Are calories in vs. calories out real or BS?

Let me ask you a question,

How many times have you heard the saying “not all calories are equal”?

I’ve heard it a hundred times (maybe a hundred one with this one).

And this saying makes sense.

I mean, if you eat 100kcal of avocado (because it’s a healthy fat, right?…) is not the same as 100kcal of ice cream.

…and it’s true, but to an extent.

You see, there is this constant debate of calories in vs. calories out and whether they are a good approach to dieting and losing weight.

Well, what does the research say?
(By that, I mean all the scientific field and not cherry-picking specific studies to prove my point).

Over 30 studies have shown that whenever calories (and protein) are equated, it’s a matter of how many calories you eat to see whether you gain or lose fat (maybe the number of studies are trying to tell us something…)

But not everyone “trusts” that CICO is reliable or even accurate.

I’m sure someone even says “I’ve tried cutting out my calories before and it didn’t work”

Well, ironically they are the ones who promote some type of diet that restricts your food in some way or another to (you guessed it) create a deficit and lose weight.

Intermittent fasting? Cut out a meal and because you’re eating on a certain feeding window, then by default you’ll be eating less.

Keto? Even when you replace the carbs with 2x the fats and increase protein, the fact that you eliminated a macronutrient still creates a deficit.

“Clean eating”? Stop eating rice, sugar and any processed food… well, just like in any other diet, cut calories – and in these cases, by eliminating food – and you’re creating a deficit.

So the common denominator of all of these is to create a deficit and lose fat.

And it’s not a coincidence.

Because it just happens that creating a caloric deficit is the only way to lose weight.

Let me say that again.

No matter what approach you take, the only way for someone to lose fat is by burning more calories than you consume.

Whether you do it by eliminating food, reducing your feeding window or by restricting your food intake is not what you should focus on…

what you should focus on is which approach is right for you.

Look, nothing bad will happen if you keep eating some junk food and desserts (as long as they are not your main energy source and you follow the rules), but if you feel like you’d be better off by eating only a couple of hours as the strategy to lose fat, then go for it.

Or if you’d rather eat eggs, bacon and avocado for breakfast while completely eliminating carbohydrates (yes, that includes desserts) from your diet, then choose keto.

The issue is when you choose an approach that you can’t sustain and feel miserable while doing it.

Do you think you’d be able to lose weight if you’re feeling like going through hell? Maybe

But I bet binge eating, constant anxiety when eating out, and just adding stress to your life will be part of the equation – which makes no wonder why most people can’t seem to keep their weight off.

So in the end, everything (and I mean that) in your diet is based on calories in vs. calories out.

It doesn’t matter how you see it or how you do it, but all you need is to create a negative energy balance (meaning, burn more from what you consume) and you’ll lose weight.

Don’t think CICO is a miracle diet, a different approach, or a school of thought… 

it’s the building block of all diets.

That’s why I give daily tips like this so that you can see how everything in reality works and how to make the next diet you make the last one you’ll need…

A bold promise, but by knowing the science of fat loss (not all this BS you hear out there), you can get there.

If that’s something you want, then you’re gonna want to sign up below to get more daily email tips like this:

www.fintessthetic.com

Ivan @ Fitnessthetic