It is common wisdom that a sensible diet program will never endorse quick results. When it comes to weight loss, the hare and turtle story comes true. Slow and steady always wins the race. The Mayo Clinic Diet has been around for years now and has spread like a wild fire through junk mail, word-of-mouth, and bulletin boards. Oddly, Real Mayo Clinic dieticians mention that they have no affiliation with this particular weight loss program and do not recommend it to anyone.
What is the Mayo Clinic Diet?
The Mayo Clinic Diet is a low carbohydrate diet plan which uses grapefruit at each meal as a way of encouraging your body to burn fat. It usually last for three to seven days in duration. It encourages fat intake because fat allows your stomach to feel full, which results in a reduced appetite. The reduced appetite further results in weight loss.
How Does the Mayo Clinic Diet Work?
There are several different versions of the mayo diet that are doing rounds on the Internet. Each version has different foods included in the plan. But almost all versions will allow you to eat unlimited amounts of meat, poultry, and fish. It is a two phase process.
- Phase 1: Lose It
This is a one week phase designed to help you drop 6 to 10 pounds (around 2.7 to 4.5 kg). In this phase, you will be changing your lifestyle habits for a lifetime so that the weight you lose doesn't come back. - Phase 2: Live It
The second phase is designed to help you continue to lose weight at a rate of 1 to 2 pounds (around 0.4 to 0.9 kg) per week until you hit your target weight.
The program of this seven day diet is given below:
Breakfast:
- 1/2 grapefruit or 8 oz (around 230 ml) unsweetened juice.
- 2 Eggs
- Black coffee or tea, no sugar
Lunch:
- 1/2 grapefruit or 8 oz (around 230 ml) unsweetened juice.
- Salad and or raw veggies (any dressing but low fat)
- Meat, Chicken or fish
Dinner:
- 1/2 grapefruit or 8 oz (around 230 ml) unsweetened juice.
- Meat, Chicken or fish
- Vegetables
- Black coffee or tea, no sugar
What are the Advantages?
There are many advantages to the Mayo Clinic Diet:
- It helps you eat until you feel satisfied so there are no hunger pangs.
- One is allowed to eat meat.
- It is very affordable so you don't have to spend much on your weight loss.
- It is good for a rapid weight loss.
What are the Disadvantages?
As with these diets, there are disadvantages as well:
- Experts agree that it does not work for long-term weight management.
- It is very low in complex carbohydrates.
- Because of low carbs intake, it can cause fatigue and lack of concentration.
- Since it allows fats, experts are a bit skeptical about the amount of pounds that you can drop.
The Mayo clinic diet is one of the most flexible diet plans around. However, you need to show dedication and commitment in your efforts. Remember, achieving healthy weight loss is a lifestyle and a process, not a promise.
