PITTSBURGH -- So many of us have a sweet tooth, and it's often that love of sweets that can lead to weight gain. But one Pittsburgh woman is eating cookies to lose weight.

Pennsylvania is second only to California in the rate of obesity-related medical conditions. Over $4 billion a year is spent on treatment, but one Pittsburgh native physician has spent a lifetime fighting obesity with a rather unlikely weapon.

North Hills resident Carole Kolb was a self-proclaimed yo-yo dieter, but recently she lost 20 pounds with an unusual dieting tool.

"When I decided to go on a diet, I thought: 'Cookies. That's something I could do,'" said Kolb.

Cookies that can help you lose weight?

"I ate the cookies and I wasn't hungry," she said.

Kolb is talking about the Dr. Siegal's Cookie Diet, but these aren't your average double chunk chocolate chip cookies.

The Pittsburgh native physician has been treating obesity in Miami for over 50 years.

"The problem was hunger," said Dr. Sanford Siegal. "People can't lose weight when they are hungry. I came up with a formula that I decided to incorporate into a cookie."

That formula includes a mix of proteins and amino acids that help with hunger suppression. But what about the taste? Siegal said he wanted them to be good, but not too tasty. After all, they still serve as a meal replacement, not a low-calorie diet cookie.

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Carole went through a devastating event and turned to food for comfort.

"My mother passed away in March and I found myself sitting around and eating," she said.

An easy-to-follow plan was a must for Kolb. This is how it works: Eat six cookies a day, then have a dinner of no more than 500 calories. Siegal says when you consume only 1,000 calories a day you will lose weight.

"Do this under the observation of your doctor," he recommends. "You should take supplementary vitamins and drink a lot of fluids."

Siegal says if this diet is done correctly, you can lose 10 to 12 pounds a month. Kolb has one other incentive.

"A girl can't go wrong with chocolate," she said.

The cookies come in five different flavors and cost around $59 a week. Click here to order the cookies.

Dr. Siegal graduated from Allderdice High School and the University of Pittsburgh.