The Mayo Clinic Diet: A weight-loss program for life

The Mayo Clinic Diet Weight Loss Program – The Mayo Clinic Diet is a lifestyle approach to diet and physical activity to help you lose weight, improve your health and feel better. Mayo Clinic experts designed the program. It can help you reshape your lifestyle by adopting healthy new habits and breaking unhealthy old ones.

One main idea of the Mayo Clinic Diet is to follow an eating plan that's low in calories yet healthy, tasty and satisfying. The other main idea is to burn more calories through physical activity.

The Mayo Clinic Diet may be a good option for you because it:

• Is structured to improve your health and reduce the risk of diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes.
• Is designed to be practical and enjoyable so that you'll stick with it.
• Provides knowledge and tools to make lifestyle changes.
• Teaches you easy ways to choose the best portion size from each food group, rather than counting calories.
• Is designed by Mayo Clinic experts and is based on solid scientific research.

Talk with your healthcare professional before starting a new program of diet and physical activity, especially if you have ongoing health conditions. Your health professional can help you with choices, recommend resources and help you track improvements.

The Mayo Clinic Diet is organized into two phases.

This two-week phase is designed to jump-start your weight loss. The goal is to change lifestyle habits to lose up to 6 to 10 pounds (2.7 to 4.5 kilograms) in a safe and healthy way. This first part of the program focuses on starting new habits and ending unhealthy habits. This approach helps with weight loss and sets you up for lifelong healthy eating.

Start five healthy habits

1. Eat a healthy breakfast. Choose options such as fruit and whole grain cereal or toast. You can make your breakfast filling with low-fat milk or yogurt, an egg, nuts, seeds or nut butters.
2. Eat vegetables and fruit. Eat fresh or frozen vegetables and fruit that you like. Make vegetables, especially, and fruits the main part of your meals. Eat them first to fill up on them.
3. Eat whole grains. Choose to eat whole-grain breads and pastas, brown rice, oatmeal, and other whole-grain products. This is a healthier choice instead of white, refined and highly processed foods.
4. Eat healthy fats. Focus on healthy fats, such as olive oil, avocados, nuts and nut butters, and the oils that come from nuts. Instead of frying food, try grilling, broiling, baking, roasting or steaming.
5. Move. Focus on including at least 30 minutes of physical activity or exercise in your schedule every day. Choose activities that you enjoy and can do regularly.

Break five unhealthy habits

1. Eating in front of the TV. While you're eating, avoid watching TV or using your computer or cellphone. Make it a goal to spend only as much time watching TV as you do exercising.
2. Eating sweets. Avoid sugar from common sources, such as candy, table sugar, honey, jam, jelly and desserts. If you want something sweet, choose fresh fruit.
3. Snacking. Avoid eating snack foods, which typically have a lot of calories and little nutritional value. If you need a snack between meals, make it vegetables or fruits.
4. Eating high-fat foods. Aim to eat only about 3 ounces of lean meat, poultry or fish daily. Try to get more protein from plants, such as legumes and soy products. Eat moderate amounts of skim and low-fat dairy products.
5. Eating at restaurants. If you eat out, choose foods that fit with the diet. Adjust your day if you're eating out. For example, have a lighter lunch or schedule extra exercise time.

Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid

The Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid is a tool to help you lose weight or maintain your weight. The triangular shape shows you where to focus when selecting healthy foods. Eat more foods from the base of the pyramid and fewer from the top.

Add five bonus habits

1. Keep a food record. Keep a record of what and how much you eat and drink throughout the day.
2. Keep an activity record. Record all physical activity throughout the day and the time you spend on each activity.
3. Move more. Focus on increasing your walking and exercise. Slowly increase your physical activity to at least 60 minutes each day to burn more calories and increase health benefits.
4. Eat real food. Aim to eat only food that's in its natural state or is lightly processed. Limit or avoid heavily processed foods.
5. Have a daily goal. Set a goal you can achieve every day, such as, "I will eat berries for my afternoon snack" or "I will walk an extra 10 minutes today."

The second phase of the Mayo Clinic Diet is a lifelong approach to diet and health. Building on habits from the first phase, this part of the diet focuses on education, tools and strategies that can help you eat well, stay active and make lifelong healthy choices.

Topics in this phase include:

• Strategies for setting and meeting achievable goals.
• Serving goals and tips for choosing proper portions of different foods.
• Meal planning.
• Time-saving tips.
• Information about energy and nutrient needs.
• Information about what foods are the best sources for health and energy.
• Strategies to reset habits when you get off track.

The Mayo Clinic Diet makes healthy eating easy by teaching you how to estimate portion sizes and plan meals. The program doesn't require you to be precise about counting calories. Instead, you'll eat tasty foods that will satisfy you and help you lose weight.

Mayo Clinic experts designed the Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid to help you eat foods that are filling but low in calories. Each of the food groups in the pyramid emphasizes health-promoting choices. The pyramid encourages you to eat virtually unlimited amounts of vegetables and fruits because of their beneficial effects on both weight and health.

The main message is simple: Eat most of your food from the groups at the base of the pyramid and less from the top — and move more.

The Mayo Clinic Diet provides a choice of five different eating styles at several calorie levels. Daily calorie goals in the Mayo Clinic Diet vary based on your current weight and your sex. Here's a look at a typical daily meal plan at the 1,200-calorie-a-day level:

• Breakfast: Smoothie with 1% milk, fat-free plain Greek yogurt, apple, banana, old-fashioned rolled oats, almond butter and cinnamon.
• Lunch: Vegetable wrap with roast beef in a whole-wheat tortilla.
• Dinner: Broiled salmon with cabbage and tomato salad.
• Snack: 15 cherries.

The Mayo Clinic Diet is designed to help you lose up to 6 to 10 pounds (2.7 to 4.5 kilograms) during the initial two-week phase.

The second phase can help you lose 1 to 2 pounds (0.5 to 1 kilograms) a week until you reach your goal weight. By continuing the lifelong habits that you've learned, you can then maintain your goal weight for the rest of your life.

In general, losing weight by following a healthy, nutritious diet — such as the Mayo Clinic Diet — can reduce your risk of conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and sleep apnea. A healthy diet may help reduce the need for some medicines.

The Mayo Clinic Diet is meant to be positive, practical, sustainable and enjoyable, so you can enjoy a happier, healthier life over the long term.

The Mayo Clinic Diet is generally safe for most adults. The 15 habits of the Mayo Clinic Diet present a safe and healthy way to lose weight.

Eating lots of fruits and vegetables provides important nutrients and fiber. But if you aren't used to having fiber in your diet, you may experience minor, short-term changes in digestion, such as gas. Increasing fiber gradually and drinking plenty of water helps reduce gas or other digestive issues.

The Mayo Clinic Diet doesn't set limits on fresh fruits and vegetables. But you do need foods from all the food groups.

If you have diabetes or any other health conditions, work with your healthcare professional to adjust the Mayo Clinic Diet for your needs.