Some Knowledge

There seems to be a craze developing for Dr. Siegal’s Cookie Diet.  It seems these cookies contain a protein blend that supresses hunger.  The doctor developed these cookies by experimenting on friends and family almost 30 years ago.

Here’s how the cookie diet works.  You eat six cookies during the course of the day.  You do not eat breakfast or lunch.  Then you eat a dinner of six ounces of lean chicken or fish and a cup of boiled vegetables.  It is claimed you will typically lose 15 pounds a month on this regimen.

What’s special about the cookies is that they are supposed to control your appetite.  I have never tried these particular cookies, so I cannot say if they are any good or not.  If they are like any other cookies they would have about 80 or 90 calories each.  Six of them would contain about 500 calories.  With about 600 calories of meat and 100 calories for vegetables, this amounts to a daily caloric intake of about 1200 calories.  Of course, if you follow a diet like this, you will lose weight.

These would have to be some pretty tasty cookies if I were going to eat nothing but cookies all day and a boring dinner.  Can you imagine eating nothing but cookies for months on end?  This is not a varied diet.  Sure, you will lose weight.  You will lose more weight if you don’t eat the cookies and drink water to fight back your hunger pangs.  Losing weight is not about eating some magic cookie that makes you un-hungry.

Limiting intake of calories and increasing activity will get you to your goal.  You will have to keep track of how much you eat during the day.  Keeping a food diary is a good way to keep track of your meals if your memory is bad.  It will also add an extra chore to eating if you have to write everything down.  If you want to be really specific in your journal, get a food scale and weigh out all your portions.  This is the only way, aside from reading labels on packaged food, to really know how much you eat.  This is how the cookie diet works.  You get pre-portioned servings of known caloric content.

If you want to try the cookie diet, get some whey protein powder and add this to your favorite cookie recipe.  Try replacing the shortening with vegetable oil and leave out the chocolate chips.  This way, you can have a variety of cookie types from which to choose.  You can also avoid paying for somebody to send you pre-made cookies in the mail.  It would probably work for you if you stuck to the plan.  You might just want to find a sensible diet online and try that.