By Mayo Clinic Staff

The Mayo Clinic Diet Weight Loss Program – The Mayo Clinic Diet is a lifestyle approach to diet and physical activity to help you lose weight, improve your health and feel better. Mayo Clinic experts designed the program. It can help you reshape your lifestyle by adopting healthy new habits and breaking unhealthy old ones.

One main idea of the Mayo Clinic Diet is to follow an eating plan that's low in calories yet healthy, tasty and satisfying. The other main idea is to burn more calories through physical activity.

The Mayo Clinic Diet may be a good option for you because it:

• Is structured to improve your health and reduce the risk of diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes.
• Is designed to be practical and enjoyable so that you'll stick with it.
• Provides knowledge and tools to make lifestyle changes.
• Teaches you easy ways to choose the best portion size from each food group, rather than counting calories.
• Is designed by Mayo Clinic experts and is based on solid scientific research.

Talk with your healthcare professional before starting a new program of diet and physical activity, especially if you have ongoing health conditions. Your health professional can help you with choices, recommend resources and help you track improvements.

The Mayo Clinic Diet is organized into two phases.

The Mayo Clinic Diet provides practical and realistic ideas for including more physical activity and exercise throughout your day — as well as finding a plan that works for you.

The program recommends getting at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day and even more exercise for further health benefits and weight loss. It provides an exercise plan with easy-to-follow walking and resistance exercises that will help maximize fat loss and boost mental well-being. It also emphasizes moving more throughout the day, such as taking the stairs instead of an elevator.

If you've been inactive or you have a medical condition, talk to your doctor or health care provider before starting a new physical activity program. Most people can begin with five- or 10-minute activity sessions and increase the time gradually.

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.

The Mayo Clinic Diet is designed to help you lose up to 6 to 10 pounds (2.7 to 4.5 kilograms) during the initial two-week phase.

After that, you transition into the second phase, where you continue to lose 1 to 2 pounds (0.5 to 1 kilograms) a week until you reach your goal weight. By continuing the lifelong habits that you've learned, you can then maintain your goal weight for the rest of your life.

Most people can lose weight on almost any diet plan that restricts calories — at least in the short term. The goal of the Mayo Clinic Diet is to help you keep weight off permanently by making smarter food choices, learning how to manage setbacks and changing your lifestyle.

In general, losing weight by following a healthy, nutritious diet — such as the Mayo Clinic Diet — can reduce your risk of weight-related health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and sleep apnea.

If you already have any of these conditions, they may be improved dramatically if you lose weight, regardless of the diet plan you follow.

In addition, the healthy habits and kinds of foods recommended on the Mayo Clinic Diet — including lots of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, beans, fish and healthy fats — can further reduce your risk of certain health conditions.

The Mayo Clinic Diet is meant to be positive, practical, sustainable and enjoyable, so you can enjoy a happier, healthier life over the long term.

The Mayo Clinic Diet is generally safe for most adults. It does encourage unlimited amounts of vegetables and fruits.

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.