The Cookie Diet

COOKIETHIN.COM Mass has locations in Burlington / Newton / Braintree and North Andover.

Hi everyone. am on Day 4.. and so far it hasn't been too difficult. It's bagel day at work.. i toasted my cookie the oatmeal raisen flavor.. it helped me pass the bagels. Hoping for big results this first week... and trying to take it one day at a time.

Keep up the great work Miami Lakes / Boston Deb.. and all..

I will buy ANY AND ALL unopened, sealed packages of Dr. Siegel's cookies.( Cookie Diet )

Since the " Smart For Life Weight Management Centers" no longer have a contract with Dr. Siegel or his company, I can not obtain these cookies to continue my success on his diet! I called his medical practice in Florida and I was basically told "Oh well" because I don't reside in Florida, they will not sell me the cookies!

Thanks!!
thinkpink82981@yahoo.com

New Cookies.
Hello Everyone.
I just called the newton, MA Center.. and asked about the cookies. I was told that they will be introducing new better "more organic" cookies starting in Sept 06. The new flavors will be: Chocolate Chip, pina colada, Blueberry, Banana, Cinnamon Oatmeal Raisin. When the other cookies are gone they will no longer be available.

Pina Colada flavor sounds interesting.

I've been on the Siegle "Cookie Diet" for 10 weeks and have lost 33 lbs. I have followed the diet and I have never felt better. I will admit that sometimes you must use your own willpower but it has been worth every second of it. I went from a size 14-16 and so far I am a size 10 and hope to soon be a size 8. There is no wonder drug to lose wait but the cookies do help alot. Hopefully I will reach my goal in another month and then begin maintenance. I'm sure it won't be easy but were there is a will there is a way. Give it a try it is well worth it.

Very low calorie diets will only help you lose muscle. You can only lose about 2 pounds of fat a week. Anything more is water or muscle.

Once you lose muscle, you'll have a much easier time gaining the weight back. The solution is not to eat less, but to eat healthier food more often. I eat 6 meals a day, totalling about 3500 calories a day. I am losing a lot of fat and putting on a lot of muscle, making it easier for me to lose weight.

Go to www.burnthefat.com for a real weight loss program. It's no gimmick though; you'll learn healthy eating habits and to exercise nearly daily. However, you will not screw your metabolism and you will lose the weight the right way.

Don't fall for these gimmicks; it will only demean you.

Hi Everyone,

I started the program today and had the opportunity to try a few of the 'new & improved' cookies. the only change is that they are organic and have other flavors.

Ryan, in response to your post. Yes, what you say is true but sometimes, some of us, need that extra little boost to get started. My plan is to get beyond the plateau that I have. After that, I plan on staying on the 'diet' until I am within 15 pounds of my goal weight. Then I will join weight watchers.

Also, I spoke with the clinician and specifically asked about exercise, although they do not want you to exercise in the first 3-4 weeks, they will integrate that into your plan (but you have to ask).

Anyway, I think this is a good alternative to people have surgery to lose weight. My first weigh in is next Thursday and I'll post again then ...

Later!

Hello,

I went for my second weigh in on Saturday and I lost 3 more pound totaling 12 pound in 2 weeks.

1st week: 9 lbs.
2nd week: 3 lbs.

I love this diet!!

Lainey: There's always a way around a plateau without subjecting yourself to something like this. Whether you realize it or not, you're going to be hurting yourself with this. Carb cycling will get you around a plateau. One high-calorie, high-carb day followed by three lower-calorie, lower-carb days will get you around any plateau. Repeating this 4-day cycle is the best way to trick your body into liberating fat. Done properly, I don't think you even can plateau with it. It's so effective, some people have to incorporate more high-calorie days to SLOW DOWN the weight loss, to avoid losing muscle.

It takes effort, but weight loss is not supposed to be easy. Anyone who tells you otherwise has a gimmick for you; that's exactly how you test for a gimmick. We are seriously deluded in this country as to how much work it takes to develop and maintain a good looking body. The answer to your problems is work and discipline.

