If the idea of eating cookies all day and dropping a ton of weight sounds good to you, I’m not surprised. Kind of like being told you can max out your credit cards and magically the bills will disappear.
But if your better angels are whispering “sounds too good to be true”…. you should probably pay attention to them.
The original “cookie diet” goes back to about 1975, when a physician named Sanford Siegal started giving his special cookies to patients in his Miami medical practice. Siegal- who authored a popular 2001 book called “Is Your Thyroid Making You Fat?”- now aggressively markets the cookies (at such places as Walgreens) and is opening a store in Beverly Hills. Expected 2009 revenues: 18 million bucks.
The idea is simple, and it basically stinks. You eat six of these low-calorie cookies plus one “good” meal of lean protein and vegetables. If you follow the plan rigorously, you should be consuming about 800-1000 calories, way too low for most people and virtually unsustainable.
There are a lot of things wrong with the Cookie Diet—for example, everything.
It doesn’t teach you how to eat. It’s woefully lacking in nutrients. It fosters the idea that you can have your cake (or cookies) and eat it too, (i.e. weight loss and junk food). It’s stupidly expensive (about $56 a week). And- at least according to many people- the cookies taste terrible.
That hasn’t stopped other companies from jumping on the “quick fix” bandwagon.
Shoppers now can choose from a dizzying array of cookie diets (Hollywood Cookie Diet, Soypal Cookies (“The most popular diet in Japan!”), and Smart For Life as well as the “original”, Dr. Siegal’s Cookie Diet.
Can you guess I’m not a fan?
Even Siegal admits that it’s the protein and fiber in his cookies that produces the supposed “appetite suppressing” effect, but that can be done so much better with protein and fiber from real food sources.
So sure, if you go on an 800 calorie a day diet, you’ll probably lose weight. But at what cost? Wouldn’t it be better to go on a low-calorie, low-carb diet (say 1250-1400 for women, 1500-1800 for men) that consists of real food?
You’ll lose weight and get healthy at the same time.
And you won’t reinforce any stupid habits like eating cookies all day.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Jonny,
Thank you for your common sense articles! I can see the point of the cookies if you need satisfy that cookie craving – if it’s a “real” cookie, most people won’t be able to stop at just one. However, why do people think that good food doesn’t also taste good?
Donna
Love your articles and opinions. What are your thoughts on the HCG diet? I have a handful of friends on the drops, and losing a pound a day with the diet. My feeling is that the loss is a result of the 500 calorie a day diet, and not the drops. I admittedly tried it, but can’t stick to the diet (or any diet, seemingly, for that matter). Any feedback?
yes. I think it’s a huge waste of time.
Sorry.
anyone will lose on 500 calories, it’s impossible to stay nourished on that, you will go into catabolism and break down muscle and i have never known anyone not to regain afterwards. I’d stick with the regular old low-carb smart diet
warmly
jb
Thank you for the great articles.
You are so smart and funny, too! Thanks for the great thinking you share. Good stuff!