The Golo diet, also known as the Golo Metabolic Plan, was launched in 2009. It is a commercial diet designed to help manage 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. The program involves building meals around servings of food groups rather than counting calories or macronutrients, such as carbs, protein and fat.
What is the Golo Diet?
The Golo diet is a calorie-restricted diet. GOLO food groups include lean protein, seafood, healthy fats, vegetables and healthy carbs, such as fruits and whole grains, says Dr. Melina J. Jampolis, a Los Angeles-based physician and past president of the National Board of Physician Nutrition Specialists. The diet limits processed foods and foods with added sugars.
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. Samantha Cassetty, RD, of New York City, says, “The plan appears to be a whole-foods, healthy-eating plan that prioritizes fruits, vegetables, lean protein, nuts, and whole grains over refined grains. This would be a very healthy plan to promote a healthier weight and positive health outcomes.”
Cassetty points to a study published May 16, 2019, in Cell Metabolism that suggests this way of eating may be favorable to weight loss. The study was small (consisting of only 20 adults), but for two weeks participants ate either an ultra-processed or unprocessed diet. Then they switched diets for another two weeks. When eating processed fare, participants consumed 500 more calories (from carbs and fat) than the fresh-food dieters, and gained about two pounds. As for those on the diet with fresh food? They lost two pounds. “People who eat processed foods don’t fill up as quickly and eat faster, so they consume more food,” says Cassetty.
Golo Food Examples
Fruits and vegetables (frozen and fresh), carbohydrates (rice, pasta, bread, potatoes, beans), meat (chicken, beef), coconut oil, and full-fat dairy are just some examples of foods you’ll eat when following the Golo diet.
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Sample Menu
According to a private video on Golo’s YouTube channel, you should organize your meals in suggested serving ratios.
- Breakfast: 1 fat, 2 proteins, 2 carbohydrates, 1 vegetable
- Lunch: 1 fat, 2 proteins, 1 carbohydrate, 2 vegetables
- Dinner: 1 fat, 1 protein, 1 carbohydrate, 2 vegetables
One overarching idea is to spend one to two hours per week on meal prep. You can then prepackage containers with foods in their correct ratios and grab and go throughout the week. Doing it this way means you’ll likely repeat meals and foods throughout the week.
Here's a 1-Day Sample Menu on the Golo Diet:
- Breakfast: 2 hard-boiled eggs, overnight oats made with zucchini, chia seeds, and coconut flakes
- Lunch: Chicken, salad greens, sweet potatoes, cooked in coconut oil
- Snack: Celery sticks
- Dinner: Chicken, broccoli cooked in coconut oil, sweet potatoes
Golo for Life Plan and Golo ReSet 7 Plan
The GOLO for Life Plan is a flexible and easy to follow meal plan where you get to choose the foods you like to eat. The focus is on whole, affordable foods like butter, eggs, whole milk and cheese, meats, fruits, vegetables and grains, including bread and pasta. You can opt for the GOLO ReSet 7 Plan, which the company touts as an intervention to prevent further damage to your body and promote healing. This plan prohibits dairy, processed grains and red meat. It calls for three nutritious and filling meals daily, emphasizing GOLO “powerfoods” that the company claims reduce inflammation.
The Release Supplement
This diet program relies heavily on a GOLO-specific supplement called Release, which contains minerals and herbal extracts. The supplement is supposed to stimulate your metabolism, according to GOLO. According to GOLO, each bottle can help you lose as much as 20 pounds.
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The Release supplement 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. 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.
When on the GOLO diet, you are encouraged to take the Release supplements until you reach your weight loss goal. You may continue to take the supplement after you’ve reached your goal, however, this is not required. The plan includes directions on how to put together meals to support sustainable weight loss, and nothing is off limits all the time. You can still enjoy a birthday dinner or night out and not ruin your progress. And, if you feel you over-indulged, you can get right back on track.
Concerns About the Release Supplement
Emmaline Rasmussen, RDN, the owner of Sound Nutrition in Chicago, suggests that anyone interested 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,” she says.
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.
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Monthly Cost of Golo
While the plan itself is free, the supplement is not. The monthly cost of Golo depends on the amount of their Release supplement you are taking, which is based on your weight loss goals. One to three bottles of Release cost $59.99 to $119.85.
Scientific Research and Effectiveness
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.
It’s entirely possible you will lose weight on the Golo diet. But experts including Rasmussen 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,” Cassetty says.
One of the key factors that sets GOLO apart from other commercial diet plans is its premise that individuals who struggle with weight loss do so because of hormone imbalances. GOLO's Release supplement specifically targets the hormone insulin, with an eye to correcting insulin resistance. Although no independent, published research has found any risks related to the Release supplement specifically, some of the supplement’s ingredients could pose health risks. The success stories include a woman who lost 128 pounds in two years and a man who lost 202 pounds in 13 months.
Is the Golo Diet Easy to Follow?
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.
Can the Golo Diet Help You Lose Weight?
Yes, you can likely lose weight on the GOLO diet. Golo claims that their Golo for Life plan tells you how to eat the right foods to improve metabolism to lose weight, and adds a supplement to speed that weight loss. The reality is that on a reduced calorie plan (1,300 to 1,500 calories), most people will lose weight.
Risks and Considerations
Before starting the Golo diet, experts advise talking to your doctor. Because the Release supplement is a key component of Golo, ensure there are no medication interactions or concerns about any existing health condition you have.