One way to describe "The Amen Solution" is to call it help for overeaters. The help for overeaters chart below was taken from this book.
The best way to describe this book is to quote from the cover:
“The #1 secret is that most weight problems occur between your ears, not in your stomach. If you want a better body, the first place to always start is by having a better brain. Read more….(Secret #2)
Secret #2 is that there isn’t just one brain pattern associated with being overweight; there are at least five. Giving everyone the same diet plan will make some people better and a lot of people worse. Finding the right plan for your individual brain type is the key to lasting weight loss. “
| SUMMARY TABLE OF THE FIVE TYPES OF OVEREATERES | |||||
| Type | Symptoms | Brain Findings/ Neurotransmitter Issue | Supplements | Medications | |
| 1. Compulsive Overeaters | Overfocussed on food,worring,have trouble letting go of hurts | Increased AC (anterior cingulate)/low serotonin | 5-HTP, inositol,saffron, or St. Johns wort | SSRIs, such as Prozac,Zoloft, or Lexapro | |
| 2. Impulsive Overeaters | Impulsive, bored, easily distracted | Low, PFC (prefrontal cortex)/ low dopamine | Green tea, rhodiola, L-trosine | Phentermine or stimulants such as Adderall or Ritalin | |
| 3. Impulsive-Compulsive Overeaters | Combination of type 1 and 2 | High AC plus low PFC/low seotonin and dopamine | 5-HTP plus grean tea and rhodiola | SSRI plus phentermine or stimulant | |
| 4. Sad or Emotional Overeaters | Sad or depressed mood, gets the winter blues, has carbohydrate cravings,loses interest, sleeps a lot, has low energy. | High limbic activity/low PFC; check vitamin D and DHEA levels | SAMe, vitamin D, or DHEA if needed | Wellburtrin | |
| 5. Anxious Overeaters | Is anxious, tense, nervous; predicts the worst; eats to calm | High basal ganglia/low GABA levels | GABA, B6, magnesium | Topamax | |
I would not suggest any of the supplements or medications above except maybe green tea . Buy the book and there are tests to see which kind of overeater you are. You will also read about solutions that are aimed at your type of overeater.