Twinkie Diet for Weight Loss: Is Professor Haub on to Something?

Hostess Twinkies and Cupcakes (AP)

(CBS) What should you eat to lose weight? Lettuce? Bean sprouts? How about a Twinkie with a soda pop chaser?

Dr. Mark Haub, who teaches nutrition at Kansas State University, might say the latter. His working theory is that moderation, not the specific foods you eat, is the key to weight loss. After eight weeks of doing just that, he dropped almost 30 pounds, according to a report by KMBC Channel 9 in Kansas City.

Fatty and sugary foods are fine, as long as you count calories and document every bite that passes through your lips, he told the station. Haub limits his own daily caloric intake to 1,800 a day.

He takes a daily multivitamin pill, and supplements his Twinkies with celery stalks or a can of green beans, according to CNN.

Is Haub on to something?

His body mass index (BMI) went from 28.8, which is considered overweight, to a respectable 24.9. He reduced the level of triglycerides, a form of fat in the blood, by 39 percent. High triglyceride levels are associated with heart disease.

Haub also reduced his LDL cholesterol - the "bad" kind - by 20 percent. His HDL, or "good" cholesterol, increased by the same number.

That his health improved on his questionable diet does not surprise Dawn Blatner, a registered dietician and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.

"Weight is at the center of the wheel of health," she tells CBS News. Before, she points out, Haub said he was eating a healthy diet - but he was eating a lot. "It's important to look at both sides of the equation," she says. "You have to consider what you are eating and how much. It's not all or nothing."

What does Haub think of the diet? "I wish I could say it's healthy," he told CNN. "I'm not confident enough in doing that. That frustrates a lot of people. One side says it's irresponsible. It is unhealthy, but the data doesn't say that."

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[Thehealthlady]

I guess I am the only one jumping for joy over this one. Not that little Debbie is healthy but the point made about Food Desserts. There's communities in our country that rely heavily on processed junk. There's few fresh fruits and veggies. People give up on weight loss before they get started because all they have are Twinkies, soda, and white bread.
I do believe that people can be taught portion control. I think once people learn portion control they can live with a healthy WEIGHT.
This doesn't mean that I am going to go on a 12 week weight loss diet of Coke, and Ho Ho's, it means that there's hope for communities in our country who aren't provided with nutritious food.

[dgeorge8675]

Sorry, I spelled it wrong. It's www.thechristiandiet.com

[dgeorge8675]

I know this works. Really you can eat anything you want if you learn how to eat the correct portions. I've lost 30 lbs. so far myself using a program called "The Christian Diet". You can check it out at www.thechristaindiet.com

[Theresadono]

While I don't agree with the "diet"....it is all about calories....the point of his study....like weight-watchers...you can basically eat what you want and need to stay in the calorie count....of course....he is not saying to do this long-term....

[gts2525]

The media fails to cover the full aspects and effects related to the Twinkie Diet. Luckily, Holosfitness.com provides a more objective look at this fad:

http://www.holosfitness.com/blog/view/1/322/The-Twinkie-Diet---Proof-Calorie-Counting-Works?/

[lawyertom1]

This diet is bogus. If you exercise and your total caloric intake stays modest to low, you will of course loose weight. However, getting most of your nutrients from such junk can have both shortterm and long-term adverse impacts on your health, inc. increasing your chances of developing diabetes and various inflammatory diseases. Giving publicity to this type of stupidity only encourages unhealthy eating. This is really a disservice to public health.