Diet Rehab: 28 Days to Finally Stop Craving the Foods That Make You Fat (28 page)
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Authors: Mike Dow,Antonia Blyth
BOOK: Diet Rehab: 28 Days to Finally Stop Craving the Foods That Make You Fat
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VEGETABLES: RAW, GRILLED, SAUTÉED, STEAMED, OR JUICED
• beets
• bell peppers
• broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• cabbage
• carrots
• celery
• collard greens
• eggplant
• kale
• mushrooms
• mustard greens
• onions
• popcorn: air-popped or microwaved (low-fat, no hydrogenated oils)
• romaine lettuce
• sea vegetables
• spinach
• squash
• sweet potatoes
• Swiss chard
• tomatoes
• turnip greens
• yams
FRUITS: UNSWEETENED (NO SUGAR, SYRUP, OR OIL ADDED), NOT JUICED, WHOLE FRUIT
• açaí berries
• apples
• apricots
• bananas
• blueberries
• cantaloupe
• cherries
• cranberries
• figs
• goji berries
• grapefruit
• grapes
• kiwis
• lemons
• limes
• olives
• oranges
• papayas
• pears
• plantains
• plums
• prunes
• raspberries
• strawberries
OILS
• extra-virgin olive oil (for dressings)
• virgin olive oil (for cooking)
SPICES AND HERBS: FAVOR SOOTHING AND FAMILIAR
• basil
• cinnamon
• cloves
• cumin
• dill
• ginger
• oregano
• parsley
• peppermint
• rosemary
• sage
• thyme
DRINKS AND DESSERTS
• unsweetened tea: herbal, white, red, or decaf
• unsweetened decaf coffee
• hot water with lemon
• sparkling water with a splash of fruit juice
• vegetable juice
• dark chocolate with at least 70% cacao
• frozen plain bananas
• frozen plain berries
Through the twenty-eight days of Diet Rehab, you’ll also be adding booster activities to your daily life. Since low serotonin means high anxiety, be kind and gentle with yourself when deciding which activities on this list to try. Start out with those that sound pleasurable and easy. Once you’ve got your serotonin stabilized, some of the more challenging options here may no longer feel like they’re out of reach. As this happens, you may discover some of your own favorite serotonin booster activities. Just remember: Slow and steady wins the race!
Adopt a rescue animal
Apologize
Arrange an outing to a movie or concert
Ask your barista how his or her day is
Ask a stressed coworker if there’s something you can do to help
Attend a 12-step meeting
Attend a class
Attend a religious service or Bible study
Balance your checkbook
Be honest
Become a Big Brother or Big Sister
Bird watch
Bowl
Breathe deeply for five minutes
Bring a reusable bag to the store
Bring home one flower for your significant other . . . or yourself
Build a sand castle
Build a snowman
Call just to say, “I love you”
Canoe
Coach a kid’s team
Cook
Cuddle with your significant other or pet
Do a crossword puzzle
Do a favor and expect nothing in return
Do the dishes
Do your errands on foot or on your bike
Do your taxes
Eat dinner in the dark and taste every bite
Exercise
Fly a kite
Forgive
Garden
Get health insurance
Get or give a massage
Get rid of clutter
Get that mammogram or medical test you’ve been putting off
Give somebody a compliment
Give your pet a bath
Give yourself a compliment
Give yourself a face mask or scrub
Go a whole day without using your car
Go dancing
Go fishing
Go online and look at photos of foreign cities or landscapes
Go to a farmers’ market
Go to a library or bookstore to just browse
Go to a museum
Go to a petting zoo
Go to a stand-up comedy show
Go to bed thirty minutes earlier
Go to the opera or theater
Go to the top floor of a parking structure and take in the view
Golf
Half-smile for five minutes
Have a dance party with your kids
Have a good conversation
Have a TV- or computer-free evening
Hike a trail
Hold a baby
Hold a puppy
Hold hands
Hold the door for someone
Horseback ride
Hug somebody
Invite friends or family over just to chat
Jog
Join a support group
Journal—jot down what you’re grateful for, any overwhelming feelings you’d like to unload, or any great ideas!
