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For these reasons, diets that are equal in calories but that vary in nutritional content can have vastly different weight gain/loss outcomes.

I don’t know if I agree with the word “vastly”. People have done Twinkie diets where they eat nothing but Twinkies (plus some supplements to get the bare minimum) while monitoring calories and they lost weight.

Still, I’ll edit my idea to say that people should get all the nutrients they need while in a deficit.

Most people are overnourished. One way to take control is to measure your daily energy expenditure and not eat above that.

Using an online calculator like https://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html, you can get a decent estimate of your daily caloric needs (aka your caloric maintenance).

Then, using https://cronometer.com/, track your food to ensure you don’t exceed your daily caloric needs.

By eating in a 500-calorie deficit, you can lose about a pound per week. Lift heavy weights a couple of times a week so the weight you lose is fat, not muscle.

Avoid a prolonged deficit. Eat high-quality foods so you get all the macro- and micronutrients you need (Cronometer will tell you). Recalculate your caloric maintenance once a month or so to make sure you don’t hit a wall.

This is a simple way to do body recomposition.

Yes, there are many factors that influence how many calories the body metabolizes. I’d add fiber content and thermic effect. But I think of them as footnotes to the CICO model, not criticisms. Taking them into account makes CICO more accurate. Cronometer takes them into account.

While following this kind of protocol does help some people lose weight, the model it is based off is incomplete.

#4212 is not meant as a complete guide but as a high-level overview.

For these reasons, diets that are equal in calories but that vary in nutritional content can have vastly different weight gain/loss outcomes.

I don’t know if I agree with the word “vastly”. People have done Twinkie diets where they eat nothing but Twinkies (plus some supplements to get the bare minimum) and they lost weight.

Still, I’ll edit my idea to say that people should get all the nutrients they need while in a deficit.

On a general note, your writing would benefit from simplification. I’ve noticed this throughout your contributions on V, but here are some examples from this specific idea:

“will trigger a suppression of” -> ‘suppresses’
“causes a lowering of” -> ‘lowers’
“An alternative is to improve” -> ‘Instead, improve’
“is kept the same” -> ‘stays the same’
“This would be preferred by the body” -> ‘The body would prefer this’
“utilised” -> ‘used’

I like to follow George Orwell’s writing advice (especially 2, 4, and 5):

1. Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
2. Never use a long word where a short one will do.
3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
4. Never use the passive [voice] where you can use the active [voice].
5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
6. Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.

A chronic calorie deficit will trigger a suppression of the active thyroid hormone T3. Lowering T3 causes a lowering of the metabolic rate, which lowers the rate of caloric burn at rest.

#4212 doesn’t advocate a chronic deficit. Still, I’ll edit it to say that people shouldn’t be in prolonged deficits.

While following this kind of protocol does help some people lose weight, the model it is based off is incomplete.

'Calories in vs calories out' dieting is based on the idea that each person has a fixed rate of at which they burn calories at rest, proportional to their bodyweight. This fails to account for the fact that ‘calories out’ depends entirely on the metabolic state of the individual, which is highly dependent on the quality of their nutrition.

Some diets lack certain key nutrients required for efficient metabolism, thereby inhibiting the body’s ability to utilise calories. Some diets also contain metabolic toxins that diminish the body’s ability to utilise calories.

For these reasons, diets that are equal in calories but that vary in nutritional content can have vastly different weight gain/loss outcomes.

While following this kind of protocol does help some people lose weight, the model it is based off has been debunked.

'Calories in vs calories out' dieting is based on the idea that each person has a fixed rate of at which they burn calories at rest, proportional to their bodyweight. This fails to account for the fact that ‘calories out’ depends entirely on the metabolic state of the individual, which is highly dependent on the quality of their nutrition.

Some diets lack certain key nutrients required for efficient metabolism, thereby inhibiting the body’s ability to utilise calories. Some diets also contain metabolic toxins that diminish the body’s ability to utilise calories.

For these reasons, diets that are equal in calories but that vary in nutritional content can have vastly different weight gain/loss outcomes.

A chronic calorie deficit will trigger a suppression of the active thyroid hormone T3. Lowering T3 causes a lowering of the metabolic rate, which lowers the rate of caloric burn at rest.

For this reason, CICO dieting often hits a wall when the body adjusts to the new low calorie lifestyle.

An alternative is to improve the quality of the foods, such that the metabolic rate increases while caloric intake is kept the same (or even increased too, by a lesser amount). This would be preferred by the body as it is a more complete solution: all nutrient requirements are being met and energy is being produced and utilised in abundance.

