[red77]

Hello friends Just wanted to recommend a book by Dr. Daniel Amen of the Amen clinics. It's called "Change Your Brain, Change Your Body". It's for sell on his website but I got it on Amazon for less than half the price. I got the 6 CD program. Listened to the first two today and my mind is completely blown. He discusses 5 brain types of overeaters and what you need to fix before you can fix the overeating. I'm in the process of figuring out which one or combination I am. He pointed out facts such as if your Serotonin or Vitamin D levels are low then you will be hungry ALL THE TIME. Also, when you get a sugar rush your testosterone levels whether your male or female can drop twentyfive percent which will lead to depression, loss of motivation/energy and overeating.

Facts like that really opened my eyes to see that the binging is not due solely to willpower like I thought. It gave me hope and compassion for myself and I hope it will do the same for you. We feel bad enough when we binge...or at least I do..LOL. It's about time somebody discovered the science behind why we do what we do! This neuroscientist seems to have that science. I'll try to keep you posted Merry Christmas!!!

[neeshi]

I remember watching a special he (Dr. Amen) aired on PBS a year or two ago. I did look up his website at that time, but I think I will look into this book you've mentioned. It sounds very interesting.

[red77]

Today I learned something about how food triggers the same areas of the brain as heroin and morphine. Explains a lot...LOL. I done the hypnoses session about overeating. I basically just tried to be still, relax and listened to what he had to say. My ADHD made it hard to follow.

This is the second hypnoses tape I've tried but the first one was off an infomercial. I couldn't be hypnotized then either but tried to just keep his suggestions of "half only" in my mind. Honestly it didn't carry much weight at midnight when I'm facing my trigger foods. It also wasn't as urgent back then to my health as it is now.

Dr. Amen's hypnoses session was more professional. He is a neuroscientist and psychiatrist. He basically talked you into relaxing and imagining yourself in a beautiful garden coming to a crossroads. On the left path is where you're going to end up staying on your current destructive course of eating junk, not exercising, etc. On the right is how you will be if you make healthier choices for your body, eat slowly, not inhale your food and take the time to actually be mindful of it. He suggests you listen to the cd regularly to reinforce your right vs wrong choices.

I will have to listen to this everyday. Right now my bingeing is under a veil of control but I am irritable and grumpy. I'm in one of those moods where you know you shouldn't do something but mad and miserable because "You can't". Or to put it another way I feel like a fox put in charge of guarding the hen house or Edwards family watching Bella with a major flesh wound. I don't WANT to do it but that doesn't mean I won't...LOL.

It's a start. I'm not going to get too excited yet. In the past I have been good for up to five days then gained five pounds in a three day relapse. Honestly, I think it would ease the temptation so much if I just went to bed at 8PM. All in all, I am cautiously optimistic.

[cookfan56]

Originally Posted by red77

Hello friends Just wanted to recommend a book by Dr. Daniel Amen of the Amen clinics. It's called "Change Your Brain, Change Your Body". It's for sell on his website but I got it on Amazon for less than half the price. I got the 6 CD program. Listened to the first two today and my mind is completely blown. He discusses 5 brain types of overeaters and what you need to fix before you can fix the overeating. I'm in the process of figuring out which one or combination I am. He pointed out facts such as if your Serotonin or Vitamin D levels are low then you will be hungry ALL THE TIME. Also, when you get a sugar rush your testosterone levels whether your male or female can drop twentyfive percent which will lead to depression, loss of motivation/energy and overeating.

Facts like that really opened my eyes to see that the binging is not due solely to willpower like I thought. It gave me hope and compassion for myself and I hope it will do the same for you. We feel bad enough when we binge...or at least I do..LOL. It's about time somebody discovered the science behind why we do what we do! This neuroscientist seems to have that science. I'll try to keep you posted Merry Christmas!!!

This all sounds very interesting but I have two questions: 1) when I take seratonon increasing antidepressants like prozac and others, I gain weight and 2) how much vitamin D do you need, I wonder? Is 1000 units enough or do you need 10000?

Does he recommend antidepressants or doing it all through food? Because honestly my depression prevents me from alot of grocery shopping, cooking and everything that goes into eating a much different diet.