What is "the" Mayo Clinic Diet"? Is it cabbage soup? Bacon and grapefruit juice? Jello and cottage cheese? Chances are, you've heard of one of these variations at some point as the latest and greatest way to shed excess poundage fast. Well, you may not know this, but this now famous diet takes many forms, and there is no one diet that is endorsed and recommended by the Mayo Clinic, save for the new book published and endorsed by doctors of the Mayo Clinic entitled Healthy Weight for Everybody which is actually more of a lifestyle than a temporary weight loss fix.
Although you may have heard through the years of this famous diet, you've probably just heard the latest fads spread through rumor and urban legend as being endorsed by the renowned Clinic. We will examine some of these diets, and talk about their safety, effectiveness, and more importantly the speed at which you can expect to lose weight on them - since this is the major draw of these diets.
The Mayo Clinic is a famous medical facility and practice that is owned by the not for profit Mayo Foundation organization which is located in Rochester, Minnesota. Although its home base is in Minnesota, the Mayo Foundation also operates medical facilities such as clinics and hospitals in several other major metropolitan areas. Exactly how the idea of an exclusive diet endorsed by this organization came about, no one seems to be able to pinpoint.
Although they may not be an officially endorsed diet, some of the rumored eating plans were in fact very effective at taking excess weight off exceedingly fast and relatively safely. Of course, there were also some that were so restrictive that they were nearly impossible to complete every phase, or they were so calorie restrictive that their undertaking could become a huge health risk since the drastic calorie reduction would be a huge shock to anyones system.
The Basic Foundation of the Many Variations of the "Mayo Clinic" Diet
The most popular version of the diet consists of 2 eggs any style, 2 strips of bacon, and grapefruit juice for breakfast. You may also drink coffe or tea black. Then for lunch you get more grapefruit juice, meat and a salad with light dressing. For dinner, it's more grapefruit juice, meat, a vegetable and coffee or tea black. Although it doesn't seem too bad, I tried this one and had a tough time with it. I found that I was very hungry most of the time, and grew tired of the menu after just a few days. I did lose weight though. You are supposed to go on the diet and stick to it for twelve days, then off for two, then back on for twelve. I lasted four days and lost about 5 pounds.
The Problem with the Diet
Most variations of this eating plan, while they can result in very fast and relatively dramatic weight loss, are not based on nutritionally sound principles. However, that does not mean you can't try it - just don't rely on it as a lifestyle eating plan, and do plan on gaining the weight back fast if you go off of it and start eating normally again. It usually takes water weight off for the first few pounds (as with many other diets), and water weight as we all know is usually temporary weight loss unless we stick to a diet plan for at least a month or more.
The method also is based in deprivation of certain food groups, and focuses entirely too much on high fat and high cholesterol food, which can elevate your triglycerides and wreak havoc on your cholesterol count if you are on it for any prolonged period of time. This diet has also generally been reported to make some people feel sluggish, lethargic and even to induce a depressed mood. This may be due to the high concentration of protein, low concentration of fiber, and the ensuing imbalance of blood sugar levels which leads to all of the previously mentioned symptoms of lethargy and depressed mood.
The Bottom Line on the "Mayo Clinic" Diet:
If you must try it, just be mindful of the pitfalls. Do not attempt to use this diet as a fallback whenever you gain a few pounds - this surely will lead to yo-yo dieting and unhealthy weight gain and weight loss frequency. There are lots of other good diets out there now that focus more on balance and moderation, which are way more realistic as lifetime eating habits. Those diets are the ones that are the keepers.
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