In our clinic, one of the diets I strongly recommend is Mayo Clinic Diet. I do not receive any financial or other incentives in recommending this program. I found it more scientific than many other diet plans popular in our society. In this diet plan, you eat by serving size. There is no calorie-counting and there are no complicated formulas to use with the Mayo Clinic Diet. You become an expert in estimating serving sizes and how much you’re eating of certain foods.
The Mayo Clinic Diet is a practical and enjoyable program that will help you not only lose weight, but also improve your health and feel better.
LOSE IT and LIVE IT
The Mayo Clinic Diet consists of two phases: Lose It!, a two-week jump-start phase in which you can lose weight relatively quickly by changing a number of habits, and Live It!, in which you take the habits that you changed in Lose It! and turn them into long-term lifestyle changes that will help you continue to lose weight and manage your weight loss over time.
LOSE IT: In the Mayo Clinic Diet pilot program, people lost on average about 6 to 10 pounds in the two weeks of the Lose It! phase. When people started changing their habits, they reported that it seemed challenging at first, but once they got into it, it wasn’t that bad. And they felt empowered; they reported that they did much better than they thought they could.
LIVE IT: Live It! is an indefinitely long lifestyle-change phase where you take the habits that you learned in Lose It! and build on them. And you know that you can do it because of the results you achieved in the Lose It! phase. You’ve lost some weight, and the goal is to continue to lose weight at a rate of about one to two pounds a week until you reach your goal weight.
WHAT MOTIVATES YOU?
In preparation for starting the Mayo Clinic Diet, motivation to lose weight is important to consider, both now and in the future. What is your inner burning desire that will help you keep weight off in the long term? There may be several reasons, such as having better health, having more energy, and looking better and feeling better. All of these reasons are valid, but what matters is what is important to you.
Spend a few minutes thinking about what motivates you to lose weight and write down all of your motivators. Post them where you will see them often; this will help you when you’re having a temporary challenge or need a pick-me-up. Add new ones to your list as you go through your weight-loss program.
PICK A START DATE
Choosing a start date is helpful because you’ll need to do a little preparation before then. You’ll want to be as ready and prepared as possible so that you don’t have to take time later to make adjustments while you’re focusing on your plan.
GET YOUR KITCHEN READY
Then get your kitchen ready, including your cupboard, pantry, and fridge. The idea is to get rid of high-calorie, processed foods and stock up on lower-calorie, unprocessed foods, especially frozen or shelf-stable basics that you can keep on hand. That way, when you need a meal in a hurry, you’ll be ready to go and you won’t be tempted to grab a less healthy option.
PLAN EXERCISE
The next step is exercise. Line up the gear you’ll need for physical activity. Make sure that you have a good pair of walking shoes, comfortable clothes, and whatever else you need to be physically active. Consider buying a bicycle if you like bicycling. Before exercise, plan to meet Dr.Paul to examine whether your body is ready for exercise.
GET THE MAYO CLINIC DIET JOURNAL and START USING HABIT TRACKER
This chart helps you to log your habits and dietary habits.
REMEMBER THE FOOD PYRAMID
This food pyramid is divided into different food groups. At the bottom of the pyramid are fruits and vegetables. Above that are whole-grain carbohydrates. Above that are lean proteins and dairy, followed by healthy fats and, at the top of the pyramid, a small amount of sweets. At the center of the pyramid is daily physical activity—both because of its effect on weight loss and on improving health.
Eat more foods from the food groups at the base of the pyramid and less food from those at the top—and start moving more.
MAYO CLINIC HEALTHY DIET TABLE
VEGETABLE AND FRUITS SHOULD FILL YOUR PLATE:
Vegetables and fruits should make up the largest portion of your meal. Vegetables should make up half of your plate, and fruits have their own bowl— you can eat them with the meal, as a snack, or both. An easy way to include more vegetables in your diet is to have a green salad with your meal, which is why there is a separate salad plate.
Vegetables and fruits have a lot of water and a lot of fiber, which adds bulk and volume but not calories. You can eat more of these foods, and the weight and volume will fill you up, but you won’t consume a lot of calories. If you’re eating more fruits and vegetables, you’re actually eating more food but getting in fewer calories—and that’s a good thing.
If you’re eating more fruits and vegetables, you’re not eating something else that is higher in calories. You’ll consume fewer calories so that you can lose weight but still achieve satiety.
BE AWARE OF WHAT YOU PUT ON YOUR VEGETABLES: Often, the sauces and other things that you add to vegetables contain more calories than the vegetables, so you will need to be careful about what you put on them.
Carbohydrates, Proteins and Fats: Limit carbohydrates to a quarter of your plate. The same goes for protein and dairy. Fats and sweets should be eaten sparingly, and they may not be a part of every meal.
Water: For your fluids, include beverages that are low in calories or calorie-free. Water is best.Water contained in food has a greater effect on increasing satiety than consuming water separately, probably because the water is absorbed more quickly if it’s consumed separately. So, choosing foods that are high in water content will lower the energy density of a meal and increase your satiety.
BUTTER AND BEANS: LOT OF DIFFERENCE
You’re not going to overdose on green beans or broccoli!
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