Happy Tuesday!! How’s everyone doing on this lovely, dreary, snowy day? ;)
So yesterday afternoon, a co-worker of mine brought an article to my attention that I immediately had to check out; as soon as I read it, I thought it would be rather interesting to share with all of you this morning…
Turns out, there is a man who decided to follow a 10-week diet that consisted mainly of this stuff:
Yes my friends, that is Twinkies.
Instead of eating regular meals, Mark Haub, a professor at Kansas State University, ate snacks consisting of Twinkies, Little Debbie Snack Cakes, and other convenience store “treats” every three hours.
The information that followed in the article was rather interesting:
His premise: That in weight loss, pure calorie counting is what matters most — not the nutritional value of the food.
The premise held up: On his “convenience store diet,” he shed 27 pounds in two months.
No joke.
Granted, there was one underlying factor in his “class project” that played a huge part in his results: he limited himself to less than 1,800 calories a day. A man of his size should normally consume 2,600 calories in a day.
But even still, I continued to become more intrigued as I read through the rest of the article:
- His BMI dropped from 28.8 – 24.9.
- His “bad” cholesterol, or LDL, dropped 20 percent and his “good” cholesterol, or HDL, increased by 20 percent.
- He reduced the level of triglycerides, which are a form of fat, by 39 percent.
Although Haub took a multivitamin pill, drank a protein shake daily, and ate vegetables (i.e., a can of green beans or 3-4 celery stalks), 2/3 of his total intake of food came entirely from junk food. Take a look at a “sample day” for Haub during this experiment:
Espresso, Double: 6 calories; 0 grams of fat
Hostess Twinkies Golden Sponge Cake: 150 calories; 5 grams of fat
Centrum Advanced Formula From A To Zinc: 0 calories; 0 grams of fat
Little Debbie Star Crunch: 150 calories; 6 grams of fat
Hostess Twinkies Golden Sponge Cake: 150 calories; 5 grams of fat
Diet Mountain Dew: 0 calories; 0 grams of fat
Doritos Cool Ranch: 75 calories; 4 grams of fat
Kellogg’s Corn Pops: 220 calories; 0 grams of fat
whole milk: 150 calories; 8 grams of fat
baby carrots: 18 calories; 0 grams of fat
Duncan Hines Family Style Brownie Chewy Fudge: 270 calories; 14 grams of fat
Little Debbie Zebra Cake: 160 calories; 8 grams of fat
Muscle Milk Protein Shake: 240 calories; 9 grams of fat
Totals: 1,589 calories and 59 grams of fat
Although Haub never commits to saying whether the “Twinkie Diet” is neither healthy or unhealthy, he does admit to the fact that this is not a healthy way of living and eating. Thank goodness Mr. Professor. My stomach was churning after reading just a quarter of one of your sample days. Yikes! :shock:
While the premise of the article I found to be somewhat interesting, there are some overwhelming facts that hopefully anyone can see: The man significantly cut his recommended daily calories…OF COURSE he’s going to lose weight!!!
If you’d like to check out the full article, you can click here.
In a world full of cheap fast-food fare, convenience store treats, and on-the-go families, I’m sure there is more of this type of eating going on than we’d like to admit. Also unfortunate, is that I’m sure there are probably people who will read this article and think, “Gee, that sounds like a great idea! Eat a diet full of empty calories and I can lose weight!”
But hopefully, as you read through this article the same thoughts crossed your mind, as they did mine:
- This is just GROSS!
- It is definitely no way to eat!
- Bring on the fruits, veggies, whole grains…and peanut butter!
Ok…maybe I wouldn’t be opposed to one zebra cake. We are all about a healthy, balanced lifestyle here, right? ;)
***Edited to add: If you’re interested in reading more on the side effects of how one girl felt after eating similar foods for one week, check out my latest post, “The Big Junk Food Test“***
Question for the Morning:
What are your thoughts on the article??
Jessica @ How Sweet says
I heard about this on the news and it grosses me out. There are only 2 foods in the world that make me gag: twinkies and sausage. I got sick after eating a twinkie when I was little and can barely stomach looking at them. Blech!
Di @ http://thetreadmilldiaries.com/ says
Though he lost lbs restricting his calories, this gentleman still ate a large amount of processed foods. I would bet if he watched his calories while eating nutrient rich whole foods – he would have lost weight and his body would feel even better.
Fourfront says
Having good unprocessed foods not only help you slim down but they give you the nutrients you need for your skin, heart etc. and give you that “Glow” everyone talks about. I am sure you don’t feel as energetic at all also considering that food effects brain chemicals and moods. Overall this diet can’t be healthy.
Rosey Rebecca says
I kind of think the article is ridiculous, because now some people are going to think that it’s OK to just live on Twinkies, and it’s NOT.
kelliefish13 says
People already think that, reading this article is not going to change that.
jelzmar says
People are stupid and there is nothing we can do about that. I stopped feeling sorry for them a long time ago.
About the article. It is interesting, and his theory was correct. Less calories is all it takes to lose weight, no matter what type of calories you take in.
There are so many fade diets and programs to help you loose weight and he has just proven that they are ripping you off. All you have to do is count your calories. This is what Weight Watchers is all about and why it works so well for so many people.
You don’t need to pay anyone to do this though. We can all count and everything has a label telling us what is in it. And if you are just one of those people that has to eat constantly, out of boredom or whatever your reason, remember that celery and water has 0 calories.
