Ever since actress Rebel Wilson announced 2020 as her “Year of Health,” aiming to get down to her goal weight of 165 pounds, people have been wondering how she did it. The “Pitch Perfect” actress credits her transformation to “Fit Amy” on a combination of exercise and an eating plan called the “Mayr Method.” Which now begs the question, just what is the Mayr Method? Is it healthy? And can it work for you?
Dr. Franz Xaver Mayr reportedly believed that everything is connected to the gut, and what we eat (or don’t eat) can affect our overall health and wellbeing. According to People magazine, “Mayr believed that most people are poisoning their digestive systems with the foods they eat and how they eat them.”
The magazine Eating Well stated, “While we can certainly get behind a healthy, gut-centric meal plan, there are some other practices of the Mayr Method that seem a little restrictive…or just plain strange. For starters, most people looking to follow the program spend a week or so at a VivaMayr “medical center” (there are three locations throughout Austria and one in London), which will cost nearly $2200—not including flights or accommodations. Those looking to save money may try to follow the plan by buying the book on Amazon instead.”
Wilson posted in March about visiting the VivaMayr resort in Austria and said she “can’t wait to go back.”
According to People, “The center revamps their clients’ diets to eliminate snacking, reduce gluten and dairy intake and change how they chew their food.” While the diet doesn’t restrict calories, there are a few key habits Mayr Method dieters practice, like eating slowly; stopping eating when they’re satisfied; drinking between meals (but not with meals); eating their biggest meal at breakfast, a smaller meal at lunch and their smallest meal at dinner; and no eating raw foods after 3 p.m.
Additionally, detoxing and fasting seem to be central themes within this plan (side note, we don’t recommend either). Dr. Maximilian Schubert, the medical director of VivaMayr, told TODAY, “In general, the first step is always a monotone and restricted diet, to really calm down the body system, food-wise,” he explained.
VivaMayr’s website says the program combines diet and exercise with modern complementary medicine, traditional diagnostics and therapies according to F.X. Mayr. If you’re wondering what those therapies could look like, here’s a glimpse: Services at VIVAMAYR range from widely practiced wellness rituals like massage, yoga and acupuncture. But, there are also somewhat disturbing (depending on your perspective) services like bloodletting, colon hydrotherapy and a $230 service called “Emotional Detoxification with Psychological Consultation.”
So, is it healthy? While experts love the plan to eat gut-healthy foods and eat intuitively, they don’t think you need to practice disordered eating behaviors (like counting your bites of food or not drinking water at mealtime) to do so. They advise you simply eat your food at a table without distractions.
Victoria Seaver, M.S., R.D. says, “Any diet that has lots of rules and puts restrictions on what, when and how much you eat raises major red flags. Diets like this are hard to follow, so when someone eventually stops, they tend to gain some or all of the weight back that they lost. Rebel would be much better off with something like the Mediterranean diet, which is backed by research and is easy to follow for life.”
Additionally, some of the medical services practiced at VIVAMAYR’s resorts are concerning. The majority of experts advise that you can achieve a healthy lifestyle and lose weight without resorting to extreme and dangerous practices such as bloodletting. Says Eating Well, “While we’re rooting for Rebel Wilson as she continues her “year of health,” we hope she’s not harming herself in the process.”
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