Twinkie Diet Helps Professor Lose 27 Pounds

Mark Haub, a Kansas State University professor of human nutrition, spent 10 weeks on what is being called the "Twinkie Diet." The result? He lost 27 pounds and improved his cholesterol, logging all his moves on a Facebook page. And, he made his point that calorie counting, regardless of the nutrition provided in a dieter's chosen foods, is the most important factor in weight loss, reports CNN.

Haub snacked on the sugary treats every three hours during the day, but kept his total daily calorie consumption to less than 1,800 calories (compared to an estimated 2,600 daily calories before he started the diet).

The professor didn't rely solely on pre-packaged goodies for his nutrition, taking a multivitamin and drinking a protein shake each morning and eating some sort of vegetable (green beans or celery, usually) in front of his family at night, reports CNN.

While Haub anticipated weight loss based on the fact that he consumed fewer calories than he burned, according to CNN, some of the other markers, such as improved cholesterol (his bad cholesterol dropped by 20 percent while his good cholesterol increased by 20 percent) were a little more surprising, leading him to question: "What does that mean? Does that mean I'm healthier? Or does it mean how we define health from a biology standpoint, that we're missing something?"

Once Haub's diet was complete (he brought his BMI down to 24.9, which was his goal), he began adding meat back into his diet, and noticed an immediate change -- his cholesterol level increased. No word on how adding the other things he cut out, like fruits and whole grains, has affected him.

Now, before you start filling your cart with boxes from Hostess and Little Debbie, keep in mind that Haub doesn't suggest anybody follow in his food-steps. Still, the findings of his study do have implications for segments of the population, such as those in a food desert with limited access to fresh produce.

"These foods are consumed by lots of people," he told CNN. "It may be an issue of portion size and moderation rather than total removal. I just think it's unrealistic to expect people to totally drop these foods for vegetables and fruits. It may be healthy, but not realistic." His study has shown that reliance on these foods doesn't necessarily have to sentence someone to a life of obesity.

Other results are yet to be known, according to Dawn Jackson Blatner, an Atlanta-based dietitian and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. "It's a great reminder for weight loss that calories count. Is that the bottom line to being healthy? That's another story," Blatner told CNN, adding, "There are things we can't measure. How much does that affect the risk for cancer? We can't measure how diet changes affect our health."

Do the results of Haub's diet make you more or less likely to snack on a snack cake?

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