The Cookie Diet

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you know how I feel about diets. In my last post on this topic, I don't think I addressed this particular diet called the Cookie Diet. I feel it is important because it is probably one of the more popular diets right now. Today, this diet was featured on Good Morning America, but I feel like the reporter left a lot of things out. It was a very sparse piece and did not properly show the other side of the story.

Here is how the diet "works," according to the website http://www.cookiediet.com/:

You, "Eat six special cookies to control hunger during the day and a reasonable dinner in the evening. Consume 1,000 to 1,200 calories a day (ask your family doctor to recommend the right amount for you) and lose an average of ten pounds per month."

These cookies are not typical cookies- they are more like meal replacements. That is not my issue. In fact, I often make healthful snack "cookies" for my son, who is very picky about food. It helps get the nutrients down. Here are the problems with this FAD diet, along with other fad diets:

1) It is selling a product you don't need. This company's main goal is to make money. They do not only sell the cookies, but also shakes, pills, teas and books. You don't need any of this crap to lose weight. Everything you will ever need to be healthy comes right from the earth (granted, that's if you aren't a diabetic or something). And I'm no hippie.

2) It does not teach you how to eat a balanced diet (GMA hardly, if at all, touched on this point in their story). This is the most important tool when trying to keep weight off long-term. So when you stop buying those cookies, you will go right back to your old habits and put that weight right back on again. 80% of weight loss is diet- not being ON a diet.

3) Dr. Siegal, the creator of this diet, says that he designed it for fast weight loss, because so many people give up if they don't see results fast. Well here's what I say to that: TOO FRICKIN' BAD! If you can let yourself get fat and then want to get rid of it, you better have the patience to lose the weight you put on. I am a testament to that- it has taken me well over a year to lose my baby weight, and I am now in the best shape of my life- back pain and all. If you don't have the patience, then forget it. You may lose weight quickly at first but, trust me, YOU WILL PUT THE WEIGHT BACK ON (like with all fad diets). Unless you plan on starving yourself the rest of your life. And dumping your hard-earned money into those stupid cookies forever. Slow and steady wins the race.

4) It doesn't LOOK like a lot of food (never mind that it truly isn't a lot). It may contain a lot of calories and probably will even help you feel full for a little while. But it doesn't look like a lot of food, and that visual effect can make you feel deprived (which will eventually cause you to go back to your normal eating habits). Compare that cookie with a healthful salad filled with colorful veggies, a serving of lean protein, and a small bowl of juicy mixed berries. It just doesn't compare.

5) Like all fad diets, the Cookie Diet severely restricts calories. If you want to know what these kinds of diets do to your metabolism, just look it up or read my previous blog post on this topic: Unhealthy Weight Loss. I don't need to get into the details again. It is absolutely insane to ask a 6' tall man to eat a measly 1000-1200 calories per day. Not to mention in the form of tiny cookies, which probably will make him feel like he's eating even less than that.

6) All the celebrities are doing it. If everyone in Hollywood is running towards it, that is a big hint to run as fast as you can in the opposite direction. It's your own fault if you get sucked in. Don't say I didn't warn you.

I'm sure there are plenty of other reasons to stay away from this diet, but hopefully that's enough to convince you. Honestly, you can eat so much more food and feel way more full if you just eat right. Plain and simple. The weight will melt off and you will feel so much better physically and otherwise. If you don't quite know where to start, I recommend reading a book that explains everything in very simple terms. It also has some excellent recipes in the back (trust me, I've tried a few!). It's called The Eat-Clean Diet. It changed my life and I think it can change yours. No, I am not a paid spokesperson. HA!