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Serotonin & Weight Loss

Think of serotonin as the satisfaction chemical in your brain. Serotonin levels are extremely important in helping you feel satisfied with your eating plan so that you can achieve weight loss. When your brain is producing enough serotonin, your appetite shuts off before you overeat. You feel good, and you lose weight more easily. It is not that serotonin itself makes you lose weight; feeling satisfied and having your mood elevated helps you to eat less. If you have ever overeaten to make yourself feel better, you may have been reacting to low serotonin levels.

  1. Eating to Elevate Serotonin Levels

    • When your serotonin level is low, your body will crave carbohydrates, and more so as the day goes on. The problem is that many of us satisfy that craving with the wrong kind of carbohydrates and sabotage our weight loss. Judith J. Wortman, Ph.D., author of the "Serotonin Power Diet," recommends "eating protein, low fat dairy products and vegetables in the early part of the day." She advises having low-fat or fat-free carbohydrates later in the day and at dinner. In this way, your carbohydrate craving is satisfied and you get the nutrients you need.

    High Carb "Cheat" Meals

    • Lyle McDonald's book "A Guide to Flexible Dieting: How Being Less Strict With Your Diet Can Make it Work Better," recommends having a high carbohydrate "cheat" meal once or twice a week as a solution to the low-serotonin level problem. This does not mean you can have a whole cheat day and still lose weight, but an occasional healthy meal with a high carbohydrate content can help serotonin levels and not arrest weight loss.

    Natural Sources of Serotonin

    • Some foods are rich in tryptophan, which turns into a natural source of serotonin. Try to incorporate these into your diet plan: salmon, tuna, turkey, cheese and bananas. Other natural sources of serotonin include pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and walnuts. Vitamin B6 and magnesium also can elevate your serotonin level, according to Dr. Allan Lieberman in an article on Cure-your-depression.com.

    Reducing Serotonin Levels

    • Drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes or even using a nicotine substitute, taking in too much caffeine or aspartame artificial sweeteners can bring down serotonin levels. Too little protein, too little sunlight and too little exercise can do the same. Diabetes, fibromyalgia and hypoglycemia can affect serotonin negatively as well.

    Why Low Serotonin Is Linked to Obesity

    • You may feel almost compelled to eat too much if your serotonin levels are low. Once you have a carbohydrate or stimulant "fix," you may feel better right away, but only temporarily. When the effects of the sugar, caffeine or nicotine wear off, serotonin levels plunge, the pleasurable effect goes away and the cravings come back, accompanied by anxiety, foggy thinking and irritability. Ultimately, this up and down cycle can cause a chronic serotonin malfunction and, of course, weight gain. In a way, the link between decreased brain serotonin levels and obesity is good news. It means it is not a character flaw, and it is not hopeless. If you add exercise, protein and healthy carbohydrates and eliminate substances that lower serotonin levels, weight loss is attainable.

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