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• April 6, 2012 9:34 a.m.

  Three of my friends did the HCG diet and raved about it. One lost 150lbs, another 80lbs and the last 40lbs. When they first described it to me I thought it sounded crazy and dangerous. Then I read about it myself and it was on Dr. Oz and as miserable as I've been decided to try it. I'm 4 days into it and have lost 2.5lbs. I've heard so many positive stories about it that I really hope it works.

  - Dee

• February 6, 2012 2:06 p.m.

  Just ended South Beach diet for 4 whole days and almost killed my partner, lol, finally broke down and had a piece of whole wheat pita bread and feel 100% better. The side effects of a extremely low carb diet like Atkins and South Beach are not pleasant!! Would not recommend, plus you do eat too many high calorie fats!!! Have been on diets my whole life, weight watchers worked the best and lost 30 lbs and kept it off for many years. Yes, the points are a pain to count but it does work. Weight loss and getting healthy is not a quick fix! Whole grains, lean meats, fresh fruits and veggies, with of course the dreaded exercise thrown in is the only way to lose weight. I do believe counting carbs or eating more whole grains does help and keeps you more satisfied than white flour and sugar. I also agree with a earlier post that Atkins and other low carb diets can get you addicted to really high fat, high calorie foods. Please join Weight watchers or see a registered dietitians for best results and remember if you want it to stay off it will come off slowly.

  - Renee

• January 30, 2012 10:23 a.m.

  I started the Body By Vi Challenge a year ago and haven't looked back! The shake tastes amazing and has so much versatility of flavors , I never feel deprived and eat regular snacks along with the program throughout the day. I lost my muffins top in the first month and now continue to use the products to maintain healthy weight and gain more lean muscle. The product seemed pricey at first but I saved money on groceries that would go bad in my fridge and now make smarter buying decisions in the grocery store. The huge bonus that I've never seen with any other company anywhere is that I legitimately get my products for free since the second month! A $200 kit every month costs me $17 for the shipping! This program is no joke! It is helping real people like me and I have many friends who have joined with me who have lost up to 28 lbs in their first month, others are reducing their need for prescription medications which I think should be anyone's ambition! It's legit.

  - Valari

• January 19, 2012 8:53 a.m.

  Eight years ago, I gave birth to my second child, only 14 months apart from each other. I ended up being 25 lbs over weight. I looked to the Mayo Clinic and learned how to lose weight without all the gimmicks. I bought the Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight for every body and started counting calories. I thought I was starving, and kept going until my weight matched my 5 ft frame. I have never looked back. Counting calories keeps me sane and feeling energized. Today, I have osteoarthritis, and an autoimmune disease so I have turned to a plant based diet. Plant based has reduced my symptoms of osteoarthritis and, I have an enormous amounts of energy. I train for triathlons and swim 2 miles a few times a week. My weight is still below prepregnancy weight.

  - Joanne

• December 31, 2011 7:39 a.m.

  I have been on the nutrisystem diet for the last 6 months and have lost about 30 pounds. But the thought of eating those processed foods for the rest of my life has made me decide to go to something sensible that I can maintain - portion control, mostly fruits and veggies (vegetarian by choice) and increase my activity levels. I've been fat my entire life and at 67, I'm tired of my life revolving around the latest attempt to diet. One of the things that has helped me the most is that I weigh in weekly with my doctor - that accountability is critical for me. I'll continue to do that. But I have to find something that I can actually live with!

  - dottie

• December 14, 2011 2:34 p.m.

  I have just finished losing 50 lbs. with Take Shape for Life. You have a health coach and they use Medifast products for the weight loss phase. I have never felt so energetic, nor has my dr. been so pleased as where I am now with my health. Google "Take Shape for Life" and read about it. Be sure you do it with a health coach (free). Having someone to be accountable to has been very helpful.

  - Laura

• November 23, 2011 5:23 p.m.

  I like what Jim said about eating half portions. Cutting down on what eat makes since, probably more fiber (apples, Carrots, etc.) would help. I would also suggest doing twice the activity. So eat half as much and do twice as much.

  - Denis

• November 17, 2011 2:11 p.m.

  I've tried most of them. As an ex-military officer I had to diet twice a year to make the semi-annual weigh-in, so I'd starve Sunday through Friday eating 2 eggs on dry toast in the morning, an apple for lunch, and a baked chicken breast with a small can of spinach at night--and no drinking. On Saturday, I'd wake up with a drink in my hand, drink all day long, then eat whatever I wanted that night in enormous portion sizes. That worked fine when I was young; but after 50 it's a bit extreme; Oh, I've tried it again, but I never made it through the first day. Atkins worked extremely well for over a year. I lost right at 100 pounds before French bread and Fettuccine Alfredo won them back. Nutrisystem worked very well, too--50 pounds gone, until I got tired of opening their foil pouches to find a piece of mystery meat floating in chemicals. Weight Watchers did a great job at knocking 75 pounds off me but I couldn't stand the "unsatisfied" feeling anymore and left them. South Beach was a slower-result Atkins--I didn't find it at all different. Just recently, after hitting the 300 lb. mark again after 10 years of struggling, I watched "Forks Over Knives" and gave vegetarianism a try--No meat, no fish, no poultry. Only vegetables and dairy. I gained 30 pounds in 5 weeks. I have no idea what to do now, but I might as well check out the Mayo Clinic Diet. "Lifestyle change" is foolish, though. I'm 58 years old and I'm not going to change my li

  - Don

• October 25, 2011 11:21 a.m.

