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The Mayo Clinic Diet: Eat Well, Enjoy Life, Lose Weight
Here at last is the last diet you should ever need. Get a quick and gratifying start with Lose It!, the phase of the diet designed to help you lose up to six to ten pounds in just two weeks. Eat the foods you love in moderation in the Live It! phase, which is designed to help you continue to lose one to two pounds per week and keep them off.
Here is the diet that helps you accomplish real and lasting weight loss. It is no fad, but a solid, common-sense approach brought to you by an award-winning health organization. More, The Mayo Clinic Diet does not require expensive ingredients (which can make a diet difficult to maintain in the long run.)
Through simple, healthy adjustments to your lifestyle, The Mayo Clinic Diet gives you the tools you need to achieve the success you want. In two easy phases, The Mayo Clinic Diet helps you lose weight and keep it off for life.
In two simple phases you'll be on the road to a healthy weight for the rest of your life. Packed with lots of encouragement--meal planners, recipes, tips for overcoming challenges, starting an exercise plan, and much more--Mayo Clinic delivers everything you need in one book. It's time to toss the scales and calculators and pick up the foods you've always loved. At last the diet you've been waiting for.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mayo Clinic first took root in farm fields near Rochester, Minn., in the late 1800s. It grew from the medical practice of a country doctor, William Worrall Mayo, and the partnership of his two sons, William J. and Charles H. Mayo--affectionately known as Dr. Will and Dr. Charlie.
The brothers' innovative ideas and tireless work in learning and creating new surgical techniques attracted international attention. Physicians from around the world cam to watch the Mayo brothers perform surgery.
The Mayo brothers invited other doctors to join them, forming teams of medical experts. Today, Mayo Clinic--one of the world's oldest and largest multi-speciality group practices--comprises more than 45,000 physicians, scientists, nurses and other staff at its three locations in Rochester, Minn., Jacksonville, Fla., and Scottsdale, Ariz., and its regional community-based health care practices.
Here is the diet that helps you accomplish real and lasting weight loss. It is no fad, but a solid, common-sense approach brought to you by an award-winning health organization. More, The Mayo Clinic Diet does not require expensive ingredients (which can make a diet difficult to maintain in the long run.)
Through simple, healthy adjustments to your lifestyle, The Mayo Clinic Diet gives you the tools you need to achieve the success you want. In two easy phases, The Mayo Clinic Diet helps you lose weight and keep it off for life.
In two simple phases you'll be on the road to a healthy weight for the rest of your life. Packed with lots of encouragement--meal planners, recipes, tips for overcoming challenges, starting an exercise plan, and much more--Mayo Clinic delivers everything you need in one book. It's time to toss the scales and calculators and pick up the foods you've always loved. At last the diet you've been waiting for.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mayo Clinic first took root in farm fields near Rochester, Minn., in the late 1800s. It grew from the medical practice of a country doctor, William Worrall Mayo, and the partnership of his two sons, William J. and Charles H. Mayo--affectionately known as Dr. Will and Dr. Charlie.
The brothers' innovative ideas and tireless work in learning and creating new surgical techniques attracted international attention. Physicians from around the world cam to watch the Mayo brothers perform surgery.
The Mayo brothers invited other doctors to join them, forming teams of medical experts. Today, Mayo Clinic--one of the world's oldest and largest multi-speciality group practices--comprises more than 45,000 physicians, scientists, nurses and other staff at its three locations in Rochester, Minn., Jacksonville, Fla., and Scottsdale, Ariz., and its regional community-based health care practices.
272 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2010
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January 12, 2010
My thoughts...I am going to do this backwards and start with the cons. Actually I should say con, because I see only one problem with the book and that is the title. The Mayo Clinic Diet. I believe the word DIET carries a negative connotation that leaves a bad taste (no pun intended) in your mouth. Also, after reviewing this, I don't believe this is a DIET plan, I believe it to be a smarter way to live your life and manage your health. This is not a rule book saying you have to eat cottage cheese 3 times a day or that you can never eat birthday cake again, it is a guide to establishing and maintaining a healthy weight. Keep reading.
The pros...This book is created by the brains at the Mayo Clinic. For those of you who are not familiar with "The Mayo Clinic, is a very large group of physicians and scientists who work together to care for patients. They treat more than 500,000 patients a year. They, if anyone, are the ones to take health advise from, which is why I decided to review this book.
Their plan is laid out in several steps:
1. add 5 healthy habits such as eat a healthy breakfast, eat fruits and veggies, eat whole grains, healthy fats and exercise. Common sense, right?
2. Break 5 habits such as no unhealthy sugars or snacks, moderate meats and eating out. Makes sense.
3. Adapt 5 bonus habits such as journaling, exercise, making better food choices.
It is all very simple and very achievable. So does it work? Well that is up to you. As the book recommends, you should take a quick quiz to be sure you are ready to make these simple changes in your life. If you cannot commit, it won't work and I don't need to be a doctor to tell you that.
The book also offers some recipes, such as the one found here, and some more health information for understanding your body. It is very thorough. It was accompanied by a really nice journal to keep track of your eating and exercising habits. The only thing I found the journal lacked was a specific column for tracking your fluids. Other than that it is very nice and very easy to use.
I had to laugh because one recommendation said "NO TV while eating and only as much TV time as you spend exercising." I don't watch much TV, but if I changed TV to BLOGGING in that sentence, I would probably look like a swimsuit model by Summer.