CaSaundra says
Wow–what an interesting article. Even if I was losing weight on a diet that consisted of junk food, I am pretty sure I would still be draggin and feel like crap!
Sinusoid says
Why do you think so?
You think there is some “magic” that processing takes out of food?
Plus to other people: there is no such thing as empty calories! Calories are the amount of energy that the body can harvest from the food. The fact that the food doesnt contain everything you need wont mske you drag…
People dont realize how little vitamins the body needs, these multivitamin tablets are total overkill. Usually they are mostly packed with vitamins that can be flushed out like C, so there is little risk of poisoning.
slowoodworker says
Why? Because the calories are from sugar. You get a rush, then fall flat on your face.
Gabriela @ Une Vie Saine says
Interesting stuff, but it makes sense. I think quality of calories matters to an extent- it’s interesting to see that people who eat massive amounts of healthy (yet dense) foods are generally thinner than those who eat tons of junk. But when it comes down to it, a calorie is a calorie, and differences in the way our body processes them only accounts for a small amount of those calories. Hopefully people don’t latch onto this as a new diet trend, though!!
Lin says
You know, I’m happy for the guy who managed to lose weight on the “twinkie diet” but there is no way I’d recommend for anyone to eat this way. Just like the cookie diet, chocolate diet and what not, if you only restrict yourself to eating one type of food you’ll probably lose weight because you’ll get sick of it and eat less.
Btw I just got a new pair of Uggs (us Ugg lovers need to stick together- so many haters out there :-P)
Amy @ Second City Randomness says
I saw articles about this when he started. And I agree- of course he’s going to lose weight when his body is used to a particular amount of calories and he dramatically slashes them.
And it’s one of those things- ok, fine, he’s skinnier now. But is he really technically healthier? Even though they discuss his cholesterol levels, what about how the rest of his body is running?
Granted, I loved me some Nutty Bars back in the day, but I didn’t consider them a staple in my diet!
It’s like the taco bell diet all over again..
Melissa says
Well, yes, it does make sense that consuming fewer calories=weight loss, but he must’ve felt completely awful! I wish he had talked about that more in the article. Did it affect his energy levels? Did he exercise? What about sleep with all that sugar? I would also think that this type of “diet” could cause you to develop diabetes pretty fast . . . Plus, I would totally get sugared out!
Celina says
Gives a whole new meaning to “skinny fat”
And his “thesis” is pretty weak…calorie counting does not matter….nutritional counting should
great post though! :)
Barbara says
What the heck, have tried every other diet, Twinkies here I come, lol.!!!
Liz says
Oh my gosh!! Funny thing is, that’s basically my diet (minus dinner) from 9th-10th grade. I could never maintain that diet now. I’d pass out!
Kate Taylor says
Great post! I don’t think I could ever go on a twinkie diet but then again I hate twinkies. If it was a chocolate diet however……
Pushing Thirtyy says
I second that
Jess says
Ah I bet he felt so sick! I could never do that.
The Simple Life of a Country Man's Wife says
Everything in moderation. I wouldn’t last one day on that diet!
sunflowercreationshome says
Am I the only one that was drooling over this? Maybe I shouldn’t deprive myself of junk so much because I was insanely jealous of Mr Haub. ;) All joking aside he must have felt like crap and that is obviously not a good way to lose weight.
runtobefit says
He is my hero!! On my way to the grocery store now!!! JK…but really :-) I know it did help that he was not eating the correct daily calorie amount he should consume.
http://www.runtobefit.wordpress.com
Teri says
Well, this explains why I’m thin. LOL!! (I have a terrible diet.) Thanks for sharing. It does prove the calories in/calories out theory….interesting stuff!
Corxy says
Amazing.
kittymartine says
Wowser. I am on this diet/fitness challenge right now (30 day shred/ eat clean) and I may have to rethink my whole strategy! Very interesting, thanks for posting.
http://katrinemartine.wordpress.com/
*British Texan Blend*
Ava Aston's Muckery says
The Twinkie Diet — just writing those words makes me vomit a little in my mouth. However my manager Mr. Bricks will be thrilled to learn of this new health discovery (?)
I’ll stick to eating healthy and working out.
Blessings,
Ava
xox
Hollie @ Lolzthatswim(andRun) says
Oh man. I always thought-if you had a diet consisting of just junk food, would you grow tired of it eventually? Would it just become so disgusting to you, you couldn’t eat it anymore?
Like the people that work in fast food-most of them don’t care for the food they serve after a certain amount of time.
Brett A. Riesenhuber says
The fact that this is a male and a low calorie diet is the only factors that I can see that MIGHT make it work, but I doubt that the results would be sustainable. Sugar just doesn’t work for the body and is about the worst thing that can be put into it (for food;-)
For women this diet would probably not work at all…not to mention that it is totally unhealthy, so PLEASE ladies, don’t do it.
My experience with weight loss exercise programs with literally thousands of women has shown this to be true.
My challenge would be to set the calories equally, and reasonably, with 2 people of similar body composition and exercise ability:
1 eats this diet
2 eats the same calories on a clean diet of veggies and lean protein
Check the results at 1, 3, and 6 months…My guess is that you know what will happen.
However, the diet is kind of funny…I haven’t had a Twinkie since I was a kid!
