One of the latest trends in dieting is replacing meals with diet low calorie cookies. While these diet plans usually include other foods as snacks to ensure proper nutrition, it can be difficult to follow the plan, especially when the unexpected birthday dinners or meals-on-the-go arise. As with all diets, planning for the unexpected and keeping realistic expectations are necessary to successful and long-term weight loss.
What Diet Cookies Are
Essentially, diet cookies are meal replacement bars that are shaped like cookies. While they do not taste bad, they do not taste like cookies, but that also means they do not contain the fat and calories that cookies do. Different programs like Smart for Life and Dr. Siegel's Cookie Diet use different ingredients in their cookies, but many include soy and organic ingredients for added health benefits.
How Diet Cookies Result in Weight Loss
Following a diet cookie plan works as promised by advertisements, not because the all-powerful cookie contains anything unique but because it contains a smaller number of calories and a greater amount of fiber than most people's usual diets do. The cookies run about 100 calories a piece, depending on the flavor and brand.
What the Cookie Diet Consists Of
Each day, a person on the cookie diet eats a pack of six cookies and a small, low calorie and no carb dinner. The dieter is encouraged to drink plenty of water and is not encouraged to exercise until the maintenance phase of the diet. The main reason the diet works so quickly and effectively is because each day the dieter is only consuming about 800 calories.
The Pros of the Cookie Diet
The cookie diet is great for those who are too busy to cook or do not have to cook for other people because the prepacked cookies require no preparation. For people who are too busy for exercise, cannot exercise or simply prefer not to exercise, the cookie diet is good because exercise is not mandated until the maintenance phase.
The cookie diet does work and is good for quick weight loss. Some dieters can stick to the diet by allowing for "cheat" meals or special occasion days and then promptly returning to the diet after the treat.
The Cons of the Cookie Diet
While it might sound appealing to eat mostly cookies and lose weight quickly, the danger of the diet comes from the lack of variety. The cookie choices are not plentiful and can become tiresome quickly. Although some of the diet cookie companies have begun offering different variations such as muffins and soups, the foods are similar in nature to the cookies.
What's even more difficult are unexpected dinners or special occasions, when dieters might "cheat" and lose control of their weight loss progress. The start-up fees and cookies can be pricey. As with all diets, moderation and tracking are the keys to success.
As with any diet, the important thing to remember is that moderation of all food and commitment to living a healthier lifestyle are more important than any fad diet.
Megan B. Wyatt - Megan B. Wyatt has a BA in English, edits fiction manuscripts and currently works as an entertainment reporter in Lafayette, Louisiana.
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