We have all seen the news reports on television or in the newspapers; teen and adult obesity continues to rise and we still aren't eating properly. This is great news for companies like McDonald's, who earned $6 Billion in their last quarter (as at 6/08). Talk about pounding back the Quarter Pounders! Although many folks have instituted a healthy eating regiment, very few of us can claim to never frequent McD's.

I believe I have a healthy diet. Still, I treat myself to one day per week to an indulgence. This not only keeps me sane, but it helps keep my diet on track too. During these indulgences, I kick my healthy eating policy and drag myself through the Golden Arches and order my favorite - a Big Mac Combo!

No doubt, one Big Mac once per month (or even once per week) won't kill me, or anyone else. But what about those times when I lose my focus and find myself craving a mid-week treat? When this happens, I might fall of the healthy eating wagon and find myself walking through those doors and ordering a Big Mac several times per week. And this, unfortunately, sets in motion a terrible domino effect where I find myself indulging in the foods I really love - sugar-heavy, sweet-tasting foods like cookies, specialty chilled coffees, sodas After a few days, my energy level dwindles and I lack the motivation to work out. Within a few weeks, I gain 5 to 10 pounds.

And those extra pounds hurt because my hard work of the previous four to eight weeks would have been for nothing. I watch my body soften more and more just because I couldn't maintain my discipline for healthy eating.

At first, it wasn't so easy to detect, but after falling off the wagon a few times now, I realize that my weakness is really those sweets. (An extra Big Mac won't kill me, but once I get into the sweets, I'm stuck). But I don't grab the double-stuffed cookies anymore, not since I discovered Dr. Siegal's Cookie Diet.

A cookie diet? Yes, you read that correctly, a cookie diet. At least that is how they market the product, although I wouldn't recommend that healthy eating individuals trade in their regimented meal calendar for a year's worth of diet cookies. Rather, the cookie diet makes sense as a way to get through those rough patches. Instead of polishing off a bag of double-stuffed Oreos, I might pound back a couple of Dr. Siegal's cookies. This literally satisfies my sweet tooth and I find it much easier to get back on track.

The best part is that the cookies are high in protein - my old treats had next to no protein. Plus, they taste pretty good.

My recommendation, then, is not to order a full-year's supply. And don't replace your protein-carb-veggie diet with Dr. Siegal's Cookie Diet. Instead, build yourself a reasonable stock for those times when you fall of the healthy eating wagon. They are much better and healthier than a Big Mac or bag of Oreos.