Remember the “Twinkie Defense?” They claimed that Twinkies were responsible for the assassination of 2 political figures…can’t be good;-)
I’ll have to put this stuff up on my blog this week..thanks for the link! I’ll have it up by week’s end after reading more: http://www.primephysique.com/blog/
Don’t eat Twinkies;-)
Brett
evilcyber says
Please read this:
http://www.quackwatch.com/06ResearchProjects/lcd.html
ginakash says
I really like your comment – it is true that he is a male and that women are completely physiologically opposed. While it is true that a sugar diet is by no means a good nutritional choice there is something else to remember… Twinkies have about a 20 year shelf life – anything that would remain after an atomic bomb with the roaches should be avoided at all costs. :)
The Gates of Lodore says
Uggh. That kind of diet would make me irregular. But it does bring up some interesting points. 1) Reducing calories makes you lose weight, no matter where the calories come from. 2) reducing weight is the best way to keep cholesterol in check, regardless of diet.
me llamo brown says
First….I am loving the blog. Second, if I ate twinkies I would not loose weight, true story. Third, no one would want to be around me due to all the slobber coming out of my mouth due to the multiple sugar crashes.
davcorn says
I wonder how crappy he felt day in and day out. A sugar high every three hours can’t have been too pleasant.
4myskin says
At first I couldn’t believe it…and then I saw your point: He had way less calories per day than normal! Of course he lost weight, but what a disgusting way to do it. Eat good food instead!
lifeintheboomerlane says
I saw this. So many people are now living on pseudo-food. We are becoming pseudo-people.
Sophie says
You know, I get that this would work – weight loss is purely mathematical – but when you’re eating empty calories like that, they don’t fill you up! I generally eat 1,500 – 1,800 calories a day, but I would be STARVING if I ate what he did! I agree with you – bring on the peanut butter :)
emmelineleestar says
Haha at first I was like the twinkie diet and then I thought of snokie with her crazy cookie diet Which I thought was absolutly gross! Then as I read on I was like ooh that just nasty. You need a balence diet and if you eat like that you will gain the wieght you lost faster back. Not good idea for those considering this a way to go.
elizabethlacy says
I think a case study like this is important for people to understand the relationship between food and weight. Calories are so much more important to losing weight than anything else, but hopefully this also sheds light on the issue of people wanting to lose weight vs. be healthy.
bobbi says
Especially the peanut butter.
simplicitlee says
I think the novelty would wear off by the end of Day 1…. eating junk food doesn’t feel good or give you energy.
Sometimes after a long day of work the last thing I want to do is make a balanced, healthy meal, but after all the work is done & I get to eat it… I always feel so good and am happy I ate GOOD food.
Hopefully people don’t jump on this twinkie diet… it really makes me wonder why people do dumb studies like this. He should have ate a healthy vegetable based diet for 2 months and recorded the results… do a study that shows value! Aargh!
dollardressfriday says
Not to be gross, but with the little amount of fiber he was getting he must have been unable to use the toilet for the entire time.
mmgoodsongs says
I think that even I could not stand that much junk food. However…I think people are desperate to lose weight and still eat the garbage they are used to. The unfortunate part is that most of us would eat like this but not include the vegetable etc. I think it is a case of “a little information can be dangerous” As for me I will try and eat well and exercise for longevity.
vodkabeforenoon says
I am not impressed with the numbers. I want to know exactly how that man felt waking up every morning. I don’t believe a diet of junk food would not make anyone feel like garbage.
The experiment looks more like a publicity stunt. I think most people are aware that weight lost is based on calorie consumption verses what exactly you eat. There are no magical foods that make you lose weight, the only magic is how many calories is being consumed. Bottom line is self control is needed to lose weight. If you know how to stop at one serving you will lose big. Even bigger if you are physically active.
evilcyber says
Are really that many people aware of calories in vs. calories out? Look at all those diets that emphasize one nutrient in favor of others (low carb etc.).
nlr says
Ok, so I’m vegan and this should sound like a horror story to me, but in fact I found it pretty amusing. I was waiting for the part where you would note how horrifying his levels of HDL would be or how much higher his BMI got, but I guess not. The problem for him I’d assume would be coming off of the diet–still craving the sugar, or really just craving to eat food in general and perhaps gaining all the weigh back.
My main gripe with his weight loss is that it could have been a case of malnourishment. Even though he took the multi-vitamin, your body needs certain other things for proper absorption. I’m sure over time, the deficiencies (and probably the diabetes) you would accrue from a diet like this would be a real downer.
evilcyber says
One of the main causes of diabetes is obesity – and you can get obese by eating healthy as well ;)
ginakash says
agreed !
Tina @ Faith Fitness Fun says
I heard of that article too. I DO think that weight loss comes down to calories in vs calories out and that yes a person certainly could lose weight eating Twinkies if overall calories were still less.
The thing is, those foods have such low volume for the calories and no balance that they will inevitably leave a person hungry. Plus the body will give hunger signals as it will obviously be malnourished basing its food source off sugary snack treats. So you would be far less satisfied eating those types of things while eating at a caloric deficit. Plus, energy would likely suffer. Much better to focus on wholesome foods.
ecthecarguy says
Plain and simple this is disgusting.
simplicitlee says
Agreed!
