.

I don't really do tofu or meat substitutes often, maybe once a week or two. I don't take protein supplements either.

If I had to estimate my daily calories then I'd be anywhere from 2000 to 2500. But I haven't been exercising lately, so I keep the weight down by going easy on fats like french fries, peanut butter and cooking oils. For salads, I use apple sauce or fruit squeeze packets instead of dressing.

I respect it. I'm extremely far from ever getting to the level you're at, and don't think I really have it in me, but it's extremely impressive.

Also, almost forgot to log my count for the day

10/11: 705 calories

• Shrimp lean cuisine: 350 calories
• 2 vitamin gummies: 15 calories
• Beef and Broccoli meal: 340 calories

I really wanted to eat a totinos, but a part of me wants to keep up this >1,000 calories streak. Additionally, I was just craving some sort of meat, so I went with the beef option.

I do think I'm going to try for pork-based soups. Chicken-soup is by far the best, but I literally can't have it (allergic), and shrimp and beef soup just smells and tastes funky. I think pork is the next best thing to chicken when it comes to soup. Soup is one of the most fulfilling meals to me, and pork is a tasty source of protein; even better with the flavor of the soup.

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10/12: 290 calories

• Can of Beef Pot Roast: 150 calories
• bucket of popcorn (small): 140 calories

Strangely enough, I didn't even feel that hungry after the beef pot roast. I only at the popcorn because I figured at 150 calories for the day, the snack wouldn't kill me. Strange how fulfilled I feel compared to yesterday for instance.

Tbh, the beef pot roast wasn't awesome, but it was serviceable. I'm hoping to pick up ingredients soon so I can make that pork soup I want to make.

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Fuck this tc. Eat a cake. A whole cake

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Smackems posted...

Fuck this tc. Eat a cake. A whole cake

I don't even like cake.

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10/13: 705 calories

• Totinos: 690 calories
• 2 vitamin gummies: 15 calories

At this point, I'm going to have less than a 1,000 calories tomorrow. If I did it for 6 days, I might as well finish up the week. Tomorrow, I will re-evaluate and determine if I should start shooting for more of the 1,100-1,300 range, though.

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10/14: 665 calories

• Orange Shrimp: 460 calories
• Onion Rings: 190 Calories
• 2 Vitamin Gummies: 15 calories

We made it through one week! That shrimp was pretty good, and was tiny so I got what felt like a lot (even if it wasn't that much in all actuality). Let's add up the week 1 total calories:

Week 1 Calories: 3,875 calories

• 10/08: 350 calories
• 10/09: 690 calories
• 10/10: 470 calories
• 10/11: 705 calories
• 10/12: 290 calories
• 10/13: 705 calories
• 10/14: 665 calories

Week 1 Average Calories per Day: 554 calories


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10/15: half a st. louis style pizza from local restaurant: 1100 calories*

The * is for the fact that this is an estimate based on the closest comparison with an available calorie chart (Imo's). Since it's a local restaurant, I have little way of knowing the actual calorie count, and it could be anywhere from 1,000-1,250 imo, maybe even more if I'm really underestimating how much they pack. This pizza place doesn't feel like it'd be packed with calories, though, at least compared to the other local one.

I have to be strong, you don't know how much I want to eat more (plus I bought funyuns and cheetos as a snack for today, but after the pizza, I gotta resist those, too).

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10/16: 638 calories

• miso soup (2): 168 calories
• steamed rice: 220 calories
• 10 teriyaki shrimp: 90 calories
• cheeto puffs: 160 calories

Extreme estimate today. I couldn't get definite answers on the miso soup or teriyaki shrimp. A lot of sites show calories in stir-fry, but I literally just had tail-less shrimp with teriyaki sauce. Some sites say that is 90 calories, but that feels off. Miso soup varied from 50-100 calories but I was getting 80'ish a lot so I went with 84 for one cup. Regardless, I am confident that I am not far from the real total.

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I haven't been tracking my calories probably as much as I should (i.e. ignoring condiments, or not counting the fat i dont eat off a chop or something), but I think i've done a good job so far. This past month and a half ive lost nearly 10KG. I'm still extremely fat though. I normally try to over-estimate the calories I take in but I wonder if I over-estimate too much
Im terms of what im eating... its still the same though. less junk, but the same amount of other stuff like steak and veggies (not a whole lot of veggies)

Kloe_Rinz posted...

I haven't been tracking my calories probably as much as I should (i.e. ignoring condiments, or not counting the fat i dont eat off a chop or something), but I think i've done a good job so far. This past month and a half ive lost nearly 10KG. I'm still extremely fat though. I normally try to over-estimate the calories I take in but I wonder if I over-estimate too much
Im terms of what im eating... its still the same though. less junk, but the same amount of other stuff like steak and veggies (not a whole lot of veggies)

That's impressive! Any amount loss is a win. I suppose if this is working for you, I'd say continue until your weight loss starts to not match what your estimate should have been based on CICO. At that point is when you should really focus on all the calories you consume, condiments, or otherwise.

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Have you been calculating the percentage of your macros?

I typically don't have to pay attention to mine because I generally fall under a 70/15/15 split, carb to protein to fat.