Overall I thought this book provided a great plan to optimize your health and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
The pros...This book is created by the brains at the Mayo Clinic. For those of you who are not familiar with "The Mayo Clinic, is a very large group of physicians and scientists who work together to care for patients. They treat more than 500,000 patients a year. They, if anyone, are the ones to take health advise from, which is why I decided to review this book.
Their plan is laid out in several steps:
1. add 5 healthy habits such as eat a healthy breakfast, eat fruits and veggies, eat whole grains, healthy fats and exercise. Common sense, right?
2. Break 5 habits such as no unhealthy sugars or snacks, moderate meats and eating out. Makes sense.
3. Adapt 5 bonus habits such as journaling, exercise, making better food choices.
It is all very simple and very achievable. So does it work? Well that is up to you. As the book recommends, you should take a quick quiz to be sure you are ready to make these simple changes in your life. If you cannot commit, it won't work and I don't need to be a doctor to tell you that.
The book also offers some recipes, such as the one found here, and some more health information for understanding your body. It is very thorough. It was accompanied by a really nice journal to keep track of your eating and exercising habits. The only thing I found the journal lacked was a specific column for tracking your fluids. Other than that it is very nice and very easy to use.
I had to laugh because one recommendation said "NO TV while eating and only as much TV time as you spend exercising." I don't watch much TV, but if I changed TV to BLOGGING in that sentence, I would probably look like a swimsuit model by Summer.
Overall I thought this book provided a great plan to optimize your health and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
February 19, 2010
“The Mayo Clinic Diet” is subtitled “Eat Well. Enjoy Life. Lose Weight.” The point of the book? The editor-in-chief observes that (Page 6): “’The Mayo Clinic Diet’ isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. Using clinically tested techniques, it puts you in charge of reshaping you lifestyle by adopting healthy new habits and breaking unhealthy old ones.”
Part 1 is titled “Lose it!” Here, by following a number of rules, you would lose six to ten pounds in two weeks. What to do? Add five positive habits (e.g., eat a healthy breakfast, eat four or more servings of vegetables and three or more of fruits, eat whole grains, eat healthy foods such as olive oil and nuts, exercise 30 minutes or more per day). Then, break five bad habits (e.g., no TV while eating, stay away from sugar no snacks except fruits and vegetables, have small helpings of meat [the size of a deck of cards:], no eating at restaurants,). Next hint? Adopt five bonus points (e.g., keep food records, keep activity records, exercise even more than 30 minutes per day, eat food is a natural state or only lightly processed food).
Part 2 is called “Live It!), involving setting goals, eating to the pyramid, and burning calories by being active. Some nice features include a quick guide to serving size (page 73). For instance, one 3erving of broccoli (25 calories) would be about the size of a baseball, whereas a serving of whole-wheat bread would be about the size of a hockey puck. Being active? Page 96 gives hints about enhancing activity level. At an airport, take a walk around the terminal. At work? Take the stairs and not the elevator.
Part 3 is “All the Extra Stuff.” More detail on the food pyramid, understanding plateaus that occur when trying to lose weight, and hints about cooking. There is a listing of foods to stock up on (page 159), such as whole grains, fruits and veggies, protein sources (beans, tuna, skinless white meat poultry , fish with omega-3s), and dairy (low fat products). There are also menu ideas and cooking suggestions.
All in all, a useful compendium of ideas that many of us would already have been aware of. One wish: more recipes. There are a number of these, but more would have been useful. Of course, this is not meant as a cookbook, so that comment may not be completely fair.
Part 1 is titled “Lose it!” Here, by following a number of rules, you would lose six to ten pounds in two weeks. What to do? Add five positive habits (e.g., eat a healthy breakfast, eat four or more servings of vegetables and three or more of fruits, eat whole grains, eat healthy foods such as olive oil and nuts, exercise 30 minutes or more per day). Then, break five bad habits (e.g., no TV while eating, stay away from sugar no snacks except fruits and vegetables, have small helpings of meat [the size of a deck of cards:], no eating at restaurants,). Next hint? Adopt five bonus points (e.g., keep food records, keep activity records, exercise even more than 30 minutes per day, eat food is a natural state or only lightly processed food).
Part 2 is called “Live It!), involving setting goals, eating to the pyramid, and burning calories by being active. Some nice features include a quick guide to serving size (page 73). For instance, one 3erving of broccoli (25 calories) would be about the size of a baseball, whereas a serving of whole-wheat bread would be about the size of a hockey puck. Being active? Page 96 gives hints about enhancing activity level. At an airport, take a walk around the terminal. At work? Take the stairs and not the elevator.
Part 3 is “All the Extra Stuff.” More detail on the food pyramid, understanding plateaus that occur when trying to lose weight, and hints about cooking. There is a listing of foods to stock up on (page 159), such as whole grains, fruits and veggies, protein sources (beans, tuna, skinless white meat poultry , fish with omega-3s), and dairy (low fat products). There are also menu ideas and cooking suggestions.
All in all, a useful compendium of ideas that many of us would already have been aware of. One wish: more recipes. There are a number of these, but more would have been useful. Of course, this is not meant as a cookbook, so that comment may not be completely fair.
January 25, 2014
This is the science (plus the tough love art) of fueling one's body, feeding one's mind and fulfilling one's health through nutrition and exercise.