Stop Being a Loser says
So interesting! That sounds good but I imagine you’d feel sick after awhile. Then again maybe that’s how he lost even more weight. haha
enjoibeing says
im sure if you intake a lot less than what you need you are bound to lose weight. but that is pretty cool that he could eat all these tasty snacks and lose weight. maybe it only works on select few? very intriguing though!
http://enjoibeing.wordpress.com/
martha wade steketee says
haven’t eaten a twinkie since about 1980 when, for some unexplained splurge-y reason (or they were just on sale and i was a poor college student) i ate about four at a sitting and was maxed out on the chemical composition. recently saw BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON in which one character (played as quite “fey”) nibbles on twinkies at several stages of the show … twinkies in the news and on stage. “ewww” all around.
fontgirl says
very interesting! I love your blog!
Congrats on being FP. Feel free to stop by my blog for some delicious cupcake recipes! xo
Jill
Stay Calm, Have a Cupcake
http://www.fontgirl.wordpress.com
Evie Garone says
Wow I am almost speechless! I guess you can eat ANYTHING as long as you cut the actual CALORIES! But yuck! My teeth are hurting just from reading this, and to think this is a Professor is even more disturbing, Now imagine all the lazy fat people who will want to indulge in this “kind” of dieting. I am amazed it lowered his LDL & HDL, hmmm.
evelyngarone.com
mystifiedghost says
Interesting article. I have never eaten a Twinkie and looking at the picture I wouldn’t want to either. They look yuck.
I’ve never dietied and I never would unless it was for a medical reason. I eat what I like but in moderation that plus drinking plenty of water and exercising a few times a week seems to be enough.
evilcyber says
What I think about the article? I interviewed the man! ;)
http://evilcyber.com/2010/09/30/exclusive-interview-mark-haub/
David says
I like my share of junk food but I don’t think I could ever eat just twinkies. I’d have to have a decent meal a few times a week at least.
Thomas Stazyk says
It would be nice if someone tried to replicate these results in other people before anyone thinks this experiment has any validity. I can’t believe his glucose actually went down, among other things.
hunter71 says
I am a 7 year old kid and I do love twinkies…..but not just twinkies. My Mom would not let me eat just junk food….I wonder what happen to this guys Mom? Hunter71 :-) http://www.hcrproducts.com
Andreas Moser says
Does anyone remember the “Twinkie defense”?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twinkie_defense
purrrentice says
Lol! That’s amazing! Tallahassee from “Zombie Land” would be proud.
My little brother used to eat Pop Tarts all the time, and he had like a six pack. He kayaked a few miles every day though and has a nice, young metabolism.
notesfromrumbleycottage says
So what was in that protein shake? And did he report how much he was drinking at the same time beyond the diet drinks? You are right about one thing. At 1,800 calories, he was bound to lose weight.
tiallarising says
*wow* =-)
http://www.tiallarising.wordpress.com
violenceonmyyogamat says
“Eat food, Mostly Plants, Not too much!” – Michael Pollan
We are living in crazy times – if we all eat our fruits and veggies, maybe we’ll be ok.
lilzbear says
Is it just me…or do Twinkies just not taste as good as they used to?
Cinde Lock says
Your website is exactly what I needed. I hope you don’t mind if I quote you on my blog (http://cindelock.com) – my friends and I are chronically the simple lifestyle changes we are making as we try to lose a pound a week for the next 5 weeks. We are just now in the middle of week 1.
Matt says
I think that this interesting from a purely scientific point of view, but I don’t know how in the hell he was able to ingest all of that sugar! Experiment or not, I am of the firm belief that this man is one step closer to diabetes.
My Social Relevance says
Great diet idea.
P. Michael Doyle says
Just because you lose weight doesn’t make it healthy! Its sad to think about how many people have already started this diet…
!Legato says
I would like to point out, Dr. Haub has a Ph.D in nutrition. He probably looked into all of the nutritional points raised in the comments. Or else I’m giving him way to much credit?
Anyway, I read another article that stated “After 10 weeks on his celebrated Twinkie diet, Mark Haub has lost 26 pounds, sleeps better and has more energy.” Sounds like he’s feeling pretty good…
http://www.healthzone.ca/health/dietfitness/diet/article/887542–prof-ends-twinkie-diet-after-10-weeks-loses-26-pounds
I think the point we’re supposed to take from this is not that we should all run out and start eating huge amounts of processed foods and junk foods, but rather that we shouldn’t be so harsh on ourselves about the food we eat as long as we CONTROL the portions of that food. And we even need to control the portions of food we know are good for us. Even fruit can be full of calories. Eat too much of anything and you’re going to have a problem.
http://semprestaccato.wordpress.com
evilcyber says
This is the best comment I read on here.
smcgamer says
Calories = bad?
They’re energy.
DonnyLB says
Mmmm…Twinkie Diet…#Homerdrool
Janis says
I can’t believe that this man does a study that ultimately concludes, “Slash your calories if you want to lose weight,” and idiots will see this and think what he’s saying is, “Eat nothing but Twinkies!”
I mean seriously — that is the final take-away from this study. Just slash your damn calories to lose weight. Just do it. It’s up to you — eat 200 calories worth of something filling and pleasant or 200 calories of junk. It’s up to you. And what lesson will stupid humans come away with? “I can eat garbage and lose weight.”
