Energy balance is important because no matter what you do, it always reigns true. When you understand this, it can empower you to see why a diet plan does or doesn’t work. You can then figure out what you need to do to make sustainable changes moving forward. It also helps you to spot and avoid fads!
The law of energy balance always applying (or calories in v calories out aka CICO) doesn’t mean you *have* to track calories to lose weight. CICO is simply the principle behind weight change. It isn’t a type of diet or plan.
With that said, knowing the calorie content of what you eat can be helpful and provides awareness. If you are looking to lose weight, swapping one high calorie staple for a lower calorie option and not tracking a single other thing will make a difference. Reducing portion sizes or snacks, or increasing your vegetable and protein intake are other non-tracking options.
Being aware that change happens over time is also key. This may help you see that starving yourself for a day is probably not helpful. Or why one meal won’t make or break reaching your goals.
This is why when coaching clients, we emphasise consistency so much. Working out a plan you can sustain is not only how to get results, but how to then maintain them. The best plan on paper won’t work if you can’t stick to it.
(Reposted from Instagram)