Chocolate Chip or Oatmeal Raisin?

Nearly everyone has tried some type of diet to lose weight.  There’s the Grapefruit Diet, The Lemonade Diet, The Cabbage Soup Diet, The Zone Diet, The South Beach Diet and now there’s a Cookie Diet.

The New York Times reports on a recent fad diet that permits six prepackaged cookies a day, plus one “real” meal, for example, skinless chicken and steamed vegetables. The diet restricts the dieter to between 800 and 1,000 calories a day. 

The nutritional content is quite vague. The reported cookies contain protein derived from meat, eggs, milk and other sources. They also contain microcrystalline cellulose — a plant fiber that acts as a bulking agent, emulsifier and thickener — and are sweetened with sugar.

For those who find cookies irresistible perhaps a diet centered around the sugary sweet is perfect. However, if you are concerned with getting the proper amount of nutrition are cookies and an 800 calorie restriction the best choice? Is this weight loss plan sustainable?

Critics of a cookie diet are not convinced. Weight-loss plans that center around a diet of below 1,000 calories do not lead to long-lasting weight loss and can result in potassium deficiency, heart palpitations, and weakened kidney function, among other serious problems. Why not try lifestyle changes, such as increasing leafy greens, regular exercise, and water? 

Have you tried a cookie diet or another similar fad diet? What were your results? For more information read, the article in The New York Times.