So many people still believe in the outdated and antiquated “Calorie in, Calorie out” (CICO) theory. It’s just wrong. False. Fatally flawed.

All calories are NOT created equal.

Let me illustrate my claim by first presenting two diet examples of “Ricky Rad” and “Sammy Sad.” Ricky and Sammy eat the exact same number of calories. Their exercise habits are also exactly the same. Both are training high-intensity cardio 2X/week, and high-intensity strength training 2X/week.

Ricky’s day is 4,000 calories (a clear calorie “surplus” for most people), consisting of real, organic, whole foods, like humans ate 200 years ago and prior. We’ll call this the “Real Ancestral Diet” (RAD).

Then scroll down to see an equal 4,000 calorie day for Sammy, who eats the Standard American Diet (SAD).

Then keep scrolling because I’ll have some thoughts…

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Ricky’s RAD Diet 1-Day “Surplus” Food Log

Breakfast (1,100 calories, 25g protein, 15g carbs)

• Grass-Fed Beef Patties: 2 x 6 oz patties, cooked in beef tallow (600 calories, 20g protein, 0g carbs)

• Eggs: 3 large eggs, fried in coconut oil (240 calories, 18g protein, 2g carbs)

• Avocado: 1 medium (140g) avocado (230 calories, 3g protein, 12g carbs, 7g fiber)

• Black Coffee: 12 oz, no sugar (0 calories, 0g protein, 0g carbs)

Total: 1,070 calories, 41g protein, 14g carbs

Morning Snack (600 calories, 15g protein, 10g carbs)

• Almonds: 2 oz (56g) raw almonds (340 calories, 12g protein, 10g carbs, 6g fiber)

• Beef Jerky: 2 oz (no sugar/soy) (260 calories, 20g protein, 0g carbs)

Total: 600 calories, 32g protein, 10g carbs

Lunch (1,200 calories, 50g protein, 20g carbs)

• Grilled Salmon: 8 oz, cooked with olive oil (600 calories, 45g protein, 0g carbs)

• Sautéed Spinach: 2 cups raw, cooked in coconut oil (150 calories, 5g protein, 7g carbs, 4g fiber)

• Sweet Potato: 1 small (130g), baked (100 calories, 2g protein, 23g carbs, 4g fiber)

• Mixed Berries: 1 cup (e.g., raspberries, blueberries) (80 calories, 1g protein, 15g carbs, 8g fiber)

Total: 930 calories, 53g protein, 45g carbs

Afternoon Snack (600 calories, 20g protein, 10g carbs)

• Hard-Boiled Eggs: 4 large eggs (320 calories, 24g protein, 3g carbs)

• Macadamia Nuts: 1 oz (28g) raw (200 calories, 2g protein, 4g carbs, 2g fiber)

Total: 520 calories, 26g protein, 7g carbs

Dinner (1,500 calories, 60g protein, 25g carbs)

• Grass-Fed Ribeye Steak: 12 oz, cooked in beef tallow (900 calories, 70g protein, 0g carbs)

• Roasted Brussels Sprouts: 1.5 cups, roasted in olive oil (200 calories, 6g protein, 16g carbs, 6g fiber)

• Mashed Cauliflower: 1 cup, with coconut oil (150 calories, 2g protein, 7g carbs, 3g fiber)

• Avocado: 1 medium (140g) avocado (230 calories, 3g protein, 12g carbs, 7g fiber)

Total: 1,480 calories, 81g protein, 35g carbs

Evening Snack (300 calories, 10g protein, 5g carbs)

• Smoked Salmon: 3 oz (no additives) (150 calories, 15g protein, 0g carbs)

• Cucumber Slices: 1 cup, with olive oil drizzle (50 calories, 1g protein, 4g carbs)

• Olives: 10 large, green (100 calories, 0g protein, 3g carbs)

Total: 300 calories, 16g protein, 7g carbs

Daily Totals (Approximate)

• Calories: 3,900 (~4,000 target)

• Protein: 249g (>150g target)

• Carbohydrates: 88g (<100g target, ~30g fiber)

• Fat: ~280g (~63% of calories, 2,520 calories)

• Macronutrient Breakdown:

  • Fat: ~63%

  • Protein: ~25%

  • Carbs: ~12

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Sammy’s SAD Diet 1-Day “Surplus” Food Log

Breakfast (1,200 calories)

• Fast Food Breakfast Sandwich Combo: 2 Sausage, Egg, and Cheese McMuffins (480 calories each, 960 total)

• Large Hash Brown (150 calories)

• Large Sweetened Iced Coffee with Cream (90 calories)

• Donut: 1 Glazed Donut (200 calories)

Morning Snack (600 calories)

• Snack Foods: 1.5 oz Bag of Potato Chips (240 calories)

• 12 oz Can of Regular Cola (150 calories)

• 2 Chocolate Chip Cookies (medium, 210 calories total)

Lunch (1,000 calories)

• Fast Food Burger Meal: Double Cheeseburger with Bacon (580 calories)

