The GOLO diet is a commercial weight loss program that looks beyond just calories in and calories out. It was developed by a team of doctors and pharmacists who wanted to tackle the nitty-gritty of weight management. Their philosophy? Weight gain doesn’t happen overnight, so weight loss won’t either.
GOLO wants to optimize your metabolic health by improving your hormone balance, gut-brain balance, and sleep patterns. Sounds legit, right? Let’s take a closer look in this GOLO review because there’s a catch. The program isn’t complete without their proprietary supplement, Release.
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What is the GOLO Diet?
It seems like everywhere you turn, there’s another new weight-loss diet or supplement. However, some diet programs have evolved with advancing science. Enter, GOLO.
GOLO was founded in 2009 with one goal in mind: to help people achieve sustainable weight loss. Their name was born from their old mantra, “go lose weight, go look great, go love life.” (Although you’d be hard-pressed to find that on their website now.)
Today, GOLO approaches weight loss with a focus on metabolic health and reduced insulin resistance. Insulin resistance, a condition where the body’s cells don’t respond to insulin effectively, can contribute to many long-term health concerns. It can increase your risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and weight gain.1
With this in mind, GOLO aims to optimize your health through various lifestyle factors–think diet, stress, sleep quality, and gut health. It prioritizes whole foods and emphasizes portion control, while also encouraging you to take their supplement, Release.
Release is a patented plant- and mineral-based dietary supplement developed by GOLO researchers. It’s said to support glucose control, immune function, and hormone balance to reduce insulin resistance and eliminate the need for starvation dieting. GOLO dieters are recommended to take one Release capsule three times daily with meals.
It asserts that balancing insulin levels through dietary choices, and with the help of Release, a GOLO supplement, you can improve your metabolism, reduce food cravings, and lose weight more effectively.
GOLO Diet Foods
The GOLO Diet is centered around the GOLO Metabolic Food Matrix, where you choose foods from four “fuel groups.” These fuel groups include proteins, carbohydrates, vegetables, and fats. Dieters are encouraged to eat three meals a day, filling their plates with one to two servings of each of the fuel groups.
Some of the foods you can include on the GOLO diet include, but are not limited to:
- Protein: Beef, chicken, pork, fish, eggs, milk, yogurt, and cheese
- Carbohydrates: Fruits, quinoa, oatmeal, whole grain pasta, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and beans.
- Vegetables: Kale, spinach, zucchini, squash, Brussels sprouts, celery, and cucumber.
- Fats: Olive oil, coconut oil, chia seeds, flaxseeds, almonds, cashews, pistachios, and walnuts.
Let’s say you’re planning a GOLO-friendly breakfast. The possibilities are endless, but it might look like an egg omelet made with cheese, peppers, spinach, black beans, and olive oil. Pair it with a side of fruit and mixed nuts, and you’ve hit all the fuel groups at least once.
If meal planning isn’t your jam, GOLO offers pre-cooked, ready-to-heat-and-eat meals. You can purchase these meals with peace of mind that they fit within the GOLO Metabolic Food Matrix. Of course, that comes at a price, and it may be more expensive than your average grocery list.
Foods to Avoid
Because the GOLO Diet prioritizes whole foods, it frowns upon processed and refined foods. Some foods are off-limits for GOLO dieters. These may include, but are not limited to:
- Processed foods: Chips, cookies, crackers, candy, deli meats, baked goods
- Refined foods: White bread, white rice, white pasta
- Sugar-sweetened beverages: Sodas, fruit juices, sweetened teas, sports drinks
- Artificial sweeteners: Aspartame, saccharin, sucralose
So, why do processed foods get such a bad rap with GOLO? GOLO researchers really lean into the science connecting diet to inflammation.
Inflammation is the body’s natural response to injury or infection. It helps repair damaged tissue and remove harmful toxins from your system, encouraging healing and recovery. However, when inflammation becomes chronic, it can disrupt your metabolic health and contribute to a wide range of health conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers.2
Plenty of research has linked diet to inflammation in the body. Studies show that a diet high in processed meats, sugary beverages, and refined snacks can contribute to long-term inflammation.2
Still, this pattern of restriction may not be ideal for everyone. Eliminating certain foods completely is often unsustainable and can have adverse effects in the long run.
Benefits of the GOLO Diet
The GOLO diet offers several potential health benefits, particularly for individuals looking to lose weight without tracking their calorie intake. The GOLO diet emphasizes nutrient-dense meals with a focus on overall health.
Promotes Whole Food Consumption
The GOLO for life plan emphasizes the intake of whole foods and highlights their health-promoting properties. A diet rich in foods like fruits, veggies, whole grains, and beans can support weight management, blood sugar control, and heart health.3
Variety is key to a healthy, well-balanced eating plan. A diet rich in different whole foods can help you meet your daily micro- and macronutrient needs. Including a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and other whole foods can help you get enough fiber, vitamins, and minerals, in addition to your required protein, carbs, and fats.
There’s No Calorie Counting
Unlike many other diets, the GOLO Diet plan doesn’t require any calorie counting. The GOLO program encourages you to pick one to two foods from each “fuel group,” eliminating the need to track your calories.
Calorie tracking can become tedious and is often unrealistic for many people in the long term. Being able to make food choices without pulling out a calculator can be a game-changer for your weight loss journey.
May Reduce Insulin Resistance
Research shows that dietary choices play a key role in managing insulin resistance.4 The GOLO Diet promotes nutrient-dense whole foods, which help prevent blood sugar spikes and encourage better blood glucose management. Over time, this eating pattern may improve how your body uses glucose and reduce insulin resistance.
Drawbacks of the GOLO Diet
Like any commercial weight loss program, the GOLO Diet isn’t a home run. There are some potential downsides or side effects to consider when following the GOLO diet.
It’s Still a Restrictive Diet
The GOLO Diet claims to support weight loss without the starvation tactics commonly seen in other short-term fad diets. However, it’s still a restrictive diet. It just masks its restrictions under the guise of optimizing metabolic health.
While you don’t have to count calories on the GOLO Diet, you do have to eliminate processed foods. The GOLO Diet requires you to avoid foods such as chips, crackers, cookies, and deli meats, as well as beverages like sodas, juices, and teas.
Research continues to show that severely restricting calories or eliminating foods and food groups is not a sustainable method for weight loss. It has been proven that long-term adherence to this kind of dietary pattern isn’t realistic.5
Release’s Proprietary Formula
Another drawback of the GOLO Diet is its reliance on a proprietary supplement. Release is marketed as an essential aspect of the program’s success, but GOLO doesn’t offer much insight into what you’re actually getting in the supplement.
Because Release’s formula contains a proprietary blend, the amounts of each ingredient are not disclosed. Without knowing the exact quantities, it is difficult to assess the formula’s efficacy and safety. While some ingredients, such as chromium and berberine, show promise for blood sugar control, the lack of transparency gives reason for pause.6,7
Without knowing exactly what and how much is in the supplement, you can’t tailor your diet accordingly. Furthermore, relying on a supplement may create a dependency or overshadow the importance of a well-balanced diet for fat loss. This may cause some users to prioritize GOLO supplements over sustainable lifestyle changes.
It’s Expensive
Release is one of the main cornerstones of the GOLO Diet, and it doesn’t come cheap. You have to take one capsule three times daily with meals (three doses per day is a downside in itself), and a 30-day supply will set you back $39.95.
A well-balanced diet can provide many of the ingredients found in Release. Since GOLO doesn’t disclose the amounts of each ingredient in their proprietary blend, it’s hard to say if it’s worth the cost.
Limited Research
GOLO claims that there are over 100 studies supporting the safety of Release’s ingredients, but they don’t cite any on their website. Without research linked to their claims, GOLO expects a lot of trust from its customers.
Additionally, there are very few studies available to the public regarding Release’s effects on weight loss. Two small studies found that Release could improve glycemic control and insulin resistance. However, both of those studies had fewer than 100 participants.6,7
Not An Individualized Approach
It’s important to note that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to optimizing metabolic health and burning fat. Weight loss and blood sugar control can manifest differently for everyone. Personalized nutrition guidance from a registered dietitian may be more effective than trying to follow the GOLO Diet.