Miami Lakes Babe: Your post makes me want to cry. I can't believe you are actually happy about that instead of scared. You can only lose about 1% of your weight in body fat per week. If you lose any more, it will only be water or muscle. You are hurting your metabolism, and when you go off this silly diet, I can almost guarantee you will gain all of the weight back and more.

People, don't let yourself to be fooled. A starvation diet is the perfect way to lose muscle mass, ensuring that you will just get fat again when you go off it. You have to work with your metabolism, not against it. If you plateau, you may even have to trick it, but this cookie diet is just another gimmick to keep you fat in the long run, so they can just make more money off of you.

Ryan~

Please enlighten me on what type of fitness education you have. Are you an exercise physiologist or a personal trainer or neither? Have you read a few fitness magazines over the past few days and are now calling yourself an expert??? I agree with you about the 6 meals a day and I have the 3 Diet Book which is 100% right as far as yes eating every 3 hours you will lose 2 pounds per week and that is very safe.The Cookie Diet is for people that need to lose weight and lose it rather fast and I am on the cookie diet. In my first 5 weeks I have lost 10 pounds. I was targeted to lose 12-15 per month but I have cheated a handful of times and I still lost 8 pounds my very first month. Once I get to my goal weight~ I will than be better at portion control. For alot of us young mothers that need to lose weight and lose it fast~ this is a great way to do it.

Ryan,

I googled your name and found one ... you are a Computer Science Major, right?

I have a fitness education, but fitness education or not, I just cannot find one good reason to complain about eating cookies on a diet. What can be better than that? ;-) Okay, obviously I have not had a good cookie in a while. Maybe I should get some...

For Ryan, I'm just interested: At the top of this site is a reference to Dave Pickel who lost 90 pounds in 12 weeks on the Siegal Cookie Diet. According to your math and based on the starting weight of 312 pounds, the maximum amount of fat he could have lost in 12 weeks is 33 pounds, which leaves 57 pounds unaccounted for. Is he lying or did he simply have 57 pounds of excess muscle and water? Maybe he was wearing one of those Camelbak canteen backpacks full of water when he weighed in. But even then, 57 pounds?

Ryan~

Are you also underthe name: IfitandHealthy or is that someone else that also claims to have a fitness education?? The post was rather confusing about " Complaining to be eating cookies all day" or was that sarcasm???? Can you elaborate please as to what the heck that was supposed to mean??

I am not iFitandHealthy.

As far as Dave Pickel, men have different fat loss potential than women. Most experts say men can only lose 1% of their weight in body fat per week, but others believe you can lose 1.5% per week. Let's assume each week you will be 98.5% of your weight last week, or 0.985. 0.985 to the 12th power is approximately 0.834, or 83.4% of his original weight. This would mean he could potentially lose about 52 pounds of pure fat in this time.

So this actually leaves 38 pounds unaccounted for. Though it seems like a lot, some people can lose 10 or 20 pounds of muscle from severe dieting. And you can lose quite a lot of water before you have problems. I don't know what percent of your weight offhand, but you should ask a wrestler who needed to make a weight class.

However, it doesn't really matter. What they should have done is take his body fat percentage before the diet and after the 12 weeks, preferably using hydrostatic weighing. Then, they should have compared how much fat and how much muscle he lost/gained. The problem is that most people listen to pounds, not percentages, and all they use to track progress is the scale. It's not how many pounds lighter you are. That's very misleading. Your body fat percentage is the real test of how lean you are. The scale isn't enough.

Lainey: There's more than one Ryan Necas out there. I looked it up, and I think there's even another one who is a barrel racer.

Jennifer in PA: I'm am neither, but I keep myself as informed as possible. I go home after work and I read as much as my daily duties allow me. Any topic I hit I try to get as many opinions/articles as possible. If I thought I could make decent money with it, I would be a personal trainer or nutritionalist. Those are my dream jobs. I never pick up magazines; they're full of crappy information and advertisements.

Most of what I'll tell you here is basic stuff that everyone should know. Usually, with any nutritional argument, there are people on both sides. I try to never tell people anything that less than 90% of experts agree on. If I do, I try to provide the arguments for both sides. For example, nearly everyone agrees that it's better to eat 6 small meals instead of 3 larger meals. However, there's a very clear divide when it comes to morning fasted cardio.

