You’ve probably heard of the Calories In, Calories Out (CICO) method for weight management. This is probably the most popular method—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 weight loss strategy 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 helps 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 track.
Thinking how to use MyFitnessPal can the CICO method help? Let’s go 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 most important statistics that enable the CICO method:
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, taking into account your activity level (eg, how much you exercise, if you have a physically demanding job, etc.).
Next, you choose a goal:
- Lost 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 meet that goal, you’ll consume fewer calories than you burn each day.
Calories Consumed – TDEE = calorie deficit
Then you set a goal for how fast you can lose weight. MyFitnessPal You will be asked how much you want to gain or lose each week.
You can choose to gain either 0.5 lbs or 1 lb per week.
For weight loss, you choose either 0.5 lb, 1 lb, 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 Lead Scientist. In fact, 68% of MyFitnessPal users who have achieved at least 90% of their goal weight lost less than 1 pound a 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” portion of your CICO diet looks like.
MyFitnessPalThe food database includes millions of food items, from grocery store staples to popular restaurant dishes.
To log your meals and snacks, search for the item in the database and select the items you have, and add them to your diary. Ideally, choose from the “Best Match” options in the app.
For a tip: Upgrade to Premium to access our barcode scanner. This makes logging packaged foods easier.
Cook from home or frequent meal prep? You can add your own recipes to MyFitnessPaltoo. Enter the ingredients you used, and the app will calculate the total calories and nutrients for the entire dish or per serving. This is super 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 makes logging the calories you burn easy, whether you log workouts manually or sync the app to 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 workout 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 while exercising, MyFitnessPal will update your remaining daily intake to 2100 calories. And if you sync 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 exercise, 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 crux of the CICO diet. But paying attention to macronutrients (protein, fat, and carbohydrates) will 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 the nutrients in those calories,” says Melissa Jaeger, RD, LD. , Head of Nutrition at MyFitnessPal.
“Tracking MyFitnessPal can help you determine not only 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 has tons of food data, including macros. When you log meals, 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 a breakdown of how much protein, fat, and carbs you consume, and how they contribute to your total calorie intake.
Adjusting your macros can help you reach specific goals. Example:
- Higher protein can support muscle maintenance and recovery, especially if you’re lifting heavy.
- Balance carbs and fat can keep your energy levels stable throughout the day, helping you avoid fatigue or mood swings.
MyFitnessPal gives you 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: Capture Your Data and Check Your Progress
It’s great to see a record of all your hard work. One of the most motivating aspects of use MyFitnessPal is the ability to track your progress. Continuous logging can show you how well you’re sticking to your goals. you can take a look what works—and what doesn’t.
In the “Progress” section of the app, you can track changes in your weight, measurements, and fitness goals. MyFitnessPalVisual charts allow you to see trends over time, helping you spot opportunities for improvement.
Well, OK. Nope exactly. There is no perfect day. No two bodies are alike. Even when it comes to counting calories and macros, don’t get hung up on being hyper-exact.
Instead, strive for consistency rather than perfection. As Stephanie Nelson says, “It’s more sustainable to take a slower approach because you’ll be making changes you can stick with long term. Instead of just focusing on the numbers, focus on the smaller behavioral changes you can make.”
Other Tips for the CICO Diet
Some additional advice for use MyFitnessPal to succeed on the CICO diet:
- Log food as soon as possible: 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 community member 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 insights into what you’re eating, how much you’re burning, and help you reach your goals with some 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 first appeared in MyFitnessPal Blog.
