Mayo diet (turned into a book) is based on the principle of energy density, which allows people to eat until they feel satisfied and still lose weight.
The fundamental point of the diet is the Healthy Weight Pyramid guide, which explains how much one should eat of each food group in the first phase, the diet focuses on the importance of changing the habits necessary for the person to be able to lose weight quickly and healthy.
“The Mayo Clinic Diet is based on scientific evidence,” says Sonia Murgueytio Jurado, a nutritionist at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. Sonia participated in the group of doctors and nutritionists from Mayo who observed the results obtained by a group of employees of the Mayo Clinic itself, who followed the recommendations of the diet.
In a program with 50 participants, conducted by the doctor at the Mayo Donald Hensrud Clinic, the preliminary data obtained confirmed an average weight loss of 2.7 to 4.5 kilos in the first two weeks, using the principles of the “Lose” phase (“Lose”). It ”). In another program with 140 employees at the Mayo Clinic, many were able to apply the principles of the “Live” phase (“Live It”) and managed to maintain their weight for at least one year.
In the “Lose” phase, the interested party must lose from 2.7 to 4.5 kilos in a healthy way, focused on changing habits (adopts 5 healthy habits and abandoning five harmful habits to health). At this stage, you should also include at least 30 minutes of physical activity per day.
In the “Viva” phase, the patient learns to adopt a mentality favorable to diet and health for life. In this phase, there is more information about food choice, portion sizes, menu planning and how to stick to healthy habits and the patient will maintain a steady weight loss of half a pound per week until reaching their weight goal. Regular physical activity is a key factor in this phase.
“We wanted to offer the public a method of losing weight based on evidence and not on fads. Our methods are successful because they are the result of clinical experiments with thousands of patients and years of research at the Mayo Clinic and many other medical centers, ”says doctor Donald Hensrud, editor of the Mayo Clinic Diet.
See the top 10 tips from the Mayo Clinic Diet:
1. Eat healthy foods, in healthy portions. The new Mayo Clinic Diet recommends paying attention to both the quality and quantity of food. Eat lots of foods that contain a lot of volume and satisfy you, but are low in calories. The base of the Mayo Clinic’s Healthy Weight Pyramid consists of vegetables and fruits, which you can eat as much as you want. The pyramid encourages the consumption of whole grain carbohydrates, lean sources of protein, such as vegetables and fish, and unsaturated fats, which are healthy for the heart.
2. Do more physical activity. The Mayo Clinic Diet promotes regular physical activity and exercise, in the same way as healthy eating. When you practice physical activities, your body uses energy (calories) to function, which helps to burn the calories you eat. If you have been inactive or have a health problem, talk to a doctor or other health care professional before starting new physical activity. Most people can start with sessions of five or 10 minutes of physical activity and gradually increase the time.
3. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Vegetables and fruits should make up about half of daily consumption, with carbohydrates representing about a quarter of the space. The remaining space is usually for proteins and dairy products. These proportions help to ensure that the person is more likely to be eating healthy. Someone who wants to eat about 1,200 calories a day should ideally eat four or more servings of vegetables, three or more servings of fruit, four servings of carbohydrates, three servings of protein or milk products and three servings of fat.
4. Simplify portion measurement. Serving sizes are a strong factor in determining the amount of calories a person eats, which in turn influences weight. Instead of measuring everything, eat a piece of rice the size of a tennis ball, for example. Fruits and vegetables, however, can be eaten in the amount that the person wants, which helps to make the diet pleasant and sustainable.
5. Write everything down. This can be an excellent tool for weight loss. The Mayo Clinic recommends taking notes in a diary or notebook. This custom enables a person to register – and therefore take responsibility – for everything they eat.
6. Get rid of five bad habits and adopt five good habits. New behaviors are adopted slowly. For each bad habit you eliminate, such as turning on the TV while eating, create a good new habit, such as having a hearty breakfast each morning while thinking about your positive goals.
7. Know your waist measurement. Knowing your waist size is a practical measure to monitor the amount of fat in the abdomen area. It has been shown that a circumference greater than 102 cm in men and 88 cm in women increases the risk of hypertension and cardiovascular diseases, especially in the case of people with a Body Mass Index (BMI) between 25 and 35. It is It is important to consult a nutritionist for suggestions on how to improve your diet. In addition, ask a doctor to recommend an appropriate exercise that you can practice for at least 30 minutes a day.
8. Don’t sacrifice too much. You can eat sweets in small portions, for example. The important thing is that a balanced diet should include at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day. The carbohydrates you consume must be complex carbohydrates, such as oat flakes and whole grains. Protein sources should be fat-free proteins, especially proteins derived from beans, soy, lentils and other grains. These foods are not only rich in protein, but also contain the fibers we need to strengthen the heart.
9. Do it for your heart, too. It has been proven that a low sodium diet can help control hypertension and prevent other cardiovascular problems. If a person is already taking medication, to control hypertension, or diuretics, to control water retention, it is especially important to limit salt intake. Foods that contain more sodium are industrially processed foods, canned foods, canned soups and foods that go to the microwave. A quarter of a teaspoon of salt contains 600 mg of sodium.
10. Take it easy. In the long run, it can be harmful to your health to lose a lot of weight, very quickly. However, the “Lose” portion of the Mayo Clinic Diet is just the phase of starting the program and lasts only two weeks. People usually lose weight more quickly when they start the diet. The amount of initial weight loss is safe and promotes the momentum that many people need to continue at the right step towards a healthy weight. In the “Viva” phase, we recommend less weight loss, from half a pound to a week.