• Large French Fries (500 calories, including 100 calories for ketchup)

• Beverage: 20 oz Regular Soda (240 calories)

Afternoon Snack (500 calories)

• Convenience Store Snacks: 1 Candy Bar (e.g., Snickers, 250 calories)

• 16 oz Energy Drink (210 calories)

Dinner (1,100 calories)

• Restaurant-Style Meal: 12 oz Grilled Chicken Alfredo with Pasta (800 calories)

• 2 Dinner Rolls with Butter (200 calories total)

• Side Salad with Ranch Dressing (150 calories)

• Beverage: 12 oz Regular Soda (150 calories)

Evening Snack (300 calories)

• Dessert: 1 Slice of Pepperoni Pizza (300 calories)

Daily Totals (Approximate)

• Calories: ~4,000

• Macronutrient Breakdown:

  • Carbohydrates: ~50% (500g, 2,000 calories)

  • Fats: ~35% (155g, 1,400 calories)

  • Protein: ~15% (150g, 600 calories)

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My Thoughts

You can clearly see these two 4,000 calorie examples are NOT the same. If you think they will produce the same results, then you have been effectively brainwashed by the prevailing narrative of the ignorant (maybe criminal) CICO mainstream.

Here’s how it really works:

Humans are not machines. The “Law of Thermodynamics” doesn’t apply to us because our metabolisms adjust up and down based on the KINDS of foods we eat. It might SEEM like CICO works in the SHORT term (up to a month or so), but then, as the body becomes healthier or less healthy, and/or the macros (types of calories) change, things start to go rapidly better or worse in many ways.

Your mitochondria (certain “energy” organelles in your cells) are a big part of your metabolism. If they are fed RAD foods, they are happy, healthy, and do what they are supposed to do, including their part in your metabolic rate.

If they are fed processed foods, artificial ingredients, vegetable oils, trans fats, and all the other toxins and “food-like substances” found in SAD foods, they are miserable and will not do their jobs effectively – especially their metabolic functions.

Another big part of your metabolism is your muscle mass. Compare the calorie ratios (macros) above. The RAD diet has higher protein, coming from absorbable, high-quality protein sources. The SAD diet has lower protein, coming from low-quality, less absorbable sources.

Let’s first take the side of a traditionally trained nutritionist and assume for a second that both people gain weight on each of these diets. Do you really think it will be the exact same amount? And the exact same amount of muscle vs fat? If you still do at this point, then you are brainwashed even more than the average person.

A traditional nutritionist might try to stick to their CICO and answer poorly here because their identity is attached to the CICO theory, but even with them, I see their brain “glitching” in the “Matrix” when presented with this scenario. Watching cognitive dissonance as it is happening is always entertaining. Try it on one of them sometime.

In fact, to mess with them even more, ask, “What do you think would happen if I ate 4,000 calories of Twinkies every day for a month?” That’s an easy answer. They will tell you that you will gain weight. Then ask them how much. Then ask them what the ratio would be between muscle and fat weight gain.

Next, ask them, “What do you think would happen if I ate 4000 calories of broccoli every day for a month, assuming for this hypothetical, that I was able to do it?” The reason you have to add this qualifier to the question is because they will try to escape the corner they’re being painted into by telling you it’s not possible to eat that amount of broccoli, and they’re right, but you qualified it, so they have to play along. Now see if they will still tell you that you will gain weight. Then ask them how much. Then ask them what the ratio would be between muscle and fat weight gain.

If they still answer that everything is equal, just walk away because they can’t be helped. If they answer honestly using their remaining non-brainwashed brain cells; you have just helped open their mind to the reality of how the human body actually works.

Now, getting back to the two daily diets above, here’s what would actually happen. They might both gain weight, but most of the weight Ricky gains will be muscle, and most of the weight Sammy gains will be fat. Ricky will gain less overall weight than Sammy, and because of the differing ratio of muscle to fat, that’s really bad for Sammy.

If these two guys keep this up for say, two years, how do you think Ricky will look and feel vs. Sammy? Ricky will actually level off with his weight gain as his body adjusts to his RAD foods and learns to use the extra calories (he’ll be jacked), plus boost his metabolism to insane levels. Sammy will continue to gain fat, without leveling off, and find it harder and harder to gain more muscle as he gets less healthy over time.

Ricky will also enjoy a drastically longer lifespan than Sammy and an exponentially better healthspan during his longer lifespan.

I have seen this effect over and over for decades, since 1986, when I first became a personal trainer. It is the most consistent thing I’ve witnessed in the fitness industry, among all types of humans.

Bottom line: Eat like Ricky. Sammy would tell you the same thing.

And they would both tell you CICO is a lie.

P.S. My updated Kindle book provides a deeper dive into this topic and many more, for those interested.

Note: This hypothetical story features two men (The AI-rendered photo is the featured image for this post), but the same comparison scenario would apply to women. In that case, it would be a 2,800 calorie diet, and Rhonda RAD and Sarah SAD would look something like this after 2 years: