At Ultimate Paleo Guide, we’ve long given you information on paleo, keto, and generally whole-foods based diets. But we want to be sure you’re armed with information on all types of diets so you can make the best decision for your health and your body. This article is going to explore the GOLO diet.
The GOLO diet is a regime where you don’t count calories or even track nutrients. It’s also a diet you can follow with the help of a purchased program. You follow it for 30, 60 or 90 days after buying the plan of your choice.
The GOLO diet is believed to boost your metabolism and energy levels. It’s also supposed to balance your insulin and hormone levels, leading to increased fat loss. But can these feats really be achieved without tracking and counting nutrients and calories?
To answer this question, we will cover the following:
- What is the GOLO diet?
- The benefits of the GOLO diet.
- Does it help you lose weight?
- What to eat on the GOLO diet.
- GOLO diet downsides.
Table of Contents
What is the GOLO Diet?
The GOLO diet was created by a group of expert doctors and pharmacists. The purpose is a diet that balances your hormone levels and manages your insulin levels with weight loss as a result.
One of the intentions is support for sustainable, steady weight loss.
The idea behind the GOLO diet stems from research revealing that a low-glycemic diet can boost fat burning and your metabolism, resulting in weight loss. The various studies show excellent results when consuming these foods that avoid spiking insulin and blood sugar levels.
GOLO Diet Benefits
General Benefits
A lot of diets are incredibly restrictive, and leave you feeling hungry and irritated. However, a significant benefit with the GOLO diet is that the creators promise this won’t happen.
In fact, the diet’s creators say you can consume up to 30 percent more food than you would when following other diets. This is achieved by increasing your metabolism and focusing on what you eat—healthy food—rather than how many calories within your various food portions.
As a result, you come out on the other side with weight loss, more energy and your metabolism in top shape.
You’ll also have your blood sugar regulated, and your cravings reduced by a supplement called GOLO Release. We can’t tell you whether this supplement works or not without an in-depth review. But if doctors created it, it’ll most likely be top tier.
Body Benefits
With the GOLO diet, you’re encouraged to eat fewer processed foods, while exercising more. This is a solid plan for weight loss regardless of what diet you’re following.
But they’re also great for the GOLO diet’s plan—helping with blood sugar and related areas. A number of studies show exercise helps reduce blood sugar levels. This is in people with and without diabetes.
On top of that, a study of 98 non-processed and minimally processed foods shows they’re more filling than extremely processed products.
GOLO Diet Additional Benefits
Another benefit is that if you purchase a program when following this diet, you get a guidebook. The GOLO Rescue Plan guidebook is there to provide suggestions for healthy and balanced meals, personalized for your metabolism.
Lastly, if you purchase a membership, you get to chat with a community online. This community can provide free meal plans, support from coaches, discounts and free health assessments.
So, when following GOLO, not only do you receive benefits that impact your body and weight loss journey. You also get people who want to help you and guidance material to keep you on track—like attending a weight loss group but from the safety and comfort of your own home.
Does It Help You Lose Weight?
The GOLO diet team has studied its effectiveness, so you can see for yourself. This includes:
- Several studies, which we’ll summarize for you in a moment, proving the GOLO diet works.
- Visual and noted weight loss in two GOLO dieters over the course of 37 weeks.
The Studies
One of the studies lasted 26 weeks and included 35 overweight participants. The results reflected that exercise, GOLO Release, and following the GOLO diet had participants lose an average of 31 pounds.
A second study was carried out on 68 people over 13 weeks. The Release group lost more weight than the placebo group, but there may be another reason. The average weight of the Release group was 240 pounds—213 for placebo. Heavier people lose weight faster, which can impact results.
The Legitimacy
None of the GOLO studies were peer-reviewed or published in official medical journals. They’re exclusively on the GOLO website, conducted and funded by the creators of the diet.
The studies on the effectiveness of GOLO may be biased or completely fabricated to add legitimacy. If you recall, you have to purchase the GOLO program. It may all be a money-making ploy disguised as an incredible diet.
Although, the logic is there to show the diet has some legitimacy on its own. It’s the supplement’s effectiveness that remains unconfirmed.
More studies from an independent perspective are needed on the GOLO diet as a whole.
What to Eat on the GOLO Diet?
If you buy the program you’ll know more, but here are the basic green-lighted foods on the diet:
- Meat.
- Poultry.
- Seafood.
- Nuts.
- Dairy products.
- Berries.
- Fruit.
- Yams.
- Potatoes.
- Beans.
- Whole grains.
- Olive oil.
- Coconut oil.
- Chia seeds.
- Hemp seeds.
- Flax seeds.
- Butternut squash.
- Non-starchy vegetables.
GOLO Diet Downsides
The main downside of the diet is questionable research. The diet’s plan focused on healthy eating, and exercise is effective for weight loss by itself. You don’t need the supplement, or the book, or the exclusive online community.
So, for all we know until further research goes into it, the money you spend on 90 GOLO Release tablets could be an utter waste.
It’s true that the amount is a reasonable price to pay for 1–3 months of tablets. Especially if they work. After all, they’re supposed to contain metabolism-supporting plant extracts and micronutrients.
But these micronutrients can be found in a well-rounded, nutritious diet plan, or by taking store-bought multivitamins.
Also, the meal plans can be very restrictive, despite the GOLO creator team’s claims. It may be a complicated diet to follow.
Lastly, there are several confusing aspects to the diet when you take personalization, fit points and fuel values into account. Perhaps that’s why you need to program to help you.
Overall it’s a working diet, but the value for money is questionable.
If you like this article, check out these others:
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