Table Of Content

Credits Mayo Clinic Medical Editor-in-Chief - Donald Hensrud, M.D. Associate Medical Editor - Jennifer Nelson, R.D. Senior Director, Consumer Products & Services - Nicole Spelhaug Editor-in-Chief, Books and Newsletters - Christopher Frye Managing Editor - Kevin Kaufman Creative Director - Wes Weleczki Art Directors - Stewart Koski, Rick Resnick Illustrator - Kent McDaniel Proofreaders - Miranda Attlesey, Donna Hanson Indexer - Steve Rath Administrative Assistants - Beverly Steele, Terri Zanto Strausbauch Each of the habits in Lose It! has been the subject of scientific studies that support its role in weight management. In addition, Mayo Clinic conducted a two-week program to test the validity of this habit-based approach to quick weight loss. The 33 women who completed the program lost an average of 6.59 pounds, with individual results varying from 0.2 to 13.8 pounds lost. The 14 men who completed the program lost an average of 9.97 pounds, with individual results varying from 5.2 to 18.8 pounds lost. Individual results will vary. Consult your doctor before starting any diet program. Good Books Publisher - Merle Good Executive Editor - Phyllis Pellman Good Assistant Publisher - Kate Good First electronic edition published 2011 by RosettaBooks LLC, New York. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in review. © 2011 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. ISBN 978-1-56148-676-2 The Mayo Clinic Diet is intended to supplement the advice of your personal physician, whom you should consult regarding individual medical conditions. MAYO, MAYO CLINIC and the Mayo triple shield logo are marks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Photo credits: Artville, BananaStock, Brand X Pictures, Daniel Brevick, Comstock, Corbis, DAJ/Getty Images, Digital Vision, Jordan Eady, EyeWire, Joe Kane, Rick Madsen, PhotoAlto, Photodisc and Stockbyte. Cover design by Paul Krause. Table of contents Introduction Part 1 ~ Lose It! Chapter 1 • Ready, set, go Before you start Finding your inner motivation Are you ready? The Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid Quick reference guide to Lose It! Chapter 2 • Add 5 Habits Eat a healthy breakfast — but not too much Eat vegetables and fruits — at least 3 or 4 servings daily Eat whole grains — whole-grain bread, others Eat healthy fats — olive oil and vegetable oils, nuts Move! Walk or exercise for 30 minutes or more every day Chapter 3 • Break 5 Habits No TV while eating — and no more TV time than exercise time No sugar — only what’s naturally found in fruit No snacks — except vegetables and fruits Moderate meat and low-fat dairy — the size of a deck of cards No eating at restaurants — unless the meal fits the program Chapter 4 • Adopt 5 Bonus Habits Keep food records — write down everything you eat Keep activity records — type of activity, duration and intensity Move more! Walk or exercise for 60 minutes or more every day Eat ‘real food’ — mostly fresh, and healthy frozen or canned Write your daily goals — what motivates you every day Chapter 5 • What have you learned? Analyzing your results What worked and what didn’t? Part 2 ~ Live It! Chapter 6 • Preparing to Live It! Setting your weight-loss goal Selecting your daily calorie goal Determining your daily servings Quick guide to serving sizes Chapter 7 • Eating to the pyramid If you’re hungry, eat Chapter 8 • No food scales or calculators needed Breakfast — Practicing portion control Lunch — Taking apart a sandwich Dinner — Unscrambling food jumbles Snacks — Recognizing the best options Chapter 9 • Burning calories Start where you are Adding activities to your day Chapter 10 • A quick review . . . and a look ahead Reviewing the steps Your ultimate goal Part 3 ~ All the extra stuff Chapter 11 • Finding your healthy weight What’s your BMI? Is your health at risk? Why am I overweight? Chapter 12 • Understanding nutrition and weight control Dietary sources of energy Your energy account Chapter 13 • The Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid Vegetables and Fruits Carbohydrates Protein and Dairy Fats Sweets Physical Activity Chapter 14 • How to change behaviors Preparing for change Put the brakes on stress Chapter 15 • So I slipped up — what do I do? Breaking behavior chains How to stay motivated Getting family and friends on board Chapter 16 • Making meals easy Quick & healthy menu ideas Adapting recipes Sample menus Chapter 17 • Sticking to the diet when eating out Maneuvering the menu Your guide to healthy ethnic cuisine Chapter 18 • Burning even more calories Aerobics Strength training Calories burned in 1 hour Action Guide to weight-loss barriers Pyramid servings at a glance Recipes for weight loss Index Introduction Donald Hensrud, M.D. Medical Editor-in-Chief If your experience is like that of many new patients I see, you’ve probably tried at least several diets in an attempt to lose weight, yet the weight keeps coming back. Welcome to The Mayo Clinic Diet, a program designed to be the last diet you’ll need — or want. This diet is not a fad. You’ve had enough of those and know the result. This is a program that helps you make simple, healthy, pleasurable changes that will result in a weight you can maintain for the rest of your life. The Mayo Clinic Diet isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. Using clinically tested techniques, it puts you in charge of reshaping your lifestyle by adopting healthy new habits and breaking unhealthy old ones. Why the emphasis on health? Well, Mayo Clinic is a medical institution, and good health is our goal. But aside from that, it turns out that a healthy lifestyle is also a great way to lose weight and keep it off. You get better health and better weight. Not a bad deal. Perhaps best of all, this program is enjoyable. Eating is one of the great joys in life. What you eat on this diet has to taste good, or you won’t do it. The Mayo Clinic Diet emphasizes foods that not only are healthy but taste great, which is why we can say, “Eat well. Enjoy life. Lose weight.” So dig in — turn the page and start today on a path to a healthier, happier life. P.S. Why did we write The Mayo Clinic Diet? Because you wanted it. Bogus Mayo Clinic diets — based on everything from cabbage soup to grapefruit to bacon — have been circulating for decades. These diets have no connection to Mayo Clinic, but their popularity told us that people are hungry for a diet based on Mayo’s research and clinical experience. So, here it is — for real — The Mayo Clinic Diet. How to use this book This book is designed to help you start losing weight now. Part 1, Lose It! Jump-start your weight loss with a two-week quick start designed to help you lose 6 to 10 pounds in a safe and healthy way. Very little preparation — just read Chapter 1 and dive in. Part 1 is intentionally lean on background info because it’s focused on action. Anytime you need more information, see Part 3 for additional help. Part 2, Live It! After Lose It!, transition into Part 2, Live It!, which is designed to help you continue to lose 1 to 2 pounds a week until you reach your goal weight — and then maintain that weight as you Live It! for the rest of your life. That’s why there’s no specific length for the Live It! phase of the diet — hopefully it will be a very long time! Part 3, All the extra stuff Part 3 of the book is all the additional information — meal planners, recipes, tips on overcoming challenges, and much more — that will help you understand the whys and hows of what you’re doing in Parts 1 and 2, so that you can be successful in both Lose It! and Live It! So, to use this book: 1. Jump-start your weight loss with Part 1, Lose It! 2. Continue losing weight and keep it off with Part 2, Live It! 3. Use the resources in Part 3 for help along the way and for more detail on the “why” and “how” of things, if you’re interested. 4. While in Lose It!, look ahead to Live It! so that you know what’s coming and can be ready. 5. While in Live It!, feel free at any time to repeat Lose It! if you want to boost your weight loss again.