I like the format--I use it a reference work, but then, find myself reading it as a pleasure book. It's news you can use.
The vaunted Mayo Clinic, I wonderfully discovered, is one strenuous and proud not-for-profit outfit. Not sponsored by any pharmaceutical syndicate, big business or health insurance cartel, this 51,000 staff medical practice is a global leader in wellness research and education. Prevention of illness and disease (like obesity) through tested enlightenment and science guided direction is their raison d'etre.
Throughout 2014, the Clinic is celebrating the sesquicentennial of their founding by the good doctor Mayo brothers, William and Charles.
Information and knowledge, not just willpower. Eat more (of the correct foods), not less. Do not force feed oneself, but savor each well chosen, portion controlled, thoroughly chewed swallow. Don't hunger strike now to guilt binge later. Activate your body with exercise.
Finally, not falling for the latest fad, but embracing and living an integrated nutrition plan.
I like the format--I use it a reference work, but then, find myself reading it as a pleasure book. It's news you can use.
The vaunted Mayo Clinic, I wonderfully discovered, is one strenuous and proud not-for-profit outfit. Not sponsored by any pharmaceutical syndicate, big business or health insurance cartel, this 51,000 staff medical practice is a global leader in wellness research and education. Prevention of illness and disease (like obesity) through tested enlightenment and science guided direction is their raison d'etre.
Throughout 2014, the Clinic is celebrating the sesquicentennial of their founding by the good doctor Mayo brothers, William and Charles.
Information and knowledge, not just willpower. Eat more (of the correct foods), not less. Do not force feed oneself, but savor each well chosen, portion controlled, thoroughly chewed swallow. Don't hunger strike now to guilt binge later. Activate your body with exercise.
Finally, not falling for the latest fad, but embracing and living an integrated nutrition plan.
February 28, 2010
The Mayo Clinic Diet (and journal)
by the weight loss experts at Mayo Clinic
Genre: Health, self-help
Rating: 5
The Mayo Clinic Diet is a great book that guides you through a healthy way to loose weight. They focus on changing your eating habits, eating the right amount of the right thing, self control, self motivation, and staying healthy.
The word “Diet” has a bad reputation. People hear it and shutter. I don’t think Diet was the right word to use in the title of this book, I think they could have used something like “Health guide” or “lifestyle” because it’s not really a diet. Sure there are guides on what to eat, but there aren’t any super strict guidelines saying “don’t eat this” or “you must eat this.” This book is all about loosing weight right, and doing it healthfully.
The Mayo Clinic Diet asks some basic questions that get the reader thinking, like “why do you want to loose weight,” “what are your goals” etc. and the reason behind them. You really get down in to why you are bothering to change your body. Sure it’s good for you. But there are other reasons why people want to shape up. The Mayo Clinic Diet asks the right questions and gets you thinking so you can find your reasons, so you can find your motivation.
The actual “diet” part of this book is great. It talks about which foods to eat, which things to eat more of, which to eat less of, how to pick the right meat/cheese/milk etc. (note, for the sake of sharing with you a quick opinion, that the only thing I don’t agree with in the book is their view on skim milk. They recommend it. I don’t. It has no nutritional value, and you need whole milk, or low-fat at the least.). It talks about portion control (the key of weight loss!) and offers visual cues for identifying the right serving size, like “hockey puck” and “tennis ball” and “deck of cards” serving size, explains how to eat healthfully (yes there is a special way to eat!), gives advice on what to eat for snacks, lists exercise tips for beginners (easy to follow, not complicated or requiring equipment), and even identifies obstacles you may come across (excuses, habits, depressed thoughts etc.) , and strategies to get through them.
The journal is not necessary for the diet, but is a helpful tool that will guide you through the program. It follows the timeline given in the book, includes space for meal plans, weekly weigh-in, a section for goals and notes for the day, places to record what you ate, and habit tracker, and even a daily food pyramid checklist. It could even be used independently of the diet book, but I recommend using both together because the book has a lot of helpful information, and the journal is a motivating way to put it into action.
Recommendation: Anyone who needs to loose weight but is afraid of “another diet.” This is not the same diet you’re used to. Again, I think “diet” is the wrong word. This is a new lifestyle.
by the weight loss experts at Mayo Clinic
Genre: Health, self-help
Rating: 5
The Mayo Clinic Diet is a great book that guides you through a healthy way to loose weight. They focus on changing your eating habits, eating the right amount of the right thing, self control, self motivation, and staying healthy.
The word “Diet” has a bad reputation. People hear it and shutter. I don’t think Diet was the right word to use in the title of this book, I think they could have used something like “Health guide” or “lifestyle” because it’s not really a diet. Sure there are guides on what to eat, but there aren’t any super strict guidelines saying “don’t eat this” or “you must eat this.” This book is all about loosing weight right, and doing it healthfully.
The Mayo Clinic Diet asks some basic questions that get the reader thinking, like “why do you want to loose weight,” “what are your goals” etc. and the reason behind them. You really get down in to why you are bothering to change your body. Sure it’s good for you. But there are other reasons why people want to shape up. The Mayo Clinic Diet asks the right questions and gets you thinking so you can find your reasons, so you can find your motivation.