Anyone who reads this article and thinks that they just got free rein to live on Twinkies for the rest of their lives deserves to Darwin themselves off the planet. Jeez.
CultureChoc2010 says
Pass on the Twinkie diet!
Jen Quon says
Ok, besides the YUCK of his food intake, this proves one thing I want shouted from the hilltops – LOSING WEIGHT ISN’T AUTOMATICALLY GAINING HEALTH.
Eat healthy and you will lose weight if you need to, but just because you lose weight DOESN’T mean you’re suddenly more healthy.
(uh,sorry for getting all excitable there… )
I guess it also goes to show that eaten in small quantities, junk food isn’t the end of the world, huh?
especially if its s’mores: http://wp.me/p10D5c-aI
Congrats on being Fresh Pressed.
evilcyber says
No, eating healthy doesn’t equal losing weight:
http://evilcyber.com/2010/10/14/junk-food-is-like-heroin/
ryoko861 says
Maybe the daily caloric intake suggested by the “pros” isn’t what it should be. Maybe the average man shouldn’t consume 2600 calories a day. Who decided that anyway? Everyone is different. You have to take into account motabolism, daily activity, height/weight ration…all that stuff. I cut out breakfast because I felt why eat just for the sake of eating? I lost 14 pounds. I don’t exercise and I’m still eating my daily 3-4 Tablespoons of Nutella with a banana or whatever (Nutella on ANYTHING is fantastic). It’s a matter of quantity, quality, and overall physical composition.
smcgamer says
You cut out breakfast?
If you go to bed at ten, by noon it has been fourteen hours since you’ve eaten anything.
RG says
It’s a shame that you have actually publicized this. Here are my thoughts on the diet.
http://hbfser.wordpress.com/2010/11/08/the-prof-mark-haub-nonsense/
Charlie says
I also think it is gross! And one thing I noticed is there is no mention of energy levels. Eating those things make me tired compared to eating fruits, veggies & grains. I’d like to know how he was feeling on this diet.
RG says
Sorry about the previous comment. I didn’t quite catch this at first glance.
“But hopefully, as you read through this article the same thoughts crossed your mind, as they did mine:
* This is just GROSS!
* It is definitely no way to eat!
* Bring on the fruits, veggies, whole grains…and peanut butter!”
Shanna, like Banana says
I read this article awhile ago and was also going to blog about it. Interesting study but I can’t imagine you’d feel good, or energized, or healthy after all that.
(Though admittedly, I probably have eaten like that for a day ;) )
Nathan says
ok that is just crazy. I wouldnt have lasted one day eating like that.
-Nate
Interested in talking theology?
http://thehypostaticunion.wordpress.com/
milieus says
This is really interesting. I could never eat like that though. I need my vitamins and minerals in order to not feel like a pile of waste. When I eat food like Twinkies, I feel like I have transformed into that Twinkie. Yuck!
<3 Milieu
colin leslie beadon says
Most people living in the West, eat far too much. This eating habit has spread like a disease. India has started to suffer from it, and bet you China will shortly.
I’m probably unique in that I have a natural ability to lose interest in food if I start putting on weight. My main ‘backup’ food stuff is English Marmite, which is a vegetable extract. It kept many of us alive in England during the 2nd world war, and so I have never stopped using it, and never been sick, or in hospital though I’m 75 now.
And that’s a memo. Drink strong West Indian rum, every evening. At least two good shots is enough.
Stop smoking, walk and jog every other day, lift iron, or do yoga or both. Do daily deep yoga breathing. Work out in the open, in the rain and sun. Don’ t ever take any pills of any kind, except like a disprin if you start sneezing too much.
The human body is a self -regulating system, if you’ll just give it a chance.
perfectperfectionist says
Wow, to have cut his calories his actual food eaten must have been quite small! I would rather eat healthy, lower calorie foods that will fill me up. I’m no good with hunger.
rsmacaalay says
You might be loosing weight but imagine the bad stuff that you intake.
Raymund
http://angsarap.wordpress.com
singlefun says
An average woman of his age would have to limit herself to 1150 calories per day to experience this level of weight loss, this quickly. I’ll bet if his limit for the day was that low, he would never have been able to keep from binging on the Twinkies!
I think the point is that if you eat junk, you will never be able to consistently limit your calorie count like you are able to if you eat lean proteins.
evilcyber says
Apparently he very much -did- manage to limit his calories.
And you can get fat by eating “lean protein” as well.
Faith says
Dude, that’s fricking crazy! Although…
During the pinnacle of my eating disorder, my intake was mainly lean cuisines, special k bars, and binge foods of butterfingers and lifesavers. I suppose the moral here is you can lose weight eating anything if your calorie intake is low enough, but that doesnt equal healthy or healthful in any sense of the word.
Austin Bonds says
I agree with the comments listed here. Not only are the processed foods filled with, all in all, sugar, the intake of preservatives, dyes, and hydrogenated oils (trans fats) do no good to his overall sense of wellness (even if he decided to exercise for this experiment).
