Don't get rid of EVERYTHING.

When I talk to people, they seem to think I never swallow anything. On the contrary, I eat foods all the time. I get rid of food only when I feel I've had too many calories and it's junk food. For example, this is the holiday season. At my house there are piles of sweets, and yes I help myself to them all the time, but I never ingest those calories.

Ordinarily, the foods I simply "chew on" are doughnuts, breads, cake, chips and chocolates. Oh, and the fat on meats too. Everything else I eat.

Watering down drinks can help reduce calories

Another trick to reduce calories is to water down your drinks. I've never been a water drinker, but adding a touch of something else has always made it better. For example, I love wine, but instead of drinking it pure, I'll use 1 part wine and 20 parts water. Over time, you will get used to the taste and actually like the hint of wine in your water. This also works great for people who don't like drinking but still want the health benefits of wine. Of course, it's a major faux pas to water down wine, so get ready to catch some flak for that. In public, I either have to sneak water in or have two drinks where I sip wine then drink water.

Coffee, tea, juices and soda are also great candidates for watering down.

Another trick, for tea, is to combine sweet tea with unsweetened tea, thereby halving the calories. Before I stopped drinking sodas altogether, I used to drink unsweetened tea with my meal but then refill the drink with soda as my dessert.

How to hide the method

I catch a lot of flak for my method but what's funny is no one ever knew what I did until I told them. Most of the time I do the Taster Diet in the privacy of my own home or office when I'm alone. Sometimes I'll wait to chew when no one is around too. If you don't have a trash can, you can always use a disposable cup, but I keep a napkin handy too, to hide the contents of the cup. This isn't any different than people who dip.

If I'm spitting into a trash can at home or in the office, I'll also drop a paper towel over the spat to cover it up. That way no one ever sees it. 

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Enhance other diets with Taste!

Through out my life, like many of you, I've had my share of diets. I've tried and liked Atkins, Paleo and recently enjoy the 5:2 diet. The problem with those diets is that you are restricted from eating your favorite foods, but if you combine the Taster Diet with them or others, you can still enjoy banned foods. After being on a no carb diet, I didn't want to eat that way for the rest of my life. It becomes a "Quality of Life" principle for me.

For example, breads are a no no for the Atkins and Paleo, but sometimes I just don't want to resist a good old fashioned toast with melted butter. Mmm. (Oh how I savor that.) So, I'll chew it up, and again, if I'm by myself, just spit it out in a trash can. When around others it requires more skill but I'll get to those tricks in another post.

Diets don't have to be a pain. Enjoy the taste of your favorite foods just don't swallow the calories!

Taster Diet Basics

For years I've had people ask me how I maintain my weight. Recently, a person saw me eating a doughnut, and then I came back for another, and so he asked me how I could eat all those doughnuts and still stay thin.

I said, "I didn't eat any doughnuts."

He said, "But I saw you take three."

I smiled and said, "I just chewed them up and never swallowed."

That's the gist of the Taster Diet.

When people first hear my practice they think it's gross, but after I explain it, many come to realize it is actually a good idea. Of course, some people have said I should tell people to have better self control, but sometimes self control isn't the problem.

I'll be honest, I love cookies, doughnuts, cake and chips too. I could decide not to eat those foods again, but why? I love their taste, I just don't like the calories they pack. If there is a chocolate chip cookie in my house, I will eat it, and many years ago I realized that the best part of eating wasn't the swallowing, but the tasting of the food. I learned to chew my favorite treats and savor the taste, but when I was ready to swallow, I would simply spit it out.

People often say that's gross, but never once has anyone caught me in the act. In fact, the only way people found out about my secret is after I tell them.

Last year, I ate lunch with an old friend and she told me how she had gained too much weight because she just had to eat something and it was a bad habit. I told her my method, and she realized she could still "enjoy" her bad habit, but not reap the consequences.

Alex