CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Many people are searching for that magic key to lose weight. One Cedar Rapids woman claims she found it by eating cookies.
Six years ago, Valerie Bauer of Cedar Rapids set a goal once thought unfathomable.
"My chief goal for turning 60 was to run a marathon,” Bauer recalls, “an impossible task for me because I'm not an athlete by any measure."
She began training but hit a wall.
"What was impeding me was too much weight," says Bauer.
Bauer lost 20 pounds through exercise, but needed to lose more. That's when she heard about a diet based on cookies.
"I heard about Doctor Siegal's Cookie Diet on Good Morning America a little over a year ago," says Bauer.
These aren't just any cookies. The diet includes six cookies a day packed with nutrients. Bauer says it helped her control her emotional eating.
"I could reach for a cookie, still for the same reason, and instead of an unhealthy cookie I would be eating a healthy cookie and it would still satisfy that need for me," Bauer explains.
Dietitians say the cookie diet acts as a jump-start for a healthy diet.
"A jump-start can be a really motivating,” says Linda Ashley, a registered dietitian at the Oakland Road Hy-Vee in Cedar Rapids.
“Anytime we restrict our food choices, as the cookie diet does, we start to see weight loss and that can be motivating to keep going."
Ashley is quick to point out the cookie diet is not a long-term replacement for a healthy diet.
"The next step is maintaining that weight-loss through a healthy diet that includes balance variety and moderation," says Ashley.
For Bauer, the diet worked. She lost a total of 60 pounds and just finished running a marathon in Hawaii.
"It was so much fun, and it was because we were able to do it,” says Bauer. “We had not only the energy but also the stamina."
For Bauer the only thing sweeter than reaching her goal was a cookie after-wards.
You can find out more about Dr. Siegal’s Cookie Diet on their
website.
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