Everyone in general: Why do you need to lose the weight fast? Is it cosmetic? That would be a very silly reason to risk damaging your metabolism for. Is it for health? For women, they rarely store visceral fat (fat inside the stomach; you can't pinch it). The fat you can pinch is much less harmful. As long as you keep moving forward, even if it's slowly, you'll eventually reach the body you want. Men with lots of visceral fat (pot bellies) may have a reason to aggressively lose weight. Let me stress the "may have".

Now, we come down to an important point. Most personal trainers (not people who are trying to sell you a fad diet) believe that diet alone CAN NOT bring about permanent fat loss. I have to say I agree with this. Human physiology has mechanisms that will almost always foil it.

Instead of starving your body and damaging your metabolism, why not try working with it? Train your body to burn more calories, with good nutrition/eating habits and proper exercise. I'm currently transforming my body, and at the end of the tunnel, I can look forward to not having to keep starving myself to maintain my weight. I will have an easy time staying thin.

Ryan~

As I stated before... it is super smart to eat 6 meals a say rather than 3 large meals. The Three Hour Diet is more of a lifestyle changing thing rather than a diet. This way after three hours if you don't eat your body goes into starvation protection mechanism ( I think that is what Jorge Cruise calls it in his book) and your body gets scared and starts storing anything it possibly can. The 3hour is what I plan on doing after I get to my goal wight by eating these cookies. I had a goal to lose 45 pounds by the 30th birthday November 12th ( yeah I am a bitchy Scorpio)!!!! I already lost ten my first 5 weeks and I am not starving myself. Even though the doctor tells me not to cheat~ I do anyway. I figure if I am only taking in 800 calories per day if I eat maybe 10 ounces of grilled chicken rather than the advised 6 ounces..... no biggie really because that is lean protein. Even if I eat a half of a brownie~ oh well.... I am human and I cannot totally give up everything. I will most likely do this for another 3 weeks than start a high protein diet and still eat veggies and good carbs. One diet doctor was on I think Access Hollywood the other night and said to eat protein for breakfast because it keeps you full longer.......

Ryan~~

Another thing....... I have heard numerous reports that cardio is better to do in the early morning before you eat. Whats your insight?

Jennifer in PA: Ah yes, the morning fasted cardio debate. Well, while you're exercising, your body is burning some kind of fuel in your body. This fuel is a mix of carbohydrates, fat, and protein (the three main energy sources). Alcohol does have calories, but I'm assuming you won't be exercising while drunk :-)

Anyways, in the morning, you have been fasted for several hours, due to sleeping. At this time, your body is lowest on glycogen, stored sugar in the muscles. So the theory is that when you do cardio then, you will burn less sugar in your fuel mix and therefore more fat. This is the upside of morning cardio.

However, there are a few concerns. The first is that, even if you did burn more fat than normal, would it really make a difference? If you burned more sugar during cardio, you might burn more fat the rest of the day and vice versa. In short, some believe that your daily calorie balance is all that matters.

The other concern is that the morning environment is also a good environment for your body to burn muscle. However, our muscles are being broken down and rebuilt all the time. Most people who lose muscle due to cardio just aren't eating right. If you're eating protein sources every three hours, this shouldn't be a great concern.

Morning fasted cardio is definitely controversial, but it seems to be more effective than regular cardio, both in theory and in practice. I do it myself, and I seem to be getting great results from it.

The best thing you can do is take the guesswork out of it. Measure your body fat percentage and find out if you're losing muscle mass. All of us are unique and it may turn out that morning fasted cardio doesn't work out for you. This is one instance where neither option is clearly better. I'm watching for further research though.

Ryan~

Wow. You sure know alot about this topic! My sisters father-in-law is a trainer. Well he worked for Verizon for 30 years but has been an athlete his whole life. He has his clients do cardio in the morning if possible but has also advised them to eat within the first hour that they wake up so for some people I guess it can be done: waking up, doing 30 minutes of cardio,cooling down than eating to kick~start the metabolism.I messed up big time one week with the cookie diet. I was eating maybe 4 out of my 6 cookies and doing 30 minutes of cardio a day and when I went for my weigh in.... I only lost 1 pound. I was highly devistated. Doc advised me that I slowed my metabolism by not eating enough than burning too much. I felt like I couldnt win. I am 5'3 and I am currently 156 pounds. I am confused as to a good daily calorie intake I should consume on top of cardio to effectively lose weight. Any suggestions????