The occasional indulgence needs to be exercised; otherwise, deprivation only hurts one’s well being too. But this is no diet – it’s simply a fun experiment with intriguing results.
tenthoubride says
congrats on being freshly pressed! this diet is nuts! i read about it on the news and thought – holy cow…now people will be following THIS won’t they? yikes! but still.
courtneyryanne says
God, reading that really freaked me out – almost as much as when Taco Bell unveiled their “Drive Thru Diet.” Both are pretty ridiculous, extremely disgusting, and massively, massively upsetting.
teddygrams says
I feel like I would just get sick of eating that stuff, but I guess logically it makes sense that he lost weight.
quickjumper says
Well, I guess any diet can work with enough motivation to cut calories, but this just sounds so gross. . .
Liz @ Blog is the New Black says
Disgusting but so interesting! Congrats on making it to Freshly pressed!
Karen says
I feel ill just reading one sample day of his diet!
zachatollah says
Nice post, though I take issue with the notion that skinner = healthier. As several commenters have noted, the mere act of losing weight doesn’t mean he’s improved his health; he could increase his risk for diabetes, cancer, and all kinds of nasty maladies.
evilcyber says
Losing weight decidely decreases your chance for diabetes.
rtcrita says
That just sounds so YUCKY and disgusting! Just thinking about all that nasty surgary taste left in your mouth after just one of thos treats makes me want to retch! Sure, I’ve eaten a few of those treats in my day. I always think they’re going to taste good (In the past, I usually have gotten them when I’ve wanted a quick snack on the way home from work), but they just end up making me wish I had made a smarter choice–or just eaten nothing at all.
Pinku says
Had read this article on CNN Health section a few days ago and my first reaction was “Oh great…now enough of stupid idea for people who desperately want to lose weight ” Calorie in=Calorie out is no weight gain and if he is eating a lot less than his actual calorie intake required based on his age/BMI – then he is going to lose weight. I would not imagine how a Ph.D in Nutrition would want to pursue the experiment? To prove what? I cannot imagine how he would just eat sugar, sugar and sugar all through out the day and still sleep better? I cannot imagine even one meal without veggie & whole grain. I know it’s not crime to treat the sweet tooth – but this insane. I hope no one would jump into that bandwagon.
Ranndomized says
What an interesting article – thanks for posting this! Personally, I think it’s gross. Unless you want to purposely make yourself sick. I’d recommend an all veggie diet ;-)
Catherine says
OMG – Little Debbie Star Crunch. Reminds me of my childhood. I could eat a box of that in a week and a half (and gain like four pounds!). I think it’s really calories in, calories out. He ate less calories so he lost weight. You can do that eating fast food too. But it wasn’t healthy and probably wouldn’t help him if he was trying tone up. Although all those foods sound really appealing, I bet you’d get tired quick. Good call on the multi vitamin though!
http://simplysolo.wordpress.com
dearexgirlfriend says
thank you, thank you, thank you. i just had 4 twinkies…first 4 i’ve had in 10 years.
http://dearexgirlfriend.com/
clairela says
haha! you are a charming writer, this was hilarious! I have a big sweet tooth too… I love spinach, seafood, sushi, and fruits/veggies, and I don’t eat fast food or even deep fried food or pasta…. but I LOVE chocolate, and lots of it. I will definitely be visiting your blog again soon… and avoiding the twinkie diet! :) :) thanks for the laughs
jtmoody says
I am sorry but I totally would eat similar to this… I mean Hostess swiss cake rolls are my calling… they literally call my name!!!!!!!!!!
http://yourmoodswings.wordpress.com/
onehungrymonster says
Its sounds gross, even though he might have lost weight, he probably didn’t feel great. If I ate that everyday I would feel like crap and would probably have no energy.
Nikki says
As much as I love sweets, I could not do that. It is interesting that eating that much junk food actually helped him out. As I have gotten older, my taste buds have vanished, so the whole sweet tooth thing is nil.
Twinkies are good, but I would take the carrots any day. Good study and good article.
smcgamer says
Unlike most people here, I neither think the diet is bad or that calories are the reason for obesity. I think the “no fat and little calories” rules have become entrenched in our brains, created fear and guilt for those who “splurge” in fast food.
Congratulations on being Freshly Pressed. You do good work in telling people that good tasting does not instantly mean bad for you.
invisiblesandwichtm says
Even if this became a trendy diet, even if it worked for a large subset of the population, I think we’d have to worry about some sort of taste fatigue. At the very least I would – I lose my appetite for certain types of food if I eat enough of them in a short time period.
Sunflowerdiva says
Wow. That’s, like, INSANE! This “diet” reminds me of the guy who did “Super Size Me,” eating only from McDonald’s for a month. Yuckola. :P But very interesting, if not extremely mental.
Felicity the Person says
Sure, he might have been eating all that, but he would have been starving the WHOLE time. All it was was high sugar, high fat, high salt, high caffeine and EMPTY CALORIES.
paxsoldier says
ive been dieting for about two to three months and i consume less calories and healthyer food yet he has still nearly trippled my weight loss… this man is my idol
how can i possibly make his diet work for meee!!!!
courtneyholden says
Augh. Isn’t Twinkie Diet an oxymoron?
shining722 says
Wow, what a lot of great recommendations! I’ll definitely be checking them out.
Thanks very much this is my blog please visit it :http://www.theairmax.us
Sister Earth Organics says
One question: can I fry my twinkle or do I have to eat it raw?
ginakash says
After going down the list at the many “Gross” comments, I have to say that there has always and there will always be that person out there looking for the “easier, better way”. With regards to food and eating, junk food will always come up as an easier/better way.
