You've likely heard of the Calories In, Calories Out (CICO) method for weight management. This is probably the most popular approach – and the most effective.
The concept is very simple: To lose weight, you must eat fewer calories than your body burns. And if you eat more calories than your body burns, you gain weight. CICO is a flexible weight loss method backed by science (1).
If you are new to the CICO diet or calorie tracking in general, you may not know where to start. And you probably know that MyFitnessPal it can help you track your calories and nutrition. In fact, MyFitnessPal be your best friend on the CICO diet. The app can help you set your goals and stay on track when you're tracking.
Asking how to use MyFitnessPal can you help with CICO method? Let's go into it step by step.
Step 1: Set up your goals in MyFitnessPal
First, when you sign up for MyFitnessPal, the app ask you for some essential information: your age, weight, height, gender, and daily activity level.
Your answers will help calculate the most important stats that make the CICO method work:
Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): The number of calories your body burns at rest just to maintain basic body functions.
Your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE): The total calories your body burns in a day, affected by your activity level (eg, how much you exercise, whether you have hard physical work, etc.).
Next, you choose a goal:
- Losing weight
- Maintaining your current weight
- Gaining muscle
If your goal is to lose weight, MyFitnessPal I recommend a calorie goal that puts you in a calorie deficit. If you meet that goal, you will eat fewer calories than you burn each day.
Calories expended – TDEE = calorie loss
Then you set a goal for how fast you will lose weight. MyFitnessPal you ask how much you want to win or lose each week.
You can choose to gain either 0.5 lbs or 1 lbs per week.
For weight loss, you choose either 0.5 lbs, 1 lbs, 1.5 lbs, or 2 lbs per week as a goal.
You can also choose to maintain your current weight.
The standard recommendation for safe weight loss is a calorie deficit of 500-1000 calories per day, which usually results in a loss of 1 to 2 pounds per week (1).
But a bigger deficit doesn't mean faster weight loss, according to Stephanie Nelson, RD, MyFitnessPal's Chief Scientist. In fact, 68% of MyFitnessPal users who achieved at least 90% of their goal weight lost less than 1 pound per week on average.
Step 2: Log what you're eating (Aka, your “Calories In”).
When you record what you eat throughout the day in MyFitnessPal, you will know what the “calories in” of your CICO diet looks like.
MyFitnessPalFood database includes millions of food items, from grocery store staples to popular restaurant meals.
To record your meals and snacks, search the database and select the items you had, and add them to your diary. Ideally, choose from the “Best Matches” options in the app.
For a tip: Upgrade to Premium to access our barcode scanner. It makes it even easier to register packaged foods.
Cook from home or prepare meals often? You can add your own recipes MyFitnessPaltoo. Enter the ingredients you used, and the app will calculate the total calories and nutrients for the whole dish or each serving. This is very helpful if you want to make the same recipes over and over again.
For a tip: Weighing or measuring and portion sizes can help improve logging accuracy – but any logging is a win! It's about progress, not perfection.
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Step 3: Log your workout (aka, your “Calories Out”)
MyFitnessPal making it easy to record the calories you burn, whether you log in manually or sync the app with a fitness device, such as a Fitbit or Garmin.
When you break a sweat, log it. MyFitnessPal You can estimate your burn for all types of exercise, from strength training to running to swimming.
MyFitnessPal it will take your exercise calories burned and adjust your daily calorie target for you.
For example, if you have a goal of 1800 calories per day and you burn 300 calories exercising, MyFitnessPal You will update the rest of the daily food to 2100 calories. And if you've synced your fitness device, your calories will appear automatically!
some MyFitnessPal members choose to turn this feature off, which is easy to do in the app. If you do this, you can still log your workout, but the calories won't be added back to your goal.
Step 4: Add Macros to the mix
Not all calories are created equal! Calories consumed are the heart of the CICO diet. But paying attention to macronutrients (proteins, fats, and carbohydrates) can help you optimize your results.
“One downside of focusing only on calories in versus calories out during a weight loss journey is that it doesn't teach us the importance of nutrition in those calories,” says Melissa Jaeger, RD, LD, Head of Nutrition at MyFitnessPal.
“Tracking with MyFitnessPal can help you not only identify your total daily calories but also key nutrients to support your overall health and well-being when it comes to weight loss such as protein, fiber, saturated fat and more!”
MyFitnessPal it has tons of food data, including macros. When logging meals, you can check your daily macros on the “Nutrition” tab. (If you're a premium member, you'll find it right on your dashboard.)
This section provides a breakdown of how much protein, fat, and carbs to use, and how they contribute to your total calorie count.
Changing your macros can help you achieve specific goals. For example:
- Higher protein support muscle maintenance and recovery, especially if you are lifting heavy.
- Balanced carbohydrates and fats you can keep your energy levels stable throughout the day, helping you avoid fatigue or mood swings.
MyFitnessPal giving you a basic set of balanced macros for optimal overall nutrition. If you have a premium membership, you can customize your macro goals, which is especially helpful when following a specific high-protein or ketogenic diet plan.
Step 5: Get your data and review your progress
It's a real pleasure to see a record of all your hard work. One of the most exciting aspects of practice MyFitnessPal you have the ability to track your progress. Regular logging can show you how well you're sticking to your goals. you can see what works – and what doesn't.
In the app's “Progress” section, you can track changes in your weight, measurements and fitness goals. MyFitnessPalThe visual charts allow you to see trends over time, which helps you see opportunities for improvement.
Well, okay. No just. No day is perfect. No two bodies are the same. Even when it comes to counting calories and macros, don't stop being hyper-exact.
Instead, strive for consistency over perfection. As Stephanie Nelson says, “Taking a slower approach is more sustainable because you're making changes that you can sustain in the long term. Instead of focusing only on numbers, focus on smaller behavioral changes you can make.”
Other recommendations for the CICO diet
A few more tips to use MyFitnessPal to succeed on the CICO diet:
- Order food as soon as possible: Whether it's before or right after a meal, logging food as soon as possible means you'll be less likely to forget what you had.
- Set reminders: Use MyFitnessPal's built-in notifications to remind you to track food and exercise.
- Customize your experience: Premium MyFitnessPal members can change their macros, customize their dashboard, and tailor their experience to their goals.
- Join the community: MyFitnessPal member community helping you to connect with others at the same time. Talk to friends and read success stories to stay motivated.
With the right tools and mindset, the CICO diet can empower you with information and insight about what you're eating, what you're burning, and help you reach your goals with less simple math and science.
Check out some success stories from MyFitnessPal members to see how tracking has helped change their lives.
The post How to enter the calories in, calorie out diet (CICO) using MyFitnessPal appeared first MyFitnessPal Blog.