Visit www.CookieThin.com -- locations and contact info is all listed there for the MA area.

Ryan,

All I have to say is that I sure am damn proud that I have lost 12 pounds in 2 weeks (don't be a hater). I will continue to post my progress as the weeks go by.

Do us all a favor, if you don't have something motivating or positive to write about, please don't write anymore. Most of the people that use this website are people that are on the cookie diet and come to each other for support and motivation. It's ok that you share your knowledge, but don't hate on us!

PS. Don't point me out on your comments!

Jennifer in PA: First of all, thanks! I read a lot, and I read critically. Losing a pound in a week is actually about on target for you. That's nothing to be disappointed with. People forget that your body can only give up fat so quickly. It's slower for lighter people and women. Anything you lose beyond that limit is hurting you, not helping. I'm 220 pounds and male, so I could potentially lose 2.2 pounds a week, though some experts would say 3.3 pounds. However, I would be perfectly happy to lose a steady pound a week.

Well, there's tons of stuff I could tell you about this, but it's too much to load this blog with. My advice is to just go to www.burnthefat.com and buy the e-book there. It's $40, well-written, and it has just about all the information you'll ever need on the topic. I disagree with the author's stance on saturated fat, but that's about the only complaint I could raise. Some people might not like it because it involves exercise, but I see you're already willing to do that, so that's no problem.

Anyways, I can sum up your problem. Most people's approach to weight loss looks foolproof. My body should burn X calories at Y weight, so I'll just eat less than X calories, so I should lose weight. However, our genetics have endured a lot of starvation, drought, and other such obstacles, so your body has a way around it. It just adapts to burn less calories. In order to keep losing weight, you have to eat even less, and your body will adapt again. It's a downward spiral. I actually call it "the death spiral", because the less you eat, the less vitality you'll have. So you end up half-killing yourself. This is why starvation diets almost never work.

The solution, believe it or not, is to eat more. You need to eat healthy, natural foods at the right times in the right amounts. Accompanied by exercise, this will spin your metabolism faster and faster. You would expect eating more and exercising more to cancel each other out, but it doesn't work that way. You get a double boost of metabolism with a single boost of calories.

I really, really have to recommend that e-book. Any part of the program that you can incorporate into your life will help you. Don't mind the initial fluctuations in weight. When you start to properly nourish and hydrate your body, certain things are added or subtracted from you that are not fat. Also, when you start resistance training, you'll put on muscle, which'll look like you're gaining weight. However, it's good weight that'll boost your metabolism even more.

For example, my weight's been in the 221-223 range (I weigh with my shoes/clothes on) for about 15 days now. However, I've also been looking much leaner and I've been lifting heavier weights in that time. I'm replacing the fat I'm losing with muscle, and that's a great thing.

Miami Lakes Babes: Sorry to point you out again, but this point needs to be made clear. I don't hate you. In fact, I like you enough to help you escape yo-yo diets once and for all.

Sure, you weigh 12 pounds less than you did 2 weeks ago. However, what were those 12 pounds you lost? Were they fat? Water? Muscle? Your body will only get rid of fat so quickly. There's a limit on how fast. If you lose more than that limit, than the rest isn't fat. If it's water, you're dehydrating yourself. If it's muscle, then you're slowing down your metabolism, ensuring you'll just gain back the weight when you go off this diet.

If I wanted to, I could lose 8 pounds over the weekend. All I would have to do would be to stop drinking water, find somewhere hot enough to make me sweat a lot, and take some caffeine pills. However, not one ounce of that 8 pounds would be fat.

The scale doesn't say everything. There are people who are "normal weight" but still have a dangerous amount of fat on them. On the other end of the spectrum, there are bodybuilders who are very heavy but don't have an ounce of fat on them. Your weight doesn't matter, it's what percentage of your weight is fat.

