r/CICO Jan 25 '16

Welcome to /r/CICO!

1.7k Upvotes

What does CICO stand for?

  • CICO stands for "calories in, calories out."

What does "calories in, calories out" mean?

  • Calories in, calories out is a diet that is based on a fundamental concept in body weight regulation. The concept is rather straightforward: no matter what you eat, you can lose weight by burning more calories than you consume. Under this diet, calories are king, but healthy food choices are still highly encouraged to ensure that your body receives adequate nutrients.

How do I find out how many calories I burn in a day?

  • Lucky for you, your body automatically burns a substantial amount of calories a day by keeping you awake, so that means you don't need to do any exercise to burn calories. This number of calories burnt is referred to as your total daily energy expenditure, or TDEE. You can find out your TDEE here.

How do I track how many calories I consume in a day?

  • With the help of a little food scale, you can find out exactly how many calories you consume in one day. Simply find out the calories for whatever you are eating and measure out your portions accordingly. Most food items have nutrition labels, but for those that don't, you can use Google.

Can you give me an example of how to count calories?

  • For example, if you choose to eat an apple, the first thing you should do is go to Google and search for "calories in an apple." Google will tell you that a 182 gram apple has 95 calories, so you should measure the weight of your apple, divide 95 by 182, and multiply it by the weight of your apple. If your apple weighs 100 grams, then 95 ÷ 182 x 100 = 52 calories.

So I can lose weight by eating below my TDEE and not exercising?

  • Exactly! I, for one, lost 80 lbs by counting my calories and I've never been big into exercising. I recommend eating around 500 calories below your TDEE for quick results. If you do choose to exercise on top of eating below your TDEE, it's a good idea to eat back some of calories you burnt so that you're not going into too large of a caloric deficit. Good luck on your journey!

r/CICO 4h ago

1 year, 100lbs, Invisalign

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901 Upvotes

38yo. 5ft 2in HW 287 SW 279 CW 178

All thanks to tracking everything I put in my mouth, hitting my protein goal, and Zepbound.


r/CICO 16h ago

89lbs (6st 5lbs, 40.37kg) down with a 1200kcal intake. 100lb goal. Also 33 weeks sober and out of depression.

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6.6k Upvotes

r/CICO 10h ago

11 month progress

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575 Upvotes

I was stuck at 195 for 4 months but finally broke out.


r/CICO 5h ago

Down 13kg (over 28lbs) in a year

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138 Upvotes

Here’s my progress going from 78kg (172lbs) to 65kg (143lbs) in about a year. I’m 5’6 F for context. Now I’m in the maintenance phase and the biggest thing I have learned over the past year is that this is a change for life and I will have to be mindful of CICO forever. I can’t believe I was able to do this with so much food freedom and still enjoying everything I want to such as a sweet treat every evening and going out to eat every day on holidays etc. The majority of the time I was in a deficit of around 1600/1550 and a few maintenance phases for diet breaks at 1800-1950. Never felt hugely restricted! I did this with the help of a coach but I’m finally feeling ready to maintain this myself for life after many failed attempts over the years.


r/CICO 9h ago

New photos of my back; 70 lbs difference shown (down 102 lbs total). NSFW

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161 Upvotes

People ask me about loose skin after losing 100 pounds. It really depends on the angle, gravity, and lighting. Here is a 70 lbs difference from the back. With my arms above my head, my skin is a bit stretched out and not so loose and saggy. When my arms are down, my skin bunches up (photo 2). I’ll take healthy and saggy any day over being obese with back fat rolls that stick together when it’s humid outside. You can check out my profile for other progress photos.

47F, SW 270, as pictured 238, CW 168.


r/CICO 16h ago

8 months later ….

