The Feel-Good Diet: The Weight-Loss Plan That Boosts Serotonin, Improves Your Mood, and Keeps the Pounds Off for Good

by Mary Kay Grossman and Cheryle R. Hart

Book Overview

No cravings. No stress. No fatigue.
Finally, a revolutionary weight-loss program that makes your brain happy as you lose weight.

Cheryle Hart, M.D., and Mary Kay Grossman, RD, have discovered that many popular diets deplete your brain's neurotransmitters, especially serotonin, which is crucial to well-being. This "yo-yo brain" effect zaps your willpower and leaves you irritable, depressed, and carbo-craved. Hart and Grossman's...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0071548491
• ISBN13: 9780071548496
• Release Date: January 2008
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

This time it was my husbands turn to lose weight....

Everyone knows I am the biggest fan of Cheryle R. Hart and Mary Kay Grossman for writing The Insulin-Resistance Diet book which forever changed my life. After losing 40+ pounds on my own and still having high cholesterol and still being 60 pounds overweight (not to mention feeling terrible) I needed answers. My OB/GYN found the problem and suggested The Insulin-Resistance Diet book by Hart and Grossman. I am now a total of 100 pounds lighter (50+ pounds thanks to the Insulin Resistance Diet), my cholesterol is normal and my Insulin levels are normal. I have kept the weight off for 2 years and couldn't love my life more. My husband on the other hand had a much harder time over the Holidays and I decided The Feel Good Diet was what he needed to take off the weight. The two of us loved the book because it spoke to us from different angles. My husband is very analytical and likes to know how the clock works, I on the other hand, just want to know what time it is. The Feel Good Diet works because it gives you the "why" and "how" all in one book. The biggest change for me was the quality of sleep I now enjoy after having my Evening Seretonin-Boosting Snack. The S'More Serotonin Snack is to die for or an evening watching a movie while snacking on popcorn made my husband very happy. The other significant change was our energy levels in the afternoon by incorporating the afternoon snack. Cheryle Hart and Mary Kay Grossman not only wrote books which allowed me to lose weight and changed my life but they educated me about my body and empowered me to be able to keep the weight off. To be able to live a life where you control your weight instead of the food controlling your weight is AMAZING!!!!

Bottom Line, Does it Work? Yes it Does

People who have dieted as long as I have know about dieting. We've read the new books, tried new ways of dealing with our persistent problem. Normal weight people must find this confusing if they think at all about our dilemma. Why can't we just -get- the basic principle that you eat less than you expend to lose weight. Simple. Unfortunately, not that simple in our nation. Not that simple for bodies out of whack. It is mysterious to me how people can just eat to live and not think about it 24/7. How freeing it must be to spend no time planning meals, logging calories in and out, making weight goals, etc.etc. I may never reach that level of normalacy but the principles in this book and it's predecessor The Insulin Resistance DietThe Insulin-Resistance Diet : How to Turn Off Your Body's Fat-Making Machine, help me see what is possible. As a dieter I want to know one thing before I put money out on a new diet book. Does it help, does it work? Is this book going to give me some vital piece of information that will help me change my life? The answer to those questions is yes, this book does help,work and give vital information. The authors encourage you to change by slowly changing one new behavior at a time until you've changed your habits even if this process takes months. We want what we want when we want it which is usually now, but that is a formula for failure in any major life change. I didn't expect this book to be significantly different from Dr. Hart and Ms Grossman's first book, The Insulin Resistance Diet but it is. If possible, I really recommend buying both books and reading the Insulin Resistance Diet first. Although the Feel Good Diet continues and expounds upon the material in the Insulin Resistance Diet, both books stand on their own. The Feel Good Diet is better understood if you read the Insulin Resistance Diet first. If you don't want to buy the Insulin Resistance Diet, go to your public library. The IR Diet is the philosophical underpinning for the Feel Good Diet. When you eat the Insulin Resistance way, there is a calm that settles over you which makes your life and the changes you'll be making so much easier. I also suggest reading this book completely through before trying ANY of the suggestions. Don't go off half cocked, as I did. The apple cider vinegar Vinegar, Apple Cider, Unfiltered, Raw, Organic, 32 oz.works and works well. In my opinion, it doesn't taste bad either. You might add low glycemic agave nectarAgave Nectar Liquid Sweetener, Light, Squeeze Bottle, Organic, 8 oz., to sweeten rather than other, especially artificial, sweeteners. I don't use a sweetener. It's helpful to increase your intake of minerals before you start on the vinegar. The book lists natural sources of minerals. It is also good to increase the supplements you take as suggested in the book before you start taking the 5HTP. The book talks about sublingual 5HTP in the form of craniyums. I have benefited from 5HTPSecrets of 5-HTP: Nature's Newest