The actual “diet” part of this book is great. It talks about which foods to eat, which things to eat more of, which to eat less of, how to pick the right meat/cheese/milk etc. (note, for the sake of sharing with you a quick opinion, that the only thing I don’t agree with in the book is their view on skim milk. They recommend it. I don’t. It has no nutritional value, and you need whole milk, or low-fat at the least.). It talks about portion control (the key of weight loss!) and offers visual cues for identifying the right serving size, like “hockey puck” and “tennis ball” and “deck of cards” serving size, explains how to eat healthfully (yes there is a special way to eat!), gives advice on what to eat for snacks, lists exercise tips for beginners (easy to follow, not complicated or requiring equipment), and even identifies obstacles you may come across (excuses, habits, depressed thoughts etc.) , and strategies to get through them.
The journal is not necessary for the diet, but is a helpful tool that will guide you through the program. It follows the timeline given in the book, includes space for meal plans, weekly weigh-in, a section for goals and notes for the day, places to record what you ate, and habit tracker, and even a daily food pyramid checklist. It could even be used independently of the diet book, but I recommend using both together because the book has a lot of helpful information, and the journal is a motivating way to put it into action.
Recommendation: Anyone who needs to loose weight but is afraid of “another diet.” This is not the same diet you’re used to. Again, I think “diet” is the wrong word. This is a new lifestyle.
June 5, 2013
I read it for basic nutritional advice, and I expected the venerable Mayo Clinic to produce a high-quality book.
I was wrong. Yes, there is some good nutritional info, but too much of the book is filler. In some areas, it seemed like Dr. Phil was the author. Topics like "motivation" and "commitment"--important, yes--were uninteresting. It's stuff we all know. Stick to your goals, stick to the game plan. If I wanted that advice, I would've bought a self-help book.
I was wrong. Yes, there is some good nutritional info, but too much of the book is filler. In some areas, it seemed like Dr. Phil was the author. Topics like "motivation" and "commitment"--important, yes--were uninteresting. It's stuff we all know. Stick to your goals, stick to the game plan. If I wanted that advice, I would've bought a self-help book.
April 26, 2013
This is probably one of the better diet books out there. There is nothing new to be learned from this book, and that's what makes it so good: it sticks to the tried and true method of eating less, and moving more. The book is a quick read, and has several actionable steps to get you started right away.
November 29, 2016
Simple, practical, doable. Lots of useful suggestions and strategies for making long-lasting lifestyle changes.
September 17, 2018
This was an easy-to-read book from a trusted source about a healthy diet. Sure, we've heard a lot of this before, but the refresher was really good. I also think the book was well-organized.
February 15, 2010
Brought to me to read after knee surgery. Written by dietitians and doctors I know at Mayo clinic. Healthy way to lose weight. Gives lots of tips to overcome issues that may prevent you from being successful at losing weight. May be a bit difficult diet to follow if you drink lots of milk and eat lots of meat; also, if you don't like fruits and vegetables. However, I know several people who are currently losing lots of weight on this diet. The book contains info about behavior change and exercise along with diet for success. The book is very attractive and easy to read.
January 7, 2013
Every January it seems I seek out the magic of a new diet that will allow me to lose fat, gain muscle mass, grow younger, and be able to leap tall building with a single bound, and other fairly ridiculous goals.
This won't do it.
Oh, yes, the lose fat part - it's a very sensible, balanced approach to food. If I was capable of being sensible and balanced about food, I probably wouldn't need this book!
The fault is entirely my own, though. This is a decent, sensible book that provides data-based diet choices that anyone would benefit from.
This won't do it.
Oh, yes, the lose fat part - it's a very sensible, balanced approach to food. If I was capable of being sensible and balanced about food, I probably wouldn't need this book!
The fault is entirely my own, though. This is a decent, sensible book that provides data-based diet choices that anyone would benefit from.
January 19, 2010
I confess I have read a lot diet/weight loss books over the years and while most have some value, I really liked this approach. Once you have tried every diet "under the sun" you come to realize, if you admit it, that you simply need to exercise more and eat less and/or smarter. That's pretty much this approach. There is of course practical advice, but the intention is to steer the reader to a new lifestyle for life. The advice boils down to ADD 5 habits, LOSE 5 habits, and APOPT 5 new habits.
February 27, 2015
lifestyle change
I can't believe I made it through the Lose It 2 week period. I gave up sugar AND artificial sweetener. Now I have been on the Mayo Clinic Diet for just short of a month and I don't want to even add those things back in. On March 1 it will have been a month and I have already lost nearly 10 lbs. this book is not a real diet, but a healthy lifestyle change. I highly recommend this book.
I can't believe I made it through the Lose It 2 week period. I gave up sugar AND artificial sweetener. Now I have been on the Mayo Clinic Diet for just short of a month and I don't want to even add those things back in. On March 1 it will have been a month and I have already lost nearly 10 lbs. this book is not a real diet, but a healthy lifestyle change. I highly recommend this book.
January 30, 2010
I found this to be an excellent diet plan for anyone who needs to lose or maintain their weight. Within the book are simple guides, lists and strategies which make shopping for food, planning meals, and overcoming obstacles very straight forward. I also have been enjoying using the companion journal, which tracks diet, activity and habits.
Highly recommend!
Highly recommend!
May 15, 2012
This isn't really a diet book, more like a guide to a healthier and happier life. It's definitely a book for people who want to change their lives and not a quick fix for some up and coming event. This plan allows for slip ups and flexibility that doesn't always come with most diets that are to harsh to follow for long.
