Heeeellllooooo sweet cookie.

So I am walking through the grocery store the other day and I just happen to walk past an entire Weight Watcher's diplay. It was complete with soft chocolate chip cookies and cake things and who knows what else.  I honestly had to look away after I realized what was there...cookies and cakes.  Are you KIDDING me with this??? Weight watchers and cookies.  I guess I should not be surprised by this, but I am.  Ok, maybe not surprised, more so dumbfounded and a bit angry.  It doesn't make me mad for me ..but for YOU and for every person out there who is trying to do something to be a bit more healthy and/or lose weight.
Let me just go ahead and say it now:
 If you are trying to lose weight you should NOT be eating cookies. 
 If you are trying to improve your health you should NOT be eating cookies.


I don't know how much simpler it can be.  Cookies or cakes or brownies or muffins are NOT a part of a healthy diet. Period.

Lies, all lies.  Ok, maybe some people call it marketing, but I call it lies.  If you know me, I'm certain you have heard me say it before: they don't care if they kill you, they want to make money.  You cannot rely on a company trying to sell you something to tell you the truth about how this product will impact you or your health.  Heck, these days you can't count on many people to tell you the truth about that.  Most people are too afraid to hurt your feelings.  When is the last time your doctor told you that you needed to lose weight or that you needed to stop eating crap? Probably never.  But they aren't afraid to tell you to stop smoking or doing crack.  Why the disparity? Well, telling you to stop smoking or doing drugs is not going to hurt your feelings...not nearly as much as telling you that you need to lose weight and actually make a lifestyle change with your food.  Well, don't worry, I'm not afraid to tell you.  I would much rather hurt your feelings and tell you than to 'spare your feelings' and let you  dig yourself an early grave.
You can be damn sure that if I'm not going to lie to you about the fact that you need to lose weight, I am NOT going to lie to you about how you need to do it. Cookies are not the answer. Neither are cakes, pies, candies, muffins, or ice cream desserts.  Here is what the Weight Watchers website says about their sweet baked goods (as they call them):
           Stay on track with Weight Watchers Snack Cakes, Brownies, and Muffins. These delicious treats are perfect as part       of a smart breakfast, an afternoon snack, or an easy, sensible dessert to finish your day. Making smart choices doesn’t   mean sacrificing deliciously satisfying treats.


Ummm, yes, it actually does mean making sacrifices. Eating those treats is what got you in the position you are in.  So, sorry to say, but give 'em up people!
Ever look at the ingredients of any of these 'sweet baked goods'? Of course not, why would you need to.  You know that it is 2 points or 3 points and that is all that matters, right? That would be a great thing IF a calorie was a calorie was a calorie.  Just like people and clothes and cars, calories are NOT all equal.  They are not the same.  They behave differently when ingested and cause different things to happen as a result of their ingestion.  So let's do ourselves a favor and forget that this point system ever existed ok?
Thank you.
Now let's actually look at the ingredients..you'll have to do it by looking at the box or searching the web because the Weight Watchers site DOES NOT list the ingredients OR the nutrition facts. Am I the ONLY ONE that finds that interesting???? Yes, I actually went back to the store to look at the ingredients..couldn't get a clear, readable shot of them and actually had to purchase a box of the cookies.  
Let me tell you THAT was a strange feeling for me.  I was really hoping that people wouldn't see me buying them and think that it was actually a good idea. Thankfully I escaped the store without being engaged in any conversations about my purchase. Whew!

Back panel Weight Watchers Chocolate Chip cookie

Very interesting...the list of ingredients looks almost the same as this:
Ingredients: UNBLEACHED ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE {VITAMIN B1}, RIBOFLAVIN {VITAMIN B2}, FOLIC ACID), PALM OIL, SUGAR, SEMISWEET CHOCOLATE CHIPS (SUGAR, CHOCOLATE, COCOA BUTTER, DEXTROSE, SOY LECITHIN, MILK), CANDY COATED MORSELS (SUGAR, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED PALM KERNEL OIL, COCOA [NATURAL AND PROCESSED WITH ALKALI], DEXTROSE, SOY LECITHIN, ARTIFICIAL COLOR [INCLUDES YELLOW 5, BLUE 1 LAKE, RED 40 LAKE, YELLOW 5 LAKE, RED 3, BLUE 2 LAKE, BLUE 1], CONFECTIONER'S GLAZE [CARNAUBA WAX, BEESWAX, SHELLAC], MILK), HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, LEAVENING (BAKING SODA AND/OR AMMONIUM PHOSPHATE), SALT, SOY LECITHIN, CARAMEL COLOR, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR. CONTAINS: WHEAT,

Hmm..with the exception of 2 grams more fat, 9grams less carbohydrate and 4 grams less  sugar  the nutritional facts on this second example are pretty much the same as the first. Wondering what it is??? Yep, you guessed it! Chips Ahoy cookies By Nabisco.  Hmmmm…so take out a little fat, because most people trying to lose weight think fat is “a bad thing” add more sugar –because you have to replace the fat with SOMETHING (remember the whole Snackwells craze??) and throw in a little fiber to reduce the ‘points count’ and there you go instant Weight Watchers cookie 

 

ARRRRGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!! People, paaahhhhleeeeeeze, it is still a cookie! Just a chocolate chip cookie..with MORE sugar and a tiny bit of fiber.  Ohhh, yes, let’s not forget the added fiber, that makes it better, right? Niiiiiice try and great marketing ploy.

  

If I add fiber to crack, does it make it better for you? NO! and it doesn’t work with cookies either! Cookies will make you fat whether the box says ChipsAhoy or Weight Watchers. Period.

Yes, it is entirely possible to lose weight and become fatter.  That is exactly what happens when you eat things like this.  Remember the discussion about breakfast foods and Glycemic index/Glycemic load foods? Yes, the one where we talked about how foods with high Glycemic loads will actually trigger your body to store fat. Guess what THIS cookie does? EEEEXXXAAAACTLY! Combine eating cookies/products like this and a reduced calorie diet and what happens? You store more fat, yet you are losing weight, uh I mean muscle. So the number on the scale goes down and the amount of fat tissue you have (relative to the lean muscle tissue) goes up, thus increasing your body fat percentage.  Why should you care if your body fat percentage goes up? Well, increased body fat can put you at an increased risk for certain diseases- diabetes, cancer, hypertension, atherosclerosis, joint issues and of course obesity! Yikes! Not what you had hoped for when you bought the cookie….

Do yourself a favor, put the cookie down, step away from the Weight Watchers display and learn how to eat real foods to make yourself healthier and happier.