We've all heard of low-fat, low-carb, and high protein diets. But one Yale University doctor says having too many flavors in our meals keeps us fat. And he believes cutting back on those flavors is the key to weight loss.

Jonathan Link lost 20 pounds and lowered his cholesterol in the last year. He says it's because of the flavors he chooses.

"It's not a diet, it's the way that I eat. It's like a cookbook," said Link.

Link is a follower of the Flavor Point Diet. Author and Yale professor Doctor David Katz says too many flavors in one meal triggers your brain to want more food.

"When you're eating food that has that flavor, sugary foods, salty food, you turn on the appetite meters that respond to that flavor category," said Katz. "When that meter registers full, so do you. But if you have all of them turned on, if you're firing on all cylinders, you've got to fill them all up before you feel full."

Katz's plan involves theme days. For example, on Orange Day, all your meals have some oranges in them. He says key points are: don't mix sweet and salty, don't eat foods with long ingredient lists, don't eat highly processed foods such as fast food, and don't cruise from snack to snack. Pick one and have your fill.

But dietician Meredith Luce says the diet may be asking people to do too much work.

"I think it's a little gimmicky to think in terms of the whole focusing on flavor as being the thing that is going to help people learn to eat less. It's not going to be this major gong that goes off that says, 'OK, your meter is full,'" said Luce.

But she does say if it works for you, go for it!

"Now I go out, I feel more confident, I see are people looking at me, and I like being looked at," said Jonathan Link.

Doctor Katz says that of the 20 people in his 12-week study, everyone lost weight.

The average was 16 pounds.