Mayr Method: What Is Rebel Wilson's Reported Weight Loss Plan? Everyday Health MenuNewslettersSearch Diet & Nutrition What Is the Mayr Method Registered Dietitians on Rebel Wilson' s Reported Diet By Jessica MigalaMedically Reviewed by Lynn Grieger, RDN, CDCESReviewed: September 13, 2022Medically ReviewedThe Australian actor Rebel Wilson has helped popularize the Mayr method.Vivien Killile/Getty Images; CanvaWhile it would be nice if all diets had scientific evidence behind their claims, not all of them do. These days, it seems that diets need only one thing to become popular: a celeb who says they followed it — and found success. That’s what happened with the Mayr method, a century-old diet that’s promoted by a wellness resort brand. The Mayr method enjoyed a resurgence in popularity in August 2020 after Australian actor Rebel Wilson started posting photos to social media showcasing her weight loss and her experiences following the VivaMayr lifestyle. But even celebrity ties to a diet may be misleading. Although Today and other outlets reported that Wilson attended the program at VivaMayr Altaussee, a medical spa in Altaussee, Austria, she later denied following the Mayr method diet, says E! News. Still, in 2022, she posted on her Instagram that she was back at the pricey med spa, writing, “it’s soooo gooood to be back at @vivamayraltauesse working the Mayr method to reset my system!” Regardless of whether the Mayr method alone caused Wilson’s weight loss, two things are for sure: There is currently no data backing this method, and experts aren’t certain it’ll lead to sustained weight loss. How the Mayr Method Works You can sign up for the Mayr method by booking a stay at one of the two VivaMayr luxury medical clinics and resorts. The Original FX Mayr is in Maria Wörth, Austria, while another location is in Altaussee, Austria. There are also day clinics in Vienna and London, per the company’s website. The Mayr method is a plan that treats your body and mind as a whole. According to the resort's website, which refers to it as the “FX Mayr cure,” the program is “based on four pillars: diagnostics, medicine/therapies, detox, and regeneration.” Treatments for its wellness programs might include a medical examination, metabolic and urine analysis, provided food, detoxing, body wraps, massage, dietary advice, a colonoscopy, and more, the website notes. For people looking to lose weight, there is a specific weight loss program, which includes both unproven treatments it calls “fat-burning infusions” as well as traditional weight loss guidance like nutrition consultation and personal training. Wilson reported that she took part in activities including vitamin drips, nasal reflexology, aerial yoga, and massages during her time at a VivaMayr resort. The details on exactly what the diet involves are murky; this is a program offered at an expensive medical clinic and spa. Common Questions & AnswersWhat foods are allowed on the Mayr method diet?The Mayr method focuses on light meals, consisting of seasonal and regional food. Some of the foods offered on the program include soup, broth, sheep’s milk yogurt, eggs, buckwheat rolls, and vegetarian spreads, among other foods.Can you follow the Mayr method at home?You can purchase a cookbook authored by a Mayr practitioner, which helps people stick with the specific foods and method of eating. Mindful eating is a large part of the program, and it’s a practice you can continue at home.How much does the Mayr method cost?The Mayr method is a wellness destination program. For a seven-day stay in a double-occupancy room, it costs about $2,000 per person, but there are additional costs to factor in, such as airfare.Can you drink coffee on the Mayr diet?No. During the program, coffee is not allowed, and many people begin to cut back on their caffeine consumption prior to arrival. Following the program, people are allowed 2 cups of coffee per day without sugar or milk.Can the Mayr method help you lose weight?The Mayr method is a pretty restrictive program. While the company does not say how many calories that guests eat during a stay, meals are light and people drink only bouillon for dinner to practice intermittent fasting. If you take in fewer calories than normal doing this, you will lose weight. What Does It Cost to Do the Mayr Method It costs, at minimum, the equivalent of about $2,000 for a seven-day stay, per the website — and that’s not factoring in the costs of the program, meals, treatments, airfare, or any additional costs. The basic seven-day program starts around $1,800, while a two-week program will set you back around $2,700, per the website. (According to Noël Duan, a freelance writer who wrote about her experience staying at a Mayr resort for Jezebel, the total cost of her weeklong 2017 stay at a Mayr resort in Austria was around $3,550, without availing of any extra activities or treatments.) Even if you aren’t interested in jet-setting to a wellness retreat and forking over thousands, that doesn't mean you can’t adopt the principles and teachings and apply them to your own life no matter where you are, but there isn’t a strict blueprint or set of guidelines for how to do so. Most Recent in Diet & Nutrition Later Meals Increase Hunger Decrease Calories Burned 6 Bugs You Can Eat and Their Health Benefits 5 Cheap and Healthy Recipes to Make With Oats What Happens to Your Cholesterol When You Go on a Keto Diet See all in Diet & Nutrition Possible Advantages of the Mayr MethodThe food provided is described as light, fresh, and seasonal, and you’ll eat it while practicing intermittent fasting, according to the resort's