Mayo Clinic

I actually finished this book several weeks ago, but since it is a diet book, how could I rightfully review it without testing out its advice? I need to lose at least fifteen pounds anyway, so what better way to start the process than by doing the Lose It! portion of the book to see just how easy or difficult it is to follow. I have had great success with Weight Watchers in the past, but once I figured out how to fool the system, it stopped working for me. I have tried the Spark diet; I have show more tried just cutting back on portions myself. I do a lot of reading about substitutions and ways to lighten up foods. I work in the food industry. I am a self-professed foodie. In other words, I feel very confident in my ability to determine whether a diet plan is worthwhile or not.

In general, what I found is that The Mayo Clinic Diet is really not a diet. It is a common sense approach to weight loss and weight management. There is nothing earth-shattering in the advice it gives. As one would expect, eating lots of fruits and vegetables and exercising are two of its strongest keys to weight loss. Also at the top of their list is writing down everything one eats and drinks, as well as overall portion control. The authors address every objection, excuse and myth about dieting and exercise, ensuring that readers literally have no excuses left to avoid getting healthy.

While it might not be rocket science, the beauty of The Mayo Clinic Diet is the fact that it does not rely on food scales or calorie counters. Everything is an estimate based on guidelines that the authors continually stress throughout the book. As one who could tell you just how much pasta is in a serving, being able to eyeball is a wonderful piece of advice and definitely makes this plan easier to use. In my opinion, it is not only easier to follow than other weight loss plans, due to the lack of measuring or calorie counting, there is a lot less guilt associated with the plan. If one slips up and over-eats one day, you write down what you ate and cut back another day. The guilt of overeating is typically what stresses me out and causes me to fail in a diet plan, so this lack of guilt was very refreshing.

Let's face it - there is no such thing as a quick-fix diet that is sustainable long-term. If one truly wants to lose weight and keep it off, it requires a life-long commitment to balanced eating and exercise. I found The Mayo Clinic Diet to be a well-researched, more palatable approach to making that life-long commitment.

As for my personal test, I did follow the two-week Lose It! program. It requires forgoing sugar, eating a lot of fruits and vegetables and promotes healthy habits to help you get used to them for the long term. The first week, I went through major sugar withdrawal and felt horrible. Not only that, but I was pretty awful in regards to my attitude towards others. It was ugly. I started feeling more like myself around day five and felt much better after the first full week. That first week, without exercising at all, I managed to lose 2.5 pounds. The second week, I did not do as good a job of following the plan because I did not eat as many vegetables as I should have. I still tried to avoid sugar as much as possible, but I would say I followed the Live It! plan more than the Lose It! plan the second week. Even then (and again without exercising), I was able to lose an additional 0.5 pounds, which is a completely healthy weight loss for a female.

Overall, I am satisfied with my results and plan to continue to follow the diet in an effort to get down to where I want by spring. The Lose It! section is specifically designed to shock your body into losing weight, which it does with great success. Your body's reaction to that plan shows you just how much of an impact one ingredient can have on your overall well-being. The Live It! section focuses on advice for life, again taking the long-term approach to health and wellness that I personally find very refreshing in a diet plan. I am definitely keeping this particular book on hand for reference and will be going back to it to refresh my memory and try out a few of the recipes they include. To me, The Mayo Clinic Diet is definitely worthwhile. show less

Review by Jason Lush (http://primalfaithfoundation.org/)

First off, the subject matter narrows the reader pool down to those living with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) and the people who care for them. But that is where the problems end. The Mayo Clinic Guide to Living with a Spinal Cord Injury is written by leaders in medical research and successfully avoids, or explains where needed, medical jargon. But the writing also isn't dumbed down to the point of being patronizing either.

At first, I was show more skeptical about how useful this 200 page tome would be, but with the clear, helpful illustrations and truly useful tips about life style changes that will be beneficial no matter the degree of damage sustained by the patient, my mind has been changed. The unique thing about this title is that the authors did not focus solely on the effects SCI has on the patient's spine, the book also thoroughly explores the effects SCI has on the patient's other systems, such as cardiac, nervous and digestive. It also sheds light on the psychological effects on patients and caretakers. The Mayo Clinic Guide to Living with a Spinal Cord Injury is a pleasant, easy read, suitable for anyone affected by an SCI.

This book was donated to the Primal Faith Foundation by author Michele Lee. show less

First of all, this is the real deal. These are the folks who do spinal cord work at the Mayo Clinic. The book is aimed at a general audience but as an RN with a number of years of neuro experience I learned a thing or two. If you are running a spinal rehab center and are not using this book you are not doing the job right.
The book is divided into five main sections beginning with an introduction which describes the team that will be dealing with the injury, the normal anatomy of the spinal show more cord and its function. It then takes a close look at the types of spinal cord injuries. This section and indeed the entire book are copiously illustrated with drawings that I wish I would have had in training.
Section two covers the changes in the body following an injury divided into first the internal organs then the skin, muscle, and bone and finally the circulation and body regulation. This is a hands on review dealing with problems and how they should be prevented and dealt with.
Section three is on sexuality and fertility. This is an area that many textbooks sort of skip over with a few lines. There is a full and straightforward discussion of the sexual aspects of spinal injury. The effects, the problems and the solutions.
Section Four deals with the strategies for overcoming the new boundaries of life with a cord injury. It is a wonderfully comprehensive guide that covers everything from the law to conflict management with your caregiver. There are check list and work sheets and real world tools to solve problems with. I was hugely impressed by this section and the amount of information it conveyed.
Section Five is titled Living Fully with a Spinal Cord Injury and it is a guide to an active life one that is different from the life before injury but not one whit less fulfilling in its potential.
A number of sections round out the book including a section on clinical trials, a list of resources, and a very good glossary.
Over all this is best one volume book on spinal cord injury I have seen in over 25 years of nursing. I cannot recommend it enough.
A copy of this book was provided free by the publisher for the purposes of this review. show less

I don’t diet. Ever. I hate the idea of measuring out portions, following rigid guidelines, and being limited to a specific number of calories per day. I also know all the statistics that show that diets don’t work over the long haul.

So, I was very happy to see that The Mayo Clinic Diet is not like other diets out there. The weight experts at the Mayo Clinic have put together a book which is not only colorful and easy to read, but makes losing weight more about lifestyle changes than show more about hard and fast dieting.

The book is separated into three distinct parts.

The first section is a two-week “jump start” program that requires little preparation but claims to help you lose 6-10 pounds in two weeks. Essentially it sets you up to add five healthy habits (including things like eating breakfast every morning, adding whole grains to your diet and eating healthy fats), getting rid of five unhealthy habits (such as not watching television while you eat and not eating in restaurants), and adopting five bonus habits (things like writing down your goals and keeping an activity log).

The second section is a healthy lifestyle section which is focused on the long-term lifestyle changes which will help you maintain your weight (or continue to lose at a slower rate). Things I liked about this part of the book included visual representations of food servings (so you don’t need to measure out serving sizes), and a list of calorie burning activities to add to your life.

The final section of the book covers things like determining YOUR healthy weight, understanding nutrition and weight control, and barriers to weight loss (including motivational issues). There are some simple recipes and menus included in this last section as well, as well as a great section on adapting recipes for healthier eating.

All sections include colorful, simple diagrams or photos, and easy to understand language. The book has an accompanying journal to track your progress and activity.

Readers who have struggled with weight loss, or who don’t want just another fad diet, will most likely find information in The Mayo Clinic Diet which will appeal to them. Some may find it almost too simplistic, but I see that as more of a strength of the book than a weakness. show less