If you are experiencing the symptoms GOLO claims to cure, like low energy, chronic stress or a preoccupation with food or exercise, consult with your doctor, says Pasquariello. There is no such thing as a quick fix or silver bullet to healthy eating and weight loss. There are, of course, limits to what constitutes a healthy body and body composition, but years of diet culture have not solved the problem, and have in turn created many others. Measurements like BMI and weight are not accurate measures of health.” “But we shouldn’t conflate weight with health. “We’ve all got a lifetime of diet culture messaging,” says Moore. Likewise dig into why you have various eating beliefs, and whether or not they’re serving you. “Have faith that if you allow yourself the foods you consider wrong, the novelty will wear off.” “You might actually eat too much of the yogurt, end up unsatisfied, and wish you had the ice cream instead,” she says. Moore cites having frozen yogurt instead of ice cream, for instance. “Then they beat themselves up for being ‘out of control.’ Don’t let four or five hours go by without eating.”Īim for foods that satiate, too, and don’t put certain foods on the restricted list. “People sometimes skip breakfast, then make up for it later in the day,” she explains. To relearn how to tap into your body’s needs, start by eating three meals and a snack again if it’s something you’ve strayed from, says Moore. “You might be jumpy, irritable, or tired, and not realize it’s because you’re hungry.” “You might not even recognize when you need food,” she says. Moore says that, when focusing on calories, macro-nutrients and “off limits” foods, people can lose touch with their bodies. “Diet culture has trained that out of us.” “When we were kids, we knew intuitively what we needed,” says Pam Moore, an intuitive eating coach.
While diets like GOLO continue to enjoy popularity thanks to their quick-fix appeal, a sounder approach is getting back in charge of what and how you eat. They are small and exploratory in nature, and cannot prove a claim. But a read between the lines reveals the research was funded by the company and/or are pilot studies-which scientists undertake to demonstrate need for actual research. The GOLO website also lists several “studies” as proof of its validity. Still, with an emphasis on animal proteins and no guidance on the types of seafood recommended, Pasquariello has some concerns.
It also advocates limiting processed meats like hot dogs, refined carbohydrates like white bread or white rice, and processed foods. Pasquariello points out that despite the GOLO Diet claims, “there are few, if any foods that can actually change our metabolism in a meaningful way, and the same is true for ‘balancing hormones.” For most people, unless facing a significant disease state or in critical care, hormones are probably in balance, she adds.Ī few things GOLO does get right are most of the foods on its “list.” Whole grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seafoods are all generally good bets.