The Golo diet, officially known as the Golo Metabolic Plan, emerged in 2009 and has since garnered attention as a weight loss solution. This article provides a detailed review of the Golo diet, examining its principles, components, potential benefits, and drawbacks to help you make an informed decision.
What is the Golo Diet?
The Golo diet focuses on managing insulin levels through supplements, diet, and exercise to promote weight loss. It claims to kick-start your metabolism, boost energy levels, and increase fat loss simply by balancing your hormone levels. The diet is also claimed to address insulin resistance, which the company says adversely affects metabolism and general health and leads to weight gain, aging, fatigue, hunger and cravings, poor sleep quality and anxiety.
Core Principles
The Golo diet centers around its Metabolic Fuel Matrix, a point-based system that lets you choose from four essential fuel groups: proteins, carbs, vegetables, and fats. Golo recommends consuming 1,300 to 1,800 calories and three balanced meals daily, following their "2-1-2-1" guideline: 2 servings of protein, 1 serving of carbohydrates, 2 servings of vegetables, and 1 serving of fat per meal.
Food Choices
The Golo Diet encourages nutrient-rich whole foods like fruits, veggies, healthy fats, and lean proteins. It discourages processed and refined foods and focuses on healthy whole foods instead.
Here are some of the foods you’re encouraged to eat:
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- Protein: eggs, meat, poultry, seafood, nuts, dairy products
- Carbs: berries, fruit, yams, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, beans, whole grains
- Vegetables: spinach, kale, arugula, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers, zucchini
- Fats: olive oil, coconut oil, nuts, chia seeds, hemp seeds, flaxseeds, Golo salad dressing
Foods to Limit or Avoid
For successful weight loss, Golo recommends limiting or avoiding certain foods such as processed foods, sugar-sweetened beverages, and artificial sweeteners. Short-term versions of the diet, such as “7 Day Kickstart” or “Reset 7,” are advertised as quick and easy ways to eliminate toxins before transitioning to a regular Golo eating plan. For these specific plans, foods like red meat, dairy products, and grains should be eliminated altogether. However, they can later be re-introduced and enjoyed in moderation as part of the regular Golo Diet.
Here are some of the foods that you should avoid on the Golo Diet:
- Processed foods: potato chips, crackers, cookies, baked goods
- Red meat: fatty cuts of beef, lamb, pork (for short-term diets only)
- Sugar-sweetened beverages: soda, sports drinks, sweetened teas, vitamin waters, and juices
- Artificial sweeteners: aspartame, sucralose, saccharin
Sample Meal Plan
Here’s a 1-week sample meal plan to help get you started on the Golo Diet:
Monday
- Breakfast: omelet with sautéed broccoli, apple slices, and olive oil
- Lunch: grilled chicken with asparagus, couscous, and coconut oil
- Dinner: salmon with stir-fried veggies, boiled potatoes, and olive oil
Tuesday
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- Breakfast: scrambled eggs with steamed spinach, blueberries, and almonds
- Lunch: roast turkey with buckwheat, roasted bell peppers, and olive oil
- Dinner: broiled flounder with kale, walnuts, and grapes
Wednesday
- Breakfast: hard-boiled eggs with overnight oats and chia seeds
- Lunch: tuna salad with spinach, Golo salad dressing, and an orange
- Dinner: roast beef with mashed potatoes, carrots, and olive oil
Thursday
- Breakfast: omelet with grapefruit and walnuts
- Lunch: pork chops with yams, spinach, and almonds
- Dinner: pan-fried salmon with Brussels sprouts, olive oil, and fruit salad
Friday
- Breakfast: poached eggs with sliced pears and pistachios
- Lunch: baked chicken with side salad, Golo salad dressing, and apples
- Dinner: beef-stuffed zucchini boats with coconut oil and tomatoes
Saturday
- Breakfast: scrambled eggs with arugula, strawberries, and olive oil
- Lunch: baked cod with arugula, Golo salad dressing, and chickpeas
- Dinner: stir-fried beef with broccoli, walnuts, and quinoa
Sunday
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- Breakfast: hard-boiled eggs with sautéed zucchini, oatmeal, and hemp seeds
- Lunch: ground turkey with brown rice, tomatoes, and almonds
- Dinner: chicken breast with green beans, sweet potatoes, and olive oil
The Release Supplement
This diet hinges on the supplement, called Release. According to the company’s FAQ, Release is made of seven natural plant-based ingredients and three minerals:
- Zinc
- Magnesium
- Chromium
- Banaba leaf extract
- Rhodiola rosea
- Berberine extract
- Salacia extract
- Gardenia extract
- Inositol
- Apple extract
It is touted as a weight loss supplement that prevents insulin levels from rising.
Potential Benefits of the Golo Diet
- Focus on Whole Foods: With a focus on whole foods, there’s less of a reliance on processed foods, and that on its own can be a boon to your health.
