The 7-day hot dog diet.

DEEP DIVE

Hot Dogs For Weight Loss?

@siryacht

🌭I ate nothing but the Costco hot dog meal for 1 week. Here are the results:

A TikTok content creator (yes—that’s an actual occupation in 2024) is taking the internet by storm after eating only Costco’s hot dog meal, which includes a soft drink, for an entire week. That’s right—a hot dog and a soda for just $1.50. I mean, I can’t think of a better way to save a few bucks, but can that really be healthy for you? Surprisingly, Joey, the TikToker, lost 4 pounds on the hot dog diet. 

So, for everyone with 4 pounds to lose, is this the way? Eh, I wouldn’t recommend it. 

First of all, a critical factor in Joey’s weight loss was his physical activity. He walked an impressive 10-15 miles every day (Costco will do that to you). Considering that a loaded hot dog and soft drink might have around 900 calories, his high activity level meant he still consumed fewer calories than he burned. This daily walking routine helped him create a calorie deficit, leading to weight loss.

That’s pretty straightforward. But is it that simple? Can you just out-train a bad diet? Does food quality not matter as long as you are in a deficit? 

It’s important to note that this diet isn’t something we’d recommend. Sure, the video is amusing, but it also highlights just how resilient the human body can be. Social media is often flooded with diet experiments like 3-day fasts or 5-day cleanses. While these might seem drastic or transformative, the truth is our bodies can handle quite a lot, especially in the short term. But that doesn’t mean it’s good for us. 

Humans can survive without food for 1-2 months. This fact alone puts into perspective what a 5-day cleanse or a 7-day hot dog diet can do. You might experience hunger, some weight loss (which is likely temporary), and possibly some gastrointestinal discomfort, just like Joey mentioned in his video.

It’s also crucial to remember that the health issues most of us are concerned about—like cardiovascular disease, cancer, or diabetes—develop over many years. A diet that lasts only a few days, or even a month, won’t provide much meaningful data about the long-term effects on your health. Short-term diets like these barely scratch the surface when it comes to preventing chronic diseases that take decades to develop.

It’s also common sense. Nothing but hot dogs and soda aren’t going to do your body any favors in the long run, even if it leads to some weight loss in the short term. 

The key takeaway? While Joey Kinsley’s hot dog diet might have gone viral, his weight loss is actually a pretty predictable outcome, given our body’s capacity to adapt and endure short-term dietary experiments. However, these types of diets aren’t something we like to recommend. Whether you are thinking about a 3-day fast, a juice cleanse, or the hot dog diet, going to these extremes isn’t usually necessary and isn’t always helpful. 

Instead, it’s far more beneficial to focus on developing sustainable, healthy eating habits that contribute to long-term well-being and disease prevention. Healthy habits are boring and won’t go viral on TikTok, but in the long term, that is still always the way to go.