Losing weight and eating healthy foods shouldn’t be complicated.

This is the premise on which the Mayo Clinic diet is based.

The proposal is for all those people who are overweight, obese and who want to normalize their body weight, but without restrictions or complicated eating plans.

It is a flexible approach specially designed for those who seek simplicity and have had bad experiences with complex diets.

In this article, we review the Mayo Clinic diet, benefits, risks, and how to implement it.

History of the Mayo Clinic diet
The Mayo Clinic diet was created in part to counter a bogus version of the diet that was not developed by, and has no connection to, the prestigious Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.

Donald Hensrud, MD, medical editor for The Mayo Clinic Diet, says the fad diet has been around for years, inspiring experts at the clinic to set the record straight with a healthy weight loss plan.

The fake Mayo Clinic version is a low-carb, high-fat plan that attributes miraculous fat-burning powers to grapefruit.

Dieters follow the plan for 12 days, then retire for two days and continue this cycle for 10 weeks with the promise of 50-55 pound weight loss.

But the true Mayo Clinic diet is a scientifically sound and healthy approach to long-term weight management.

How the Mayo Clinic Diet Works
The Mayo Clinic diet begins with a two-week phase called “Lose It!” designed to help you safely lose 6-10 pounds in two weeks.

Losing weight with the Quick Start program helps dieters feel motivated when they see that they can lose weight and keep it off as they progress through the program.

This initial phase focuses on learning how to create healthy lifestyle habits. In this phase, you:

Incorporate five good daily habits:
– Make a healthy breakfast every day.
– Eat whole foods.
– Eat healthy, monounsaturated fats.
– Eat four servings of fruits and vegetables daily.
– Exercise daily for 30 minutes.

Replace five bad habits:

• Stop adding extra sugar.
• Avoid eating processed snacks.
• Avoid taking extra servings of meat and dairy products.
• Avoid watching television while eating.
  

Avoid eating in a restaurant.
The second phase, called “Live it!” It gives you the tools and techniques you need to maintain the healthy habits you learned in Phase One, including:

Set weight loss goals
– Eat according to the Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid
– Understand portion management
– Be more physically active
You can expect a 1-2 pound weight loss per week during the Live It! Phase.

It can also function as a maintenance plan.

What you can and cannot eat on this diet
The main advantage of the Mayo Clinic diet is that it includes foods from all the food groups.

This means that dieters are not restricted to certain foods with which they tend to get bored over time.

Prescribed diet foods are inexpensive and available at the nearest grocery store.

The Mayo Clinic diet gives you options within six food groups.

Groups include:

• Fruits: 4 servings a day.
• Vegetables: 4 servings a day.
• Whole grains: 3 to 4 servings per day.
• Protein and meat sources: 2 servings a day.
• Unsaturated fat: 2 servings a day.
• Sweets (in small quantities): 4 servings a week.
• Artificial sweeteners, alcohol, and candy are not allowed during the initial quick start phase of the plan.