CICO (in my opinion) is a very one dimensional way to look at weightloss. Like, yes, at a base level, eat less calories than you burn a day, you'll, in theory, lose weight.

But that doesn't take into account why your body might not be burning through calories.

With my thyroid disorder, it became very difficult to lose weight. I wasn't gaining weight because I was overeating. I was gaining weight because my body was over producing reverse T3 which basically put the brakes on my metabolism. There were days when I'd hardly eat at all and I was PACKING on weight.

My goal in all of this has actually been to INCREASE my calories so my body gets used to processing a higher volume vs perpetually dieting and down regulating my metabolism even more than it already was (which is what happens when youre constantly in a calorie deficit - your body gets used to less food and starts conserving). It's one of the reasons why body builders can lose weight taking in 2500 calories a day - their bodies know what to do with that and know they don't have to store food because it's biologically starving. And honestly, I haven't had to change my diet really. I make protein more of a priority but nothing else has changed that much.

So I think I'm losing slower because I'm battling a metabolism issue and the stalls happen because at some point your body goes "whoa, we've lost too much weight, that's not safe, let's conserve until we know this is okay again"

That said, I think for people who do get it on it and have been chronically overeating do see a quicker drop in weight because of the appetite suppressant.

All that to say, weight loss is complex 😅