  Does anyone have any experience they can share about the Body by Vi (Visalis)diet pyramid scheme? I am a health care professional- this diet scheme seems to be the flavour of the month so to speak. Dietitians in my area have been seeing quite a few patients for wt loss who are asking about this program. It is very expensive and the company makes outrageous claims which are not research/evidence based.

  - Grace

• October 20, 2011 2:16 p.m.

  My Boyfriend and I did the Belly Fat Diet. It was hard to start but we caught on quickly. The food choices were ok, but most of the specialty items were only available in the US. All I know is that I was constipated, which not the case for me ever, and I felt sick all the time. Just didn't feel myself at all for 2 weeks. I lost 1 lb in 2 weeks. I think my tummy was less bloated, but not really. Not really a fan of it. I did try Weight Watchers years ago and it was by far the best. Its so easy to gain weight, but its 3x harder to lose it.

  - LP

• August 14, 2011 10:17 p.m.

  Weight Watchers helped me lose weight, but I also think it made me insane. Counting points becomes an obsession, and when you even suggest to the leaders that you may go off the diet, they make you feel horrible by telling you that you will gain everything back. My friends were so sick of hearing about my points that I almost had none. I guess I'd warn people that its a good diet for weight loss, but bad for your mind.

  - April

• July 30, 2011 10:10 a.m.

  Has anyone tried SLIM or Medifast?? Looking for opinions, did either work? Would like to see Mayo Clinic Professional opinions/research

  - JR

• July 22, 2011 2:32 p.m.

  The Bernstein Diet. I followed the diet to a tee, I exercised regularly with a personal trainer and over 2 months lost 35 lbs. However, I gained back all of the weight plus 20 lbs over the past 3 years. While on the diet I felt weak all the time and it was very costly. I am peri-menopausal in my mid 40's and have hormone levels that are completely out of wack, according to my doctor. Perhaps this is the reason that I have gained the weight, I don't know. I watch my fat intake, I avoid salt and I eat my vegetables, protein and carbs. I take a multivitamin, vit B, D and C daily and I drink very little if any alcohol. Although I got fast results as promised from the Bernstein diet, I would NOT recommend it. The HCG diet is basically the same thing with even fewer Calories. Again I lost weight quickly, but had severe headaches, nausea, weakness and dizziness as well as severe diarrhea every time I ate. The no or low carb diets work quickly but the second you begin to eat carbs again, your body just packs on the pounds. I love my carbs, bread, pasta and rice so this type of lifestyle would not work for me long-term. I feel better when I am eating a balanced diet, even though I may be overweight, being thin and feeling awful for me is not a lifestyle I would choose.

  - Loretta

• July 12, 2011 6:41 p.m.

  I tired the Atkins diet; i can say that in that month, I was extremely weak, nauseated on occasions and "down". I lost a couple of pounds, but felt that my belly fat was reduced. Unfortunately as soon as I stopped the diet, the pounds came back.

  - Linda

• July 6, 2011 1:25 p.m.

  I tried the South Beach diet. I felt pretty awful for the first few days of phase 1 while my body got used to the reduced amount of carbohydrates. The cravings for carbs stopped and I lost about 15 pounds in phase one. Unfortunately, with phase 2, when I started adding back in a small amount of 'healthy' carbs, the cravings came back worse than ever! Not just food cravings, also cravings for alcohol and tobacco and I had quit smoking 25 years ago! I think this diet messed with my body chemistry in a most unhealthy way. I've gained about half the weight back but it is ALL at my waist so even though I am still lighter on the scale, my waist is a couple of inches larger than when I started the diet. I wish I'd never tried this experiment.

  - Samantha

• June 11, 2011 2:26 p.m.

  I am 5 feet with weight of 155lbs. i had to loose some weight due to prediabetic situation and my doc suggested me to take Alli with Exercise and healthy eating. I took Alli for 15 days,exercising regularly 2hr per day and had reduced food intake.After 15 days i realise that i do not eat very fatty food and doing exercise,not loosing anything.I stopped taking Alli but still eat properly and exercise.Rather did lost 3 lbs with exercise and healthy eating in 3 weeks but my stomach,thigh and left side under arm sizes became 4,2,and 3 inches bigger.I went to my prymory physician why am i getting bigger from evrywhere.As soon as i stopped Alli happened in 10 days and it is convincing me that this happened because of Alli and i am bigger then before.No clothes fits me.and i can't even sleep that why i took this medication.Does anyone has answer why Alli has this side effect and how can i reverse this?

  - Rashmika

• May 13, 2011 9:16 a.m.