I think it is much more useful to think of the body as a dynamic energy-processing system, rather than a ledger of calories.

While following this kind of protocol does help some people lose weight, the model it is based off has been debunked.

'Calories in vs calories out' dieting is based on the idea that each person has a fixed rate of at which they burn calories at rest, proportional to their bodyweight. This fails to account for the fact that ‘calories out’ depends entirely on the metabolic state of the individual, which is highly dependent on the quality of their nutrition.

Some diets lack certain key nutrients required for efficient metabolism, thereby inhibiting the body’s ability to utilise calories. Some diets also contain metabolic toxins that diminish the body’s ability to utilise calories.

For these reasons, diets that are equal in calories but that vary in nutritional content can have different weight gain/loss outcomes.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but potatoes seem to be a good source of fiber. Very filling.

Carbonated water and diet sodas also feel filling, and they don’t even have calories. Diet sodas can help people lose weight. I like to drink Diet Coke when I’m on a cut. The caffeine gives me energy.

The easiest lever to pull when trying to lose weight is satiation. That can be done artificially through GLP1-agonists, but in the case of nutrition, that's best accomplished by an increased protein and fibre intake.

Most people are overnourished. One way to take control is to measure your daily energy expenditure and not eat above that.

Using an online calculator like https://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html, you can get a decent estimate of your daily caloric needs.

Then, using https://cronometer.com/, track your food to ensure you don’t exceed your daily caloric needs.

By eating in a 500-calorie deficit, you can lose about a pound per week. Lift heavy weights a couple of times a week so the weight you lose is fat, not muscle.

This is a simple way to do body recomposition.

B7: Biotin
Functions:
- Needed for cell growth
- Needed for metabolism of fats and amino acids
- Takes part in the transfer of CO2
- Liver support
Sources: eggs, beef liver, beef kidney

B6: Pyridoxine
Functions:
- Amino acid breakdown in the intestines
- Healthy immune system
- Opposes estrogen and prolactin
- Essential to dopamine production
- Mitigates PUFA toxicity
Sources: potatoes, eggs, beef, beef liver, beef kidney

B5: Pantothenic Acid
Functions:
- Needed to metabolise protein, fats, and carbohydrates
- Required for healthy hormone production
Sources: milk, cheese, yoghurt, eggs, beef, oysters, shrimp, beef liver, beef kidney

B3: Niacinamide
Functions:
- Essential to glucose metabolism
- Helps with skin conditions
- Inhibits oxidation of fat in the tissues
Sources: beef, oysters, shrimp, beef liver, beef kidney

B2: Riboflavin
Functions:
- Needed for fat, ketone, protein, and carbohydrate metabolism
- Protects against PUFA toxicity
- Anti-estrogenic
Sources: milk, cheese, yoghurt, eggs, beef liver, beef kidney

B1: Thiamine
Functions:
- Supports proper mitochondrial utilisation of metabolic fuels
- Suppresses the production of lactic acid
- Helps break down sugar and amino acids
- Needed to form the neurotransmitters acetylcholine and GABA
Sources: potatoes, coffee, eggs, oysters, beef liver, beef kidney

Vitamin A
Functions:
- Supports proper differentiated growth and development of the body
- Supports immune function
- Supports storage of glycogen in the liver
- Healthy skin
- Vision
- Cholesterol conversion into pregnenolone
Sources: milk, cheese, eggs, beef liver, beef kidney

Iron
Functions:
- Essential for cellular energy production
Sources: beef liver, beef kidney, oysters, beef, shrimp

Selenium
Functions:
- Essential for proper thyroid function (conversion of T4 into T3)
- Protects against PUFA toxicity
- Neutralises the toxic effects of heavy metals in the body
Sources: oysters, shrimp, beef liver, beef kidney, beef, eggs

Copper
Functions:
- Key to iron regulation
- Key to production of ATP (the key unit of energy required by every cell in the body)
- Helps prevent 'age spots' forming on skin
- Key to maintaining the structure of tissues (required for the cross-linking of collagen and elastin)
Sources: potatoes, oysters, shrimp, beef liver, beef kidney

Zinc
Functions:
- Opposing heavy metal toxicity
- Essential for proper thyroid function (conversion of T4 into T3)
- Important for maintaining androgen levels
- Suppresses aromatase (aromatase converts testosterone into estrogen)
- Indispensable to protein synthesis and wound healing
- Helps maintain the integrity of the intestinal lining
- Supports immune system regulation
- Improves CO2 management in the body
Sources: oysters, beef, beef liver, beef kidney, shrimp, cheese, yoghurt, eggs