Professor Loses 27 Lbs on Twinkie Diet

Calorie count is king, even if you're eating junk
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 14, 2010 1:44 PM CST
Professor Loses 27 Lbs on Twinkie Diet
Hostess Twinkies sit on a table September 22, 2004 in San Francisco.   (Getty Images)

The nutrition professor who spent 10 weeks eating almost exclusively junk food is done—and he’s lost 27 pounds. As a class project, Mark Haub set out to prove that calorie count was king when it came to dieting, so he subsisted on 1,800 calories worth of Twinkies, Little Debbie Cakes, Doritos, and so forth each day (along with a vitamin, protein shake, and handful of veggies). And not only has he lost weight, his other health indicators have improved, too.

His “bad” cholesterol is down 20%, while his “good” cholesterol is up just as much. His body fat percentage is down, too, from 33.4% to 24.9%. “That’s where the head scratching comes,” he tells CNN. “Does that mean I’m healthier? Or does it mean … that we’re missing something?” Regardless, he cautions that the experiment comes with a don’t-try-this-at-home warning. “I’m not geared to say this is a good thing to do. There's not enough information.” (More nutrition stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X