Putting the Hollywood Cookie Diet to the test
I don’t actually need to diet, but I’m intrigued by the concept of a diet that allows you — in fact, makes you — eat cookies for two meals and two snacks a day: a cookie diet. So I decided I’d try the Hollywood Cookie Diet for a few days to see if it made a difference for me.
A diet with few rules
I picked up a 12-pack of chocolate chip cookies, enough for a three-day trial run, at my local Walgreen’s (this is the only kind they had, and it cost me $19.99). The first thing that struck me was the almost complete lack of instruction about how you are supposed to go about the diet.
The box simply says to “enjoy four cookies per day in place of breakfast and lunch” and suggests that one be eaten for breakfast, a midmorning snack, lunch and a midafternoon snack, along with a “sensible dinner” and regular exercise.
There’s a standard disclaimer about checking with your doctor and not using if you’re pregnant, and a note that you can jumpstart your diet with other Hollywood Diet products and/or through diet coaching over the phone.
My Cookie Diet
Monday
9:29 a.m. I’m finally about to eat my first cookie. I decided I’d try to eat one every two hours or so through the day, as well as drinking a glass of water before and after each cookie. I don’t know why I decided that would be a good idea. Maybe I’m buying into the notion that drinking water helps with weight loss, even though I know it’s not true.
Speaking of weight loss, I weighed myself this morning, which I hadn’t done in a long time: 113 pounds. Not much to lose on this diet, though I do have some excess belly fat I wouldn’t mind melting with the healing power of cookies.
I open the first package. It smells sort of like a cookie, but really strong, somewhat chemical. It looks like a regular chocolate chip cookie, if somewhat shy with the chips. The cookies are about three inches across and have 150 calories, three grams of fiber, eight grams of sugar and five grams of protein each. (For some reason I can’t fathom, though I ate almost every cookie at my computer, I never took a picture of one.)
I take a bite. This is one dense cookie. Maybe that’s why I thought water would be in order. The taste isn’t offensive; in fact, it doesn’t taste like much of anything. There’s almost no texture as well. At least they’re not offensive.
I made it about three quarters of the way through the cookie before I had to take a drink of water. About that same time I actually did start to feel full, too. I don’t know if that’s psychological or if all those “essential vitamins and minerals” really are doing the trick.
I rushed through the last little bit of cookie, finishing it about 15 minutes after I started, much longer than it normally takes me to eat breakfast.
12:40 p.m. Just started my second cookie. There’s slightly more chocolatey (or at least chemicals that pass for chocolate) flavor in this one. I’m also taking bigger bites. Not sure I’m actually hungry but after just watching my husband eat a normal lunch, I’m ready to be eating something, too.
This one is gone in less than five minutes, which is pretty typical of a “snack.”
2:29 p.m. I’m starting to like these less and less. I just ate one for something to do and because I’m supposed to eat four of them before dinner, not because it was particularly tasty or I was particularly hungry.
3:44 p.m. I’m getting a headache. I don’t know if that’s due to the lack of calories or something else, since I’m not really feeling hungry. But I’ll probably eat my last cookie pretty soon.
4:21 p.m. Just finished my last cookie of the day. Still feeling headchey and a little tired. Very much looking forward to my sensible dinner (a salad with grilled chicken).
Tuesday
12:17 p.m. I’m two cookies in and my stomach just growled. I’m not planning to have another one for about an hour; hope I can make it that long. Last night my husband and I and a neighbor went for a long walk (about an hour and a half, moderate pace, with some hills) and after dinner I got an amazing headache. The lack of calories probably had something to do with it.
But today I’m mostly feeling better, but I’m fantasizing about getting to eat real food for lunch. I’m glad I’m just doing this as a test run and not for weeks and weeks to lose weight like some people do. I would definitely have a problem with the boredom factor.
3:46 p.m. Thinking about eating my last cookie of the day, which feels like a chore more than something enjoyable. I don’t even care if I’m hungry (I am, a little), I just don’t want to eat another cookie. I guess that’s how the boredom thing works, if you convince yourself it’s the cookie or starvation. I’ll grudgingly eat the cookie, though I’d much rather eat a banana. It has fewer calories anyway, and actually comes from nature.
Wednesday
2:56 p.m. I just got back from the grocery store and am snarfing my last cookie. I’ve been pretty hungry today, after finishing up yesterday with a chicken wrap with cheddar cheese and light ranch dressing and a walk that was probably around 45 minutes long.
The grocery store was tough. I wanted to buy everything. But I was a good girl and stuck to my list with the exception of some Stacy’s Pita Chips that I will use to savor my victory over this experiment tomorrow.
4:53 p.m. It’s probably because I’m working too hard, but I’m feeling really hungry. I was planning to let the sensibleness slide a bit this evening if need be (black bean tacos are on the menu) but I may need a legitimate snack before dinner. I could never be a dieter.
Thursday
11:27 a.m. I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to have instant oatmeal for breakfast as I was today. Last night I was still pretty good, eating just two tortilla chips (one with salsa) before dinner, and that was after an hour-long walk.
After my three days I lost maybe a pound. Of course I didn’t need to lose any weight, and I don’t normally eat a huge amount during the day, so I might not have been at that big of a deficit. For me, I think this diet may have inspired me to eat healthier for a little while, just because I’m so excited to get choices again.
For someone who normally eats a lot more during the day, who also exercised a little harder than I did, this diet would probably work. It’s great for busy people because you don’t have to think about what you’re eating and you can carry your food with you; it’s less great for people who want to eat actual food or who need some variety in their diet.
Still, for someone who needs to lose a relatively small amount of weight (I don’t know anyone who could stand this long-term) and who can deal with the drudgery (and potentially working out when you’re starving) there are probably worse plans out there.
(By Sarah E. White for CalorieLab Calorie Counter News)
Subscribe to our RSS feed | Weekly e-mail updates | Follow us on Twitter
Related posts from the CalorieLab Calorie Counter News archives:
