Eating Cookies to Lose Weight

By Lori Corbin

Apr. 29, 2007 - Sweat it off. Drink it down. We'll try anything to lose weight.

"I tried grapefruits, I tried hard boiled eggs. I tried starving," said Diane Delano.

Diane Delano's latest diet tool? Cookies.

"I went down I don't know, five six sizes. Lost the weight and now everybody wants to date me," Delano says. Delano lost 45 pounds on the cookie diet, a very low calorie, medically supervised weight loss program. In the program you eat six cookies a day and one meal. The meal should include six ounces of protein, two non-starch vegetables and a salad.

Consuming just 800 calories a day - a fraction of the 2,000 calories typically eaten. Choose soup, shakes or a variety of cookies to eat during the day. Three hundred and forty nine dollars starts you off with cookies, supplements and a physical.

"Not only do we do an electrocardiogram, but we do a complete blood count including thyroid function, a lipid panel. If they adhere to the diet they're going to lose 10 to 15 pounds a month," Dr. Bill Weil said.

That's a concern to diabetes specialist Ruth Pupo who says fat doesn't metabolize that quickly, so weight loss is more likely fluid. "They mentioned to me one patient that had lost 18 pounds in one week," Pupo said. Yet it's those results that sell cookies.

"People want something that's easy, quick, fast and effective. They don't want to count portions or actually take the time to look and see about what their eating," Pupo said.

There's many enticing diets out on the market, as a consumer it's tough to cut through the clutter of claims, so before you buy, ask a few questions. Does the program establish physical activity? Is it affordable? And is there a maintenance program following the big weight loss? And finally, does it really help you change those bad habits?

"I did not find any conclusive data on maintenance of the weight that had been lost," Pupo said.
Smart for life centers which runs the cookie diet have countless success stories, but admit long term data isn't available. They do feel however, their clients learn the smart way to slim down.

For more information on the cookie diet:

Smart for Life - Weight Management Centers. 15030 Ventura Blvd. Sherman Oaks. 818-285-1790.

Isn't that interesting? It's kinda hard to believe, although ice cream diet sounds good =)