The Mayo Clinic PlanStart me on this diet

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Calorie or any other counting

Description:

A calorie is a calorie is a calorie. The idea behind The Mayo Clinic Plan is that if you eat fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight. The plan tackles weight loss by having you count the daily food servings you need.

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exclusive on dietTV:Food at home and on the go! we show you what you can eat anywhere you are.

Diet TV Eating Out Guide:

Dunkin' Donuts (162):

bagel sandwich, bacon, egg, cheese; bagel sandwich, egg, cheese; bagel sandwich, ham, ...full list

McDonalds (159):

bacon egg & cheese biscuit; bacon egg & cheese mcgriddle; big breakfast; deluxe break ...full list

Subway (129):

breakfast sandwich, bacon & egg; breakfast sandwich, cheese & egg; breakfast sandwich ...full list

Starbucks (94):

banana loaf cake; brownie, espresso; crumble coffee cake; oatmeal raisin cookie; lemo ...full list

Arby's (87):

bacon & egg croissant; bacon biscuit; ham biscuit; ham & cheese croissant; sausage & ...full list

Diet TV Frozen Food Guide:

Green Giant (28):

carrot, honey glazed, frozen; corn, cream style, frozen; spinach, frozen; asparagus c ...full list

Flav-R-Pac (24):

asparagus cuts, frozen; baby carrots, whole, frozen; broccoli cuts, frozen; carrot, s ...full list

Cascadian Farm (10):

corn, sweet, frozen; spinach, chopped, frozen; squash puree, winter, frozen; asparagu ...full list

Start me on this diet

What can I eat:

Alcohol
BeansBeans, peas and lentils
BreadWhole grain breads
Coffee
CondimentsLow fat and fat free items such as ketchup, mustard, low fat mayonnaise, and pickle relish
DairyLow-fat and fat-free dairy
Eggs
Fats
FishLean fish
Fruit
Ham
Juice

Lemon
MeatLean meats
Milk and Yoghurt
Nuts
OilsOlive and canola
PastaWhole wheat pasta
Potatoes
Poultry
Protein
RiceBrown and wild rices
Seasoning
Shellfish
Snack FoodsIn limited amounts
Soy
Spices
Sugar-free Items
SweetsIn limited amounts
Vegetables
Water
Whole Grains

What can I snack on:

CerealHigh fiber cereals
CheeseLow fat Swiss, low fat cream cheese, low fat cottage cheese, low fat ricotta cheese and feta cheese
ChocolateDark chocolate on occasion
CookiesSmall cookies such as oatmeal raisin
CrackersWhole wheat crackers
DipsLow fat dressings, hummus, yogurt dip, low-calorie vegetable dips and salsa
Dried FruitSuch as raisins and dried apricots
FruitA wide variety including apples, pears, peaches, bananas, melons, blueberries, oranges and grapes
Ice Cream & SorbetsSorbet and low fat frozen yogurt
Milk & Soy MilkNon fat milk
MuffinsSmall muffins made with whole grains
Nuts & SeedsA variety including almonds, walnuts, pecans, peanuts, sunflower seeds and peanut butter

Nutritionist review:

This is a balanced plan that encourages you to eat from all of the food groups. With no foods absolutely forbidden to you, you may be more successful at staying with the diet.

Description (cont'd from above)

The Mayo Clinic Diet Plan

A calorie is a calorie is a calorie. The idea behind The Mayo Clinic Diet Plan is that if you eat fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight. The plan tackles weight loss by having you count the daily food servings you need. Diets that omit foods or food groups leave you feeling deprived. You won't succeed in the long run on such a diet. Instead, The Mayo Clinic Diet Plan encourages variety from the servings allotted within each food group. The 10 Steps in The Mayo Clinic Plan focus on assorted issues, not just weight, because this plan is designed as a way to improve health. Important guidelines include using The Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid to plan your meals and adding exercise to your day.

What makes The Mayo Clinic Diet Plan different from other weight loss programs?

This diet is a member of the calorie-counting diet family. You don't count calories, but you do control calorie intake by counting food servings. To be certain that you are eating appropriate amounts from every food group, you use The Mayo Clinic Healthy Pyramid to plan your meals. This is not exactly a diet, but rather a plan that includes advice and tools to help increase health (which happens to include a weight loss plan).

What is The Mayo Clinic Diet Plan?

The Mayo Clinic Diet Plan has a weight loss component, but good health is the goal of the overall plan. Step 4 on this plan does discuss weight loss in detail and works by following these steps:

Weighing yourself
Determining a weight goal
Identifying a calorie level for weight loss
Learning daily servings of each food group appropriate for your calorie level
Adding exercise when you are ready

Maybe you've feared that you need to start carrying a calculator. Not on this diet. Unlike other similar diets, all the calculations have already been done for you. Just by knowing your weight and gender you can figure out your calorie level and food servings by consulting a comprehensive chart in the book.

The Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid, the basis for the plan, includes six food groups. You can eat fruits and vegetables, with virtually no restrictions. You will want to consume only limited quantities of juice and dried fruit. The remaining groups are carbohydrates, especially unrefined whole grains; lean and low-fat protein and dairy; fats; and sweets. You may have sweets, but you must limit yourself to no more than 75 calories daily in that category. That's about one small oatmeal raisin cookie a day.

The Mayo Clinic Diet Plan teaches you what a serving size should be for you. Yes, you'll start by using measuring cups and teaspoons to portion your food. And you'll use visuals for estimating serving sizes--such as picturing a hockey puck to estimate the right amount of carbohydrates. As you practice these skills, you won't have to measure everything. You'll need to develop a daily eating plan to make sure you are eating the right number of servings from each food group. If you enjoy planning, organizing, and tracking, this is the plan for you.

For weight maintenance, you increase your calories slightly by increasing your daily food servings.

What are the weight loss expectations?

No weight loss expectations are provided on the Mayo Clinic Diet Plan.

Is exercise promoted?

You can lose weight just by following the eating plan. You should aim to achieve about 30 minutes of daily physical activity, but adding a few minutes of activity to your normal day is beneficial. This plan encourages you to set reasonable exercise goals, choose exercise you enjoy, and identify barriers that prevent you from exercising. Walking is a good choice.

Are supplements recommended?

If you aren't sure whether you are getting the key nutrients from your food, consult with your doctor to determine whether you need supplements on The May Clinic Diet Plan.

Start me on this diet