The GOLO diet is an eating plan with two main components: eating personalized meals and using a supplement to assist with weight loss. While some weight-loss plans are based on factors like calorie and food restriction, this plan emphasizes eating to help balance your hormones.
While GOLO and its supplement are safe for most people, you'll still want to consult a healthcare provider before doing the plan. Here's a guide to the diet plan, including how it works, its benefits, safety, and more.
Rather than limiting fat, the GOLO plan—developed by a team of doctors and pharmacists—focuses on balancing hormones. The GOLO philosophy is that hormone imbalances are stress and anxiety triggers, leading to:
- Binge eating
- Emotional eating
- Fatigue
- Hunger
- Overeating
- Poor sleep quality
The GOLO website suggests you can help reduce your experiences of the above triggers by balancing your hormones, which can then be helpful for weight management. It also claims that diet can potentially lessen health issues caused by problems with metabolism.
Guidelines of the GOLO Diet
To follow the GOLO diet, you'll receive a personalized plan of meals to follow. The meals are designed to help you feel satisfied through portion control.
GOLO’s creators state that diet and exercise alone aren’t enough to generate lasting weight loss. To supplement those healthy habits, they created a patented capsule they refer to as Release, which is an integral part of the program.
The GOLO Diet Supplement
The Release capsule has plant extracts and other minerals that help physically and psychologically manage weight. The company has claimed that the Release capsule also:
- Balances hormones
- Controls cravings
- Extends hunger
- Optimizes blood sugar and insulin regulation
GOLO directs you to take the Release capsule with meals for the entirety of the program. The program recommends reducing the dose if you only have 10 to 20 pounds to lose or if you are losing more than four pounds per week. They also advise phasing out the supplement once you reach your goal weight.
What's specifically allowed and the nutritional composition of suggested meal plans is not precise because of how individualized the plan is. The GOLO site indicated that the foods you'll eat and how much are determined by your energy needs.
However, photos on the GOLO site suggest meal plans may include produce, lean protein, healthy fats, and unprocessed carbs—all eaten in smaller portions, along with encouragement to exercise.
Foods Not In the GOLO Diet
The GOLO plan does not directly call out foods on its site that people should avoid. Instead, the site reiterates the plan's focus on portion sizes rather than calories.
Company studies have shown that study participants did experience weight loss. Individuals on the GOLO plan lost, on average, a total of 37.4 pounds (16.1% of body weight) and 6.4 inches around their waist.
GOLO also performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study on overweight subjects in 2018. The study showed that those who took the Release capsule lost significantly more weight and waist inches than those who took a placebo.
However, keep in mind that the sample size was very small—only including 68 participants.Also, remember that GOLO funded and conducted all of those studies.
Is the GOLO Diet Safe?
GOLO may be safe to try, and the GOLO site said that anyone can follow GOLO meal plans. However, consult a healthcare provider or a registered dietitian before following the GOLO plan.
While the site has indicated that Release is generally safe and has no reported side effects, you'll still want to talk with a healthcare provider or pharmacist before using it. The effects of supplements vary from person to person and depend on many variables, like dosage and frequency of use.Plus, the GOLO Release is a proprietary blend, meaning the amounts of its ingredients are not shared, making it difficult to know if it is safe with allergies or other medications.
Additionally, there are special recommendations concerning Release for certain individuals. People with type 1 diabetes are encouraged to talk with a healthcare provider before taking the supplement, while it's best for people who are pregnant or breastfeeding not to take Release.
Drawbacks
While some people may lose weight following the GOLO plan, others may not. The outcome may depend on various factors, like how closely a person follows the plan or if they are able to use the GOLO membership. For example, the GOLO study participants followed a specific eating and exercise plan that assisted in weight loss, which likely influenced the participants' weight loss journeys.
Another drawback of the diet plan may be cost. One bottle of the Release capsule, which GOLO guaranteed can help you lose 10 to 20 pounds, costs $59.95.However, the various prices of the products and programs vary.
Following the GOLO diet means eating meals tailored for weight management and taking the plan's Release supplement. The plan focuses on eating in a way that minimizes hormone imbalances to help you lose weight and maintain that weight loss.
The GOLO plan is hard to evaluate without third-party, peer-reviewed research on the diet and the Release capsule supplement. Before deciding if GOLO is suitable for you, talk to a healthcare provider about the appropriateness of the ingredients in the Release capsule based on your current health and medications.