May 23, 2012
It's all practical advise, most of which you've heard before, but it's located in one place. The chapters are short and easy to read. They don't use lots of medical terms, it's in plain english. Because it's so easy to read, it's great to have around as a quick refernece or refresher if you've slipped on your diet.
September 2, 2013
It's the Mayo Clinic so of course it's going to be good.
It covers how to add good habits, eliminate bad habits, and start a new life. I love their information. The layout is great. You can read it like a normal book or you can skip around as your life requires and based on the chart page 59.
It is good for everyone no matter what their needs are. I might have to buy my own copy.
It covers how to add good habits, eliminate bad habits, and start a new life. I love their information. The layout is great. You can read it like a normal book or you can skip around as your life requires and based on the chart page 59.
It is good for everyone no matter what their needs are. I might have to buy my own copy.
February 18, 2013
This book is easy to read and full of positive strategies, realistic techniques for making healthy choices a way of life. It helped me jump start a weight loss plan and will hopefully stick with me to help me maintain once I get to my body type's ideal weight. I got several easy recipes too!
August 3, 2013
Started to read, then scanned it to finish. Nothing new here....
September 5, 2013
I love this book! Very well balanced approach to healthy living. I think this may be my favorite diet book so far.
Read
August 14, 2022The Mayo Clinic Diet exists because the medical institution associated with it was *forced* to develop a diet plan in response to decades of urban myth fad diets that misused their name for credibility, and I think that's a big part of why it doesn't suck. It's like harm reduction for weight-loss diets. If you must shoot up a diet, use a clean needle.
Before continuing, here's where I stand/some facts on diet culture:
1. The vast majority of dieters, over 90%, are not successful at their stated goal of weight loss over the long term, but it is very profitable to convince Americans that they are. The Biggest Loser remains on television despite the fact that every single one of its 'successful' contestants goes on to regain all the weight they lost and have new, permanent health problems because of what Jillian Michaels did to them for her personal brand. Go read the New York Times about it.
2. You cannot look at someone and tell from their body what their blood sugar, blood pressure, or cholesterol is. (Yes, problems with these have a correlation with weight gain. You know what else they have a correlation with? Stress. And weight gain also has a correlation with stress. If you think you know which causes which by 'common sense', you are taking scientific data in a way it was never meant.) A significant percentage of fat people don't have those problems, and a significant percentage of skinny people do. Really.
A number of health problems do genuinely benefit from someone losing about 10% of their weight regardless of where they started, weight management can be very important for people with diabetes, and excess weight can cause joint problems, but the difference between those facts and the scale of importance weight loss is given in our culture and many medical settings is ridiculous.
3. The idea that fat bodies are a punishment for or even necessarily a result of not eating well or exercising is a harmful myth.
Even aside from the fact that there are healthy, active people with fat bodies, the idea in general that health is a matter of virtue because you can make lifestyle choices that reduce your chances of developing, or help you manage the symptoms of, some health conditions, is a gross oversimplification. People are drawn to believing this because we want to feel like we've got control, instead of merely influence, over our health (and our appearance). The harm of the health=virtue idea also goes way beyond fat people.
4. Eating disorders are the most fatal class of mental health condition. And no, you can't tell by looking at someone whether they're anorexic or bulimic, either.
5. The idea of the obesity "epidemic" and changes in the rate of obesity in the American population are because of historical changes in the way obesity is classified and measured. Really. BMI was never meant to be used in the way it's being used today.
6. The "calories in, calories out" model of weight gain and weight loss I and likely you learned in health class is incomplete. More recent research suggests that hormones like ghrelin and leptin play an enormous role in your body composition that goes beyond hunger and satiety, and your gut flora do, too.
7. Bias based on these ideas (that fat=unhealthy, that health=virtue, that weight loss will solve your health problems and is a straightforward question of willpower) is a serious problem for fat people, especially in medical settings, in a way I do not have the time or energy to get into here.
8. Fat people can be sexy and beautiful, and a lot of the drive that people have to lose weight is around the idea that we can't. 'Nuff said.
If you want more information or background on these ideas, I recommend the work of Aubrey Gordon, who has written What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat, Linda Bacon, the author of Health at Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight and Michelle over at The Fat Nutritionist.
(I love saying this shit in a public forum so that people can harass me. If you do that, I'm just gonna report and delete your comment, and fully understand that you've got nothing more significant to be proud of in your life than having a normative body type.)
***
Anyway, with that out of the way, if you are trying to lose weight, even if that is for reasons you know are driven by fatphobia in yourself or others, this seems like a good clean-needle exchange. The examples the Mayo Clinic give near the start of the book of what might be personally motivating you to lose weight are the woooorst part of the book in embodying how normal this shit is, about having a high school reunion coming up and wanting to show the boy he dumped you what he missed and not wanting to feel like a "blimp" on the dance floor (srsly), but they're also honestly reflective of what people's internal experiences are around this.
My reasons for wanting to lose weight right now, which is why I'm reading this, look more like, "I know my body can do this because it did before the pandemic without me really trying for it, it's true in this case I haven't been eating or exercising like I should lately, I got hooked on how much better people treat me x pounds lighter because I experienced it relatively recently, and I only have to lose one or two sizes to fit back into my cute clothes from a year ago."
Is this as healthy as it would be for me to focus on healthy food and body movement, eating mindfully, etc., for their own sake while letting go of outcomes around my personal appearance, remembering how to like and accept my own fat body, and push past being treated differently in medical and social settings? No, but I have huge anxiety around needing to see the doctor (who praised my previous, unintentional weight loss) in three months to get my meds refilled, and I have bigger mental health fish to fry, so here we are.
