Can the Cookie Diet Keep Down that Holiday Weight?

As I lay here in the quiet of the night, thoughts of the holidays run through my mind. Tasty holiday recipes and holiday foods excite my senses. I should be sleeping, but I just can't seem to shake the anticipation of all that holiday fun and the general good mood that people have once the holiday spirit hits them. As I smile to myself, an anxiety comes over me. I hope I don't overeat this year. With so many delectable dishes that are bound to dance their way into my presence, how am I supposed to control myself? Should I look for some lowfat holiday recipes? Should a holiday recipe be low calorie? Would it taste right? But, but... I can't control how others cook their holiday foods. Oh my! I may just have to eat in moderation. Or worse yet, I may even have to diet. Oh no!!! DIET? Me? Can I just eat desserts and call that my diet?

Well, it seems as though a dessert-only diet might be possible. Just in time for the holidays. Imagine that. According to the New York Daily News, Dr. Sanford Siegal has developed a cookie diet. That right... a cookie diet. No joke. Back in 1975, Dr. Siegal developed the cookie diet to fight obesity. Apparently it is based on the consumption of only 1000 calories a day. You achieve that by eating the specially treats he's designed just for his cookie diet all day long. Then for dinner, you eat a 500 calorie dinner that includes lean protein and vegetables. Now that sounds like a sweet deal. But is it too good to be true? How the heck can you lose weight by just eating cookies? How can that possibly be healthy? According to the article, I am not the only person to have those concerns. The reference an ABCNews.com quote from Dr. Louis Aronne, director of the Comprehensive Weight Control Program at the New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center who says that the diet worries him because it lacks good nutrition. Additionally, registered dietician, Anne Fletcher, states that, "if you lose weight through diet and exercise alone and don't change anything else in your life, you are probably going to gain the weight back." How crazy is that? Not healthy and the weight loss won't last? That definitely gives me pause.

I think I will avoid the Cookie Diet for now. Let's see how long this diet fad lasts. I will just have to avoid that holiday weight and those extra pounds the old fashioned way. I have to cook with less fat and watch what I eat. No overeating, no dessert smorgasbord... no need for the crazy Cookie Diet!!!