We all need to face the facts, that a balanced whole-grain diet mixed with exercise is what is going to do the trick – basically the tried and true method is not easy but by far way better!
However, I think that there is nothing wrong with having a Twinkie every 20 years or so – everything in moderation right?
Bonfire Designs says
I think I would do this different, I would have cut out the Corn Pops and added a Ring Ding for the health benefits of chocolate! Only kidding I live for the healthy food and learn more about it every day but oh if only someone would discover we are totally on the wrong track, chocolate and twinkies diet for sure!
kprincesstiara says
I love this blog. Great work!
fireygoddess says
wow that’s nuts.
i’d love to eat junk food to fit into my wedding dress in 2 months.. lol
thanks
http://www.foundobjectbeachart.wordpress.com
Robyn says
I would like to see a glucose tolerance test (for blood sugar levels) after he had finished his “diet”. He probably caused himself more long term harm regarding his metabolism than he realizes now.
Slim says
it is beautiful information!
fukutoshin says
Regardless of how unhealthy everyone thinks that diet is, for a fat person desperate to lose weight and fail at every attempt, that diet looks pretty godsend.
Optimus Prime says
lol true
erinsiu says
I LOOOOOOOVE Twinkies. LOOOOOOOOOOVE… delicious and creamy, but the grease will be spilliong out of your pores in no time! Everything in moderation is definitely a good remedy, and portion control is a good secret to healthy eating… but hey, I’m not expert. I love twinkies!!!
Derick Doors says
if u ran out of food- eat CAKE! Yum!
seriously i cant live without ham or any meat for that matter. . . .
littlelondonobservationist says
ick, twinkies. hohos are so much better… :p this just brought back a sickening memory from my childhood of having a contest to see who could eat the most oatmeal cream pies….
ldsrr91 says
The next thing you know, Paula Deen will be deep fryin’ them and everyone in the south will have diabetes.
BCO
jennimoore2 says
It sounds tempting, and it would be sort of fun to be able to pig-out on junk food and still lose weight. But it’s just way too gross to actually follow through with. I feel sick after having just one doughnut, so I don’t think I could handle that many twinkies and cakes.
Vipin says
I love this thing …
well (NOT AT ALL ) it’s really fatty ….
wiwi88 says
I guess it all depends on the amount of food you eat and not what kind. Eating healthy but a lot also increase your weight. People are fat because they eat a lot, not because they eat a certain type of food.
Vanessa Rima says
Interesting post!
Vanessa Rima
http://www.fashionissima.com
auntbethany says
Being someone who has tried many, many diets over the years, I’ve come to realize that the only “true” fix is moderation, moderation, moderation! You can’t deprive yourself of the things you enjoy, but you CAN decide to eat one piece of cake instead of the whole pie. I used to be obsessed with working out and eating right, but now I don’t work out and eat what I want to, and I’m the happiest I’ve been in a long time. I’ve actually lost weight since this lifestyle change, and I’m at a healthy weight with no desire to lose any more.
I think any sane person would probably go crazy after eating 2-3 days worth of junk food. Think about how we all feel after eating that fried sampler platter at Applebee’s or Ruby Tuesday’s…it compels us to eat healthfully for the next few days (or, when we can fit into our tight jeans again!) Besides, your body begins to crave real food after a while; it knows what it wants! Some days you just need to chow down on a leafy, vegetable-laiden salad (complete with about a cup of ranch dressing, of course)!
workingtechmom says
loved your post.
agree it’s gross…but come on, wouldn’t it be fun for a day at least? a week would probably leave you feeling bad in so many ways
my Gram loved Little Debbie snacks and always said “let’s have a cakie”…good memories. And she lived to 93, but I’m sure she did eat only one a day.
Congrats on being Freshly Pressed.
http://workingtechmom.wordpress.com
inidna says
Wow that’s some pretty interesting stuff but I can only imagine how awful he’d feel. I don’t think I could manage to survive on Twinkies and convenience store goodies alone. I have quite the sweet tooth, but the thought of eating it for a long period of time makes me feel nauseas already! I hope nobody reads this and tries it out for themselves because I do admit, it would seem like an easy/fun diet. Haha..
Disgusted Realist says
It’s been proven that when you restrict calories this way, cut carbs and protein and take in very little nutritional value, as in twinkies and crap cakes, you’re not actually losing FAT. You’re losing muscle. Muscle is heavier than fat, so the weight he lost is all lost muscle. He would have retained the same ratio of body fat, because his body would have switched to burning protein for energy, which is derived from the glycogen in his muscles.
I’d rather lose fat and keep lean muscle. 10 pounds of fat is flabby, floppy and ugly. 10 pounds of lean muscle is much leaner, slimmer, sexier and toned.
Jason Tonio Woerner says
Without reading anything other than this blog post, I feel quite confident in the following:
The good professor’s point, surely, was that complicated fad diets and “nutritionism” (to borrow a term from Michael Pollan) are a waste of time, energy, and money. Losing weight means cutting calories. Even if one eats what is accepted as the unhealthiest food extant today, if it is done in the right quantities, one will lose weight. You want to be thinner? Eat less than you do now.
Only a fool would take this as an endorsement of eating junk food.
Pam Brown says
I find it irresponsible. In fact, I posted on the same topic this morning. I say “post.:” Actually it was a rant.
j_indie says
Your colleague makes a good point, though. I think the media has misled people to believe there is a direct relationship between a healthy diet and weight loss.