Here are things I feel this diet plan does well/smartly:
- Gets very specific about medical risks that should lead you to consult a medical professional before following the plan, not just a boilerplate legal disclaimer, and signs that you are overdoing calorie restriction or exercise
- Suggests setting a start date and preparing what you need to make the changes happen before the start date, which I personally needed and benefited from, as someone who's been getting mad at myself for forgetting to eat and then shoving whatever's available in my face when I haven't had time to catch up on dishes and I'm way overdue for grocery shopping
- Opens with a two-week phase focused on rapid weight loss, in a healthy way. The promise of this is honestly what draws people to extreme dieting, risky pills and procedures, etc. and I think it was real damn smart to give people this in the healthiest way they can
- If you look at the small print, they err on the side of understating, not overstating, the results you should expect from the first phase
- The "lose it" (I refuse to use exclamation marks in the name of anything but Jeopardy!) phase is entirely focused on habits, to add and to break, (and recording which goes a long way with little effort), and they focus on habits to add first.
- The second phase is meant for maintaining weight or losing it at a safe & healthy long-term pace, 1-2 pounds a week, indefinitely, and it does a good job at actually providing tools to make that sustainable, like eyeballing serving sizes instead of calorie counting, which is a blight on humanity
- Shares realistic information about the frequency with which people give up on diets and how likely it is you will have lapses, emphasizes realism and flexibility
- Acknowledges to some extent the role of stress, depression, and anxiety in weight gain, acknowledges albeit briefly that chronic pain exists
- Has sections focusing specifically on how behavior change actually works and on addressing barriers and obstacles to carrying out their plan
- Albeit only in very small sections among all the conventional diet strategies, does talk about improving your body image and self-esteem regardless of weight, motivations for exercise and healthy eating that have nothing to do with weight, eating mindfully and listening to your body, etc., though it is somewhat odd to see the words "don't think of yourself as being 'on a diet'" in the middle of a book with Diet emblazoned on the front cover-- definitely an artifact of the whole 'this program only exists reluctantly' thing
Here are things that I think fall short or could be better:
- Uses BMI, even with caveats, to evaluate whether your health is at risk at your current weight. Maybe tell people to get a damn blood panel
- Acknowledges that genetics, pregnancy, illness, certain medications, stopping smoking and age can factor into "Why am I overweight?" without actually following that up with, "so maybe if you've clearly gained weight for one of these reasons, you do not need to be down on yourself about it"
- Better than some, but limited applicability of some content if you are I-eat-donations poor, disabled or have serious food allergies or sensitivities
- The recommendations to use low-fat and fat-free dairy products. Yuck. Reduced fat anything is gonna have increased sugar content to make it taste less nasty and end up tasting nasty anyway. The vogue rebranding that full-fat dairy products are undergoing (I will edit this in if I remember what term I saw on a milk carton the other day that made me laugh my ass off) is for a good reason, and if you have to eat dairy I think you should stick with the stuff that's going to make you feel fuller and leave your blood sugar alone
- It's still a weight-loss diet, with all the false paradigms and broken norms that entails
I'll update with results if I decide to follow it closely enough for them to mean something.
Before continuing, here's where I stand/some facts on diet culture:
1. The vast majority of dieters, over 90%, are not successful at their stated goal of weight loss over the long term, but it is very profitable to convince Americans that they are. The Biggest Loser remains on television despite the fact that every single one of its 'successful' contestants goes on to regain all the weight they lost and have new, permanent health problems because of what Jillian Michaels did to them for her personal brand. Go read the New York Times about it.
2. You cannot look at someone and tell from their body what their blood sugar, blood pressure, or cholesterol is. (Yes, problems with these have a correlation with weight gain. You know what else they have a correlation with? Stress. And weight gain also has a correlation with stress. If you think you know which causes which by 'common sense', you are taking scientific data in a way it was never meant.) A significant percentage of fat people don't have those problems, and a significant percentage of skinny people do. Really.
A number of health problems do genuinely benefit from someone losing about 10% of their weight regardless of where they started, weight management can be very important for people with diabetes, and excess weight can cause joint problems, but the difference between those facts and the scale of importance weight loss is given in our culture and many medical settings is ridiculous.
3. The idea that fat bodies are a punishment for or even necessarily a result of not eating well or exercising is a harmful myth.
Even aside from the fact that there are healthy, active people with fat bodies, the idea in general that health is a matter of virtue because you can make lifestyle choices that reduce your chances of developing, or help you manage the symptoms of, some health conditions, is a gross oversimplification. People are drawn to believing this because we want to feel like we've got control, instead of merely influence, over our health (and our appearance). The harm of the health=virtue idea also goes way beyond fat people.
4. Eating disorders are the most fatal class of mental health condition. And no, you can't tell by looking at someone whether they're anorexic or bulimic, either.
5. The idea of the obesity "epidemic" and changes in the rate of obesity in the American population are because of historical changes in the way obesity is classified and measured. Really. BMI was never meant to be used in the way it's being used today.
6. The "calories in, calories out" model of weight gain and weight loss I and likely you learned in health class is incomplete. More recent research suggests that hormones like ghrelin and leptin play an enormous role in your body composition that goes beyond hunger and satiety, and your gut flora do, too.
