Does this diet work? I'm sure it does, if you follow it. Any approach that causes you to expend more calories than you take in makes you lose weight. The unique part of this diet is the snacking, and it makes perfect sense. Have a small snack an hour before dinner, and you're less likely to pig out.
Is the science sound? The authors have strong bona fides (MIT, Columbia, George Washington University, NIH), and the references they cite come from respectable academic journals. These are good indicators.
Is the book helpful? I would say yes, quite. There are lists of acceptable snacks, meal plans, and recipes. (I tried a curry recipe, and it was pretty good.) I particularly liked Chapter 8, "Now What Do I Do?" The authors present real-life situations and describe how to stay on the diet in the face of them. Also, the plan is geared towards not having to do a lot of complicated cooking.
One must take any book about lifestyle change with a grain of salt. After all, if books worked, there would be no need for psychotherapists or the diet centers the authors run. People often need to be in the company of people in order to make big changes, which a diet is. The book is also chock-full of suggestions along the lines of, "Too much to do? Get your kids to help with the chores." To me, such advice sounds a bit flip, like the authors are not taking personal roadblocks seriously, even though I'm sure this isn't the case.
The Serotonin Power Diet is aimed at people who have gained weight back after being on a low-carb diet and people who have gained weight on antidepressants. (For some reason, they increase carb craving.) It's applicable to anyone, however, and has the allure of snacks. Sounds like a winner to me.
Article comments
1 - Natalie Bennett
This article has been selected for syndication to Advance.net, which is affiliated with newspapers around the United States. Nice work!
2 - tonetj27
Today is my first day on the Serotonin Power Diet and for a person who craves cookies and other sweets constantly, it has worked so far for me. I think it will work for a while because usually with a new diet, on the first day I can tell whether or not I will stick with it. I like it because I am eating at set times and it encourages fruit, lots of veggies, and carbs. I can also lift weights on this diet which is great. Many low fat diets tell you not to lift weight because the scale wont go down and you would become discouraged and give up.I will stay with this diet as long as it works for me