The Mayo Clinic Diet was released in 2010 after decades of fraudulent diets claiming to be from the Mayo Clinic. The popularity of the bogus diets prompted Mayo Clinic to develop a real diet based on its expertise, research and clinical studies. The Mayo Clinic diet has two phases and encourages healthy weight loss practices by making lifestyle changes instead of strict rules and extreme calorie restriction. The Mayo Clinic Diet uses the motto, "Eat well. Enjoy life. Lose weight."
Phase I: Lose It
Phase I of the Mayo Clinic diet is called Lose It. This phase lasts two weeks and encourages dieters to break bad habits and begin positive life-altering habits. Incorporating daily exercise into your schedule, eating a healthy breakfast and eating at the table instead of in front of the TV are positive habits dieters can begin. The Mayo Clinic reports that individuals can lose an average of 6 to 10 pounds during phase I.
Phase II: Live It
Live It, phase II of the Mayo Clinic Diet, teaches individuals how to maintain a healthy weight permanently. This phase of the diet is designed to promote a 1 to 2 lb weekly weight loss until you reach your desired weight goal. The Live It phase also encourages you to assess what factors motivate you. Doing so may help determine what will distract you and what will keep you on track during your weight loss efforts.
Healthy Weight Pyramid
The Healthy Weight Pyramid is an important element of both phases of the Mayo Clinic Diet. The base of the pyramid encourages unlimited consumption of low-calorie, nutrient-dense foods such as fruits and vegetables. As you move up the pyramid, you are encouraged to consume fewer servings of each food category. The Mayo Clinic recommends four to eight daily servings of carbohydrates, three to seven servings of proteins and dairy, three to five servings of fats and up to 75 calories of sweets.
Physical Activity Recommendations
Daily physical activity is located in the middle of the Healthy Weight Pyramid. Participation in regular structured exercise such as walking and non-structured physical activity such as gardening is encouraged. Performing both activities may help preserve muscle mass and burn fat, making your weight loss efforts more successful. The Mayo Clinic Diet recommends getting 30 to 60 minutes of moderately vigorous physical activity on most days of the week. Moderately intense is defined as an increase in heart rate and breathing and breaking a light sweat.
Getting Started
The Mayo Clinic Diet book outlines the entire diet and provides healthy recipes, meal planners and tips on how to stick with the program. The Mayo Clinic diet journal, a 224-page guide, includes a tracking tool to help you chart your progress over 10 weeks while dieting. As a bonus, the Eating Out guide will teach you how to choose healthy restaurant meals when dining out.
Member Comments