7. Bias based on these ideas (that fat=unhealthy, that health=virtue, that weight loss will solve your health problems and is a straightforward question of willpower) is a serious problem for fat people, especially in medical settings, in a way I do not have the time or energy to get into here.
8. Fat people can be sexy and beautiful, and a lot of the drive that people have to lose weight is around the idea that we can't. 'Nuff said.
If you want more information or background on these ideas, I recommend the work of Aubrey Gordon, who has written What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat, Linda Bacon, the author of Health at Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight and Michelle over at The Fat Nutritionist.
(I love saying this shit in a public forum so that people can harass me. If you do that, I'm just gonna report and delete your comment, and fully understand that you've got nothing more significant to be proud of in your life than having a normative body type.)
***
Anyway, with that out of the way, if you are trying to lose weight, even if that is for reasons you know are driven by fatphobia in yourself or others, this seems like a good clean-needle exchange. The examples the Mayo Clinic give near the start of the book of what might be personally motivating you to lose weight are the woooorst part of the book in embodying how normal this shit is, about having a high school reunion coming up and wanting to show the boy he dumped you what he missed and not wanting to feel like a "blimp" on the dance floor (srsly), but they're also honestly reflective of what people's internal experiences are around this.
My reasons for wanting to lose weight right now, which is why I'm reading this, look more like, "I know my body can do this because it did before the pandemic without me really trying for it, it's true in this case I haven't been eating or exercising like I should lately, I got hooked on how much better people treat me x pounds lighter because I experienced it relatively recently, and I only have to lose one or two sizes to fit back into my cute clothes from a year ago."
Is this as healthy as it would be for me to focus on healthy food and body movement, eating mindfully, etc., for their own sake while letting go of outcomes around my personal appearance, remembering how to like and accept my own fat body, and push past being treated differently in medical and social settings? No, but I have huge anxiety around needing to see the doctor (who praised my previous, unintentional weight loss) in three months to get my meds refilled, and I have bigger mental health fish to fry, so here we are.
Here are things I feel this diet plan does well/smartly:
- Gets very specific about medical risks that should lead you to consult a medical professional before following the plan, not just a boilerplate legal disclaimer, and signs that you are overdoing calorie restriction or exercise
- Suggests setting a start date and preparing what you need to make the changes happen before the start date, which I personally needed and benefited from, as someone who's been getting mad at myself for forgetting to eat and then shoving whatever's available in my face when I haven't had time to catch up on dishes and I'm way overdue for grocery shopping
- Opens with a two-week phase focused on rapid weight loss, in a healthy way. The promise of this is honestly what draws people to extreme dieting, risky pills and procedures, etc. and I think it was real damn smart to give people this in the healthiest way they can
- If you look at the small print, they err on the side of understating, not overstating, the results you should expect from the first phase
- The "lose it" (I refuse to use exclamation marks in the name of anything but Jeopardy!) phase is entirely focused on habits, to add and to break, (and recording which goes a long way with little effort), and they focus on habits to add first.
- The second phase is meant for maintaining weight or losing it at a safe & healthy long-term pace, 1-2 pounds a week, indefinitely, and it does a good job at actually providing tools to make that sustainable, like eyeballing serving sizes instead of calorie counting, which is a blight on humanity
- Shares realistic information about the frequency with which people give up on diets and how likely it is you will have lapses, emphasizes realism and flexibility
- Acknowledges to some extent the role of stress, depression, and anxiety in weight gain, acknowledges albeit briefly that chronic pain exists
- Has sections focusing specifically on how behavior change actually works and on addressing barriers and obstacles to carrying out their plan
- Albeit only in very small sections among all the conventional diet strategies, does talk about improving your body image and self-esteem regardless of weight, motivations for exercise and healthy eating that have nothing to do with weight, eating mindfully and listening to your body, etc., though it is somewhat odd to see the words "don't think of yourself as being 'on a diet'" in the middle of a book with Diet emblazoned on the front cover-- definitely an artifact of the whole 'this program only exists reluctantly' thing
Here are things that I think fall short or could be better:
- Uses BMI, even with caveats, to evaluate whether your health is at risk at your current weight. Maybe tell people to get a damn blood panel
- Acknowledges that genetics, pregnancy, illness, certain medications, stopping smoking and age can factor into "Why am I overweight?" without actually following that up with, "so maybe if you've clearly gained weight for one of these reasons, you do not need to be down on yourself about it"
- Better than some, but limited applicability of some content if you are I-eat-donations poor, disabled or have serious food allergies or sensitivities
- The recommendations to use low-fat and fat-free dairy products. Yuck. Reduced fat anything is gonna have increased sugar content to make it taste less nasty and end up tasting nasty anyway. The vogue rebranding that full-fat dairy products are undergoing (I will edit this in if I remember what term I saw on a milk carton the other day that made me laugh my ass off) is for a good reason, and if you have to eat dairy I think you should stick with the stuff that's going to make you feel fuller and leave your blood sugar alone
- It's still a weight-loss diet, with all the false paradigms and broken norms that entails
I'll update with results if I decide to follow it closely enough for them to mean something.