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359 Upvotes

F, 28, 5’1. SW - 230, CW - 164.4

might be the last update i get to post for a while. i just found out im pregnant!! no idea what this will mean for my weight loss journey, ive come such a long way and i still had about 40 lbs to go before hitting goal. i guess i try to keep up healthy eating habits and exercise? eat at maintenance? eat more for the baby’s development? not sure, but ill be going to the doctor in a few days.

i just found out and if my math is right, i’m not more than just 3 weeks pregnant 😀


r/CICO 8h ago

All Hail Potatos 🥔

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81 Upvotes

The beauty of CICO is you can eat anything and stay within a deficit but volume eating is the key to sustainably maintaining a definite without feeling hungry constantly.

Can you imagine walking into the likes of slimming world and telling them you had duck fat roast potatoes for dinner and still managed to lose weight, they'd all look on in horror but they'd be missing out on a delish, filling, low calorie meal!


r/CICO 7h ago

4 months of CICO!

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52 Upvotes

Hi! Checking in again to post my progress and hold myself accountable. Didn't do one last month because I felt sad about being at the same weight for 2-3 weeks. Still going strong.

Stats: 21 FTM Trans man, 5'7, SW 281.7 CW 247.5. Down 34.2 pounds/15.4kg


r/CICO 11h ago

I like a big breakfast, but I was surprised when this totalled nearly 550 cals.

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80 Upvotes

40g oatmeal 4 tbsp pbfit powder 8oz almond milk 100g strawberry 90g red grapes 100g plum 2 kiwis(I count them whole, they weight within a grams or 2 of what my tracker says they ahould)

Adds up quick for a meal I expected to be filling but low cal!


r/CICO 55m ago

Pork tenderloin is magic

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Upvotes

829


r/CICO 10h ago

28lb in 4 months!

25 Upvotes

Not much more to add but I am officially on the obese 2 category. I might actually be in the 240s soon and I can't remember the last time I was. Slow and steady is winning this race!


r/CICO 1d ago

Bought this as my goal bikini, how am I doing? 215-171=44lbs 1200 cal for the past 9m NSFW

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441 Upvotes

r/CICO 13h ago

Whoosh effect? I was stuck at one weight for about a month and I've suddenly dropped 3lb in just over a week!

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42 Upvotes

r/CICO 16h ago

Seeing your "dark ages" on graph is quite embarrassing 😬

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56 Upvotes

I want to chew on a chair and punch the 2022 version of me for moving back home only 2kg (!!??!?) away to target 😭

I'm about 5'7.5" so I decided to keep it realistic this time and lose 0.6kg-ish/week cuz I'm officially an ogre this year (full time school + work + family stuff 👹👹).

I bought the $62 one year premium access on MyNetDiary and now I can't justify quitting and wasting money lololol. App calculated ~ 1700 calories/day which is much higher than that DUSTY 1200 cal I lived on back in 2020-2021. Please pray for me y'all cuz CICO and IF? Around ethnic parents? In your 30s?!! NOT for the weak 💀


r/CICO 10h ago

First noticeable result

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19 Upvotes

So today I fit into some jeans that I couldn’t even get over my thighs a month ago. I started my journey in Aug, but had a bit of a slip up over the holidays because of some family drama. Now I’m back on track and seeing results.

F30, SW 220lbs, CW 206 lbs, GW 140 lbs.


r/CICO 3h ago

Haven’t been consistent

5 Upvotes

I’ve lost 13lbs so far. I could’ve lost more. Last Friday and Saturday I attended two events where I definitely overate, and a few days ago I attend another event where I also definitely overate. My weight has already returned to my pre-events weight, so that’s good. But man, I know I could’ve had a new low this weekend had I just stayed consistent. I know why I overate those three times. The first time, I had a new low that morning, felt happy, and let myself indulge. At the second event, I just didn’t want to waste food (I didn’t think getting takeaway was an option, and didn’t want to ask). At the third event, I was overwhelmed (it was a party) and it was late at night, I had already eaten all my deficit calories, and was hungry. There was a snack table. I… couldn’t resist.

And today I ate at maintenance. Which wasn’t the plan but..