  I tried the Atkins diet years ago and stuck to it religiously for two weeks; I didn't even loose one pound, and I was exercising too. My bowel movements became irregular which might explain why I felt like crap (pun intended). I felt horrid for the full two weeks, so I do not recommend that diet to anyone.

  - Marlena

• April 30, 2011 10:26 a.m.

  I was 225 pounds. I am 50. Over the last 20 years I have tried all the diets and have gained and lost the same 10 pounds 10 times. One day I had a brainstorm, which probably sounds obvious beyond belief but here it is. If I want to be 40 or 50 pounds lighter for the rest of my life, I need to basically cut in half what I eat, for the rest of my life. I eat whatever I want, only half. Where I used to have a two egg omelette, I now have a one egg omelette. A burger becomes half a burger. A bowl of cereal and a banana becomes half a bowl and half a banana. I lost 15 pounds in eight weeks. This was perhaps a slower pace of weight loss than I might have wanted, but it was pretty painless, because I eat (half of) what I always ate (which includes dessert, wine, red meat and the occasional Godiva truffle). After a while, the volume constraint becomes second nature and I started to make decisions about what are the right foods to eat. For example, starches and breads really feel like empty calories so it is easy to drop them in place of something more "nutritionally efficient". While still the early stage, I feel like I can do this for the rest of my life, which is the point. A calorie counting diet, or a carbohydrate diet always felt like a stage that I would have until I got to a goal and then I would have to relearn something new. Why not just learn the right thing once right off the bat? Let's hope this works - forever.

  - Jim

• April 13, 2011 8:57 p.m.

  The worst diet was the high protein liquid diet. I went through what seemed like a drug withdrawal. It only allowed 600 calories a day and it made feel like I had the flu. I will stick with losing weight the good old fashion way. Eating small balanced portions 6x a day with moderate exercise. No more gimmicks for me.

  - Alnisa

• April 7, 2011 10:52 p.m.

  Worst diet for me was Atkins. It worked very well actually, I lost weight quickly and easily after my youngest daughter was born (went from 160lbs to 120lbs in 6 months) and stayed within about 10 lbs of 120 for years (while doing Atkins off and on when I started gaining it back). The reason I now hate Atkins is because it made me develop basically an addiction to "rich" high fat foods because when I was eating low carb I also ate a lot of fats and proteins. Now I want to eat a more balanced diet, but it is so difficult because I have a hard time eating things that are low fat. I have also discovered that my Cholesterol is very high which I totally blame Atkins diet for. I'm getting married soon, and now I have no idea how to lose weight because Atkins was the only diet that worked for me but I don't know how to give up the fats!

  - Heather

• April 4, 2011 1:28 p.m.

  1 weight-loss plan encourages taking 2 tablespoons of white vinegar, daily, supposedly rids the body of belly fat....is this safe? I have COPD, enlarges prostate, and have had cataract operations on both eyes, now undergoing injections in left eye to cure "macular degeneration", have had 4 of 10 scheduled...my question is: is this vinegar therapy advised for my condition?

  - charles

• February 26, 2011 3:34 p.m.

  I know the cure to obesity. I discovered it by accident. I am very poor and do not know how to patent it or what to do with this information. You can eat anything you want, as much as you want anytime you want, I don't know if this will work for everyone, It is working for me because I was a binge eater. Do not have surgery, it is not necessary and it has nothing to do with it. Forgive yourself if you are a binge eater because you couldn't help it. Diet and Excercise is a myth as well. When I started this "program, method" or whatever you want to call it, I weighed 280 lbs. I am 5' 2" tall. I am keeping a record, food journal, weight etc. I know no one will believe until I get all my weight off. It is nothing you ingest so do not take any drugs, berries, formulas, teas etc.

  - Ramona

• January 6, 2011 3:47 p.m.

  I have tried many diets, and sometimes they worked for a little while, but then Id gain the bloat back again hense the weight. Someone told me I might have celiacs because my stomache was extended, so I bought the book Living with ciliacs disease by sue hasset, and even though I don't have celiacs disease she has a lot of recipes i've used and like magic my bloat was gone and my acid reflux also. I know this sounds crazy but but just following her recipes(no bread, sugar, dairy) I lost 25 pounds in about 3months. Now I eat what I should, but if I go off my routine and eat bread, or dairy I pay right away. just an idea about what worked for me.( more energy too)

  - john

• October 31, 2010 2:08 p.m.

  Marianne, there have been many so-called Mayo Clinic Diets over the years and what you describe was probably one of them. We've never been associated with any of those diets, until we published the 'real' Mayo Clinic Diet! Many of you and others have been through a lot of diets and a lot of challenges trying to manage weight. Michelle, your story is inspiring, we should all treat ourselves that way! We hope The Mayo Clinic Diet can help improve health and manage weight in a way that you can live with and enjoy long-term.

  - Don Hensrud, M.D.

• September 10, 2010 7:31 a.m.

  I have finally dedided to start the program. I just hurt my lower back and I need to loose 20 pounds. I am very hopeful it will work.

  - Sylvie