What is it?
The Mayo Clinic Diet is a weight loss diet that emphasis low carbohydrates and high fat for up to 55 pounds of weight loss. Although it has the Mayo Clinic in its name, the company has not created nor endorsed this diet; they’ve in fact created their own diet to help combat this one.
There are very strict restrictions on the kinds of foods allowed, and there are specific meal plans for the week. It requires users to follow the plan for short periods in order to prevent any possible issues. Information on the diet is limited, as there is no official website which features the diet. Our review experts have rated many diets and they’ve concluded the best for weight loss is the 18Shake Diet. It combines a fat burning diet pill with an appetite suppressing meal replacement. Both have only natural ingredients without added preservatives or stimulants. To learn more about the 18Shake Diet, click on the link here.
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Mayo Clinic Diet Ingredients and Side Effects
A PDF is available online which mentions what foods are allowed and in what quantities:
• For two weeks you’re not allowed to eat anything not featured in the menu. No snacking or eating between meals is allowed either.
• Breakfast: Everyday you’re only allowed a grapefruit, 1 to 2 eggs, and clear tea of black coffee.
• Monday: Lunch is a grapefruit and 2 eggs. Dinner allows a combination salad, a piece of dry toast, 2 eggs, grapefruit and coffee.
• Tuesday: Lunch is 2 eggs, coffee, and tomatoes. Dinner has tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce, olives coffee, and streak.
• Wednesday: Lunch allows spinach, 2 eggs, and coffee. Dinner has celery, cucumber, tomatoes, 2 lamb chops, and tea.
• Thursday: Lunch is 2 eggs, spinach, and coffee. Dinner has 2 eggs, piece of dry toast, cottage cheese, and cabbage.
• Friday: Lunch offers 2 eggs, spinach, and coffee. Dinner is dry toast, grapefruit, and a fish combination salad.
• Saturday: Lunch is a fruit salad with anything in it and you’re allowed to eat as much as possible. Dinner is celery, steal, cucumber, tomatoes and coffee.
• Sunday: Lunch is made up of chicken, tomatoes, carrots, cabbage, coffee, andgrapefruit. Dinner is tomatoes, grapefruit, and cold chicken.
• Whisky is allowed on meat days, but it’s advised against any other alcohol intake.
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The diet makes a clear warning in large capitals with underlining:
“DO NOT STAY ON THIS DIET FOR MORE THAN TWO WEEKS”
It alsostates how weight loss should be 20 pounds in 2 weeks. It also mentions:
“Basis of diet is chemical and maintains normal energy while reducing. Quantities are only important where indicated”
It can potentially lead to side effects according to the Live Storng.com website:
“can cause short-term side effects like fatigue, constipation, stomach problems, weakness, dizziness and difficultyconcentrating, but the long-term side effects may be more serious”
This is due to the extreme lack of fiber and high fat. This can lead to nutritional deficiencies and long-term risks. Live Storng.com adds:
“diets high in protein and low in fiber are linked to an increasedrisk of diabetes, cancer, heart disease and high blood pressure”
Yet another review by a nutrition scientist named Dr. Aine O’Connor adds:
“initial weight loss is due to loss of the body’s carbohydrate stores and fluid losses as well as reducing your overall calorie intake”
She also mentions how there are potential risks for nutritionaldeficiencies. For a list of the top ranked weight loss diets, click on the link here.
EDITOR’S TIP: Combine this diet with a proven meal replacement such as 18 Shake for better results.
Mayo Clinic Diet Quality of Ingredients
There is very few foods allowed in this diet, and your entire breakfast, lunch, and dinner will consist of the same kinds of foods. While there are only whole foods emphasized, there’s insufficient variety to help provide all the necessary nutrients.
Not enough fiber and a high level of fats are emphasized. This is known to potentially lead to nutritional deficiencies which can harm the body. For unknown reasons the diet allows for whisky on days that have meat, this has no explanation and whisky is not known to have any nutritional benefits. The official diet guide fails to mention why they have an allowance for alcohol, which is known to slow down metabolism.
Due to the lack of proper nutrients, it makes the Mayo Clinic Diet a very poor weight loss choice. There are far too many potential side effects associated with this plan.
