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There's a reason we've lumped all three 'cookie diets' into the same review. All three plans -- Dr. Siegal's Cookie Diet, The Hollywood Cookie Diet and Smart For Life -- each differ slightly from each other, but not by much.
With Dr. Siegal's program, dieters eat six cookies throughout the day, drink at least eight to 10 glasses of water, then end their day with a small dinner consisting of a lean protein source, such as chicken or fish, and vegetables. On the Hollywood Cookie Diet, dieters eat four cookies a day and are allowed a "normal"' dinner. Finally, the Smart For Life diet has dieters noshing on six cookies a day, then eat a high-protein, low-fat dinner. The only distinguishing thing it features over the other two programs is that it allows dieters access to a Smart For Life center where they are also given an examination and guidance each week as they lose the weight (Of course, this guidance comes at an additional cost and is only available in certain states.)
Regardless of which one you pick, the big sell of all three programs is getting dieters to believe they can eat a bad-for-you food and lose weight in the process. But according to many nutritionists, all you're actually doing is lowering your caloric intake to less than 800-1,200 calories a day -- an achievement that's far below what the ADA recommends dieters consume when trying to lose weight. It's also something anyone could pull off eating any small meal that's around 90 to 150 calories (instead of a cookie) four to six times a day.
If you can get past their taste (each brand's products aren't exactly as tasty as a regular cookie), eating the same foods over and over again is also a dietary downfall for several reasons. Not only does it increase your chances of becoming bored and unsatisfied the longer you stick with it, but it also increases your odds of missing out on certain important nutrients. Most dietitians and nutritionist stress the importance of rotating your diet, no matter how many healthy foods you usually eat, to ensure that you never fall into a pattern of always getting the same mix of nutrients. The more varied your diet is, the more likely you'll get every single nutrient your body needs for optimal health. Throwing back the same cookie every few hours every day for weeks (or even months) only increases your risk of missing out on certain nutrients.
Is the diet healthy?
Unfortunately no, according to most nutritionists. The biggest issue experts have with cookie diets is that they encourage dieters to keep their daily caloric intake at 1,200 or less, which may run too low for some people. Also, eating the same food over and over again can also prevent dieters from getting certain nutrients. Finally, two of the three programs only encourage exercise "after" dieters have reached their target weight, instead of recognizing the importance of exercise as a weight-loss tool that can also improve your health.
What do the experts say?
"It's a very simple plan for dieters looking for a program that doesn't have many rules to follow," said Andrea Giancoli, registered dietitian and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. "There's really not a lot of thinking involved, which is something many dieters may look at as an advantage."
However, the disadvantages are numerous. "It's a diet that's made to look like you can indulge, but it's really just a low-calorie diet that uses cookies as its' marketing tool," says Giancoli. The cookies aren't what you might expect either. Instead of being the decadent indulgence most people crave, all of the various diet's cookies are more similar in content, taste and texture to the nutrient-fortified meal-replacement bars you see aisles and aisles of in the supermarkets and health food stores -- only it's in the round shape of a cookie.
Being infused with nutrients isn't always a positive thing either, according to Giancoli. "Diet products typically have nutrients added to them for a reason," says Giancoli, "Whenever you see any food that's been heavily fortified with nutrients, it's usually a red flag that the foods you're being told to eat are lacking a lot of variety and nutrients that your body needs -- nutrients that you're better off getting in a more natural form." Following this type of diet for any great length of time could make you more vulnerable to missing out on vital nutrients.
Lastly, even if you could stomach eating cookies all day long, "any food eaten repeatedly for a certain period of time is bound to make dieters crave other types of foods eventually," says Giancoli. That means dieters will be more likely to desire more variety down the road, which is a hard request to fill when the only foods on the menu are a few different flavors of the same cookie. Her advice: "If you want cookies in your diet, then have a cookie, an actual cookie, as a reward to yourself for sticking with smarter, more nutritious eating habits and regular amounts of exercise for reaching your weight-loss goals."
Who should consider the diet?
According to experts, dieters should look for smarter options for losing weight and treat themselves to a real cookie as a reward afterward.
Bottom Line
No matter which version of the cookie diet you choose, all three are essentially restrictive-calorie programs that may help you lose weight, but not in a way that dietitians and nutritionists believe is a smart (or safe) method.
Foods
Cookies (but only the nutrient-fortified ones sold strictly through each diet program). As for dinner, options may include lean chicken breast, turkey, fish, snow peas, broccoli and cauliflower. What you can't: Any type of food what-so-ever for breakfast, lunch or any snacks in between.
Fitness expert Myatt Murphy is the author of the best-selling books, The Body You Want in the Time You Have, Ultimate Dumbbell Guide and The Men's Health Gym Bible.
With Dr. Siegal's program, dieters eat six cookies throughout the day, drink at least eight to 10 glasses of water, then end their day with a small dinner consisting of a lean protein source, such as chicken or fish, and vegetables. On the Hollywood Cookie Diet, dieters eat four cookies a day and are allowed a "normal"' dinner. Finally, the Smart For Life diet has dieters noshing on six cookies a day, then eat a high-protein, low-fat dinner. The only distinguishing thing it features over the other two programs is that it allows dieters access to a Smart For Life center where they are also given an examination and guidance each week as they lose the weight (Of course, this guidance comes at an additional cost and is only available in certain states.)
Regardless of which one you pick, the big sell of all three programs is getting dieters to believe they can eat a bad-for-you food and lose weight in the process. But according to many nutritionists, all you're actually doing is lowering your caloric intake to less than 800-1,200 calories a day -- an achievement that's far below what the ADA recommends dieters consume when trying to lose weight. It's also something anyone could pull off eating any small meal that's around 90 to 150 calories (instead of a cookie) four to six times a day.
If you can get past their taste (each brand's products aren't exactly as tasty as a regular cookie), eating the same foods over and over again is also a dietary downfall for several reasons. Not only does it increase your chances of becoming bored and unsatisfied the longer you stick with it, but it also increases your odds of missing out on certain important nutrients. Most dietitians and nutritionist stress the importance of rotating your diet, no matter how many healthy foods you usually eat, to ensure that you never fall into a pattern of always getting the same mix of nutrients. The more varied your diet is, the more likely you'll get every single nutrient your body needs for optimal health. Throwing back the same cookie every few hours every day for weeks (or even months) only increases your risk of missing out on certain nutrients.
Is the diet healthy?
Unfortunately no, according to most nutritionists. The biggest issue experts have with cookie diets is that they encourage dieters to keep their daily caloric intake at 1,200 or less, which may run too low for some people. Also, eating the same food over and over again can also prevent dieters from getting certain nutrients. Finally, two of the three programs only encourage exercise "after" dieters have reached their target weight, instead of recognizing the importance of exercise as a weight-loss tool that can also improve your health.
What do the experts say?
"It's a very simple plan for dieters looking for a program that doesn't have many rules to follow," said Andrea Giancoli, registered dietitian and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. "There's really not a lot of thinking involved, which is something many dieters may look at as an advantage."
However, the disadvantages are numerous. "It's a diet that's made to look like you can indulge, but it's really just a low-calorie diet that uses cookies as its' marketing tool," says Giancoli. The cookies aren't what you might expect either. Instead of being the decadent indulgence most people crave, all of the various diet's cookies are more similar in content, taste and texture to the nutrient-fortified meal-replacement bars you see aisles and aisles of in the supermarkets and health food stores -- only it's in the round shape of a cookie.
Being infused with nutrients isn't always a positive thing either, according to Giancoli. "Diet products typically have nutrients added to them for a reason," says Giancoli, "Whenever you see any food that's been heavily fortified with nutrients, it's usually a red flag that the foods you're being told to eat are lacking a lot of variety and nutrients that your body needs -- nutrients that you're better off getting in a more natural form." Following this type of diet for any great length of time could make you more vulnerable to missing out on vital nutrients.
Lastly, even if you could stomach eating cookies all day long, "any food eaten repeatedly for a certain period of time is bound to make dieters crave other types of foods eventually," says Giancoli. That means dieters will be more likely to desire more variety down the road, which is a hard request to fill when the only foods on the menu are a few different flavors of the same cookie. Her advice: "If you want cookies in your diet, then have a cookie, an actual cookie, as a reward to yourself for sticking with smarter, more nutritious eating habits and regular amounts of exercise for reaching your weight-loss goals."
Who should consider the diet?
According to experts, dieters should look for smarter options for losing weight and treat themselves to a real cookie as a reward afterward.
Bottom Line
No matter which version of the cookie diet you choose, all three are essentially restrictive-calorie programs that may help you lose weight, but not in a way that dietitians and nutritionists believe is a smart (or safe) method.
Foods
Cookies (but only the nutrient-fortified ones sold strictly through each diet program). As for dinner, options may include lean chicken breast, turkey, fish, snow peas, broccoli and cauliflower. What you can't: Any type of food what-so-ever for breakfast, lunch or any snacks in between.
Fitness expert Myatt Murphy is the author of the best-selling books, The Body You Want in the Time You Have, Ultimate Dumbbell Guide and The Men's Health Gym Bible.