I am considering starting the program. I live in Boca Raton, FL. If there is no longer a contract for Dr. Siegel's cookies, then what are they using at the Smart for Life Centers? Will it be the same?

I would just like to point out that while there are thousands of opinions out there on what's healthy and what's not healthy, those opinions that are most popular and accepted change over time. If you ask any of the "experts" or "amateurs" questions, you will get a range of answers on almost any question.

There is one question that nobody will dispute: If you take in less Calories in a day than you expend, will you lose weight? The answer is obviously "yes", and Dr. Siegal has treated over 500,000 people since the 70's on an 800 calorie/day diet. Look at the results. Talk to the people who have done it. Don't just assume it's unhealthy or will fail because you learned that in school(not literally).

In school, I learned that Pluto was the ninth planet but as of yesterday it's not a planet anymore. Truth is just current opinion, but results can't be argued with. It is a popular diet because it always works if you stick to it. I know a lot of people who have been on this diet and the common opinion is that it is easier to stick to than other diets.

While it requires a serious commitment from the dieter, it is the product itself that controls the hunger that causes so many to fail on low calorie diets or on any other diet for that matter. You can't substitute 1/6th of a Snickers Bar for the "Siegal Cookie" because it has the same number of Calories.

The cookie has a unique combination of ingredients known only to Dr. Siegal and his wife that suppress hunger without drugs. Up to this point, it has never been copied successfully, though many have attempted it over the years.

Once again, as of recently the cookies are only available through Siegal's own clinics in South Florida. For those who call it a gimmick or a fad, have you truly done your research? Name another 30+ year “diet fad” that has changed so many people's lives in a positive way. You’d think that after 30 years and a half million people treated, a myriad of books, and a lifetime served making people’s lives better, anyone would have the respect to call it a “system” as opposed to a “fad” or a “gimmick”. There are different ways to solve the same problem and certain ways are better for certain people than other ways. I'm glad to hear that the new products available outside of South Florida are "organic", but by the way, what does "organic" mean anyway? The "real" Siegal Cookie is made of "food products" which are “carbon-based” which I understand to be "organic". I thought they were "cooked" in a "bakery" but maybe I'm wrong: I guess it's possible that they are made from recycled tires. For anyone on this diet, stick with it. If you follow the rules (and even if you cheat a little), you will lose weight quickly.

Ryan~

Thanks for the info. I would like to fill you in a little more aboutthe cookie diet. Before you can even start the diet, each person must have blood work donw to make sure that they are healthy. Also we have an EKG done right there, BMI done as well as blood pressure. With lacking alot of calories, we are also given many supplements to make up for these losses. In the morning I take an apple cider and chromium pill along with a B6 pill. Around 2:00 I take another apple cider/chromium pill. At dinner, I take a mulit~vitamin and a calcium pill. Also once a month we have to meet with the doctor. Oh and there is a stipulation as far as exercise. If you were previously exercising before you start the cookie diet, you can exercise however the doc will discuss with you on the days that you choose to workout that your protein will bill increased with your dinner. If you were not exercising prior, it isnt advised but you can if you want to but the same rule follows..... protein will have to be increased. Here is another thing... my sister in law thought I was crazy when I told her about this diet as well. She is on a 1200 calorie per day diet ( but she also works out 5days a week) so she probaly burns off 300-400 calories per day so she is kinda on the same track as I am sticking to around 800-900 per day most of the week. Like I advised before, within the first month I should have lost around 12-15 pounds and I lost only 8 my first month. That was fine with me because I didnt do it exactly by the book. I ate something if I really wanted to. I want to do this for at least another month or so. If I am harming my body it isnt for all that long. Once I get closer to 125 pounds, I will go off the cookies and exercise 4-5 days a week and eat alot of lean protein ( chicken, turkey and tuna) and eat the good carbs and very little fats. Now is that sooooooo bad for me?????? Your insight is very helpful:)

Miami Lakes Babe~
CONGRATS ON THE 12 POUNDS IN TWO WEEKS..... THATS GREAT!!!!!!!!!!

