What You Need to Know

As Yawitz notes, the nutritional plan included with every purchase is “essentially a portion-controlled, whole-foods diet.”

We spoke to experts to answer the biggest questions about GOLO: Does it work? Is it safe? Should I try it?

What is the GOLO diet?

The GOLO diet suggests that rising insulin levels are the cause of the slowdown metabolismThis is also responsible for weight gain.

To take this a step further, GOLO argues that when you can control your insulin levels, you won’t store excess insulin. Sugar in your bloodRising insulin levels lead to regular weight gain, which your body then stores as fat.

The company bases this claim on the following: a team of doctors and pharmacistsHowever, GOLO does not disclose the names of these experts and the institutions to which they are affiliated.

The GOLO diet is Whole30 or ketoIt doesn’t ban or severely restrict you from eating entire food groups, such as carbohydrates (or sugar, which is a type of carbohydrate).

Instead, the GOLO diet focuses on consuming whole, unprocessed, and unrefined foods. Specifically, at meals, a GOLO dieter would choose one to two servings from each category: proteins, carbohydrates, vegetables, and fats.

Someone on the GOLO diet eats three meals a day, with breakfast and lunch being larger than dinner. The diet allows snacks if you go longer than four to five hours between meals or if you exercise.

This type of eating plan may work, but this is where the GOLO diet begins to veer into questionable territory.

Complete the area.

What is GOLO’s supplement, Release?

One of the key components of the GOLO diet is, ReleaseThe company claims that Release will help activate your body’s ability to regulate insulin, boosting your metabolism and burning more fat.

In addition to weight loss, GOLO reports that Release offers “multidimensional therapeutic benefits,” including increased energy, decreased fatigue, better immune function, reduced cravings, and balanced blood sugar and insulin. less stress and anxiety.

But then there is the price of Freedom.

One bottle costs $59.95. Two bottles cost $99.90, and three bottles cost $119.85. You can purchase the supplement exclusively through the company. Each order comes with the GOLO for Life Plan, which the website says provides strategies to help you “focus on what your body needs, instead of depriving yourself.”

The Purchase Edition also gives you access to online resources and tools, such as meal plans and recipes.

What is the main ingredient of GOLO Release pills?

GOLO is marketed as “plant-based” (whatever that may be) vehicleAnd it says the supplement contains seven plant-based ingredients and three minerals.

According to the company, the Release actually includes: magnesium* (15 milligrams in 1 capsule), zinc* (10 mg), chromium* (70 micrograms), rhodiola root extract, inositol, berberine extract, gardenia, banaba extract, salacia extract, apple extract, vegetable cellulose, rice fiber, stearate and silica.

*These three ingredients are the only ingredients listed on the label. However, the amounts of other ingredients are not disclosed as the formulation is patented.

Zinc, magnesium and chromium are minerals associated with energy release, but that doesn’t mean they boost your metabolism, he says Nyree Dardarian, Ed.D., RDNclinical assistant professor Drexel University Department of Nutritional Sciences.

“This is a big leap that many supplement companies make, and because they are not regulated by the FDA, they have the freedom to make these false claims,” he says. “The supplement also contains other plant-based nutrients that have no supporting evidence that they cause weight loss.”

Supplements like Release do not need to be approved by the FDA.

While three of the minerals in Release (zinc, chromium, and magnesium) have health benefits, Pike says it’s better to consume these nutrients from food sources.

And he adds that it’s best to talk to your healthcare provider before taking any supplements, especially if you’re taking other medications. You need to be aware of any possible interactions or other issues.

What is the nutrition plan of the GOLO diet?

The GOLO diet recommends eating protein, carbohydrates, and fat, and provides a guide to acceptable whole foods that fall into each category. Lean protein, such as fish, seafood, and poultry, healthy fats, such as olive oil, and healthy carbohydrates, such as fruits, vegetableand whole grains.

Processed foods that contain added sugar should be limited. GOLO diets can be adapted to include the following options: veganvegetarian, gluten-free and other diets.

Here’s an example of what a daily GOLO meal plan might look like, according to Dardarian:

• Breakfast: Two scrambled eggs with a slice of whole grain toast
• Lunch: 3 ounces chicken breast, 1/2 cup quinoa, 1 cup spinach, 1/2 cup mixed vegetables, olive oil, and lemon juice
• Evening meal: 4 ounces salmon, sautéed mixed vegetables, and 1/2 cup brown rice

Do the GOLO diet and Release help you lose weight?

Abby Langer, RD, founder of Abby Langer Nutrition, says it’s important to approach with caution.

First, the idea is that eating certain foods can significantly improve your metabolic rate or overall “metabolic health,” Langer says.

In fact: “There’s nothing you can eat that will speed up your metabolism enough to make a significant difference in your weight,” says Langer. “Your metabolism is determined by genetics, muscle mass, and, of course, hormones. But there are too many factors for something you eat to radically change it.”

Yes, there are theories and they are interconnected increased insulin and weight gainBut scientists are still not sure which hormones control metabolism and weight.

“That’s a theory, there’s a reason for that. It hasn’t been studied much in humans,” Langer says. “We don’t know for sure whether insulin resistance is responsible for the increased body mass.”

While it’s true that the GOLO diet focuses on whole foods and its recommendations don’t call for eliminating specific food groups, which is a smart way to eat, you don’t need the GOLO diet to eat this way.

Langer also says that you don’t need any supplements to eat this way.

“Release is just a supplement. While it’s not physically harmful, I don’t recommend it,” she says.

Release is not an FDA-approved supplement for weight loss. (The FDA has approved it for weight loss prescriptions, however, list (is weak.)

Does GOLO help strengthen immunity?

It’s not that simple.

Your immune system is not something you can “boost” and to suggest otherwise would oversimplify a complex system that depends on many things, including exercise, sleep, stress and also diet; however, Only diet.

So what are GOLO’s success stories and research?

Those who follow the GOLO diet reportedly lost weight Over 100 pounds It can happen in just 12 months, and that can have an undeniable appeal for someone looking to lose weight.

This weight loss may be due to the switch from processed foods to whole foods, not GOLO’s alleged ability to help regulate insulin, Langer says.

While GOLO leans heavily on the theory that insulin resistance slows metabolism, Langer cautions that there is no simple or accurate way to precisely measure a person’s metabolism. As a result, there is no way to measure the success of the GOLO diet.

“That’s the hallmark of a fad diet,” Langer says. “You’re giving followers a result they can’t measure.”

So what is the research the company is referring to?

“” research studies “The studies that have been done to support GOLO’s claims have been small,” he says. “The studies were done by the company. None of them have been published in peer-reviewed journals.”

Rather than following one of these one-size-fits-all diets, the best way to achieve an effective diet is to meet with a registered dietitian and create a plan that’s tailored to your life, goals, and eating habits, Langer says.

And think of this as true for all diets: If there was a diet that would allow everyone to lose weight and keep it off forever, wouldn’t everyone be on that diet anyway?

Should the GOLO diet be done?

It would be better if you save your money.

“This is a pass for the registered dietitian,” she says. Alyssa Pike, RD., senior director of nutrition communications International Food Information Council. “The GOLO diet is essentially a calorie-restricted diet that requires expensive supplementation.”

The GOLO diet may have healthy components, such as focusing on whole-food groups and avoiding too much added sugar, he says. But there’s no research on the supplements required to back up its claims. “It hasn’t been studied in any way, and paid consultants conducted the only two studies available,” Yawitz says.

Yawitz calls GOLO a “fad diet, plain and simple.” Most men can lose weight just by eating mostly whole foods in moderate portions—no reinforcement needed.