CiCo Diet Review - 12 Things You Need to Know
CiCo Diet means calories in calories out — is that enough to help you reach your weight loss goals? That’s the question we had because the vast majority of diets today are based on that premise, so how’s this one different?
Our research team has looked into the CiCo Diet weight-loss model, and based on our findings, maybe there is something different about this one.
What is CiCo Diet?
The CiCo Diet weight-loss model is a diet that promises you will lose significant amounts of weight, guaranteed. CiCo, or calories in calories out, is a diet where followers keep track of their daily eating, and as a result, lose weight.
To give you a better understanding of the CiCo Diet and the claims surrounding it, our researchers dove in and looked into all aspects of this diet. They were able to find a lot of comprehensive information, some for and some against this diet.
The CiCo Diet, in a nutshell, is weight loss simplified. CiCo, or calories in calories out, is a diet that has been around for quite some time now. When you get right down to it, weight loss can be broken down to you needing to eat fewer calories than you burn.
CiCo principles include determining your TDEE, or Total Daily Energy Expenditure, and then setting yourself a daily goal of consuming a certain amount of calories below this figure. To follow the CiCo Diet plan, you then track what foods you eat throughout the day and make sure that you eat below your TDEE. After sticking to the CiCo Diet plan for a while, you’ll find that the weight starts to come off.
Does It Work?
- “Calories in, calories out” and Macronutrient Intake — “Results from a number of sources refute both the theory and effectiveness of the carbohydrate-insulin hypothesis.”
- Increased Hydration Can Be Associated with Weight Loss — “Human studies are consistent with this hypothesis for weight loss and for reducing the risk factors in the development of obesity”.
- Effects of the Brown Rice Diet on Visceral Obesity and Endothelial Function: The BRAVO Study — “consumption of BR may be beneficial, partly owing to the lowering of glycaemic response, and may protect postprandial endothelial function “.
CiCo Diet Competitors
| Product | Review | |
|---|---|---|
| Weight Watchers WW | read | |
| Atkins 40 | read | |
| Optavia | read | |
| Nutrisystem | read | |
| Noom | read | |
How Did CiCo Diet Start?
The idea that calorie restriction brings on weight loss is nothing new. In 1780, a scientist from France named Antoine Lavoisier used a guinea pig and measured its heat production to determine foods’ energy or calorie content. Using this information, he came up with a formula that could be used to determine the calorie content of the food. Using this formula, Dr. Lulu Hunt Peters came out with the idea that to lose weight; ultimately, you need to reduce your calorie intake. As a result of these two scientist’s work, the CiCo Diet came about.
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CiCo Diet Claims
The CiCo Diet claims that by eating below your TDEE, you will lose weight. This isn’t a scam. If you consistently eat fewer calories than you burn every day, weight loss is bound to happen.
When our researchers compiled research to review, they found plenty of studies reporting that when you eat fewer calories than you burn, numerous health effects, besides just weight loss, are possible!
CiCo Diet Ingredients
CiCo Diet ingredients are:
- Broccoli
- Oatmeal
- Chicken
- Brown Rice
- Water
Brocolli
Brocolli, due to its high fiber content and low-calorie count, is a great food to add to your diet while following this meal plan. According to Science Direct, it contains a high level of nutrients that benefit anyone’s diet!
Oatmeal
Oatmeal is another great food to add to your diet if you are following this meal plan. It is one of the healthiest carb sources available to you and contains various vitamins and minerals. According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, oatmeal contains a healthy amount of inositol. This fiber may help slow digestion, so you feel full longer between meals.
Chicken
Lean proteins such as chicken are another great addition to your diet while following CiCo. Featuring chicken in your diet is a great way to get in plenty of satiating protein in your daily intake. Lean proteins go a long way towards keeping you full throughout your day.
Brown Rice
Brown rice is another super healthy addition to any diet. When counting calories, to stick with this diet, everything you eat must provide you with nutrients. Brown rice is high in fiber and protein compared to white rice, and is incredibly satiating.
Water
To stick with your calorie goals throughout the day, it is best to avoid drinking your calories. Due to this, water should be the main feature of your diet. It doesn’t cost much and is an integral part of any diet. Hydration is essential, no matter your goals, but, according to a study review published on the National Institutes of Health website, it becomes increasingly so when you are trying to stick to a calorie-restricted diet.