website. You’ll also eat in silence to boost mindfulness during meals, the site notes. Eating in this way may bear some health benefits. Mayr Incorporates Plant-Based Foods Breakfast on Mayr includes warm buckwheat bread rolls and vegetarian spreads, as well as sheep’s milk yogurt, a midmorning snack is a vegetable bouillon, lunch consists of light fare individualized to your needs, and dinner is an alkaline broth or soup. These are considered healthy plant-based foods. That’s a plus because a plant-based diet focused on nutrient-rich foods is health promoting, says Emmaline Rasmussen, RDN, the owner of Sound Nutrition in Chicago. People who follow a plant-based diet have a 19 and 11 percent lower risk, respectively, of death from cardiovascular disease and any other cause, compared with people who eat fewer plants and more animal products, according to one study. Mayr Encourages Mindful Eating You’ll also practice mindful eating on the Mayr method. Harvard Health Publishing defines this as eating without distractions, stopping to appreciate your food before you eat it, taking small bites, and slowly (and fully) chewing to savor the aromas and textures of your food. “Mindful eating is a game changer, [when] you slow down and remove external stimuli, like the TV or phone from the dinner table. When your eyes are not looking at your food, you’re not mentally registering what’s on your plate,” Rasmussen explains. In a small randomized, controlled trial, adults who completed a 15-week weight loss program, which included training in mindfulness eating, lost about 4 pounds, compared with a control group that lost about a half pound. One element of that mindful eating? Chewing food to liquefy it. Duan notes in the blog post that resortgoers are instructed to chew their food 30 times before swallowing. There is benefit to chewing thoroughly. Research indicates that people who chew their food more thoroughly and for a longer duration are more likely to have a lower body mass index (BMI), compared with fast, incomplete chewers. That said, 30 times is a lot. It would likely be tiring and would turn your food into liquid, thus destroying its texture and flavor, which is among life’s pleasures — and chewing thoroughly, while healthy overall, can tip into unhealthy territory. “This rule feels a little obsessive and rings of disordered eating,” says Rasmussen. Mayr Prioritizes Stress Management and Healthy Sleep Last, there is an emphasis on stress and sleep, as part of the whole-body approach. That is a huge positive. Research has found that people who get sufficient sleep and stick to a consistent schedule are more successful in losing weight. As for stress, one small study concluded that adults at a medical obesity clinic who attended an eight-week stress management program (focused on deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and guided visualization) reduced their BMI more than the control group, and lessened depression and anxiety to boot. Disadvantages of the Mayr Method It’s tempting to think that if you could just go somewhere for a week or two, you might come out of it with your diet and lifestyle habits permanently transformed. But in reality, the Mayr method has some major drawbacks. Mayr s Medical Clinics Aren t Accessible to All One of the bigger problems with Mayr is that you're supposed to travel to one of the medical clinics that offer the Mayr method and stay there for some time. That has its own limitations in terms of expense, resources (including time), and ongoing travel complications during the COVID-19 pandemic. There s a Lack of Research to Support the Mayr Method Mayr is one of many strict diets without scientifically proven results. “These quick-fix ideas are appealing. People are feeling discouraged with their current situation, and having a set of rules or restrictions imposed on you sounds really desirable,” says the New York City–based Samantha Cassetty, RD, the coauthor of Sugar Shock. What’s more, other treatments touted by Mayr, including cryotherapy and massage, are unproven to help you lose weight or release toxins, says Rasmussen. And the method as a whole does not have any research behind it. The Toronto-based registered dietitian Abby Langer writes on her blog that you may even experience serious illness from some of the reported tenets of Mayr, which include bloodletting, severe calorie restriction (600 calories a day), and laxatives. Mayr Results Can Be Difficult to Maintain Beyond these potentially dangerous therapies, a trip to any sort of wellness retreat that touts weight loss as an end goal is not likely to provide sustainable results, says Rasmussen. “When you get back to regular life, everyday stresses and being surrounded by fast food, snacks, and processed food will make it really tough to maintain any weight loss. If this center is not just removing stimuli and temptations and is teaching long-term healthy behaviors that you can apply to your life outside, then you may be successful,” she says. Put differently, in real life, you won’t have a chef make meals for you, a resort that controls what you eat, and massages at the ready, so it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to maintain that brand-new you. Editor' s Picks on Weight Loss 23 Tips for Weight Loss That Actually Work Why You Shouldn t Rush Weight Loss 8 Reasons You Aren t Losing Weight A Scientifically Proven Way to Lose 1 Pound of Weight Should You Try the Mayr Method for Weight Loss You don't need to try the Mayr method, says Cassetty. While it may be worth adopting some of the positive elements of the program, like slowing down your eating