Okay...first off let's get the myth of the "Mayo Clinic Diet" out of the way with a word from The Mayo Clinic...
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthinfo...linicdiet.html
Quote:
The Mayo Clinic Diet Myth
For more than 30 years the so-called "Mayo Clinic Diet" has surfaced in many forms and places. Various versions push grapefruit or eggs or meat and promise to peel off pounds magically.
We can offer you clear and official advice: don't believe any of these diets. They did not originate at Mayo Clinic and are not approved by Mayo Clinic. These diets may promote temporary quick weight loss. However, they are not nutritionally balanced or a safe method of weight loss for long-term success. Such diets can be dangerous for some individuals.
The diets prescribed by Mayo doctors and dietitians are individualized for each patient's needs, taking into account medical history and current eating and exercise habits. There is no one diet that works for everyone.
Instead of relying on so-called miracle diets promising rapid weight loss, take stock of your current eating and exercise habits and compare them with recommendations made by reputable organizations. (For example, the updated Dietary Guidelines for Americans provide a wealth of information to get you started.)
A healthy diet along with exercise that results in a 1/2- to 1-pound loss each week is considered safe and effective. Think long-term and work on changes in your food selections and exercise habits that you can maintain for life. If you need help, seek advice from a health care professional such as your doctor or registered dietitian.
Section of Clinical Nutrition
Mayo Clinic
Rochester, Minnesota
And with that word from the Mayo Clinic itself, let's get into some more details about WHY this is so unhealthful, the same way that the Cabbage Soup diet is, ultimately, doomed to failure and unhealthy. What you should be looking for in an eating plan is something you can live with for LIFE, not a one-shot deal. Think about it: do you *really* want to lose a few pounds for a very short time period (BTW most of that quick weight loss will be water and lean tissue - VERY little fat) only to gain it back - along with some extra pounds? I don't think so...
Here's another article I found on these kind of diets...
Quote:
The Mayo Clinic Diet:
Does it Exist? Is it Safe?
Does the headline above make this diet sound a little fishy? Well, it definitely should. When one of our forum visitors recently asked about the Mayo Clinic Diet, I decided to do some research into it. Although I have heard people refer to it in the past, I had never looked into its eating plan or wondered if it actually was recommended by the Mayo Clinic.
A community member responded to the forum visitor that the diet is in fact not recommended by the Clinic and I have found -- beyond a doubt -- that that member was absolutely correct: not only is this diet not nutritionally-sound, most significantly, it is not recommended or approved by the actual Mayo Clinic in any way.
The Mayo Clinic Diet has been around for approximately 30 years and was first shared through junk mail, word-of-mouth and bulletin boards; then with the dawn of fax machines, offices everywhere were indundated with anonymous faxes touting this miracle diet. Now it has reached more people than ever, being shared via the Internet by e-mail and on personal Web pages. A preface to the diet often promises that you can lose up to 52 pounds in just a couple of months. Mayo Clinic dieticians, nutritionists and media personnel have being trying to get the word out for years: there is no, nor will there ever be, an official Mayo Clinic Diet.
In order to avoid perpetuating this diet's eating plan by posting it here, I read several different versions of it on personal homepages and will provide some highlights: The Mayo Clinic Diet is usually three or seven days in duration and is a high-protein, high-fat plan. There are several different incarnations; almost all of them include unlimited amounts of meat and poultry, fish and just a few veggies and encourage you to eat a lot of grapefruit or eggs. The main principle of each version is the consumption of high-fat and high-cholesterol foods. The plan also claims that the grapefruit burns up fat. Smacks of a fad diet to me.
Here are some warning signs that an eating plan is a fad diet:
Ruling out of entire food groups
"Unlimited" consumption of anything high in fat or sugar
Promotion of increased caffeinne intake
No variety or extremely strict rules
Certain food combinations to "burn" fat
Promising that certain foods increase your metabolism
The following statements really sent off warning bells in my head: "Do not eliminate anything from the diet, especially do not skip bacon at breakfast…" and "Grapefruit is what starts the fat-burning up process." As well as, "If you eat the combination of foods suggested, you will not get hungry." Could the phrase "eat all the meat you want" as part of the plan have possibly anything to do with not feeling hungry? The fad diet detective in me says, "Yes, indeed."
Whichever version of the Mayo Clinic Diet you encounter, they all have one thing in common: they say you will lose lots of weight, very quickly… like magic. Actually, you probably would lose a lot of weight rather quickly. But, like many other quick-weight-loss diets, most of that weight is actually going to be water... and as we have all heard in recent years: quick weight loss equals temporary results. And if the weight loss continues as rapidly as the diet claims -- 52 pounds in two months -- common sense says that a diet bringing such drastic results so quickly cannot be safe.
Even the proponents of this diet say the results aren't permanent. The dieter's page I used as a reference said, "This probably isn't safe to live on. In fact you probably shouldn't be on this for more than two months. After that you should probably start a low-carb diet maintenace plan." In other words, if you go back to eating normally, you're going to gain it all back… and then some, most likely.
If the changes a diet recommends are something you cannot do for the rest of your life, or in this case, are unsafe to do for more than a short period of time, there's your first indication that it's not worth doing. As the official Mayo Clinic Web site says: "These diets may promote temporary quick weight loss, however, they are not nutritionally balanced or a safe method of weight loss for long-term success." The Clinic instead recommends that we follow the nutrition guidelines set forth in the food guide pyramid.
You can find more information about the dietary guidelines at the DHHS Web site, or you can write to the Consumer Information Center, Department 378-C, Pueblo, CO. The Clinic has also set up a special recorded message about the diet at (507) 538-0287.
~ Jennifer R. Scott
- I just wouldn't make it the MAJOR part of my diet. 500 calories is WAY too low, dangerously low.
Suzanne 3FC , 03-25-2004 06:18 PM
ralphmarie , 04-28-2004 11:32 AM
