14 DAY TRIAL // The first time we heard of a diet called simply the Cookie Diet, we were intrigued, to say the least. Its creator, Sanford Siegal, D.O., M.D., was more than willing to talk to us about it, how it came to be, how it worked and why it was the best. It’s now time for take two on the Cookie Diet.
As we also noted a few days ago, in his never-ending attempt to help people lose weight, live better, longer and happier lives, Dr. Siegal has “upgraded” his diet: it’s now called Plan 10X and it’s already available for purchase on the official website.
PlanX is like the younger and more attractive cousin of the Cookie Diet, if you will. It tackles hunger by not allowing it to set it in a very simple and efficient manner: the six daily cookies are now nine, thanks to a lower calorie content per cookie.
This way, the dieter still eats between 1,000 and 1,200 calories a day to achieve the desired weight, but actually gets to eat more. Thus, one of the biggest cons of dieting is destroyed from the get-go.
Dr. Siegal was kind enough to talk to us about Plan 10X and to answer all our questions we could think of about it.
Softpedia: For those of our readers who are not familiar with the name of Dr. Siegal and his famous Cookie Diet: why is this diet special? How would you describe it to someone who’s never heard of it but is willing to try it to lose weight, having already tried a bunch of other stuff? Any cons you might like to point out?
Dr. Siegal: With a name as catchy as "Dr. Siegal's Cookie Diet," you might be tempted to dismiss my approach as another fad diet. But if you do even the most casual research, you discover that it's a sound and sensible approach that's been popular with generations of dieters and doctors for nearly 40 years.
One thing that makes Dr. Siegal's Cookie Diet special, and the reason it works so well, is that addresses the main cause of diet failures: hunger.
Softpedia: Just recently, you unveiled a new eating plan. How is this different from the previous one? What does it bring new to table? Should customers expect more weight loss (as in, to lose more pounds), or an easier way to achieve the same goal as with the previous diet? Does it eliminate hunger pangs? How about cravings? Would you say dieters face less of a risk to fall off the wagon and overeat with the new and improved plan?
Dr. Siegal: After 36 years, I recently introduced a new and improved eating plan called Dr. Siegal's Plan 10X, and new cookies to go with it. The total daily calories and target weight loss are the same but I believe that the new plan will be even more effective at controlling hunger.
Under the original plan, my goal was to stamp out your hunger as soon as it occurred. On the new plan, I don't even wait for hunger to strike. Instead of eating 6 snacks plus dinner, you now eat 9 snacks plus dinner. You eat something every two hours during waking times. There's just no time to get very hungry.
My new cookies have many advantages. They cost less; they're all-natural, Kosher, and vegetarian; and they're truly delicious. They're also smaller (60 calories each instead of 90) so you can eat more per day.
Softpedia: Speaking of falling off the wagon, they say, for instance, that it takes 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration to create something. One could imagine dieting and losing weight also depend on two interrelated factors, an adequate diet and motivation. How much of the latter is required for the Cookie Diet? That is, is it easier to stick to than, say, other calorie-restricted diets out there?
Dr. Siegal: It's absolutely easier to stick to than many other plans because most plans don't address hunger. There are thousands of diet approaches that would work if you stuck to them but you can't because of hunger. Hunger is a very powerful force that is designed to keep you alive under extremely adverse circumstances.
Softpedia: What are the most important aspects dieters should know / keep in mind before going on the Cookie Diet? Should they see a nutritionist before ordering it online (assuming they can’t see you in person for advice)? Do results depend on each patient, assuming all follow your instructions to the letter?
Dr. Siegal: A nutritionist, no. Their doctor, yes. After treating hundreds of thousands of patients, I know that those who diet under a doctor's supervision have better results than those who go it alone. People see their doctors as authority figures and don't like to disappoint them. All practicing physicians are aware of this phenomenon.
Softpedia: What kind of support do you offer dieters, is there a thing like a support group for them, or do you make sure you stay in touch with as many as your patients as possible while they’re on the diet?
Dr. Siegal: In my medical practice, Siegal Medical Group, we charge a flat monthly fee regardless of how many times we see the patient. This encourages patients to come in frequently which, in turn, keeps them motivated.
Customers who order at www.CookieDiet.com or buy the cookies in stores are advised to seek guidance from their own doctor. Of course, CookieDiet.com offers telephone, email, and live chat assistance for customers but doesn't give medical advice.
Softpedia: We know your approach to weight loss is based on proving wrong the claim that 3 meals a day are ideal for weight loss. How are those who back this assertion up wrong and, more importantly, why should we eat more often but smaller meals throughout the day?
Dr. Siegal: Anyone who advocates eating three large meals a day should be asked what is the basis for that advice. I can tell you that there is no medical or biological rationale for it. It's a fairly recent social phenomenon that leads to hunger and snacking, usually on salty snacks high in calories and fat.
On Dr. Siegal's Plan 10X eating plan you eat a 60-calorie snack every two hours, plus dinner. Eating that frequently does a good job of keeping unreasonable hunger in check.
Softpedia: From your experience and work of over 3 decades with people losing weight, would you say they can change their eating habits with the Cookie Diet and proper counseling / guidance? Given that we’re bombarded daily (women, in particular) with tons of information on how to lose weight and maintain our figure, some of it not even in the least accurate, what would be the first thing you’d tell us on the importance of a change in lifestyle, as opposed to just short-term dieting?
Dr. Siegal: There are critics who don't know anything about my diet yet, based solely on its cute name, say that it doesn't promote a lifestyle change. In Dr. Siegal's Cookie Diet Book, the first chapter is called Lifestyle Changes, and in it I respond to those critics.
I make the point that the lifestyle that leads to one becoming overweight or obese is dramatically different from the one you follow on Dr. Siegal's Cookie Diet, a plan on which you consume 1,000 to 1,200 calories a day. Read through the personal experiences described in the Testimonials section of CookieDiet.com and tell me that those people didn't make a dramatic change in their lifestyles.
Softpedia: Thank you for everything, you’ve been amazing as always. Before I too get started on the Cookie Diet for an in-depth review for our readers, any piece of advice? A few parting words of wisdom?
Dr. Siegal: Absolutely. There's no magic pill for weight loss. If someone promises that you can lose weight without sacrifice, without restricting calories, they are either uninformed or dishonest. Under the best of circumstances, losing weight is nobody's idea of fun. It takes discipline, sacrifice, and a strong desire to succeed.
That goes for Dr. Siegal's Cookie Diet, too. There's nothing magical about my cookies or my plan. The cookies are intended to satisfy your hunger so that you can stick to a reduced-calorie diet. It is the caloric deficit, not the cookies or Dr. Siegal's words of wisdom, that cause the weight to come off.
For more on the Cookie Diet and the new Plan 10X, see here.
