Frequently Asked Questions

GOLO is a 2-tier synergistic approach. Release helps balance insulin, apelin, and cortisol, which are key hormones associated with metabolic health. This, in turn, supports metabolic efficiency. Our GOLO for Life Plan is a simple, easy to follow balanced meal plan that eliminates starvation dieting for good. Anyone can follow the GOLO for Life Plan successfully. There are no complicated meals to prepare, and you can eat real foods like pasta, bread, and even butter with sensible portion control without gaining weight because your metabolism and hormones are balanced. Instead of teaching your body to need less calories, with GOLO you are fueling your metabolism which is essential so your body can turn food and fat stores into energy. That’s why so many people report that they are not only losing weight but feeling better, having more energy and vitality, and even sleeping better.

While we think the GOLO for Life Plan is the best meal plan available, you can take Release to help manage hunger, support balanced blood sugar and insulin levels, and reduce fatigue on any diet that you find works for you.

Many people report immediate benefits in the first few days and first week. In addition to weight loss, you can expect to feel better and calmer, be in more control and have more energy. As you continue the GOLO plan, you should also see a noticeable difference in your waist measurement. When you start GOLO we recommend measuring your waist or trying on a pair of pants that are too tight. You will be amazed at how quickly you can see and feel a difference.

Release works to help regulate the hormones that affect weight gain so you can lose weight faster. However, if you aren’t eating properly, it may be hard for you to lose weight. That is why we created the GOLO For Life Plan. It is an effortless way of eating that allows you to pick what to eat at each meal and maximizes weight loss. It is a simple plan to follow. We don’t tell you what you have to eat, you simply choose foods that you like and eat them in the correct serving and portions.

And one of the wonderful things about GOLO is that you do not have to be perfect. It is okay to have an off-plan meal here and there, just make sure to get right back on track at the next one! In our trials, we found that some people were about 70% compliant on the plan but still saw results!

You don’t have to follow our meal plans that are posted online; those are created for people who like that type of structure or are looking for inspiration. What we do recommend is that you follow the guidelines laid out in the GOLO For Life Plan. If you are getting the recommended number of servings per food group for each meal, you are following the GOLO For Life Plan!

Here are GOLO’s top 5 beginner tips:

• Read everything.
• Follow the recommended servings and portions as laid out on the Smart Card that came in your package.
• Weigh yourself AND measure your waist TODAY! Do both of those once a week and track your progress over 60 days to see tangible results.
• Remember that you didn’t put the weight on in a week so it’s expected that it may take time for it to come off too. GOLO is a sustainable way to lose weight and it is quite common to lose inches before pounds.
• Be patient and kind to yourself and remember that it may take time to make all the changes needed or to get it right and that’s okay! You’ve got this and we will be here to cheer you on every step of the way!

No, you don’t need to count calories, we focus only on the number of servings of each food group. You personalize the plan based on your age, activity level, and any added exercise to confirm how much to eat each day.

The GOLO For Life Plan is built around 3 serving-based meals a day. You will take a Release supplement with each meal. Eating regularly throughout the day helps to keep your metabolism going and/or helps to get it functioning properly again. Regular eating in the correct serving and balance as laid out in our plan will also help to keep your blood sugar steadier throughout the day.

GOLO breakfast: 2 Eggs, 1 slice of toast, 1/2 avocado and 1 tsp butter

GOLO lunch or dinner: 6 oz Chicken, ½ baked potato, 1 cup of carrots, 1 cup of green beans, and 1 tsp butter

Yes, you can easily follow the GOLO For Life Plan when dining out. We give you the guidelines to follow so you will enjoy yourself without sabotaging your efforts. We also include a Restaurant Guide with your membership so you can eat out whenever you want and still lose weight.

The ReSet 7 is an optional 7-day detox plan that eliminates dairy, processed grains, and red meat for one week. The goal of the Reset 7 is to help detox your body, promote healing, and balance and set you up for successful weight loss! After one week you can start to incorporate bread, pasta, dairy, or red meat back into your diet using the GOLO For Life Plan.

Alcohol is on the limit/avoid list. This list can be found in the GOLO For Life Plan booklet. Items on this list should be consumed only occasionally or avoided for best results. Having a drink now and then is okay, we don't want you to deprive yourself of living life but, the less alcohol you drink the better results you will have. Alcohol can slow down the weight loss process.

A good rule of thumb is to exercise on a day that you are planning to have a drink so that you earn a bonus serving that can be used for a drink.

Please read our blog on GOLO approved bread choices:

https://blog.golo.com/the-healthiest-bread-choices/

Yes, please read our blog that gives more details:

https://www.golo.com/blogs/golo/can-you-have-popcorn-on-golo

The sweeteners that we suggest are raw sugar, coconut palm sugar, pure maple syrup, or honey. The appropriate serving is 1 tsp. or less. You can also use liquid Stevia if you prefer but try to find one with no added ingredients. If you are using liquid Stevia, you should only need a few drops.

If you want to use Stevia as a sweetener, we suggest liquid Stevia because it is less processed than the powdered form. The ingredient label should contain only: water, Stevia extract and alcohol.

Bonus servings are earned additional servings that can be added to your daily meals. Please refer to the Smart Card that came with your order for more specific information.

