From Fat to Fit | How I Lost Weight | Nutrition Tips
You might choose to follow the Mayo Clinic Diet because you:
Want to follow a program that has been developed by medical professionals
Are looking for a diet that fits your food preferences
Like the idea of being able to eat unlimited vegetables and fruits
Seek expert strategies on how to drop unhealthy lifestyle habits and gain healthy ones
Want to improve your health, reduce your health risks and feel great
Don’t want to eliminate food groups or count calories
Want a program you can stick with for life, not a fad or quick fix.
Are looking for easy-to-follow advice that will inspire you to eat better and move more
Remember to check with your health care provider before starting any weight-loss program, especially if you have any health conditions.The program focuses on eating delicious healthy foods and increasing physical activity. It emphasizes that the best way to keep weight off for good is to change your lifestyle and adopt new habits that you enjoy and can stick with. This program can be tailored to your own individual needs, health history and preferred eating style.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. Whether you would like to follow the Mayo Clinic Diet meal plan, are vegetarian or prefer the Mediterranean eating style, you will find an abundance of recipes and meals that won’t leave you hungry.
Here’s a look at a typical daily meal plan at the 1,200-calorie-a-day level from the Mediterranean eating plan:
Breakfast: Overnight oats with berries and pear
Lunch: Tuscan white bean soup with pesto drizzle
Dinner: Sheet-pan roast chicken with broccolini, onion and tomatoes
Snack: 1 cup sliced bell peppers and a banana
What about dessert? You can have sweets but no more than 75 calories a day. For practicality, consider thinking of your sweets calories over the course of a week. Have low-fat frozen yogurt or dark chocolate on Monday, and then hold off on any more sweets for a few days.For most people, eating lots of fruits and vegetables is a good thing — these foods provide your body with important nutrients and fiber. However, if you aren’t used to having fiber in your diet, you may experience minor, temporary changes in digestion, such as intestinal gas, as your body adjusts to this new way of eating.
Also, the natural sugar in fruit does affect your carbohydrate intake — especially if you eat a lot of fruit. This may temporarily raise your blood sugar or certain blood fats. However, this effect is lessened if you are losing weight.
If you have diabetes or any other health conditions or concerns, work with your doctor to adjust the Mayo Clinic Diet for your situation. For example, people with diabetes should aim for more vegetables than fruits, if possible. It’s a good idea to snack on vegetables, rather than snacking only on fruit.