Ryan~
Check this site out. This is the one that I am enrolled in........

http://www.togetthin.com/programs/

Jennifer in PA: It's good that they're at least carefully assessing you and giving you supplements. Whenever you eat less calories, you naturally eat less vitamins/minerals. Despite the care they take, the limiting of exercise puts a red flag up for me. Any program you do should support heavy exercise. This further reinforces that this program will probably hurt your metabolism.

As far as what you plan to do after you go off the diet, don't be too eager to get rid of fats. Certainly, make sure you get your Omega-3's and 6's. These will boost your metabolism and actually help burn fat off. Also, during the no-fat food era, some people got deficient in fats. They had flaky skin, bad joints, brittle hair, etc. Also, fats in general give you a hormonal advantage. I have a lot of beef in my diet. I don't pick particularly lean cuts either. I eat the fat streaks too. I also supplement with natural peanut butter and flax seed oil. I put these fats in my body to boost my vitality.

Though this is not a totally accurate rule, the more intensity someone can put out in the gym, the more likely it is that they are lean. I'm feeding myself and exercising to become more powerful, and my body's been getting leaner fairly quickly as a result.

Hi Ryan,

I think that one piece you are missing from your information on this program is that they have you exercise based on what your previous exercise routine was. The recommended Pilates to me as I have not exercised since June 2004 when I got put on total bedrest with pregnancy.

Lainey

P.S. I'm on day three of the program but last night had Filet Mignon at a friends 40th Birthday at Abe & Louis in Boston ... It was delish and worth the extra calories ;)

Lainey: I know they do allow some exercise, but the point is that any weight loss program should supply you with the nutrition for extremely strenuous exercise, the very most strenuous you're capable of. Though this will probably make me sound like a musclehead, I don't count things like yoga or pilates as real exercise. I do make an exception for the very highest levels of yoga though.

Jennifer in PA,

Sorry for the confusing, it was obviously a joke, except the part that I have not had a good cookie in a while and fitness education. How can I help you?

Jason~
Wow...finally a non~hater thats a man we have in our corner. Just kidding Ryan!! Let's keep it real though... for me this diet works for me and I need simplicity and the cookies are simple. As far as my weight goal: once I reach my goal of 120, I will stick to X amount of calories per day to stay at the 120. Every other diet has failed for me due to shear hunger and with this one~ I really am never hungry. Wait a minute let me elaborate her a sec..... if I eat something that I am not supposed to (really anything besides cookies, I do crave more bad foods). Carbs dont mix well with these cookies. If I really wanted to, I could lose the advised 12-15 a month however I like to snack every now and than and if I feel the need to cheat a little, I will and I dont feel bad for it. The first 2 weeks I did it totally by the book and I did great. Since summer is coming to an end I have all fall and winter to work on my weight loss. Yeah I could meet my goal by November if I really did it hard core however I really dont need to lose the full 45 pounds by Nov. I like to eat ( I am not a porkchop though). I am 5'3 and am now at 156 pounds. Per the weight charts for a helathy person my age and height I can weigh anywhere from 107-140 pounds. I just need to find out how mnay calories I can eat as well as burn to effectively lose weight...... anyone have any clues????

Jennifer in PA: If you can get your body fat percentage tested, then you can figure out the amount of calories you need with the Katch-McArdle formula. This is the best formula available.

Jason: I'm not saying that the diet doesn't work. If you want to decrease that number the scale shows you, then sure, go for the Cookie Diet. But the scale doesn't say everything. What's more important is how much of your scale weight is muscle and how much is fat. But if all you care about is that stupid number the scale tells you, then you deserve a life-long struggle with weight loss.

When someone says "I've lost 30 pounds", that doesn't mean a thing to me. What were those 30 pounds? Did you lose 10 pounds of fat and 20 pounds of muscle? That'd pretty much gaurantee you'll gain the weight back. Did you lose 40 pounds of fat and gain 10 pounds of muscle? That'd help you stay lean forever.

Yes, the calorie balance law is absolute. However, your body has a mind of its own about the "calories out" part. If you decrease how many calories you eat, your body will decrease how many calories it burns. It adapts; generations of famine have taught it to.

