Phase I: Losing Weight
There are four simple steps and we are pretty sure that unless you have a medical condition that precludes trying this, you will be successful. At least we hope so. This phase is ONLY for losing weight and has only 4 steps.

Step 1.) After you take a bite of food, place your fork down on the plate. (Doesn't that sound silly?) However, it is only human nature that when you place a bite in your mouth you immediately start grabbing the next bite with your fork. The problem here is that you are shoveling food into your mouth. What happens is that you eat too much food before your brain actually realizes that you've actually had enough. So put the fork down, chew your food and then take a drink of water. If you are eating a sandwich, put it down between bites and take a drink of water. You are in no hurry. I repeat, YOU ARE IN NO HURRY!!! (Being in a hurry is almost surely guaranteed to make you fat!) Sometimes you ARE in a hurry, but we will get to that later. This step is actually much harder than it sounds!!! (Remember? Putting The Fork Down?) Besides, if you follow this step (besides the other steps being easier), you won't finish your meal before everybody else and then eat more in order to "be a sport." Since part of the idea is to eat more slowly, cut your food up into smaller bites. It is quite common for a person who is over eating to cram A LOT (read: HUMONGOUS BITE) of food in at one time. I personally wouldn't (previously!) have minded cramming a whole cheeseburger in at one time! If you have string beans and cut them in half, the waiter will NOT throw you out of the restaurant. Step 1 is the most important step!

Step 2.) Drink lots of water. Besides water being good for you, most people actually don't drink enough. The more the merrier. When your doctor measures urine, it has a specific gravity. It is always larger than 1.0 and this means that it is heavier than water. So urination helps lose just a pittance of weight, but more importantly it helps develop a very good habit. When you eat—HAVE A BIG WATER GLASS IN FRONT OF YOU! Then take a drink of water after every bite. If you will take this drink of water and not be in any hurry about it, then your chances of losing weight have gone up by about 100%. If you are drinking something besides water, then also have a glass of water with you. Besides, it will make you feel better about tipping the waiter.

Step 3.) Always leave at least a small portion of whatever it is that you are eating ON THE PLATE! The graveyards are full of people who cleaned their plate because their parents told them not to put something on their plate unless they were going to eat it. The pet phrase when I was growing up was, "The Starving Armenians." I haven't a clue as to whether or not any Armenians ever starved, but it sure wasn't because you didn't clean your plate! Again, if you're eating a sandwich, don't eat the last little bit. Teach yourself this trick and you will be healthy. (It's actually hard to do.)

EXCUSE ME!!! But have you noticed that if you always leave a little of that serving on your plate that YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO EAT SECONDS? (Like your mother told you, "You can't have any more until you clean your plate.")

If you're eating at a cafeteria and you have several bowls of vegetables and/or fruit along with your main course, ALWAYS leave a little behind in each bowl and leave some of the main course too. What we're trying to do here is to change our entire thought on "cleaning your plate." Even if (especially if) you eat at a fancy restaurant and order really expensive food—leave some on each plate. The food you "waste" will not cost as much as your casket.

Step 4.) This is a hard step to take and it only involves something that you already know. We are only going to reinforce the idea. IF you're actually going to be serious about your diet, then you have to avoid the foods you know will cause you trouble. It will be hard at first, but after about a week, you can make it. Once we get through with the "LOSING WEIGHT" portion of this diet, then we can talk about the foods that make life worthwhile. We're not going to tell you which foods, as you ALREADY KNOW down deep in your heart. The real trick is...that if you follow the first THREE STEPS, then it is a lot easier to follow this last step. After dieting about 2 weeks, your stomach will shrink so much that you will fill up pretty quickly—especially if you are following the 3 steps above. Read: change your eating habits—as far as what you do with your hands. Simple as that. Have you tried putting Italian or Oil and Vinegar dressing on your salad? This kind of dressing is what makes The Olive Garden so good! It makes my mouth water to think about it. Making your mouth water will make your meal a lot more enjoyable. Take some multi-vitamins too, as recommended by your doctor.

If you're only trying to maintain your weight, you can skip this step, but don't fool yourself—you can't eat a half gallon of ice cream, then leave a few ounces in the carton and expect to lose weight or not make a huge dent in the cushion of your favorite chair.

Phase II: Keeping It Off
The only difference here is that you don't have to use Step 4 above. We don't mean that you can start eating a half-gallon of ice cream after downing a 16 oz. steak. What we mean is that if you want to lose weight and have already followed the 3 Steps above, then you will already (1) have lost weight and (2) you will be pretty full on sensible food and not be going nuts for things that are GUARANTEED to make you fat. If you "fall off the wagon," then don't try and make up for it the next day. Merely remind yourself that you are going to stay on steps 1,2 and 3. Take some multi-vitamins too, as recommended by your doctor.

Do yourself a favor: weigh yourself on some really decent scales as many times a day as you can without getting fired. It will look stupid, but it keeps your mind on your goal. You might even keep a chart. Stand on the same part of the scales each time. Some scales will weigh you differently—according to where you stand. They aren't supposed to, but it's just a fact. I personally like to find the "lightest" spot, but at least I stand there each time. The weight you lose will still be the same no matter where you stand, as long as it is the same spot each time. For most bathroom scales, weigh yourself about 6 times, add up the weights and divide by 6 to get an average. Most bathroom scales aren't very good. If you don't have scales, then come over here and I will weigh you and laugh enough that you will be embarrassed and lose another pound tomorrow.

Being in a hurry:
While it is true that in today's society, many times you are in a tearing hurry and eating as quickly as you can is like digging your grave with your teeth. If you really have to hurry, still follow Steps 1 through 4 as listed at the top. And leave some food for the trash can. It won't hurt you.

Between meal snacks:
A no-no for Phase I, but sometimes the spirit is willing, but the body is weak. Everybody does it now and again. Just remind yourself the next time you step on the scales that it was probably those 2 bags of potato chips that "done you in." (c.f. Audrey Hepburn in "My Fair Lady") Just get back on that horse and ride it again. This diet should be for life. True, you can party every now and then, but if you go nuts, remember to go back to Phase I for a little while to lose that weight again.

If you really feel that you have to eat between meals (especially when you first start dieting) then try a diet soda or the kind of popsicles that have almost no calories. Find something, but remember that you are only kidding yourself. If you eat between meals, it will probably get out of hand and besides, you aren't teaching yourself to DO THE RIGHT THING.

REMEMBER: The thing that makes most people HUNGRY.......is EATING!!! Just like you're sleepy after you wake up and wish you could go back to sleep; after you start eating, you just keep on doing it. It's really another form of addiction, so don't let your endorphines tell you what to do. You can easily overeat and overfill your stomach before your brain has enough sense to tell you that you can quit eating. Give your stomach and brain a chance to synchronize. Give yourself a chance to succeed. Once your friends do a double-take and stare at you, then you will feel a lot better.

Almost ALL diets will work if you stay with them. The thing about this diet is that you don't have to buy anything special and it re-trains your habits—which were causing you trouble in the first place. Once you get off of this diet, then staying slim will be easier, for you will not have to change the basic things that you are eating. If this "diet" helps you, then tell us and tell others. Thanks and GOOD LUCK!