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Health: Cookie Diet

PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ― Leora Garret is able to get up stairs easily. Life on the go is no longer a struggle, and she's feeling fantastic.

"I just can't believe that I'm here, that I'm not fat anymore," said Leora.

She has lost 140 pounds in 9 months. With her new weight of 147 pounds, Leora no longer needs to take medications for high blood pressure and diabetes. Her weight loss success came from the Smart for Life Cookie Diet.

"It works like magic as simple as it is, cause first of all it's simple and it's easy. Quite frankly, you're hungry, you eat a cookie," said Dr. Scott Greenberg who has a financial interest in selling the cookies. He claims people typically lose 12 to 15 pounds a month.

"Losing weight in a very aggressive fashion helps the person stay motivated, and most people quit weight loss programs because they don't get the results that they're looking for and therefore they stop doing it," said Dr. Greenberg.

The maker says the cookies contain a special blend of protein to help control hunger.

"The blend of the proteins basically tell the brain that the bodies not hungry," said Dr. Greenberg.

Good thing since people on the cookie diet only get 800 calories a day. That comes from six cookies and one small meal of lean protein and veggies.

"That's been the easiest part for me, I don't have to worry about choices. The cookies are very satisfying they fill you up," said Leora.

University of Pennsylvania Registered Dietitian Andrea Diamond says the cookie diet is potentially dangerous, and the results usually don't last when people go back to eating normally.

"I think that it is terribly misleading and can derail people from healthy eating and lifestyle behaviors," said Andrea.

But Dr. Greenberg insists the smart cookie diet is safe and effective.

"We watch our patients for a year. It is about training the body to eat for hunger and stop eating when you're not hungry," said Dr. Greenberg.

"I think out of all the diets that I tried, this has been the easiest, and I think this is the one that will keep me slim for the rest of my life," said Leora.

So convinced, Leora has kept only one pair of old stretch pants and now has a new hobby of clothes shopping.

A pack of six cookies cost $8, and there is an initial starting fee of $149. For the medical portion of the program, which Leora participated in to get weekly doctor visits, it will cost an additional $49 each month. There are several Smart For Life Weight Management Centers located across the Delaware Valley. For more information call 1-866-THIN-230.

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Smart For Life

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