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• December 1, 2012 9:19 a.m.

  I downloaded the free Lose It app to my phone and PC. A huge help in helping me to more easily recognize both the "cost" of what I'm eating and the value of activities. Also, taking it slow (aim at 1 1/2 pounds a week) which will hopefully mean it'll be easier to maintain my target weight once I get there.

  - Penny

• September 6, 2012 12:51 p.m.

  I am a male, 5'11". Here is how I lost 10 pounds in a week. I went from 196 to 186. First, I bought a product from GNC called 'Nature's Secret Cleanse and Flush' and followed the instructions precisely. Second, I ate only celery, carrots, cucumbers, romaine lettuce (LOTS), chicken, and fish. The only dressing I used had 0 calories and 0 fat. I ate every 3 hours and never 2 hours before bed. Very importantly, I kept my calorie intake around 1,000 calories a day. Third, I went to google maps and measured out a mile from my work. I walked to this location every lunch hour and back at a brisk pace. Fourth, Every night when I got home I did a workout from 'Supreme 90 Day Fitness' (Cheaper and less intense version of P90X). Fifth, throughout the night I would jump rope. While watching tv, I'd jump rope. I'd do it until I couldn't stand it anymore and was out of breath several times until bedtime. This worked for me and I feel GREAT!

  - Tim

• November 6, 2011 6:33 p.m.

  I read the article on your website about Hypnosis for Weight Loss - Does it Work? The article mentions that there is no scientific evidence that it works. I have anecdotal evidence that it works for you. I've lost about 30 pounds in 9 months with the help of hynosis. It's been slow, but steady. I use hyonosis cds by Paul McKenna (I saw him on Dr. Oz) and I've read his book "I Can Make You Thin". He advocates eating when you're truly hungry, eating consciously, and stopping when you are satisfied. You should eat healthy foods, but nothing is banned out right. I continue to listen to the hypnosis cds every week. It has really made a difference in being able to stick to a weight loss plan, and there has been no slippage. I'm told it won't necessarily work for everyone, but it certainly has worked for me. I feel wonderful. Give hypnosis a try...it just might work for you.

  - Oksanna

• March 7, 2011 8:56 a.m.

  Recently I read that vitamin C, proitien and fish oil and of course a sensible diet of fruit, vegatables and whole grains, along with increased exercise are supposed to help you to get rid of that bellie fat that is just above the jeans line. Ok I am doing this and it does seem to be working, I have lost over 16 lbs already in a little over two weeks. And have moved three belt holes! My concern though is, I am wondering if I should be taking the fish oil as I already take a cholesteral pill(pravistain) along with lyrica and celebrex to name a few. I don't see my Dr. again until the end of May or June, have not consulted him. But I can see no harm in vitamins(daily tablet) & fish oil tablet that should harm me. Is there any reason I should not take fish oil? Not counting calories as much as changing eating habits

  - Janine

• September 14, 2010 5:51 a.m.

  Just started the diet this weekend after failing on about three diets this year....... I have a tight schedule and love this program.........I can eyeball the food and know I'm ok without counting calories or points or carrying around a book........If I get confused I just draw myself a little pyramid and figure it out... Thanks Mayo Clinic........I've already dropped 4 lbs...

  - elizabeth

• September 3, 2010 8:51 p.m.

  Drink Lots Of Water And Start Walking To Lose Weight & Flatten Your Stomach! New product called "WALK-A-BIKE" This new fitness walking product makes it easy to walk or jog long distances with the bicycle at his/her side. Walk your max without the worry of not being able to make it back due to fatigue. When you reach your maximum walking/jogging distance, just bicycle back. Adding bicycling to your walking fitness program provides a more diverse exercising routine. Walking is a low impact exercise for toning your stomach muscles. It is excellent for the walker who wants to increase their fitness walking exercise to the max. IT’S ALL ABOUT LOSING WEIGHT AND GOOD HEALTH!

  - Frank

• August 5, 2010 12:19 p.m.

  I really like the journal, but don't like carrying the book around with me. The tools keep me on track, but I want something I can download and print or that is portable electronically. For example, if I want to go back and repeat part of the diet, the pages are all used up. Has anyone put the journal basics into a form that can be downloaded? Or better, a tool for Blackberry or iPhone, so we can just click to update # vegetables eaten, enter exercise minutes, or that we met 11 of the 15 habits? I'd like to see buying the journal or diet book give you access to online forms and tools (ex. enter your sales receipt number or something).