and eating mindfully, you can do without most of it. In the beginning of the diet, you’ll be required to fast, cleanse, restrict the foods you’re eating, and take vitamin and mineral supplements, according to Today. This is a huge red flag. Not only do you have working organs that do these jobs, but detoxing hasn’t been shown to be a viable long-term strategy for good health or weight loss. “If we look at the people who live the longest, healthiest lives in the world, they are not doing detoxes. They adhere to healthy pillars of a plant-focused diet that includes pulses and vegetables, limit their alcohol, get movement in their daily life, and nourish their social connections and sense of community,” says Cassetty. “When we look at the whole picture, we know people do not need to detox to be healthy.” More on Trying a Fast The 7 Types of Intermittent Fasting and What to Know About ThemConsidering the popular eating approach? Find out how different versions work and which might be right for you.…Learn More How to Start the Mayr Method if Your Doctor Okays ItIt’s not feasible for most of us to pack up and attend a relatively expensive wellness program at a medical spa in Austria. For a more accessible option, as long as your healthcare team okays it, you can start with the book The Viva Mayr Diet: 14 Days to a Flatter Stomach and a Younger You. The book was written by Harald Stossier, a general practitioner and VivaMayr founder, and it was published in 2010. The book includes guidelines for following the diet. For example, if you’re choosing between wine and water at dinner, drink wine every time, eat more mindfully and with intention, and eat breakfast but make dinner optional. This advice appears to be a bit different from what you'd receive at one of the wellness retreats, as alcohol is not allowed during the program. But the book seems an attempt to bring the plan more into the real world and make it more doable. Most Popular in Diet and Nutrition 11 Foods and Drinks to Help Soothe COVID-19 Symptoms Whole30 Beginner s Guide What to Eat and Avoid Advantages and More 5 Types of Tea That May Support Your Immune System The 7 Types of Intermittent Fasting and What to Know About Them The Bottom Line on the Mayr Method DietYou have to travel to a medical spa in Austria to officially try the Mayr method, but you can take some of the elements of the program and try them in your own life. The program stands out because of its holistic approach: It focuses on addressing one’s whole self, including stress and sleep, alongside diet and exercise. The scientifically unproven elements of Mayr (like herbal wraps or laxatives) can be at best a waste of money and at worst dangerous. “You don’t need to go to a spa to get these results. If you need help addressing the areas of your life that may be impeding weight loss, you’re far better off speaking to a registered dietitian who can help tailor a program to your lifestyle now for long-lasting results,” says Rasmussen. Editorial Sources and Fact-Checking What Is the Mayr Diet? Rebel Wilson’s Regimen Explained. Today. July 1, 2020.Rebel Wilson Calls Out “Misleading” Claim About Endorsing Diet Pills. E! News. April 18, 2022.Mayr Retreat. The Original FX Mayr.Mayr Nutrition. The Original FX Mayr.Kim H, Caulfied LE, Garcia-Larsen V, et al. Plant-Focused Diets Are Associated With a Lower Risk of Incident Cardiovascular Disease, Cardiovascular Disease Mortality, and All-Cause Mortality in a General Population of Middle-Aged Adults. Journal of the American Heart Association. August 2019.Eight Steps to Mindful Eating. Harvard Health Publishing. January 16, 2016.Rebel Wilson Is Losing Weight on the Mayr Method — Here’s What to Know About the Eating Plan. People. June 24, 2020.Dunn C, Olabode-Dada O, Whetstone L, et al. Mindful Eating and Weight Loss, Results From a Randomized Trial. Journal of Family Medicine & Community Health. June 2018.Cryotherapy at VivaMayr. VivaMayr.Papandreou C, Bulló M, Díaz-López A, et al. High Sleep Variability Predicts a Blunted Weight Loss Response and Short Sleep Duration a Reduced Decrease in Waist Circumference in the PREDIMED-Plus Trial. International Journal of Obesity. June 2019.Xenaki N, Bacopoulou F, Kokkinos A, et al. Impact of a Stress Management Program on Weight Loss, Mental Health, and Lifestyle in Adults With Obesity: A Randomized, Controlled Trial. Journal of Molecular Biochemistry. 2018.The Mayr Method Is Medieval Torture in the 21st Century. Abby Langer Nutrition. June 26, 2020.Stossier H, Powell HF. The Viva Mayr Diet: 14 Days to a Flatter Stomach and a Younger You. 2010.Learning to Chew, Swallow, and Shit at Viva Mayr, an Austrian Detox Spa for the Ultra Wealthy. Jezebel. March 15, 2017.Mayr Rooms and Prices. The Original FX Mayr.Mayr Programme. The Original FX Mayr.The VivaMayr Locations. VivaMayr.Silent Eating. The Original FX Mayr.Show LessNEWSLETTERS Sign up for our Diet and Nutrition Newsletter SubscribeBy subscribing you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The Latest in Diet & Nutrition Later Meals Increase Hunger Decrease Calories Burned People who skip breakfast and eat a late dinner have more intense food cravings and burn less energy during the day, a new study suggests.By Lisa RapaportOctober 7, 2022 Whole Grains 101 Health Benefits Nutrition Facts Recipes and MoreBy Cristina HoltzerOctober 6, 2022 What Is the Longevity Diet A Detailed Scientific GuideBy Leslie BarrieOctober 6, 2022 Do Sports Drinks Count as Fluid They’re marketed as the ultimate in hydration, but are they really a better option than water? 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