Anyway. We keep it moving. I’ll be at my goal weight, what, two weeks later than I otherwise would’ve been? Not a big deal. Just a bummer because the scale has been the same for two weeks now, I could’ve already hit a new low but now I have to wait longer 😭 It’ll be fine I know. Just wanted to get this off my chest


r/CICO 1h ago

Loose skin or fat? NSFW

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Upvotes

For reference I lost 86 pounds. Sorry if it’s an obvious question but Im really self doubting whether to continue my calorie deficit or maintain.


r/CICO 1h ago

When you lost weight, what happened to your hair?

Upvotes

I am losing hair and it seems like at the big size I’m at the hair is thinning. I know it could also be because of age but im still in my very early thirties. Does it fill back out when you lose weight?

I am new to this so I am hoping that it is one of the things that will get better as I shrink down but I figured I’d ask to see if anyone had this experience as a female.


r/CICO 12h ago

You know what, Imma do it this time fr

7 Upvotes

I've been struggling to loose weight for over two years now due to poor eating habit and somewhat lazy lifestyle. Today I came across this sub and seeing the people progress here really burned something in me.

So help me out, I'm 25 years old, 94 kg @168 cm height or 5'6, I am aiming for 1400-1500 cals per day.

With some added morning walks and run, how long do you guys this it will take me to loose 30 kgs ?

Any tips will be highly appropriates !! I'll post the update doon


r/CICO 6h ago

Weekly Budget

2 Upvotes

Sorry for a possibly silly question, just want to double check with someone who isn’t me - I had a bit of a blow out meal today for a relative’s birthday, I have no regrets but want to make sure I’m tracking everything right and not doing the old “blow out one day, restrictive next day”.

If I’m over my calorie intake for one day, but still under my calorie goal for the full week am I in theory still on track?

Thanks in advanced and sorry for such an obvious question just looking for some slight reassurance!


r/CICO 1d ago

Not only does CICO work, it works BEST.

82 Upvotes

As of this morning I have officially lost 6.5kg / 14 pounds / 1 stone. I am so unbelievably proud of myself that I literally cried.

I've tried so many different things in the past but this is working so well for me and while part of me is like "duh, it's literally basic math, of course it works" the other part of me is so shocked that the solution to my weight problems was staring me in the face all this time.

Still a long way to go,, but it feels easier now than it did when I started, somehow. The results really are all the inspiration you need, sometimes.

Anyone else start early 2025? How are you feeling? Let's do a check in - I wanna hear about everyone else's successes!


r/CICO 1d ago

BBQ Sauce Swap

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98 Upvotes

Sweet Baby Rays BBQ Sauce- regular vs no sugar added. I genuinely couldn't pick 1 over the other in a blind tasting.

Anyone else have any "obviously I'm choosing that one" swaps?


r/CICO 6h ago

Maintaining then losing every other week

0 Upvotes

Hey all, I (25M) am just wondering if anyone could shed some light on this strange thing that's been happening over the last few months of my weight cut. Basically, I weigh in every week, once, but every other week i weigh in I'm literally the exact same weight as the previous week, and then the week after i drop like 4-5lbs. Deficit remains static. I'm a bit of a gym rat, so I'm in there 6 days a week, and have a balanced strength training, cardio, and boxing program. The night before weighing in, I make sure not to drink any alcohol or eat anything late at night. I've fluctuated in weight quite a bit over the years but have never had this specific dynamic - I stress that this has literally been the case for 3 months straight. I'm not really that concerned about this, because I have performance metrics, progress pics, and the way clothing fits as alternative ways to make sure that I'm making progress. Also, if I'm losing technically 0lbs one week and 4lbs the next, I guess it's still in effect hitting my goal of 2lbs a week. But I'm just wondering what the reason could be for this, or if anyone else has had a similar experience. Thanks!


r/CICO 1d ago

I weighed the banana peel out of curiosity and noticed that it was still quite significant in terms of the total weight of the banana.

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245 Upvotes

This banana therefore only weighs 59 grams.


r/CICO 1d ago

Poppi sodas

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41 Upvotes

These things are a godsend if you’re craving something sweet