The cookie diet is helping New York Jets player Kris Jenkins lose weight, the Associated Press reports.
The diet, known as Dr. Siegal’s Cookie Diet, has been around since 1975. According to the Cookie Diet’s website, the dieter consumes six cookies throughout the day and eats a “reasonable” dinner at night – with approval from their doctor.
Many think of Dr. Siegal’s Cookie Diet as another fad diet, but for Jenkins the diet has been working. After all, the “cookies” are not like the traditional sugar-packed desserts and are meant to serve as meal substitutes that suppress the consumer’s hunger. Ingredients include milk, eggs, soy, wheat, crisp rice, and non-vegetable protein.
Jenkins’ weight has been brought down from 385 to 365 so far for a total of twenty pounds lost. Jenkins had weighed 390 at his heaviest after being sidelined for the second half of last season by a knee injury.
His goal is to be 350 by the end of training camp, but for now he is motivated by a weight-loss competition between himself, Coach Rex Ryan, and his teammate Damien Woody. They will be weighed at the start of training camp on Sunday and the winner will get a donation to charity made in his name.
The AP also reports that Jenkins even considered retirement during the offseason, but after talking it over with his wife and Coach Ryan, he came to the realization that he wanted to continue playing.
“I need this camp, I really do,” he said. “I’m looking forward to this.”
