Dr. Siegal's Cookie Diet and the Wafer Thin System are both diets that involve partial meal replacement using cookie or wafer-type foods. These meal replacements use fiber and other appetite-suppressing ingredients to control food cravings. Both diets also offer other resources and products, such as gum, shakes or supplements. Although Dr. Siegal's cookie diet generally involves eating six cookies per day and a sensible dinner, the cookies can be used to suppress appetite in conjunction with any weight loss diet, the website notes. Talk to your doctor before going on any weight loss diet.
History
Dr. Siegal's Cookie Diet was developed in 1975 by Miami-based physician Sanford Siegal, in an effort to assist his overweight patients with appetite control. In 2002, he authorized the franchising of his six-cookie-per day diet, but this partnership was dissolved in 2006. According to the Cookie Diet website, Siegal makes the cookies himself today. The Wafer Thin Diet was created by television personality and health products specialist J.J. Meier "over the course of the last several years," according to the company's website. The Wafer Thin System is affiliated with ITV Ventures, a multilevel marketing company that is no longer in business.
Respective Formulas
The wafers used in the Wafer Thin formula contain various types of natural fibers, including apple pectin and oat fiber, as well as glucomannan, a fiber said to "expand" during digestion and decrease appetite. Glucommanan may also regulate blood sugar and reduce cholesterol, the Wafer Thin website notes. The formula for Dr. Siegal's cookies uses natural fiber from bran, as well as other proprietary natural ingredients. Vegetarians should note that some of the cookies contain beef protein.
Function
Dr. Siegal's diet plan involves eating between 1,000 and 1,200 calories per day, through the use of cookies and/or shakes and a balanced dinner. The website notes that "on 1,000 a day, everybody loses weight." Consultation with your family doctor is strongly suggested before initiating the cookie diet, the website notes. The website also offers various calorie-calculating tools. The Wafer Thin system involves eating the appetite-suppressing wafers, taking a thermogenic supplement called Thinnergize, and chewing a gum designed to reduce sugar cravings.
FTC Action
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission obtained a preliminary injunction against ITV Ventures, which lists the Wafer Thin System as one of its products. The FTC took action against the company for falsely claiming that another product, Supreme Greens, could prevent or cure cancer and other diseases. The FTC also stated that the company was suspected of making unauthorized charges to customers' credit cards.
Exercise
Neither the Cookie Diet website nor the Wafer Thin System website put a particular emphasis on exercise. While it is likely that a person will lose weight on a very low-calorie diet, exercise is essential to long-term maintenance. Talk to your doctor about the right diet and exercise plan for your weight loss needs.
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