Clinical neuroscientist, board certified psychiatrist, brain imaging expert and nine-time “New York Times” bestselling author Daniel G. Amen, MD, knows why diets don’t work for most people. Contrary to what many of us believe, weight loss has little do with the lack of desire to lose weight or willpower – and everything to do with the brain. With more than 20 years of clinical experience and brain imaging work at the Amen Clinics, and having treated tens of thousands of patients from all over the world, Dr. Amen shares his brain-based secrets and steps to help you finally unlock the door to finding and maintaining a healthy weight.
From a personal perspective, Dr. Amen shares how he struggled with cravings and weight most of his adult life, carrying an extra 20 to 30 pounds. While he tried numerous times to shed the pounds, he was never able to overcome the cravings or get the discipline until he developed a brain-based program. Since that time, his brain healthy approach allowed him and countless others to finally lose weight consistently, intelligently and without cravings. In this video, he will give you several brain-based secrets and steps to help you do the same.
Perhaps when obesity is treated with stapling the stomach—the treatment is aimed at the wrong organ. It is your brain that pushes you away from the table, letting you know you’ve had enough. And it is your brain that gives you permission to have a second bowl of ice cream, making you look and feel like a blob. If you want a better body, the first place to always start is by having a better brain.
Secret #2: There’s Not One Brain Pattern Associated With Being Overweight –There Are at Least Five Different Patterns!
With the brain SPECT imaging used at the Amen Clinks, Dr. Amen has identified five patterns associated with being overweight. That’s why one diet does not work for everyone. Knowing about your own specific brain will make losing weight and keeping it off a whole lot easier.
So with knowledge in mind, what do we do now?
Step #1: Boost Your Brain to Lose Your Belly
The Amen Clinics brain SPECT imaging measures blood flow and activity patterns, which reveal how the brain works. Dr. Amen has found that people with healthy brains are happier, more thoughtful and make better decisions. However, the Amen Clinics research clearly demonstrates that over time the brain becomes less and less active with age unless we make an effort to boost their brain health. The Amen Clinics has conducted the world’s largest brain imaging study on retired NFL players, half of which were obese and showed evidence of cognitive impairment at the start of the study. But results show that many of the players got significantly better and lost weight when we they followed the brain health program.
Step #2: Know Your Motivation
In order for you to consistently make the right decisions, you must have a burning desire to be brain healthy. Dr. Amen’s personal motivation is his family. He admits that fear is a motivator too, especially when he looks at research such as the University of Pittsburgh study that found that the brains of overweight people looked 8 to 16 years older than the brains of healthy people! Brain imaging studies have shown that many foods that are filled with fat, sugar and salt actually work on the morphine and heroin centers of our brain and they can be totally addictive. You have to focus on your motivation or food will control you. So, what is your specific motivation to get healthy? Write it down and put it where you can see it every day.
Step #3: Know Your Brain Type
Dr. Amen has discovered that the brains of his overweight patients have at least five patterns associated with being overweight. He observed patterns that tended to be compulsive; some impulsive; others were sad; still others were anxious in various combinations. Diets don’t work because they take a “one-size-fits-all” approach, which from the Amen Clinics brain imaging work, makes absolutely no sense at all. Brain Fit Life offers an online test that will help you learn about your brain type.