Depending on your age, gender, activity, and exercise you can earn Bonus Servings to add to your meals, or to use as a snack or a treat. If you are going more than 6 hours between meals create a balanced snack using Bonus Servings about 4 hours after your last meal to maintain optimal metabolic efficiency and energy. Please refer to the Smart Card that came with your order for more specific information.

Note: When using bonus serving for a snack, include a protein first, then add vegetable or carbohydrate.

It is best not to snack in between meals for optimal results. Most people find that they are not hungry for snacks if they are following the GOLO For Life Plan. However, if you are going more than 6 hours between meals, or if you earn a bonus serving with exercise, you can add a healthy snack.

Your best choice for a snack would be vegetables but if you feel that you need something more substantial, try eating a protein serving such as a boiled egg, a slice of cheese or a handful of raw nuts. As a general rule, you do not want to eat a carb by itself. If you earn one bonus serving, you can have a protein snack and if you earn 2, you can use them for protein and carb together.

Chewing gum can stimulate the hunger hormone and could make you hungrier but others notice the opposite feeling. GOLO’s suggestion is for you to take a look at how you think it’s affecting you. Maybe try a day without, if you chew it often, to see how you feel. As far as the ingredients go, yes, most gums have artificial ingredients but if you’re following everything else it shouldn’t affect your progress.

We suggest that you try to avoid all flavored/sugar-free/fat-free creamers. We recommend using whole milk or half & half as a creamer. You can also use almond milk, oat milk, or coconut milk if you are dairy-free (just keep an eye on the ingredients, some are cleaner than others). Our recommended sweeteners are raw sugar, coconut palm sugar, pure maple syrup, or honey. The appropriate serving is 1 tsp. or less. You can also use liquid Stevia if you prefer but make sure to find one with no added ingredients. If you are using liquid Stevia, you should only need a few drops. We also have coffee creamer recipes on the website.

Foods on the limit or avoid list should not be consumed regularly. You can find this list in the GOLO For Life Plan booklet or online at www.golo.com. Once logged in, select HEALTHY EATING and then click on RESOURCES. The items listed here should only be consumed occasionally or avoided for best results.

GOLO does not recommend anything that is fat-free, sugar-free or no calories. These items are considered as processed foods and are full of artificial sweeteners and chemicals that can hinder weight loss.

Yes, just make sure that the package only contains the fruit or vegetable with no added preservatives, sweeteners or salt.

We don’t suggest using canned fruits or vegetables because most of them contain added preservatives and sweeteners and these items tend to be more processed. If fresh is hard for you, try buying these items frozen instead.

Anything that absorbs water should be measured after cooking (pasta, oatmeal, rice, beans etc.).

For meat proteins, you can use a food scale and measure after cooking if you like, or if you don’t have a scale, or don’t want to use one, you can simply go off the package weight of the meat. If you buy good quality lean meats then the difference should not be that much after cooking.

Vegetables are harder to measure in cup increments so it is okay if you have to guesstimate, you really can’t overdo it on vegetables – having a bit more than the allotted serving will not disrupt your progress. The only vegetables that you will want to be careful about measuring are corn, peas and avocados – these vegetables have a smaller serving size (1/2 cup) than other vegetables due to their carb or fat content.

Fruits can be hard to measure as well; a good rule of thumb is to simply cut the fruit in half. One half of an apple, orange, banana etc. is close enough to the ½ cup serving size that we suggest for fruits.

Nut butters are on the limit/avoid list and can be used occasionally for best results. Peanuts/peanut butter are not something that GOLO suggests all the time – peanuts are actually legumes and not nuts at all. They also aren’t as healthy for you as other nuts. If you would like to read more information about this, check out our blog on the subject here:

https://www.golo.com/blogs/golo/why-you-should-avoid-peanuts-and-peanut-butter

If you are looking to use peanut butter, we would suggest using almond or cashew butter instead. But again, these items should be used on a limited basis due to the fact that the serving size for a full protein is only 1 tbsp. (this will not fill you up as much as 3 oz of meat or an egg). Nut butters also contain a lot more fat than other protein options.

If there is any food that you don’t like within a certain food group, you can substitute any other food in that same food group. You never have to eat foods that you don’t like.

GOLO recommends full-fat dairy products because your body needs the fat in order to process the naturally occurring sugar in dairy. There are numerous studies that prove that people who consume full-fat dairy weigh less than those who use low-fat or fat-free products.

Yes, you just want to make sure you stick to the serving size of 1 tbsp or less. Also, be mindful of the ingredients, as some tend to contain a lot of sugar. We do have recipes for homemade condiments online if you would like to try to make some of your own.

Losing actual fat takes time. More time than losing water/muscle (this is the kind of loss you usually see on other diets that promise fast loss). GOLO is not a quick fix diet. You might see weight loss the first week, you might not. That doesn’t mean you are doing anything wrong or that it isn’t working. Try to stay off of the scale, it can become an obsession – and it changes every day. A better representation of your progress is measurements. We suggest measuring your waist and weighing once a week. Then keep track of these numbers over a 60 day time period to see real results. Also take note of how you feel and how your clothes fit.

All recipes are located on www.golo.com. You can access them after you login to your account. Once logged in, click on RECIPES. If you can’t remember your login, click FORGOT PASSWORD or you can contact Customer Service via telephone or email: 1-­800-730-GOLO (4656) or support@golo.com. We also offer a printed recipe book that contains over 100 of our most popular recipes. You can purchase this book by clicking SHOP after you login to your account.