Your brain is the CEO of your body, so why wouldn't you want to feed it the proper fuel it needs to function properly to keep your blood sugar balanced and your metabolism up? Dr. Amen did numerous studies on the brain through scans and found that brains of people who eat healthy look different than those of obese people. He says that you have to retool your diet to be rich in healthy foods to reverse the damage to your brain. One part I really like was the idea that you have you treat your willpower as a muscle and practice it often.
"With a better brain you also get a better body and a better mind" - Dr. Amen
"Food is medicine and can help you be trim, vibrant, happy, and focused, or it can make you plump, sluggish, sad, and stupid. It can also help keep you healthy or increase your disk for disease." - Dr. Amen
Dr. Amen emphasizes that you're never going to lose weight if you have a low thyroid, low blood sugar, imbalanced hormones, trouble sleeping, and negative thinking. Your doctor can help with your thyroid and the rest you can manage through diet and supplements. Before I start, you should know that there's no magic pill that is going to do all the work for you because supplements don't work by themselves if you eat too much or do not exercise. However what natural supplements can do, is to help optimize your brain so it will be easier for you to be able to follow a "brain healthy program." Dr. Amen professes that, "It'll be amazing to finally discover that the reason you can't lose weight isn't because you aren't trying hard enough, it's because your brain needs a little help."
As I said in my post yesterday, there are three supplements he recommends to all of his patients because they are critical to optimal brain function: a multivitamin, fish oil (or omega-3), and vitamin D.
Boosting omega-3 fatty acids in your diet is one of the best things you can do for your weight, mood, and brainpower. The reason being is that low levels of omega-3 fatty acids have been associated with depression, anxiety, obesity, ADD, suicide and an increased risk for Alzheimer's disease and dementia.
In fact if you want to lose fat, you should eat more fat - of the omega-3 variety. Same thing McCaffrey says. Increasing omega-3 intake has been found to decrease appetite and cravings and reduce body fat. I was recently very excited to learn that my
Dr. Amen recommends the supplement 5-HTP for compulsive overeaters. It increases serotonin, which helps to control stress, improves sleep, and increases mood. Exercise and 5-HTP are natural ways to boost serotonin (the happiness hormone). But it's not meant for long term use.
The book spends a good portion on getting rid of your negative thoughts. Challenging your thoughts is critical to winning the battle of the bulge. When talking to yourself don’t use words like "always, never", as is "I will always be fat" or "I will never lose weight." You are self-sabotaging yourself by not believing in yourself, know that your thoughts can lie to you! This goes back to keeping your serotonin levels up. Focus on the positive which will improve your mood so you can feel better about yourself and kill the negative thoughts in your head. Stay strong and don’t let food pushers sabotage your weight loss at work or with family and friends. Surround yourself with people with good eating habits. If you're going out to eat with healthier eaters, you will feel encouraged to order something healthy off the menu too.
No comments