The Mayo diet is a low- calorie diet (meaning that provides very few calories) and very restrictive which is spread over 14 days. Very fashionable in the 80s, it bears the name of a famous American hospital, the Mayo Clinic, located in the city of Rochester, Minnesota in the United States. However, the clinic has always denied having developed this diet. In 2010, the Mayo Clinic also released its own “real Mayo diet”, although it did not meet the success of the Mayo diet we are talking about in this file.
The Mayo diet is a very fast method which, according to its users, would make it possible to lose 5 to 6 kilos. Like the cabbage soup diet , the particularity of this diet lies in its extremely low-calorie aspect . A weight loss which is easily explained by the difference in calories consumed compared to the recommendations of the health authorities (688 calories ingested per day against approximately 2000 in the reference recommendations for inactive people).
THE PRINCIPLES OF THE DIET
The principle of the Mayo diet is simple, you have to reduce your daily calorie intake in order to lose weight. The body then draws its energy from fatty and muscular tissues.
However, this diet is also characterized by an impressive number of food prohibitions of all kinds. Fat, starches, dairy products, sugary foods and drinks, pulses and most fruits are prohibited .
The mainstay of the Mayo diet is the egg . It is a food very rich in protein, low in calories and quite filling. In this diet, it is recommended to eat 6 per day.
The composition of a day’s meals with the Mayo diet is as follows:
- Breakfast is the same from day to day and consists of ½ grapefruit, 2 hard-boiled eggs and tea or coffee without sugar.
- Lunch consists of the same foods as those for breakfast but a portion of vegetables (tomato, cucumber, salad, celery, spinach or zucchini of your choice) is added.
- Finally, dinner is identical to lunch, only a rusk is added.
The Mayo diet will provide you with around 688 calories (kcal) per day according to ANSES (3) , compared to around 2000 calories (kcal) recommended by health authorities for inactive people
Example of a typical week
| Day | Regular diet | Extra |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Base (*, see end of table) | Lunch : add 1 portion of tomatoes Dinner : add 1 portion of tomatoes and 1 rusk |
| Tuesday | Base (*, see end of table) | Lunch : add 1 portion of cucumbers Dinner : add 1 portion of cucumbers and 1 rusk |
| Wednesday | Base (*, see end of table) | Lunch : add 1 portion of salad Dinner : add 1 portion of salad and 1 rusk |
| Thursday | Base (*, see end of table) | Lunch : add 1 portion of spinach Dinner : add 1 portion of spinach and 1 rusk |
| Friday | Base (*, see end of table) | Lunch : add 1 portion of zucchini Dinner : add 1 portion of zucchini and 1 rusk |
| Saturday | Base (*, see end of table) | Lunch : add 1 portion of celery Dinner : add 1 portion of celery and 1 rusk |
| Sunday | Base (*, see end of table) | Lunch : add 1 portion of cucumbers Dinner : add 1 portion of cucumbers and 1 rusk |
(*) For breakfast, lunch and dinner, the basis is the same: ½ grapefruit, 2 hard-boiled eggs, tea or coffee (without sugar) . You must consume this “base” morning, noon and evening for 14 days. For lunch the principle is simple: we add 1 portion of vegetable, and for dinner we add 1 rusk in addition to the portion of vegetable.
ADVANTAGES
No effect on the medium and long term can be expected (except to repeat this diet regularly, which is not really a solution)
In addition to a blatant weight loss, due to a forced rebalancing of the energy balance, the Mayo diet is economical and simple . Indeed it does not require a lot of shopping or a lot of culinary preparation. It is a diet, on the sole plan of weight loss, which is effective in the short term . It is the low calorie intake that allows this rapid weight loss. Be careful, losing weight does not always mean losing fat (it is also possible to lose muscle mass, etc.).
DISADVANTAGES
It is monotonous in its composition. It causes a great feeling of hunger , despite the protein intake of the egg, and great physical and mental fatigue .
It causes many dietary deficiencies (calcium, vitamins, minerals, etc.). It is for this reason that it is not recommended to follow it for more than 2 weeks. Beyond that, it would lead to complications (increased nutritional deficiencies, high cholesterol levels).
It is a diet that is difficult to reconcile with an active social life. Unless you take your picnic with you. Because of its high consumption of eggs (6 per day), it is strongly discouraged for people who have too much cholesterol.
Because of its excessively restrictive side and its lack of advice for after the diet, the yoyo effect is almost guaranteed . Finally, it is a diet that is neither educational at the culinary level nor educational at the food level.
Deficiencies (for more details, see the ANSES opinion below) in vitamins and mineral salts can make your skin dull and can promote the appearance of dark circles.
Important : You must be psychologically ready to follow such a diet, and if you are fragile or in poor health, it is advisable to consult a doctor beforehand. The Mayo diet is an unbalanced diet and not recommended by most doctors and nutritionists. It is to be prohibited in a very general way.
It is a diet that is neither educational at the culinary level nor educational at the nutritional level.
ORIGINS OF THE REGIME
In the literature in general, the origins of the regime are not clearly explained.
ANSES’S OPINION
The opinion of ANSES is the opinion of the French health security agency. This notice should be read with caution and is important. Beyond 20% difference compared to ANSES recommendations, the difference is on a red background, otherwise it is on a green background.
| Mayo diet | ANC – Reference values (women / men) | Difference (woman / man) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ANSES’s opinion is taken from Request No. 2009-SA-0099 (3) | |||
| Energy (kcal/d) | 668 | ~2000 if sedentary. ~3000 if very active. | -63.9% / -73.3% |
| Lipids (%AET) | 47% | 35 to 40% of caloric intake (AC) | +25% / +25% |
| Fibers (g/d) | 10 | 25 / 25 | -60% / -60% |
| Iron (mg/d) | 9.6 | 16 / 9 | -40% / +7% |
| Calcium (mg/d) | 397 | 900 / 900 | -56% / -56% |
| Magnesium (mg/d) | 141 | 360 / 420 | -61% / -66% |
| Sodium (mg/d) – Salt | 691 | 2522 / 3447 (INCA2) | -73% / -80% |
| Vitamin B9 (µg/d) | 377 | 300 / 330 | +26% / +14% |
| Vitamin C (mg/d) | 91.5 | 110 / 110 | -17% / -17% |
| Vitamin D (µg/d) | 4.3 | 5 / 5 | -14% / -14% |
REVIEW OF CALCULERSONIMC.FR
| This diet imposes far too much calorie restriction . A difference of -63.9% is observed in women, and -73.3% in men. In accordance with our rating system based on the nutrition/corpulence couple, the score of 20/100 is awarded . You will melt fat and muscle mass by weakening your body. A diet not recommended. Explanation of the attribution of the note: |
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