Tis the season

[apparentparadox]

With all the goodies around (many of them baked by me), I've decided to go back on my should-be-patented "toothpaste diet".

Here's how the "toothpaste diet" works: basically you eat whatever you really want, but you have to go brush your teeth after each eating episode.

This accomplishes several things:

• Brushing your teeth helps kill the taste of

Comments

[mrdreamjeans]

I think it's an idea worth trying! My only problem will be that I use a mango-flavored toothpaste and it's not half bad:)

[pdxchuck]

Now THAT'S unique!

[lcohen]

the only thing that i don't like to eat after brushing my teeth is orange juice.

[apparentparadox]

Even so, just getting up to brush your teeth after each cookie (or whatever) will help you realize just how many you're eating, and things will switch from automatic to conscious. Remember those old Lay's Potato Chip ads where "Nobody can eat just one"? That's because salty/fat tastes good & you want to keep that taste in your mouth. If you sit there, you'll probably eat more potato chips than you had planned on. But, if you get up to brush your teeth after eating a reasonable serving, then I think that you're less likely to just dive back in and eat without thinking. Partly this is because you've broken the continuous "salty/fat" taste in your mouth by using toothpaste, but also it's because you've made a conscious choice to get up and walk away from the food. Now you're more likely to make it a conscious decision as to whether you start eating potato chips again, or maybe you reach for an apple, or maybe you decide you're really not hungry.

[wooddragon]

The toothpaste thing works a little bit for me. Most things don't taste good after brushing, so it does stop a cycle. I can't drink water after brushing, though; it has to be before (I use a mint toothpaste, and it 'hurts' to drink water after brushing).

[apparentparadox]

I'm not sure that drinking the water before brushing your teeth is allowed under my program, and if you try to start a rival diet that has drinking water before brushing, I'll sue.

[deege]

I think using a strong baking soda toothpaste (or even baking soda) would help even more. Pretty much everything tastes disgusting after using that stuff.

[apparentparadox]

Yeah, but for me, I don't want my life to be filled with disgusting things. So I'd rather use a toothpaste that is tolerable and maybe take more time to lose the weight, than use a foul tasting toothpaste. You're just more macho than I am, I guess!