December 1, 2024
Got this on Nov. 1st and dropped 11 lbs in 30 days. It works. I have tried many weight lose diets, Weight Watchers, intermediate fasting, etc. None worked for me. YES - much of this knowledge is "already out there" but this book and diet/lifestyle program have put everything together with scientific studies on diet and behavior modification that is genuinely geared to success. You are supported and encouraged in the program to do your best. If you engage with the program - it acknowledges right off the bat that it's not about perfection but motivation to change and trying new habits as you learn. Should you choose the online program, you can find community resources and support groups. As far as the diet itself, following the pyramid and choosing real, unprocessed foods - it's the soundest there is. And again, not about perfection, you do your best! Of course you'll have a birthday cake or eat out sometimes! But in time you develop a healthier lifestyle and the program guides you to better choices along the way. Though the online program definitely gives this a boost it's completely doable with this book. The book is laid out in an easy to read, progressive and colorful format. Yes, you need to do the work but they provide sound tools, motivation tips, doable exercises to get moving, meal plans and recipes you can change up once you get a feel for the optimal meal and planning.
September 29, 2024
Caveat that I've been using the app on and off for several months. However, overall this is a very sensible way of eating and exercising. The focus on food groups is very logical. I've lost about ten lbs using this plan.
Main complaints:
Suggests women should default to 1200 cal a day for weight loss/men 1400 - WAY too little. This is literally the line below which you are medically starving.
The meal plan suggestions are gross. The meals in the app are better, but still suffer from a severe fear of fat (it's contradictory that they want you to eat whole foods but also have fat free cheese, yogurt, and cream cheese...). But honestly, salad dressing simply isn't plain vinegar! And when they let you have oil the ratios are all wrong.
I'd suggest to use this book as inspiration, to focus on the fifteen key habits and tracking, and to lean into the food pyramid. Those are powerful...just don't try too many of the bland totally western-focused recipes (would a bit of dal kill them??)
Main complaints:
Suggests women should default to 1200 cal a day for weight loss/men 1400 - WAY too little. This is literally the line below which you are medically starving.
The meal plan suggestions are gross. The meals in the app are better, but still suffer from a severe fear of fat (it's contradictory that they want you to eat whole foods but also have fat free cheese, yogurt, and cream cheese...). But honestly, salad dressing simply isn't plain vinegar! And when they let you have oil the ratios are all wrong.
I'd suggest to use this book as inspiration, to focus on the fifteen key habits and tracking, and to lean into the food pyramid. Those are powerful...just don't try too many of the bland totally western-focused recipes (would a bit of dal kill them??)
January 11, 2019
Honestly I just don't get why people loved this nor why it's so highly acclaimed. It puts forward the same spiel the government does about how to be "healthy" which, given the state of Americans, I think we can all agree is obviously not working the way it suppose to.
I appreciate that it did at least in the FAQs have a part about overcoming certain obstacles including arthritis, which is something that prevents me from doing what I want more than I'd like, though the entire FAQ section read as very demeaning to me and the actual suggestions weren't, ya know, actionable.
I also skipped most of Part 3 as by that point it was just too annoying to get through — I am neither a child nor a moron, yet that was how the tone felt.
I appreciate that it did at least in the FAQs have a part about overcoming certain obstacles including arthritis, which is something that prevents me from doing what I want more than I'd like, though the entire FAQ section read as very demeaning to me and the actual suggestions weren't, ya know, actionable.
I also skipped most of Part 3 as by that point it was just too annoying to get through — I am neither a child nor a moron, yet that was how the tone felt.
December 3, 2021
This is a very good, clearly written book. It takes a common sense and science-based approach to eating behaviors and behavior modification. The book also takes a revised food pyramid approach. What I like about this diet approach is that no food is off limits, but serving sizes are the key to the diet approach. We eat more than we realize and this book helps make sense of that as well. Though this is not the be all and end all of diet books, it uses a plan that can be sustainable through the rest of your life.
December 23, 2017
After reading several books on eating well and taking better care of your health, I would say this is definitely a good book. It touches on most things that I have read and because I just read and never really look to see when it was publishes, it is possible that the Mayo clinic's information was out there first. I highly recommend reading if you're interested in changing your health and lifestyle.
January 28, 2019
My husband and I have been following this eating plan, and we are losing weight. The eating plan is not a diet. We have eaten only whole grains and unprocessed food for many years, but gradually we have added extra pounds. I think this book just gets the balance back in portions. Food is more than sustenance it must also be palatable. Diets that stress one type of food or a particular food are unsustainable in the long run
July 23, 2020
I have no idea why I bought this book. It has languished on my Kindle since 2014 when I no doubt thought I was too fat! This book states the obvious eat less but healthy, move more. It would be really useful for someone who id extremely overweight because it explains the basics in detail. There are also some great recipes at the back.
February 17, 2023
Good book to establish dietary preference or understand the science-based habits although its targeted audience is for those losing weigh, improving health and feeling better.
Use it to spark interests in specific topics or focus on living balanced mind, body, and soul. You cannot beat science but you could not deny the unfathomable till you experience yourself to be believer.
Use it to spark interests in specific topics or focus on living balanced mind, body, and soul. You cannot beat science but you could not deny the unfathomable till you experience yourself to be believer.
Read
October 14, 2023I just finished reading the 3rd edition of this book, but Good Reads doesn’t show that most current edition. I have not read the earlier editions, but everything reviewers said about those applies to the 3rd edition.
December 29, 2024
Good book but not quite what I was looking for. I had hoped for the impact of various foods on specific conditions, like kidney stones,diabetes and others. It was more general than that. Still good.
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