"Cookie Diet"

Review

The "Cookie Diet" is a very low-calorie diet, in which six special cookies are eaten during the day with eight glasses of liquid, along with dinner, consisting of 6 ounces of lean protein (chicken, turkey, fish or seafood only) and one cup of vegetables. The total calorie count comes out to about 800 calories per day and total carbohydrates is about 70 grams per day.

What is not as frequently mentioned in the hoopla surrounding this diet, is that as many as 60 percent of patients on the "Cookie Diet" are also prescribed appetite suppressants and another 25 percent are prescribed thyroid hormones.

The creator of the diet Dr. Sanford Siegel, claims his cookies have amino acids with appetite suppressant properties. They are available in chocolate, raisin or coconut flavors. Even Siegal admits the cookies don't taste very good. The cookies are available only to patients at his weight loss clinics as part of his estimated $400 a month weight loss treatment program.

Let's use some common sense here: this is simply a very low calorie starvation diet and water loss scheme which is going to lead to temporary weight loss. You could eat 800 calories of anything and lose weight. It's pretty hard to imagine following this diet for more than a short period of time. And if it's not long-term and sustainable the weight almost always come back. What's the point in that? Plus you'll probably end up adding some additional weight.

Realize, those who lose weight and keep it off almost always follow the same strategy: balanced nutrition with portion control, daily exercise and especially important, they find a long-term motivation to change their lifestyle. Find a basic food program or chose one of the inexpensive online programs for structure and support, add daily exercise and you have all the ingredients for success.