Buy the Book and Apply It Daily

The Feel Good Diet by Hart MD and Grossman RD by Dr. Joseph S. Maresca PhD Overall, the book is well-researched. The findings make sense. There are good references cited from authoritative journals; namely, - American J of Physiology - Nutrition and American J of Clinical Nutrition - European J of Pharmacology and Endocrinology - J of Psychosomatic Research - J of the American Dietetic Association - J of Affective Disorders and J of Transmissions - Brain Research - Exercise and Sports Science Reviews and many others In the authors' next book, I would include some citations from The Lancet. The book claims to assist in crafting a personal diet regimen that boosts serotonin,improves mood and maintains the weight loss into the future. Serotonin improves well being, controls cravings and contributes materially to the sense of well being. The authors describe how serotonin is made via minerals and cofactor vitamins. Certain habits and foods contribute toward a neurotransmitter deficiency by the authors. These aspects include smoking, drinking, sugar, starch, chocolate,tobacco and carbs by late afternoon or evening. The thyroid and testosterone are the hormones of the metabolism. Testosterone can be measured via saliva or blood testing. DHEA or medications can be taken orally to increase the production of testosterone according to the authors. Calcium in the carbonate form is the preferred vitamin for weight loss together with stress control. Plain or low fat yogurt has the highest calcium (Ca.) content according to the authors. The low insulin spike foods are meats (low fat) , fish, poultry, eggs,low fat/sugar dairy, legumes, dried beans, nuts and seeds. There is an extensive section on sample foods. Omega 3 and 6 are the preferred "good fats". Super pH water is known to boost metabolism. More sample recipes are listed in Chapter 14. After having had numerous medical encounters, I consolidated the advice of several physicians and my personal experience into a food/lifestyle profile which has helped me. This includes the following: o frequent exercise (cardio and cycling) o control over late day eating or eating after 8 PM o bottled water, tea, caffeine-free coffee, occasional diet soda, low alcohol content white or red wine AS GOOD SUBSTITUTES for canned soda, coffee with caffeine, higher content alcohol (> 10%) <br /> <br />o plantains, nuts and seeds as a substitute for potato chips and pop corn <br /> <br />o low triglyceride restaurant foods <br /> <br />o control over gluten consumption <br /> <br />o less protein to control proteinuria and protect the kidneys <br /> <br />o sugar free candies as a substitute for candy bars of all kinds and snack cravings <br /> <br />This regimen (by my own personal experience ) will take off 20-30 pounds permanently and improve blood chemistry in the area of glucose control, the SED RATE, the triglyceride totals and several other blood factors. It will help with the micro-crystalline measuremen

Lose your weight, not your mind

Cheryle Hart, M.D. writes a very compelling book. The part that really speaks to me is the part about how while on Atkins I may have lost weight, but I also felt a little off, even a little depressed. Now I know that because I did not have enough Carbs, I lost serotonin, and like she said I lost my mind. While the book seems to be aimed towards women, it has been very helpful to me, too. Now I have two ways to increase my serotonin. One way is to eat my serotonin raising snacks and if that is not enought, I can get neurotransmitter precursors like 5-HTP and tyrosine. Thank you Dr. Hart.

Lose Your Weight Not Your Mind

Ever felt like your diet was making you "lose your mind"? Authors of The Feel Good Diet, Cheryle Hart, M.D., and Mary Kay Grossman, RD are betting it has. If you are one of the millions of dieters who's tried any of the hip, low-carb programs out there (and, hey, who hasn't?) you've more than likely suffered not only from a uncontrollable flux in weight (yo-yo), but gained "yo-yo brain" as well. Turns out, as authors Hart and Grossman tell us, by going strictly on a low-carb/high protein diet we're depleting our brain of the neurotransmitter serotonin (that's the one that makes you happy and is at the helm of your sex drive). Therefore, if you have the dieting blues - The Feel Good Diet can help you. It offers excellent words of wisdom from Hart and Grossman who have helped many (especially women) overcome their weight loss difficulty through their Women's Wellness Workshops conducted in Spokane, Washington. After working with many clients who've wondered why they'd gotten depressed after weight loss, they decided to share their findings with you. In their solution, Hart and Grossman first give us a basic physiology lesson. This includes the lowdown on how the body's neurotransmitters (including serotonin) and hormones (including insulin) affect the delicate balance of the body's biochemistry. Most understand the basics -many of the carbohydrates we eat are responsible for creating an insulin "spike" from the pancreas to counteract the sugar (glucose) levels in the blood. Therefore, by lowering your intake of these sugars, your body will lose weight. Too, high protein diets can also be a solution to dangerous diseases like diabetes by preventing the pancreas from secreting too much insulin. But, here's the catch: low carb/high protein diets disrupt the production of the helpful neurotransmitter serotonin. This, in turn, can have adverse affects on "mood, energy, appetite and sex drive." What's the answer to all this? Hart and Grossman have it all worked out for us with both their Link-and-Balance method of eating (linking insulin "spiking" foods with low insulin "spiking" foods in a balanced meal). This regulates the body's precious hormone and insulin feedback loop. They also help us raise our serotonin through timed snacks and supplements. It's a perfect system! Thus, your body is balanced, the weight comes off and, what's more: you and your body are both happy. The Feel Good Diet will come as a blessing for those who have: -Lost weight but feel depressed -Lost weight then ate normally gaining back the weight and then lots more -Searched for a way to lose weight in a healthy, sensible way The three best things about The Feel Good Diet Program in my opinion are: One: This book is brain-food in itself for all that desire to understand the body's physiology and body chemistry. It helps us understand why chronic illnesses such as diabetes have become a problem, why we are seeing a rise in obesity (especially in children) and