The Price and Quality of Mayo Clinic Diet
There are no added supplements and the only cost will be for whole foods. While there are cheap foods emphasizedsuch as eggs and grapefruit, it’s clear from the lack of variety that this diet is potentially harmful.
Weight loss is possible from this diet, but it’s unlikely to be safe or long lasting. Diets which emphasize only a short couple of days of use are usually because they are unsafe if used long term.
This diet also suggests it’s possibleto lose 20 pounds in the first 2 weeks, with a potential for 55 pounds if done in cycles. It’s likely that the initial weight loss will only be water weight and not actual fat. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention also adds:
“evidence shows that people who lose weight gradually and steadily (about 1 to 2 pounds per week) are more successful at keeping weight off”
Losing 20 pounds in 14 weights is 1.42 pounds of weight loss in a day. This can be potentially unhealthy and unlikely to be retained. To see which weightloss diets were rated as the best, visit the link here.
Business of Mayo Clinic Diet
It’s unknown who created the diet, as the Mayo Clinic mentions they have no connection nor to do they endorse it. In fact, Web MD has reviewed this diet and they add:
“the fad diet has been making the rounds for year”
“bogus version of the diet which was not developed by – and has no connection to – the prestigious Mayo Clinic in Minnesota”
It’s unknown if this diet was created with any legitimize science. It’s clear from the lack of information that this is much like other fad diets. It makes a lot of promises but fails to cite any proof. There is evidence that this diet was originally known as the Hollywood Diet, and it appears to have been created in 1930’s. Other than that, there’s no clear information as no official website is available.
The fact that this diet uses the credibility of a respected organization is a major issue.
Click on the link here to see a list of the highest rated weight loss diets.
EDITOR’S TIP: The top 10 list of the best diets is available here.
Customer Opinions of Mayo Clinic Diet
Listed below are some quotes from users of this diet:
“Wish I could say I wasn’t hungry”
“is a waste of time and foolishness”
“contains no mysterious fat burning properties”
There weren’t many people who have tried this diet. Questions were raised on forums where people discussed the diet, but often dieters were concerned about the lack of credibility since the Mayo Clinic has not endorsed this diet.
The few that have followed this diet mention how they felt extremely hungry and unable to function normally. Even with just 2 weeks of use there were issues with side effects. There were no available positive reviews from users.Our expert created best of list has the top ranked weight loss diets.
Conclusion - Does Mayo Clinic Diet Work?
The Mayo Clinic Diet will likely promote weight loss due to its extremely limited food menu. It outlines many low-calorie foods such as eggs, toast, grapefruit, and unsweetened beverages. The problem with this diet is that its namesake isn’t true. This was not created nor is it endorsed by the Mayo Clinic. It’s unknown who has created this diet. There are also potential side effects due to the extreme lack of well-rounded nutrients. Many common foods are advised and there is no allowance for eating outside the menu. Medical reviews have shown it to be potentially harmful due to it being extremely limited and lacking in key nutrients.
In reviewing many kinds of weight loss diets, our review experts have found the 18Shake Diet to be the most effective. It combines an appetite suppressing meal replacement and a fat burning diet pill. They combine to help increase metabolism and aid weight loss without stimulants, fillers, preservatives colors, and with only natural ingredients. Customers have left testimonials and reviews showcasing how effective it is for weight loss. When the meal replacement and diet pill are combined they help to maximize weight loss.
The 18Shake Diet is also backed by an entire 30 day money back return policy. This allows for risk free purchases with no questions asked for the entire 30 day period. For more information about the 18Shake Diet, click the link cited here.
User Feedback
(Page 1 of 2, 26 total comments)Shay
+I weighed 210 before I started the diet. Now I weigh 156. My target goal per MD is 148. My personal goal is 135. I've restarted the Mayo diet with exercise and I'm already losing more weight. I'm on my way to total fitness. Slow and steady.
posted May 28th, 2014 5:19 pmCat
?Why isn't the mayo clinic diet working? It says the first five days you should loose 5 lbs,well not my case only 3 1/2. then weighted myself on my 12th day said I should loose 10 Lbs,Well not the case I only lost 2 Lbs.I'am back on it agian after my 2 days off and my 5 th day weight loss is less with only 2 Lbs lost. I don't cheat on my diet. What is going on?