  - Charlotte

• June 19, 2010 3:45 p.m.

  I agree with all the fresh fruits and fresh veggies ideas. Less sugar, less meat, less dairy, no refined food. We are also food combining, no protein with starch, and find it's just great. Digestion is fast and easy. We both lost 7 lbs in 2 months and even eating more of above foods. Fruits alone, 30 minutes before a meal. Also watching acid and alkaline foods to get more alkaline. Highly recommend this to everyone, but especially if you have any acid reflux. Mine is GONE, no more antacids. Never need to count calories, way simpler.

  - Francois

• June 4, 2010 7:47 p.m.

  10 years ago I had to stop eating sugar and grains (including such ubiquitous items as bread, pasta, cereal and rice), and I had to cut down on meat. Well, I lost weight like crazy, even though I continued to eat quite a lot of food overall and I was not hungry. The bigger thing I discovered some years later is that starchy foods like bread and noodles are really made from seeds, which cause a whole host of problems. If you read books like "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan, a highly respected journalist, you will learn that seeds are not only energy dense but also packed full of Omega 6 fatty acids that, unlike Omega 3's, promote inflammation and disrupt hormones. These obesogens are now being implicated as either a primary cause or exacerbating factor in diseases including cancer, heart disease, depression and obesity, and even in conditions like hair loss (read more on this at http://joytopolis.blogspot.com) . It also appears is that these grains and other seeds create a hormonal environment within our bodies that makes us increasingly hungry. That brings me to another tip I have for dieters. If you're trying to eat less (I know all these unhealthy things are tasty and tempting to eat), try this the next time you are at a restaurant where you can't easily control portion sizes. When your food arrives, poor salt (and/or tabasco) all over the extra bits of food that you don't you want to eat. That'll render them inedible.

  - Robbie

• May 20, 2010 12:20 p.m.

  Over the years I have found some helpful guidelines for estimating serving sizes based on your hand (which conveniently, you pretty much always have with you!): from the tip of your finger to the first knuckle is equal to 1 teaspoon. Your thumb is the same size as 1 ounce of meat or cheese. Your fist is equal to 1 cup. Your palm, not including fingers and thumb, is equal to 3 ounces of meat. Your thumb tip equals a Tablespoon. And my personal favorite: I find that 1 handful of my favorite pretzels is about 4 pretzels short of a 1 ounce serving. Now all these are approximate, and I admit my hand is fairly small but I have found this helps to keep me honest about serving sizes!

  - Linda

• May 19, 2010 12:43 p.m.

  Hello. I've just started the diet and I'm looking for ways to boost flavor w/minimal cost. One thing I did was use 1 fat (reduced calorie mayo) + lemon juice with steamed artichokes. I'd like to throw a few bread & butter pickles into the mix since they satisfy a sweet tooth for me...I know the sodium is high, but the rest of what I eat is low in sodium. Can I put it in the vegetable category and not worry about it or does it "count" somewhere else? Thank you for your help!

  - Ellen

• May 13, 2010 11:37 a.m.

  Great tips everyone! And congratulations! Del, wow, 50 lbs and still going! The comments about a lifestyle versus a diet are right on. Regarding the difference between Lose It! and Live It!, we wanted people to focus on making big changes in their habits (i.e., lifestyle changes in diet and physical activity) in Lose It! and not get too focused on the details such as counting calories. For most people changing these habits make a big difference and they can lose weight. However, it may be challenging to keep up all of these habits long-term (such as no sugar at all!), so in Live It! people keep doing what they can from Lose it! (eat lots of vegies and fruits) and change the habits into permanent lifestyle changes. They do this by adding in a little structure (such as keeping track of servings) so they can best manage weight and improve health indefinitely. Keep up the great work!

  - Don Hensrud, M.D.

• May 8, 2010 5:15 a.m.

  I made many of the changes suggested in the book and I've lost more than 50 lbs. in the first 11 weeks. I went from never cooking/buying take out or processed foods to eating tons of fruits/veggies, cooking fish and chicken & only eating whole grains. I can't believe how much better I feel. Due to some health issues, I haven't able to do much exercise but am feeling up to it and will begin walking every day. I don't view this as a diet but as life-style changes. I would say keeping a food journal has been a key because it makes me focus on what/when/how much I eat and helped me identify things that would trigger problems (e.g. going too long without eating then overcompensating).