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Xenozoa425 posted...

Have you been calculating the percentage of your macros?

I typically don't have to pay attention to mine because I generally fall under a 70/15/15 split, carb to protein to fat.

No, not now. Based on what I've been consuming, it's probably not a pretty percentage either, lol.

For me, weight loss needs to not completely suck or it's impossible to pull off. I'm breaking this into steps. Step 1 is getting to the weight I want, and then Step 2, I'll finally focus on that macro breakdown for a better body (and health). If I focus on macros and calories now, I just am not going to be able to do it.

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Ultimately, the goal is to be healthy, and the weight loss happens as a result of adopting a healthy diet and lifestyle. If you play the short game get to the weight you want before thinking about the long game with health, it will only make it harder to sculpt your body the way you want. I made the mistake of losing too much weight too quickly and doing low calorie/low carb crash dieting, because it made me skinny fat even though I was exercising multiple times a week. It's nigh impossible to maintain lean mass without relying on complex carbs, the fuel our bodies run on best. And when you lose lean mass, you use less calories and your weight loss begins to plateau and stagnate, while body fat still accumulates.

Focusing on lowering fat, salt, oil and refined foods, and eating high fiber complex carbs that also contain plenty of lean protein without any cholesterol (like beans and oats) is the way to go. You get to eat as much as you want, feel full and still lose weight, while also improving markers like cholesterol, triglycerides and a1c, and it's more efficient than doing it through calorie deprivation and starvation. I'm at a lower weight by eating more food than I've ever been doing the Keto/intermittent fasting food restriction regiment.

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Perhaps, but I also have the issue that I don't buy the groceries at my house. Don't really get to be picky in that case and right now, I'm satisfied with CICO.

10/17: 845 calories

• Cheetos: 480 calories
• vitamin gummies: 15 calories
• Shrimp lean cuisine: 350 calories

Tomorrow I have a social event for work to go to. I don't really want to drink anything but we'll see what happens.

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You also have to understand there is more to being healthy and losing weight than calories. There's absolutely next to zero nutrition in Cheetos and Lean Cuisine. No amount of synthetic gummy vitamins will ever make up for the lack of fiber, antioxidants and phytonutrient polyphenol compounds.

You need good food, my friend.

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Xenozoa425 posted...

You also have to understand there is more to being healthy and losing weight than calories. There's absolutely next to zero nutrition in Cheetos and Lean Cuisine. No amount of synthetic gummy vitamins will ever make up for the lack of fiber, antioxidants and phytonutrient polyphenol compounds.

You need good food, my friend.

Perhaps, but that will be something I aim for another day.

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am i mistaken or aren't all calorie counts estimates already? i have a hard time believing every product in the world has exactly a number of calories that ends with '5' or '0'. and i have a hard time believing every machine in every factory distributes the exact same amount of everything per item, surely there are items with slightly more or less food in them overall?

how exact is exact?

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Guerrilla Soldier posted...

am i mistaken or aren't all calorie counts estimates already? i have a hard time believing every product in the world has exactly a number of calories that ends with '5' or '0'. and i have a hard time believing every machine in every factory distributes the exact same amount of everything per item, surely there are items with slightly more or less food in them overall?

how exact is exact?

To an extent. You're not going to be off by that much if you count right.

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I dont count calories, waste of my time

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PiOverlord posted...

Perhaps, but that will be something I aim for another day.

You can aim for that today by simply opting for carrots with dip instead of Cheetos, and rice and beans over Lean Cuisine. It's not just healthier, it's also much cheaper too.

My advice isn't meant to criticize or judge, people are free to do whatever they please. But as a nutritionist, one of my primary goals that I focus on when educating others is complete evidence-based information, and when it comes to CICO, many people have a hard time getting out of that self-destructive mentality because of all the misinformation over the years, and because I personally went through it myself, and I know for a fact it does not work as effectively as most people believe.

Can CICO be used to get you started on the right path? Absolutely. But I can never with a clear conscience tell someone with a straight face that limiting themselves to eating only 800 calories of junk food in one day is a healthy way to lose weight.

You said you would not focus on that now, and that's fine. I'm just saying to be aware of what exactly it is you are doing, consider reevaluating and taking a slightly different approach that lets you continue eating not just lower calorie foods, but making sure those lower calorie foods are more nutrient dense.

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I am banning myself from fast food

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Plan for today




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Doe posted...

I am banning myself from fast food

Good luck! Do you have a time frame for how long you plan on not eating fast food?

emblem boy posted...

Plan for today

That's a pretty sick ratio. Protein is a big chunk of your planned daily intake. I'm guessing your working on building muscle?

As for today, I had spaghetti and ice cream. My estimate for the total is 992, but I think I overestimated the spaghetti calories a bit.

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I forgot to post yesterday. Had spaghetti leftovers for 498 calories.

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PiOverlord posted...

That's a pretty sick ratio. Protein is a big chunk of your planned daily intake. I'm guessing your working on building muscle?

Yeah, but I try not to get that many carbs, I usually fail though.

I'm not really being that strict, I'm more trying to maintain or slowly lose
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PiOverlord posted...

I don't even like cake.

vanilla pudding. screw chocolate.
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