You’ve probably heard of the Calories In, Calories Out (CICO) method of weight management. It is probably the most popular approach – and the most effective.
The concept is pretty straightforward: to lose weight, you need to consume fewer calories than your body burns. And if you consume more calories than your body burns, you gain weight. CICO is a flexible approach to weight loss backed by science (1).
If you’re new to the CICO diet or calorie tracking in general, you may not know exactly where to start. And you may know that MyFitnessPal can help you track your calories and nutrients. In fact, MyFitnessPal can be your best friend on the CICO diet. The app can help you set your goals and stay on track when you’re tracking.
Wondering how using MyFitnessPal can help with the CICO method? Let’s get into it step by step.
Step 1: Set up your goals in MyFitnessPal
First, when you sign up for MyFitnessPal, the app will ask you for some important information: your age, weight, height, gender, and daily activity level.
Your answers help calculate the key statistics 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 number of calories your body burns in a day, in relation to your activity level (eg how much you exercise, whether you have a physically demanding job, etc.).
Next, choose a goal:
- To lose weight
- Maintaining your current weight
- Gaining muscle
If your goal is weight loss, MyFitnessPal will suggest a calorie goal that will put you in a calorie deficit. If you reach that goal, you will consume fewer calories than you burn each day.
Calories consumed – TDEE = calorie deficit
Then you set a goal for how quickly you want to lose weight. MyFitnessPal will ask you how much you want to gain or lose per week.
You can choose to gain either 0.5 lbs or 1 lbs per week.
For weight loss, choose either 0.5lb, 1lb, 1.5lbs or 2lbs per week as a goal.
You can also choose to maintain your current weight.
The standard recommendation for safe weight loss is a caloric deficit of 500–1,000 calories per day, which typically results in losing 1 to 2 pounds per week (1).
But a bigger deficit doesn’t mean faster weight loss, according to Stephanie Nelson, RD, MyFitnessPal Lead Scientist. In fact, 68% of MyFitnessPal users achieved at least 90% of their goal weight lost less than 1 pound per week on average.
Step 2: Log what you eat (aka your “calories in”)
When you log what you consume throughout the day in MyFitnessPal, you will know what the “calories in” part of your CICO diet looks like.
MyFitnessPal’s food database contains millions of food items, from grocery stores to popular restaurant meals.
To log your meals and snacks, search for the item in the database and select the items you had and add them to your diary. Ideally, you should choose from the “Best Match” options in the app.
Pro tip: Upgrade to Premium to access our barcode scanner. It makes logging packaged foods even easier.
Cook from home or cook often? You can also add your own recipes to MyFitnessPal. Enter the ingredients you used and the app calculates the total number of calories and nutrients for the whole dish or per serving. portion. This is super useful if you like to make the same recipes over and over again.
Pro tip: Weighing or measuring and portion sizes can help improve logging accuracy – but any logging is a win! It’s all about progress, not perfection.
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Step 3: Log your workout (aka your “calories out”)
MyFitnessPal makes it easy to log the calories you burn, whether you manually log workouts or sync the app with a fitness device like a Fitbit or a Garmin.
When you sweat, log it. MyFitnessPal can estimate your burn for all types of exercise, from strength training to running to swimming.
MyFitnessPal will take your burned exercise calories and adjust your daily calorie goal for you.
For example, if you have a goal of 1800 calories per day and you burn 300 calories exercising, MyFitnessPal will update your remaining daily intake to 2100 calories. And if you sync your fitness device, your calories will be displayed 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 at the heart of the CICO diet. But paying attention to macronutrients (proteins, fats and carbohydrates) can help you optimize your results.
“A downside to focusing solely on calories in vs. calories out during a weight loss journey is that it doesn’t teach us the importance of the nutrients in those calories,” says Melissa Jaeger, RD, LD, Head of Nutrition at MyFitnessPal.
“Tracking with MyFitnessPal can help you identify not only your total daily calories, but also important nutrients to support your overall health and wellness when it comes to weight loss such as protein, fiber, saturated fat and more!”
MyFitnessPal has tons of food data, including macros. When logging foods, you can check in your daily macros on the “Nutrition” tab. (If you’re a premium member, you can find it right on your dashboard.)
This section provides an overview of how much protein, fat and carbohydrates you consume and how they contribute to your total calorie intake.
Adjusting your macros can help you achieve specific goals. For example:
- Higher protein can support muscle maintenance and recovery, especially if you lift heavy.
- Balanced carbohydrates and fats can keep your energy level stable throughout the day and help you avoid fatigue or mood swings.
MyFitnessPal provides you with a default setting 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 super gratifying to see a record of all your hard work. One of the most motivating aspects of using MyFitnessPal is the ability to track your progress. Consistent 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. MyFitnessPal’s visual charts allow you to see trends over time, helping you visualize opportunities for improvement.
Well, okay. Not accurate. No day is perfect. No two bodies are alike. Even when it comes to counting calories and macros, don’t get hung up on being hyper-precise.
Instead, strive for consistency over perfection. As Stephanie Nelson says, “Taking a slower approach is more sustainable because you end up making changes that you can stick with long-term. Instead of focusing solely on numbers, focus on smaller behavioral changes you can make .”
Other tips for the CICO diet
Some more tips for using MyFitnessPal to succeed on the CICO diet:
- Log food ASAP: Whether it’s before or right after a meal, logging food as soon as possible means you’re less likely to forget what you had.
- Set reminders: Use MyFitnessPal’s built-in notifications to remind you to track meals and exercise.
- Customize your experience: Premium MyFitnessPal members can adjust their macros, customize their dashboard, and tailor their experience to fit their goals.
- Join the community: MyFitnessPal’s member community helps you connect with others on the same journey. Chat with friends and read success stories to stay motivated.
With the right tools and mindset, the CICO Diet can give you information and insight into what you eat, how much you burn, and help you achieve your goals with 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 Do the Calories In, Calories Out (CICO) Diet Using MyFitnessPal appeared first on MyFitnessPal Blog.