The other day I ate 2 cookies and I woke up the next morning having lost 2 pounds.
Now, a statement like that, out of context, can easily misconstrued, badly.
(Like a lot of nutritional ‘advice’ and headlines out there!)
For example, if we want to move forward with that data (and it is actual data) then would could additionally say that “Studies Show The New Cookie Diet Guarantees Weight Loss of 1 Pound Per Cookie Eaten!”
It sounds ridiculous but believe it or not, that is exactly how many fads, tweets, and clickbait articles are derived.
- They take a really small sample size (in this case, 1 day, and 1 person)
- They don’t tell you anything else about the other variables (called confounding).
- They don’t repeat the results over & over again in controlled environments, long-term.
- They make easy, attention-grabbing headlines.
Now remember, in this case I really did lose 2 pounds after eating 2 cookies the day before.
But I also:
- Am in a very balanced, healthy state with a proven track record of being able to lose or gain weight based on what I eat, drink, and how much I sleep very quickly, from 1 day to the next;
- On the day in question, I was in an approximate 50% caloric deficit based on my body’s needs and activity level. Specifically, I did a 45-minute intense session of yoga and played a full 90-minute match of soccer without any rest during the match. I was traveling most of the day, so I did not eat that much other food. I had eggs & spinach for breakfast, and a few nuts. That’s about it, plus the cookies & water.
- The cookies were homemade, without any inflammatory ingredients (for me) such as gluten or dairy.
So you can see the 2 Cookie Per Day Diet is NOT a long-term strategy that anyone else, even me, should adopt.
The only long-term nutrition strategy you should adopt is the one that actually works for you, and which you can stick to consistently.
Matt Fried 