The GOLO Diet was the most searched diet in 2016 and in the 7th most searched diet in 2017 per Google.
The GOLO Diet is based on the claim that a high insulin level slows your metabolism and a low insulin level speeds up your metabolism. In other words, GOLO claims that the secret to losing weight is managing insulin.
How Does GOLO Work?
If you need to lose weight, seem to have a slow metabolism and gain weight easily, GOLO says that you are likely producing too much insulin. GOLO suggests that elevated insulin levels tend to turn off your fat burning and turn on your fat storage.
GOLO is a 3 part weight loss strategy that lowers your insulin levels and boosts your metabolism. The 3 parts are:
- GOLO Release Supplement, a patented supplement.
- GOLO Booklets: 30 Day Rescue Plan, Creating Matrix Meals and Truths and Change.
- A one year GOLO Membership which provides a one week kick starter plan, meals, shopping lists, recipes, and coaching.
According to GOLO's website, "GOLO’s Release™ supplement contains:
- Magnesium (as magnesium oxide) 30 mg
- Zinc (as zinc oxide) 5 mg
- Chromium (as chromium nicotinate glycinate) 70 mcg
- Proprietary Blend 405mg: Banaba Extract (Lagerstroemia speciosa, leaf), Inositol, Rhodiola Extract (Rhodiola rosea, root), Berberine HCl (from Berberis vulgaris), Gardenia Extract (Gardenia jasminoides, fruit), SalaciaExtract (Salacia reticulata, bark), Apple Extract (Malus pumila, fruit)
Other ingredients include organic flaxseed oil, gelatin capsule (gelatin, glycerin, purified water, annatto), yellow beeswax, sunflower lecithin."
The three stages of GOLO are:
- Intervention which is a plant based strategy.
- Meal Plan which employs the metabolic Fuel Matrix.
- GOLO for life which is your permanent Road Map for a healthy weight.
Exercise: GOLO suggests exercise in the form of burst training (short intensive workouts) and spot training.(focusing on a particular area of the body such as abs).
GOLO cites a weight loss average of 48.6 pounds in one year. Although this is high, the math still works, in other words, a 500 calorie per day deficit means 3500 calorie per week loss which is about one pound per week.
GOLO backs this up with small group studies.
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Positives:
Lose weight
Lower your sugar levels
Stabilize your sugar levels
Avoid hunger and cravings
You have a good choice of food options
Plenty of recipes
Lower stress
Increase energy
Impressive results
No side effects have been reported concerning Release.
Negatives:
"It’s gimmicky," says certified diabetes educator Jessica Crandall, R.D.N., a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. "The company behind the diet isn’t willing to put much information out there and the information it actually shares on their website and commercials is full of marketing speak, misleading claims, and fine print," she says.
Hiya (an online review site) has recently been sued by GOLO. The title of their review was "Is it a scam or legit?" See complaint. See Hiya's Review.
I would like to see Release, GOLO's patented supplement, to be tested in a weight loss study with a group having the supplement and one with a placebo. GOLO claims to be a plant based diet, and most plants are low glycemic foods which help lower and stabilize blood sugar levels.
According to one reviewer of GOLO, the 'hassle free refund' is a Big Hassle!
GOLO's website does not specify how it is able to 'optimize' insulin performance. "That might be because there's no way to change how insulin "performs," says Jessica Crandall. According to Crandall 'insulin performance is not a thing."
The information about the GOLO Diet that is posted on their website is incomplete.
Conclusion:
I find the information on the GOLO Diet website to be 'guarded', but GOLO may be protecting its product. Although GOLO claims are impressive, I do not feel that I have been able to gather enough information to come to a valid decision.
I am unfortunately, like many others who are interested in GOLO. According to Women's Health, "if you’re one of the millions of Americans who scoured the Internet for it, you’ve probably been hard-pressed to figure out exactly what this diet entails—we were, too."
I cannot give this diet a thumbs up, simply because I feel that the evidence to do so is insufficient. I do not give it a thumbs down, if its claims are valid, it seems to be a solid diet.
The fact that it includes a diet supplement may be a blessing or a concern. According to Jessica Crandall, "any plan that depends on supplements or pills is super sketchy."
The fact that its studies are with small groups and are not peer approved nor published may be a concern. The fact that it claims to optimize insulin performance seems to be unfounded.
What I like most about the GOLO Diet is that it promotes a healthy lifestyle which is the backbone for long term weight loss success.
My advice is to use the 'Match Making Skills' outlined in your Win At Losing Weight membership email course, especially the Ben Franklin comparison, to see if this is right for you. (Join Us for your free membership which includes your email training course.)
I apologize for this ambiguous review, but in all fairness to you and in fairness to GOLO Diet, there is not enough information for me to make a valid decision in favor of, or against, the GOLO Diet.
If you have information that may shed more light on this diet, please use the contact form below, I would appreciate it, and thank you.
Thank you for reading, my friends, I wish you much success on your weight loss journey.
Kind regards,
George Pierce
Founder Win At Losing Weight
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Not Much Help!
Per Jessica Crandall, R.D.N., a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. her opinion of GOLO is "It’s gimmicky,"
I could not find any concrete evidence to persuade me to give GOLO a negative review or a positive review. If it does work as well as it claims, I do not want to interfere with your decision.
My reviews are intended to help you to make a better decision and I feel that this review has not been of much help.
Diet Program Red Flags!
Be careful, be skeptical, and do your homework BEFORE you begin.
Allow me to share some of the dieting red flags.
Quick Weight Loss | Fast Weight Loss
Rapid weight loss is often mostly water loss but can also include muscle loss rather than losing fat.
Extreme or Highly Restrictive
These kinds of diets are usually very difficult and may be nearly impossible to stay on. Look for a diet that you can live, not just now, but for the long haul.
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continued...
No Exercise
Exercise should be an integral part of your long term weight loss process. You are depriving yourself of all the benefits of exercise. Exercise does so much more for you that just burning extra calories. More energy, better health, and longer life are just a few of the reasons to include exercise in your weight loss plan.
External Applications
I can find no evidence to support the claims that patches, creams, magnets, ear rings or other jewelry, the sun, or crystals help you to lose weight.
To my amazement, ear piercing seems to work. (see Ear Piercing to Lose Weight).
Diet Pills and Diet Supplements:
Most diet pills and diet supplements do not seem to work. The few that do work seem to have disappointing results.
For Example: Apple Cider Vinegar seems to help you to lose weight at about 4 ounces per week. According to a study by the The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, the Goji Berry has NO weight loss benefits.
No Change in lifestyle
A quote that is credited to Einstein is “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.”
I believe we all know that we need to make changes in order for changes to happen.
Too Good To Be True
I am sure that you have heard, "If it's too good to be true, it probably is."
Sometimes we want to lose weight so badly that we are vulnerable. That is why people who are over weight are the MOST PREYED UPON!
Again, be careful and be skeptical. Avoid impulse weight loss decisions. They can cost you money, but worse than that is they can make you decide to quit.
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