Obese people aside, most people just need “shedding a few pounds”. This has little to do with health, although admittedly it has something to do with it. It’s mostly about the mirror and about fashion, a matter of peer pressure and so on.
A lot of Mediterranean people, living on salads and fish and bread, are fat and look gloriously healthy. Maybe they aren’t as healthy as they could be, and they surely won’t make the cover of Mens Health, but they are healthy enough to feel good and be happy.
Uncapped Website Hosting says
Love’It Love’It … I love Twinkies
wisdom sunday says
well, i have no sufficient words to add to this motive but what i simply want to add in is that, the various first day i taste this cake i nearly ran back to were i bought it due to it delicious taste. Also, i sincerely appreciate this reputable company for their tremendously effort in preparing this delicious cake. Once again, congratulation and God bless you guys for your kind work.
wisdom john.
sayitinasong says
Oooh,… I love your website by the way! So, basically what this comes down to- is the amount of calories. It does not matter what you eat but the calorie content… that is for losing weight that is- your health benefits may not be that great on twinkies alone…
Adam Miller says
Wow. That is all I can say. He proved is point I guess. Great article.
duckofindeed says
I’d get sick eating a bunch of sweets and snacks throughout the day. And I’d get bored, too. I like meat. It’s odd the experiments some people try.
metabolicmemory says
3 YEARS AGO I created a plan that allows for junk food to be eaten every day. Since that time I have lost 35 pounds and all of my blood readings have improved — so Dr. Haub’s 10 week results are no fluke and my experience is they can be maintained (I have) — however my plan accomplished this WITHOUT REDUCING CALORIES AND WITHOUT ANY FOOD RESTRICTIONS but instead focused on IMPROVING MY METABOLISM by TIMING my eating to align with my body’s natural metabolic cycle.
Since that time I have started a practice called the EET Fitness Plan (Eating and Exercise TIMING) that helping people lose weight this way and have many succesful clients including type 2 diabetics, Children who were obese and more recently a Doctor (MD – OBGYN) was very successful–many have written testimonials on EET’s blog and website, so you can see the details for yourself if you like.
Statistics say that 98% of diet efforts fail — yet fast foods and junk foods thrive like never before — wouldn’t it make more sense to design your plan to allow any food you love?
No, the answer to weight loss and fitness does not lie in eating less, or resticting certain types of foods, it lies in TRAINING YOUR METABOLISM to be able to handle more calories OF ALL TYPES per day. Focusing on METABOLISM is the answer to effective SUSTAINABLE WEIGHT LOSS AND FITNESS WITHOUT CALORIE COUNTING OR FOOD RESTRICTIONS..
Training your metabolism to handle more food is clearly a better way, and this can be accomplished by shifting the TIMING of your eating and exercise to better align with your natural metabolic cycle.
Caloric deficit dieting is a huge cause of weight gain as it is very difficult to maintain and causes metabolism to slow. Basically it puts you in a jail that to lose weight you will have to eat less and less and exercise more and more. That’s not healthy.
Jon
EET Fitness
Food, Sweat and Tears says
Okay, first off I know he obviously was going for some kind of experimental process, and yes Jon is right about the metabnolism activation. However, you can’t base these results on him alone. I can’t eat one piece of bread, one grain of sugar without my face puffing up, but I could eat a whole jar of peanut butter and almonds and lean out.
If you take into consideration his protein shakes etc, and possible day in a life of exercise/work habits etc, it may have contributed to his weight loss… although his BMI went down, really, was he shredded? was he in good shape? or did he just get skinny?
Lets think about this realistically
if he was eating twinkies like that and his metabolism was activated at ahigh level, he might lose weight yes but that wont make him bodybuilder-lean.
You could put me on that diet and activate my metabolism all you wanted but i’d be eating a half twinkie every 2 hours. Is this healthy? No. Will my immune system take a hit without getting all of the vitamins and minerals I should be getting? Yes. Will I deplete muscle from the zero food I am practicaly eating ? probably.
Even though people may think twinkies are good, and a nice treat, at the same time I’m used to ahving chicken, yams, asparagus, etc for a full meal. I would starve to death with this twinkie diet. Nevermind lose weight. Try telling this to the models who just eat celery, maybe it will taste better for them to eat nothing.
I cant picture this. I couldnt handle this kind of diet. Metabolism aside, what about hormones? how would they be effected?
Anna says
Here’s the funny part of all of this — try limiting a caloric intake eating nothing but vegetables and protein.. it’s so much harder. You find you’re actually taking in MORE calories because nothing really fills you up and keeps you full like carbs and sugar! (Well, protein does to an extent, but eat more than a recommended serving of it and you’ve got digestion problems).
Sometimes I’ll have days when I just crave junk all day (fast food, restaurant, etc….).. and I just will eat that food. But I find calorie-wise it isn’t much different from my other days–often less. A single cookie from a coffee shop has anywhere from 220 – 300 calories and that can keep me full for 2 – 3 hrs. I eat a 300 calorie chicken salad with nuts and assorted ‘health’ foods and I’m hungry an hr later.
business manager wifi k㱮ten says
This is a very good tip especially to those new to the blogosphere.
Simple but very accurate info… Thank you for sharing this one.
A must read article!