I don't trust the Cookie Diet because all they say is how many pounds you lost. They don't say how many pounds of lean mass were lost or gained and how many pounds of fat mass were lost or gained. Any permanent weight loss solution will result in a loss of fat and either a maintaining or gaining of muscle mass.

I've been on my weight loss plan for 10 weeks. In that time, my weight has gone down by about 10 pounds. That doesn't look so great. However, I've lost 20 pounds of fat and gained 10 pounds of muscle. That is a truly great result.

So, in summary, the Cookie Diet will do what it says it does: make your scale weight go down. It succeeds in that. But this is not necessarily a good thing. In fact, it could be a disaster. What were those pounds you lost? If you don't take your body fat percentage, you'll never know. Every pound of muscle you lose will just help you get fat again after the diet is over.

This diet is a scam. It's exactly what you want to hear: quick and easy. What you need to hear is blood, sweat, and tears. As long as all you care about is your scale weight, you will just keep getting scammed time and time again. Body fat percentage is the real measure of how overweight you are. Get this through your heads, people.

Ryan,

I think it's best if you don't write anymore. No one here wants to be a bodybuilder or a Mr. / Miss Fitness USA; we just want to look good and not die from it. I think you need to go into a different web site where your opinion matters. You are just a distraction here.
We all are very happy and healthy eating our cookies. Every time you write it's the same crap, it's getting really boring.

I'm not encouraging you to be a bodybuilder, but any weight loss program should at least maintain your current muscle mass.

What I want is for you to not subscribe to scams that will keep you in yo-yo dieting forever. I want you to know why certain approaches to weight loss are not permanent and are almost guaranteed to fail in the long run. I want you to lose the weight and keep it off forever, the right way.

I'm not even trying to sell you anything. If you want to reject my advice, then fine. Get duped. I'm doing my best to help you learn the truth, the real truth that most of the weight loss industry won't tell you. But if you want to subscribe to self-imposed ignorance, then I can't stop you. You're only hurting yourself though.

"I just need to find out how mnay calories I can eat as well as burn to effectively lose weight...... anyone have any clues????"

The best way to find this out is to get it tested. Go to 24 Hour Fitness (you don’t need to be a member) and ask them about ‘BodyGem’. If they don’t use it anymore, ask them if any other reliable method is available in your area.

Get tested for what? Also what is BodyGem?

Get tested to find out how many calories you burn. BodyGem is a device that they use to test how many calories your body burns in a rested state. You breathe in it for 10 minutes and you get a number.

Once you know how many calories you need to maintain your current weight (this is the number you get from BodyGem), you will know how many calories you need to eat to lose weight.

Hi All! I'm down another 8lbs and that totals 31.5lbs in 6 weeks. I am so happy with my progress!
I don't want to hear any fitness lectures or nothing!!
This is the cookie diet blog and we are here to talk about just that, support each other, and not read about these long long paragraph fitness lectures. You don't know about us or our lives, so don't judge!!
Miami Lakes Babe... I am so with you all the way!!!!!

Ryan - I'm sorry, but you don't live in what I would call the "real world". You live in a highly disciplined world in which every person has the time and willpower to spend four hours in the gym every day. I don't believe the "cookie diet" is the only way to lose weight, although it has made many people happy who could not find such happiness using other systems (including your detailed system described on this blog).

Have you treated 500,000 people? Can you reference your books? All I've got here is a guy on a blog with an opinion, while Dr. Siegal has a reputation. Also bear in mind: Dr. Siegal was not on "Good Morning America" (not to mention all the other TV, radio, and other media spots) due to a massive marketing campaign as is common in the weightloss industry. He's just a South Florida doctor with a good local practice and products that people like. The media finds him based on his reputation and his diet's popularity with his patients.

There is also the subject of undetected hypothyroidism which according to Siegal affects 1/4 of his patients. (Some who prefer the disciplined gym approach would probably view hypothyroidism as a weakness that needs to be excercised out of the system.) Often it is treatment for this condition that ultimately makes weightloss possible, but this is the subject of a different conversation.

Ryan - From my perspective, I think that's enough said on the subject, but if "Good Morning America", "Woman's World", or "Health Magazine" calls you for an interview, please let me know so I can look out for the issue.