Allissa
+im loving this diet. Ive been on it for 5 days now and have lost 5 pounds! it was really hard the first 2 days but its second nature now! I just keep saying to myself, " I want to be skinny more than I want this pizza!!" Goodluck everyone! :)
posted Oct 14th, 2011 10:55 amHerbertha Smalls
i am still in the quick start but I'm on day 9. in the first week i lost 4lbs and counting. so excited to see what is to come in the live it stage.
posted Mar 4th, 2011 10:36 amDavid
+I need to lose 15 lbs. I have always done Nutrisystems only because is forces portion control. Well, the first week I lost 6 lbs. Impressive; when ever I diet it usually is one pound per week. I like it!
posted Jan 9th, 2011 12:14 amKZ
Absolutely love this diet. Started 3 and a half days ago and have already lost 7 pounds. I'm not hungry but I do miss carbs like crazy :)
posted Nov 9th, 2010 2:47 pmOh well, nothing good comes easy.
Ernest S.
+The first time I went on the Old Mayo Clinic Diet I lost 50 pounds in 60 days. When I went to my Cardiologist and he took my blood work. He came back and said "I don't know what you're doing but keep it up, your blood work has never been better." That was 15 years ago. Over the years I have gain back the weight but I'm back on the Old diet again and have lost 10 pounds in 7 days. This time I'm going for skinny.
posted Aug 10th, 2010 12:41 amsonya
I'm a coffee drinker and usally have a cup before I eat breakfast and usually will want one in afternoon. Will that mess up the diet?
posted Feb 10th, 2010 9:28 ammissymel
it may SOUND crazy , it really works everyone ! im 140 and i lost the amount i was trying to lose . which was ten pounds along with exercising . i approve : go for it ! quick way to lose weight . the grapefruit juice is WICKED [nasty] i tihnk thats what made me not so hungry lol !
posted Oct 18th, 2009 11:26 pmPumpkin
+I've been on it for 7 days now I weighed in on the 6th day and had lost 6lbs. I had this lingering 6lbs that wanted to stay attach to me well their gone now and I'm HAPPY. What works for you is for you and what don't move on to something else... loving the grapefruit diet LOL!
posted Aug 10th, 2009 1:10 amRoger
+I am on the old mayo clinic diet since Jan 26 2009 have lost 105lbs from 289 to 184
posted Jul 30th, 2009 2:29 pmkim24may
can u substitue the eggs for something else? i cant eat eggs
posted Apr 13th, 2009 11:20 pmTIM
+I was a little skeptical in the beginning but, I have been on the diet for 10 days now and so far I've lost 10lbs. The diet works as long as you stick to the guidelines. I agree with T you never feel hungry and everyday since I've been on the program I force myself to eat lunch and dinner..
posted Jan 30th, 2009 3:19 amLori
+Love this diet. Quick, easy way to lose weight. I'v tried those diets where you can't eat hardly anything and that doesn't work for me. This is great to lose some extra pounds quickly.
posted Oct 20th, 2008 11:13 amBrandon12
-I agree with Linda - the no snacking is a recipe for disaster cause I end up eating way more as I hold myself off.
posted Oct 4th, 2008 4:42 pmLexieBC
+Any diet that I lose weight on is a success for me and I easily lost 10 pounds on this diet and am still on track to lose my next 10!
posted Oct 4th, 2008 4:38 pmTaylor77
+I like that there isn't so much forced exercise...yes the emphasis is there but mayoclinic focuses on all areas as opposed to telling me to get to the gym 7 days a week, somehthing I would never do
posted Oct 4th, 2008 4:37 pmTrcruisin
-Great tips for living a more healthy lifestyle but I'm not convinced that the mayoclinic is a diet, it seems more just an informational site
posted Oct 4th, 2008 4:35 pmT
If you do the diet according to the way it is written, believe me, you will not be hungry. I'm a snacker and am hungry a lot of the times but from the very first day on this diet, I have not been hungry. I have to make myself eat the 3 meals!
DIR Help
Hello Anonymous - Thanks for pointing out that we have the wrong diet here! We are revising with the correct one shortly. In the interim please visit: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mayo-clinic-diet/WT00016 Best, DIR help