Ep. 123: Debunking the CICO Myth: Calorie Deficits Are NOT Required For Fat Loss

Show Notes: https://www.jayfeldmanwellness.com/ep...

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In this episode we discuss:
-Whether “calories in, calories out” is physiologically accurate
-The many misconceptions related to “calories in, calories out”
-Why a calorie deficit is NOT required for fat loss
-Why “calories in, calories out” does not mean that eating less and exercising more is good advice for fat loss
-What most people miss when it comes to “calories in, calories out”

0:00 – intro
1:07 – questions about the calories-in, calories-out (CICO) model of weight loss that I’ll be answering
7:18 – what is (and isn’t) a calorie?
11:49 – misapplications of CICO and why CICO is not physiologically accurate in the ways most people use it
19:46 – why the idea that “a calorie is a calorie” is misleading
29:11 – how energy in food is measured and the inaccuracy of food labels
36:16 – the impact of behavioral compensation and metabolic adaptation on energy expenditure
42:07 – how cutting calories lowers metabolism, reduces thyroid function, and increases stress hormones, appetite, and weight regain
48:26 – Herman Pontzer’s Constrained Model of Energy Expenditure and the adverse effects of energy deficits
52:21 – whether CICO can accurately represent physiology
1:00:04 – a simplified version of CICO
1:05:41 – why calories do not equal usable energy or weight
1:13:27 – examples demonstrating the issues with common CICO misconceptions
1:21:09 – summarizing the central issues with CICO and how you can lose body fat without a caloric deficit
1:28:13 – whether there’s value to CICO


​​To take a look at the studies and articles referenced throughout this episode, check out the show notes at https://www.jayfeldmanwellness.com/ep...


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