Guest review by Krystal Bagley of The Clever Mommy Chronicles. Keep reading for your chance to win a copy…
We all know the popular diets of today, right? Atkins, South Beach, Sommersize, and the list goes on. What is the one thing that all of those diets (and more) have in common? Yep! They are all low-carb. I’m willing to bet that most of us have tried one or more of them. I’ll also bet that of those who have tried them, most are still unhappy with their weight.
Am I right? Does that describe you? It describes me.
I have tried just about every low-carb diet there is, and I do lose a few pounds at first (all the while counting down the days until I can eat normal food again). However, the weight loss always stops after a few weeks, I get frustrated, and inevitably end up quitting the diet. As a result, I give in to all of the carbohydrate cravings that plagued me while I was on the diet, eat way too much, and gain back the few pounds that I did lose. It’s a vicious, and all too frustrating, circle.
What if I were to tell you that there was a diet plan that promised to essentially switch off your appetite, and that the core of the plan was eating carbs?
That’s exactly what The Serotonin Power Diet promises. Judith J Wurtman, PhD. and Nina T. Frusztajer, MD. discovered the connection between carbohydrate cravings, serotonin, and weight management in their MIT clinical studies. Together, they formed the Adara Weight Management Center, where they help their clients lose the weight that they need to lose, and keep it off, using their Serotonin Power Diet.
The basis behind the diet is that carbohydrates lead directly to the production of serotonin, a chemical in your brain that not only manages your mood, but also your appetite. While on the diet, Wurtman and Frusztajer insist that you MUST snack, and they must be carbohydrate snacks. This will help boost your serotonin levels and control your appetite so you will eat less during your meals. The diet also requires that you eat carbs with your meals, something we long time low-carbers will rejoice in!
There are guidelines to the kind of carbs you eat; you certainly don’t want to be snacking on snickers bars and having lays potato chips at every meal, even though they contain quite a few carbs. However, if you do it right, by choosing healthy carbs, the doctors maintain that combined with other healthy foods, and an exercise plan, those carbs will result in weight loss. Not only that, but, because your brain is getting enough serotonin (something it lacks while on low-carb diets), you won’t be tempted to drown yourself in Baskin Robbin’s Chocolate Peanut Butter, or eat an entire bag of Sour Cream and Onion Chex Mix. Your cravings will be under control.
Along with the dietary changes you will make on the diet, the book also focuses on helping the reader address the reasons they have gained weight in the first place. Emotions, stress, and boredom, among other things, all contribute to overeating, and the doctors help us to understand how to separate those things from our eating. The diet has been wonderful for people who are taking antidepressants, which are notorious for causing emotional overeating and weight gain.
The book is thorough, giving the doctors’ scientific research and explaining why and how the diet works. It is rich in examples, menus, recipes, tips, and tricks (such as what to do while eating out). I felt completely ready to jump right in when I finished reading it.
Perhaps the most powerful testimonial of the book? In the 5 days since I started the diet, I have lost 4 pounds. That’s enough for me to want to continue, and enough for me to recommend the book to anyone looking for an exit from the low-carb merry-go-round.
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Leave a comment below sharing at least one of the popular or fad diets you’ve tried in your lifetime and what the results were.
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