Does the CiCo Diet Work?
A common question people ask about this diet is, “Does it work?” If you are being honest with yourself and have your TDEE figured out accurately, you are bound to lose weight on the CiCo Diet. Where some weight loss techniques are simply a diet fad, the CiCo Diet is backed by science, and as long as you are sticking to calories in calories out approach to eating, the weight will come off eventually.
CiCo Diet Benefits and Results
Two of the main pros of this diet are a reduction in weight and your body being on a calorie restriction. These both offer the body numerous beneficial effects:
CiCo Diet Pros:
According to a study published in Antioxidants and Redox Signaling, beneficial effects of being in a calorie deficit include:
- Lower levels of oxidative stress
- Lower levels of inflammation
As a result of losing weight, you may enjoy a lower risk of weight-related diseases.
Details on CiCo Diet and Weight Loss
The CiCo Diet isn’t without its risks. By focusing on calorie restriction only, dieters are susceptible to a variety of adverse effects. Risks of the CiCo Diet include nutritional deficiencies, feelings of weakness, cravings, and irritability.
Another risk of this diet is that if you drop your calorie intake too low, your body might dip down into what is known as starvation mode. Starvation mode is a condition where your metabolism slows down, which results in weight loss coming to a halt for some. A general rule of thumb is to not go below 1,200 calories in any given day to avoid these potential CiCo Diet side effects.
Learning More About the CiCo Diet
If you wonder where you can buy CiCo Diet reference materials, there are plenty of low price books available on Amazon that dive deep into the principles and benefits.
Where can you buy Cico Diet meal plans is another common question that gets asked, and really, the answer is that a meal plan is not necessary with this diet. As long as you track your calorie intake and stay below your calorie limit, you can eat pretty much anything you want — though it’s best to stick with nutritionally-abundant foods and skip processed meals.
This is no diet fad, and while following this diet doesn’t have to cost you anything, having a book or guide to follow never hurts. It’s a small price to pay in the long run when such promising outcomes are possible.
How to Follow the CiCo Diet
To follow the CiCo plan, stick to these principles:
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- Determine your TDEE with a CiCo Diet calculator.
- Set yourself a daily intake goal somewhere below your TDEE. Typically it is recommended to eat between 100 and 250 calories below this figure depending on how fast you want to lose weight.
- Track the food you eat throughout the day using a calorie tracking app or spreadsheet.
- Ensure you stay below your calorie intake goal for the day.
By just following the above steps laid out in the CiCo plan, real results are possible.
Potential CiCo Diet Side Effects
One of the CiCo Diet cons is that it doesn’t factor in the foods you eat outside of their calorie content. As long as you don’t go over the calorie limit you’ve come up with using a CiCo Diet calculator, you are within the bounds of the diet. By not factoring in the overall nutrition of the foods you eat, you may end up with some of these CiCo Diet side effects:
CiCo Diet cons:
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- Nutrient and vitamin deficiencies.
- Feelings of hunger and lethargy.
- May negatively affect your gut bacteria.
- Constipation and gas.
- Headaches.
- Can bring on disordered eating in some.
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What Users Are Saying
“Started CICO around December of 2018. After a year I lost 60lbs.”
“I mean, CICO DOES work — for a while. Right? That’s why we all get so hooked on it. It’s just that one day, we either realize we are still thinner but miserable, hungry all the time, obsessed with food, stomach issues…OR we gain all the weight back and then some, and then are tempted to do it again to try to get that original “high” back.”
“20 pounds down since January doing CICO. Beauty of it all is I still eat pizza every Friday night.”
Bottom Line on CiCo Diet
The CiCo Diet claims that fat loss will ensue by tracking your food intake and eating below your TDEE. The CiCo Diet is no scam, though. Even though there is plenty of controversy surrounding this diet, by sticking to its rules and ensuring you are eating healthy and nutritious foods, the CiCo Diet results in you healthily losing weight.
When it comes right down to it, diets like this are incredibly simple and offer dieters a flexible way to lose weight, so we’re all for it. We also believe a studied weight-loss app can make it even easier to achieve your weight-loss goals.
Among the best programs we’ve encountered in years is Noom. With real human coaching, a supportive virtual community, food logging, exercise tracking, and more, you get everything you need to lose that weight and keep it off for the long haul.
It’s also pretty amazing that you can try Noom as part of a free trial offer going on now.
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