- May Promote Weight Loss: The Golo diet is a calorie-restricted diet, which is likely why some people lose weight on it. The reduction of processed foods and reliance on whole foods is a huge benefit for health and weight, and likely to help you feel full as you lower your total calorie intake.
- Balanced Nutrition: Unlike some diets that cut out food groups, Golo promotes a whole-food, balanced diet with all three macronutrients: carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. This approach helps ensure you receive essential nutrients while helping you manage weight and blood sugar levels.
- Managing Insulin Resistance: Managing insulin resistance involves lifestyle changes such as reducing calorie intake, limiting foods that cause insulin spikes, and exercising regularly.
- Ease of Following: Yes, the Golo diet is relatively easy to follow, as purchasing the supplement comes with access to recipes and meal plans. Golo gives you advice on preparing foods in advance so you only cook once a week. The company also provides resources to show you how to overcome the triggers and obstacles you may have faced before when trying to lose weight.
Drawbacks and Concerns
- Reliance on a Supplement: Golo’s main drawback is the company’s promotion of and the consumer’s reliance on its dietary supplement for revenue.
- Lack of Transparency: While they claim Release is safe and formulated in clinically-effective doses, the proprietary blend lacks transparency on dosing and third-party testing.
- Cost: While the diet plan can be budget-friendly, the supplements can be costly. Golo recommends taking them for three to six months, with a three-month supply costing a minimum of $120 and a six-month supply around $240. The Golo Diet can be expensive to follow. For example, Golo Release costs $49.95 for 90 tablets, which can last 1-3 months depending on how many you take per day.
- Restrictive Nature: While some might appreciate the straightforward roles of the Golo for Life Plan, others may find it overly restrictive due to its specific guidelines on calories, foods, and portions.
- Marketing Jargon: As a dietitian, I can easily recognize that “Metabolic Fuel Matrix” is intriguing marketing jargon for what is simply a balance of macros. Furthermore, promoting a supplement for weight loss implies that Golo works, which is what they want you to believe.
- Limited Research: Unbiased research on the Golo Diet is lacking - as the only available studies are directly funded and conducted by its creators. Therefore, it’s unclear whether the diet has any added benefits aside from merely encouraging a nutrient-dense, well-rounded diet and regular exercise.
- FDA Regulation: While the manufacturer states that Golo Release contains no caffeine or other stimulants, like all supplements, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate it in the same way as pharmaceuticals. So talk with your doctor before taking.
- Potential Side Effects: Risks: Some people may experience side effects, such as GI discomfort.
Concerns Regarding the Release Supplement
Limited evidence shows that Banaba leaf extract may be used to lower blood glucose levels in people with diabetes. Rhodiola rosea is a flowering plant that may impact cells that store fat, particularly in the midsection, per a study. Still, this preliminary research is not solid evidence that this type of supplement - or any weight loss supplement - is a silver bullet. There has never been a supplement to materially and meaningfully boost your weight loss for any sustainable or long-term period.
There are potential safety issues with the Release supplement. Anyone interested should consult a physician and registered dietitian before trying the Golo diet, especially those who are managing diabetes. Diabetes may be regulated with medication, and it can be potentially dangerous to start a diet that claims to impact insulin levels without medical supervision.
While the company claims the supplement is safe to take with medications, at the very least you’ll want to ask your healthcare team if your meds should be adjusted. (The company notes that Release may lower blood sugar, so certain medications may need to be adjusted.) You may also be taking medication for high blood pressure, a condition that this diet claims to improve. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t regulate supplements the way they do conventional medications. Namely, the FDA does not test supplements before they’re marketed - that responsibility falls to the supplement makers.
Scientific Research and Studies
Lack of Peer-Reviewed Research
There is a lack of peer-reviewed published research in a medical journal on the Golo diet. One of their pilot studies did not have a placebo group. Among 68 participants, those who followed the Golo diet and took Release lost about 13 pounds (lb) over 13 weeks, compared with the placebo group, who lost about 7.5 lb. For perspective, keep in mind that the study was small and 13 weeks is short-term results - it’s not clear what happened to these participants after three months. (Essentially, it’s easy to lose weight on any diet if you follow it for a short time period.) And note that this study was funded by the Golo company, so there is an inherent conflict of interest.
Expert Opinions
It’s entirely possible you will lose weight on the Golo diet. But experts attribute that to the calorie restriction rather than the Release supplement. This promotes an idea that there’s one look to health, but bodies come in a lot of different sizes, and healthy does not have a look.
Real Customer Reviews
Many customers report positive experiences with the Golo diet, citing significant weight loss and improved health. Some success stories include individuals who lost substantial amounts of weight over several months, attributing their success to the Golo program's balanced eating approach and the Release supplement. These customers often highlight the program's ease of use, the variety of recipes, and the absence of deprivation.
However, it's important to note that not all reviews are positive. Some customers report that the supplement did not reduce cravings or lead to weight loss, while others experienced side effects such as blood sugar issues. Some reviewers also criticize the taste and texture of Golo's prepared meals, as well as the company's return policy for these food items.