The marketing efforts for the cookie diets are outstanding. Film and rock star celebrities interviewed about how they lost weight eating 4 or 6 cookies each day. Video infomercials of testimonials from ordinary people losing 30 or 50 or 75 pounds on multimedia resources including YouTube and the social networking scene including Twitter and Facebook. Headlines from the NY Times and the Wall Street Journal questioning why so many people are paying so much money for a fad diet.

Here are three of my generalizations after researching the topic of cookie diets:

First, the cookie diet works for a lot of people who report losing weight.Secondly, none, and I mean none of the nutritional authorities believe the cookie diet is the right thing to do on a long term basis and most of them say it’s not a very good diet for the short term basis either. Keep in mind these are people who evaluate their information from clinical trials and research that can be duplicated. Obviously, none of this is available for any of the cookie diets. And lastly is my personal observation that I do not remember any other kind of diet receiving so much celebrity attention. They are promoted on TV, in magazines and on the Internet.

The regimen for the cookie diets is that you eat prepackaged cookies throughout the day in place of breakfast and lunch and then eat a sensible dinner of lean protein and vegetables equaling about 800 to 1,200 calories. Each of the diets claims to have a proprietary blend of protein that helps you control your hunger so you can stick to the diet.

The diet process is very simple which is a huge appeal to many. If you stick with the diet you probably will lose weight especially if you are taking in fewer calories than you consume. One of my first thoughts, however, is so many of us get off our diets in the evening after dinner. If we could stick to a dinner of lean protein and vegetables and indulge in nothing more in the evening, maybe we would not have to pay to eat cookies in the morning and for lunch.

My second thought is these cookies are not cheap. They vary in cost from $90 dollars to $134 dollars for a two week supply. My final thought was the ingredients and nutritional value of these cookies is rather vague. Proprietary blend tells me nothing. Keeping in mind that single food diets are not new, remember the grapefruit diet? The notion of removing choice and temptation by eating a preplanned meal substitute does work for many. What about all those meals in a can?

One of the questions health professionals ask is are you getting enough calories on this diet? If the amount is too low your body goes into a self preservation stage and your metabolism slows down so you do not burn as many calories. The problem is that when you start eating again you gain weight twice as fast because your metabolism is below its normal pace. That is why Dr. Siegal tells clients not to exercise until they get into the maintenance phase of the diet, when they have lost weight and are trying not to regain it. The problem is that not exercising for a couple of months is not helpful either. As you age you gradually lose muscle mass and some bone density. Not exercising exacerbates the problem and it is not easy to catch up if you can.

My second concern is are you getting enough nutritional value from what you eat? There are no studies abut this from these cookie diets. The problem here, too, is that when you reach 50 you absorb less and less nutrients from your food which is why it is so important to not waste your calories on food that has no value such as sugar. Which is why the cookie diet companies tell their customers to take vitamins and some of the companies actually supply the vitamins?

The cookie diet is very appealing because it recommends a good, the cookie, that is forbidden in most diet programs. As a result, however, it gives people a false sense that they are balancing their nutrition in one food. Health care professionals are worried also primarily because it does not solve the problem of obesity because there is no room for behavior change. The cookie diets promise a huge return for little investment. Secondly, long lasting weight loss can result in potassium deficiency, gallstones, heart palpitations, weakened kidneys and dizziness. For weight loss to stick, you need to have an eating pattern that is healthy for you, satisfying, and that you can stay with over a period of time.

Suggestions for a quick loss of weight: cut down the size of your food portions for each meal; cut out the junk food; more vegetables with lunch and dinner without toppings; start walking or dancing.

Ruthan Brodsky specializes in health and business topics for baby boomers. As a copywriter and content strategist she is highly regarded for making complicated health topics easily understood. If you are having foot pain from the minute you get up in the morning, claim your free report about how to Find The Right Shoe For You at http://footpaintreatmenttips.com

Author: Ruthan Brodsky
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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