A registered dietitian considers your medical history, dietary preferences, cultural needs, and lifestyle demands when addressing your health goals. When trying to lose weight, reduce insulin resistance, or improve other health markers, it’s important to remember that you’re not just a statistic. You have unique needs.
Who Should Try the GOLO Diet?
The GOLO Diet may be helpful for individuals with a history of insulin resistance or those who struggle with blood sugar control or higher blood pressure. The GOLO fuel groups offer a clear structure for curating well-balanced meals, and eating nutrient-dense foods can help prevent blood sugar spikes, improve insulin sensitivity, lower cholesterol, and reduce inflammation.
The GOLO Diet also emphasizes other lifestyle factors that impact weight management. Along with nutrition, it highlights the importance of adequate sleep, stress management, and physical activity.
Still, it’s best to follow this type of diet under the guidance of your healthcare provider. It still requires dietary restriction and is not appropriate for everyone. Talk with your doctor or registered dietitian nutritionist before starting the GOLO Diet or taking supplements to support your metabolic health.
Final Word on the GOLO Diet
The GOLO diet has evolved over the years from a strictly weight loss diet to a more comprehensive metabolic health program. It aims to improve insulin sensitivity, thereby enhancing other health markers, such as weight management, metabolism, and gut health.
It definitely has many advantages compared to other fad diets, but don’t give it a blue ribbon just yet. The GOLO Diet isn’t complete without Release, their metabolic health supplement that you have to take three times a day. While you might see some weight loss on the GOLO diet, it’s important to note that it’s expensive, still restrictive, and may not be sustainable.
GOLO Diet Review: FAQs
Can you lose weight just by taking GOLO pills?
There is no research available to the public (that I could find) to support the claim that you can lose weight just by taking GOLO release. The limited research available on the GOLO Diet emphasizes dietary changes along with taking their supplements.
What are the disadvantages of GOLO?
GOLO is still a restrictive diet because it requires you to eliminate all processed and refined foods. Plus, you have to take their Release supplement three times daily.
What do you eat on a GOLO diet?
When following the GOLO Diet, you can eat fruits, veggies, beans, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats.
What is the GOLO controversy?
The GOLO Diet claims to go against the grain of diet culture, stating that starvation diets are a thing of the past. However, you still have to eliminate certain foods, and you must take their supplement, which comes at an extra cost.
References
- Lee SH, Park SY, Choi CS. Insulin Resistance: From Mechanisms to Therapeutic Strategies. Diabetes Metab J. 2022;46(1):15-37. doi:10.4093/dmj.2021.0280
- Tristan Asensi M, Napoletano A, Sofi F, Dinu M. Low-Grade Inflammation and Ultra-Processed Foods Consumption: A Review. Nutrients. 2023;15(6):1546. Published 2023 Mar 22. doi:10.3390/nu15061546
- Esquivel MK. Nutrition Benefits and Considerations for Whole Foods Plant-Based Eating Patterns. Am J Lifestyle Med. 2022;16(3):284-290. Published 2022 Apr 22. doi:10.1177/15598276221075992
- Gołąbek KD, Regulska-Ilow B. Dietary support in insulin resistance: An overview of current scientific reports. Adv Clin Exp Med. 2019;28(11):1577-1585. doi:10.17219/acem/109976
- Giacone L, Siegrist M, Hartmann C. Food choices for weight loss: what dietary strategies would people use?. Br J Nutr. 2024;131(7):1268-1280. doi:10.1017/S0007114523002726
- Xie W, Su F, Wang G, et al. Glucose-lowering effect of berberine on type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Pharmacol. 2022;13:1015045. Published 2022 Nov 16. doi:10.3389/fphar.2022.1015045
- Zhao F, Pan D, Wang N, et al. Effect of Chromium Supplementation on Blood Glucose and Lipid Levels in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Biol Trace Elem Res. 2022;200(2):516-525. doi:10.1007/s12011-021-02693-3
- Rj B. Pilot study on the effects of the golo weight management program and release supplement on weight and glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity. Diabetes Updates. 2019;5(3).
- J Buynak R. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluating the effects of the GOLO weight management program with and without Release supplement on weight and metabolic parameters in subjects with obesity. Trends Diabetes Metab. 2019;2(1).