  - DEL

• May 5, 2010 12:58 p.m.

  I started this diet three days ago. I've tried everything else - all kinds of diets - nothing has helped. I will give this my best try. But there are two things I do not understand: 1. The difference in calories between "Lose it" and "Live it" - if there is any. 2. When we reach our weight goal, how do we maintain it? We can't live on 1200 calories a day for the rest of our lives? Or can we?

  - Karin

• April 30, 2010 6:10 p.m.

  could someone please explain the difference in what you can actually eat on the lose it versus the live it portion of the diet

  - mary

• April 27, 2010 8:34 a.m.

  I went on this diet about 4 yrs ago. It was recommended by my cardiologist. Luv the fact that you are not counting points or having to have the measuring cup next to you all the time! I lost 20lbs in no time and it was including walking 3-4 times a week at a good pace. I dropped 3 sizes of clothes in no time. I still allowed myself a cheating day a week. It is a good common sense diet and you don't have to buy all those weird things. For the fun, check those frozen lean meals and the sodium content. It is SCARY. My blood pressure went down in no time. I am back on it. I have 30 lbs to lose and by b/p in the last 2 weeks has dropped a normal level. Thanks Mayo clinic for putting a diet, sorry, a better way of eating without suffering!

  - Lynn

• April 22, 2010 9:06 p.m.

  buy a huge sack of apples. Fill your refrigerator with apples. Then, when you are hungry, have an apple. What the heck, have 2 or 3. If you can gain weight eating apples you need to donate your body to science. And, if you think, "well I'm hungry, but not for an apple", then I contend you are not really hungry and you are eating for some other reason: you are bored or stressed or horny or something. People who are truly hungry will eat an apple.

  - mike

• April 14, 2010 5:39 p.m.

  just started today. I am excited about this new lifestyle and so far am impressed with the material.

  - judy

• April 7, 2010 3:02 p.m.

  I am on Mayo Clinic for 6 weeks and have lost 12 pounds. I haven't lost like this on any other diet, and I don't even feel deprived. I love that I don't have to count fruits and veggies. I eat LOADS of fresh raw fruit, and lots of salad at every meal.

  - Rivki

• April 2, 2010 9:46 a.m.

  I have an underactive thyroid. So, I don't HAVE a metabolism, I AM my metabolism. Move, move, move, and move some more!! Love the healthy lifestyle three years and 100 pounds lost after the journey began.

  - JanP

• March 23, 2010 9:13 p.m.

  Here's my tip of the day. Instead of butter or margarine, I spray my morning toast with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray. Only 10 calories for 12 spritzes! Great buttery taste. I'll never go back to regular butter or margarine. Fats are the most calorically dense foods around!! Cut them down/out whenever you can. I do and it's amazing how many calories I save. By the way, The Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid is pure genius. Replacing higher calorie foods with more fruits and vegetables gives a tremendous calorie savings. And how nice to eat a bowl of broccoli or an orange without worrying about the calories. This is the best dieting concept around. I am losing weight PAINLESSLY.

  - Sheryl

• March 20, 2010 2:19 a.m.

  How do I convert family recipies to V, F, C, P/D and Ft?

  - Jen

• March 20, 2010 2:15 a.m.

  I am having trouble eating 4 veggies a day. I like tomato sauce, but not tomatos. I like green beans, carrots, and salad (lettuce, onions, spinach, peppers, carrots, cucumbers), but not much else. I also like peas and beans which are considered proteins, not veggies. I like broccoli in stir fry. I dislike many other veggies.

  - Jen

• March 15, 2010 3:57 p.m.

  Great ideas everyone, thanks for contributing!

  - Don Hensrud, M.D.

• March 14, 2010 8:22 p.m.

  Here's a tip if you know you will be eating out with friends or family: Most restaurants post their menu if not also the nutritional info online! Look up the menu before you go and decide on what you'll order or at least narrow it down to a few options that will be healthy. That way, you don't have to take time away from socializing to study the menu and you'll know in advance what your healthy, low calorie options are. This really helps me avoid that moment when the waitress has come back three times to check if we're ready and I end up just picking whatever sounds good. Also, don't be afraid to special order - ask them to put the dressing on the side, leave off the cheese, or hold the mayo! Another thing I have done for years - keep individually wrapped hard candies on hand for when you have to satisfy that sweet craving. Each one only has 3 or 4 grams of sugar and they are generally so sweet that one is enough!

  - Brandy