Serotonin and Weight Loss
Interview with Judith Wurtman
Interview with Judith Wurtman, author of The Serotonin Power Diet.
Tracy Rose: What is the importance of serotonin in losing weight?
Judith Wurtman: Serotonin is essential for weight loss as it is the one brain chemical which shuts off our appetite before our stomachs are stuffed. Serotonin is the satiety or satisfaction chemical. When your brain makes serotonin, your appetite is shut off as completely as for example your thirst is when you drink enough water.
TR: How can serotonin reverse weight gain caused by antidepressants?
JW: Our published research done at a Harvard Medical School associated weight loss clinic showed that by increasing serotonin through diet alone, we could not only reverse antidepressant weight gain but potentate substantial weight loss. This is because the increase in serotonin through our diet program stopped the cravings and feelings of not being satisfied caused by the drugs. We are not sure what the exact brain mechanisms are, but we know they work through serotonin.
TR: Can overweight and obese people realistically follow the Serotonin Power Diet with only the help of the book?
JW: Yes, the book has a multifaceted approach including a 12-week guide that anticipates all the problems and obstacles which prevent people from reaching their weight loss goals. We have chapters devoted to helping people figure out why they diet may be slowing down or how to handle situations which might interfere with the diet. Ours years and years of clinical experience has made it possible for us to talk directly to all the readers through the book and many have told us how helpful and easy to read the book is.
TR: Do you recommend professional help for people who've had trouble losing weight in the past? What type of specialist is best?
JW: In our experience, people who are not able to lose weight may need the help of a clinical dietician (if they have diabetes for example) or a therapist if their life problems are interfering with their ability to stay on a diet. Some would benefit from a personal trainer if their ability to exercise is compromised by physical limitations. Usually when a diet doesn't work, the problem is extremely complex.
TR: What do you advise people to do when they experience setbacks or a plateau?
JW: We expect people to have setbacks; the 12 week guide is filled with advice for this problem. But our basic rule is to go back to the first two weeks of the diet which is designed to boost serotonin as quickly as possible. This way their appetites and moods will be under control.
TR: Can a chronic binge eater lose weight using the Serotonin Power Diet?
JW: Yes and many have. Some have written to us that the diet allowed them to stop binging for the first time in their lives.
TR: Can the Serotonin Power Diet be combined with other programs like weight watchers?
JW: The diet program must be followed as written. Weight Watchers does not have a diet program that will specifically increase brain serotonin and the power to stop eating without using will power. But the support of W.W. can certainly be used.
TR: Doesn't eating food with sugar increase cravings for sugar?
JW: No. On the contrary, once the diet is followed, cravings for sugar go away. We don't recommend sweet snacks over healthier ones but we know that eating something with sugar will not promote addictive eating. We also recommend the use of an MIT patented carbohydrate drink called Serotrim which increases brain serotonin even faster than food. We report on the many studies done at MIT with the drink and its use for people afraid to eat snack foods at the beginning of the diet because of what they have been taught from other diets.
TR: Do you have any advice for dieters who swear by low-carb or no-carb diets as the only way to lose weight?
JW: They are fine for men as men have at least a third more serotonin than women. So if men's brain decrease in serotonin, they are less likely to suffer the mood and appetite problems that women do on a low carb diet. But for women, a low carb diet can produce symptoms similar to PMS.
TR: Is the Serotonin Power Diet safe for kids and teens?
JW: Yes, at our Harvard Medical School based clinic, we treated children and teens.
TR: What is one thing you would suggest for people just starting the Serotonin Power Diet?
JW: Enjoy your great mood and control over your appetite; your will feel great within a few days and lose weight as well. One dieter told us that his family commented on the fact that he was in a much better mood on the diet.
TR: Have you personally been overweight? How much did you lose and how did you lose it?
JW: I was a fat bride, no kidding. I lost weight when our research revealed the power of serotonin and eating carbohydrates to make more. I also became convinced that weight loss must include exercise which I do daily.
TR: Do you have anything you'd like to add?
JW: Nature gave us an easy way of harnessing the power of our brain to control our appetite and mood. We don't need drugs, or supplements, herbs or pills. Just by eating the immense variety of carbs on this earth, we can lose weight, feel better, and maybe make everyone more peaceful.
Wurtman is a Research Scientist at MIT, the founder and director of Harvard University's TRIAD Weight Management Center and a co-founder of Adara Weight Management Services. She co-wrote The Serotonin Power Diet with Nina Marquis.
Judith Wurtman
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Serotonin Power Diet
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