Kayak
Knit
Let the person with just a few things go ahead of you at the store
Light a candle or incense
Listen to a friend’s problems
Listen to classical or peaceful music
Look at old pictures
Look in the mirror and find one thing you like about the way you look
Look into someone’s eyes when you’re talking to them
Make a five-dollar donation to a charity online
Make amends
Make love
Meditate (download my serotonin-boosting meditation at
www.drmikedow.com
)
Mow your lawn
Open a Facebook account and get in touch with an old friend
Open a savings account and plan for a trip you want to take
Organize your desk, closet, or junk drawer
Paint
Pamper yourself
Pay a bill
Pay for the person behind you at the tollbooth
Plan a potluck
Plan a surprise party
Plan for retirement
Play a game—with a team or by yourself
Play an instrument
Play with your pet
Practice tai chi/qi gong
Pray
Put on warm socks
Quilt
Rake the leaves
Read
Recycle
Rub lotion on your hands or feet
Sail
Say hello to a stranger in the elevator
Say no when you need to, and don’t feel guilty about it
Scrapbook
Send a card
Send somebody flowers
Set the table and sit down to eat
Sing along to the radio
Skip rocks
Skype with a faraway friend
Smell the roses . . . literally
Smile
Speak your truth
Spend a little time at a park or beach
Start a piggy bank
Stop and admire the view
Stretch for five minutes or more
Study
Sunbathe (no more than twenty minutes or with sunblock)
Swim
Take a bath
Take a small step at achieving a big goal
Take a twenty-minute nap
Take a walk—a brisk after-work stress reliever or a leisurely after-dinner stroll. Get the family involved!
Take a yoga or Pilates class
Take deep breaths for several minutes while visualizing positive thoughts
Take photos—even if it’s just with your cell phone
Take some old clothes to Goodwill or the Salvation Army
Take the stairs
Talk to a therapist
Tell a friend how much he or she means to you
Tell yourself three things you like about yourself
Treat yourself to a subscription to your favorite magazine
Try bright light therapy in the morning
Try positive visualization
Turn off your phone for one hour
Visit a loved one’s grave and tell them why they’d be proud of you today
Volunteer
Walk or run for a cause
Walk your dog
Watch a funny or inspiring show on TV
Watch your favorite romantic comedy
Write a letter longhand, on paper
Write a poem
Write down your childhood dreams
Write your memoir
While you’re stabilizing your serotonin booster foods and activities in the weeks to come, you’ll also need to be mindful of cutting back on the following serotonin pitfalls. Not to worry, because your serotonin will become balanced through other, sustainable sources of this feel-good chemical. When that happens, eating fewer of these pitfall foods will start to feel effortless. When in doubt, check the label. The main culprits to be on the lookout for are high-fructose corn syrup, white flour, sugar, and any partially hydrogenated oils. These pitfall ingredients make what you’d expect to be a booster—such as some energy bars or “wheat” breads—a pitfall. However, most pitfall foods are fairly easy to spot. Here are some of the most common serotonin pitfall foods:
Breadsticks and crackers
Cake
Candy
Coffee with flavored syrup
Cookies
Doughnuts
Fruit juice
Hot chocolate
Ice cream
Jam/sweetened spreads
Milk chocolate
Muffins
Pancakes
Pie
Soda
Sugar (white, brown, powdered)
Sweetened breakfast cereals
Syrup
Waffles
Whipped cream
White bread
White flour
White pasta
So now you know
what
you need to do. If you’re like most serotonin-deprived people,
how
you do it will be just as important in your transformation process. Be forgiving with yourself, and always be on the lookout for what you did
right
today as opposed to focusing on what you did
wrong
. Some low-serotonin perfectionists will want to bypass gradual detox and shock their brains right into an all-booster-food regime beginning on day one. Remember, this is probably the same perfectionism that has gotten you into trouble before!
what
you need to do. If you’re like most serotonin-deprived people,
how
you do it will be just as important in your transformation process. Be forgiving with yourself, and always be on the lookout for what you did
right
today as opposed to focusing on what you did
wrong
. Some low-serotonin perfectionists will want to bypass gradual detox and shock their brains right into an all-booster-food regime beginning on day one. Remember, this is probably the same perfectionism that has gotten you into trouble before!
When it comes to weight loss and changing your life, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. And the race is only with yourself. Since food can be addictive, the same catchphrases that apply to other addictions apply: One day at time. Easy does it. Fake it till you make it. Since low serotonin can trigger feelings of perfectionism, self-criticism, and doubt, be on the lookout for those seven pitfall thought patterns (see page 53) trying to steer you off course. When you notice them, that’s the perfect time to add one of the serotonin booster activities to your day to take your mind away from their destructive and seductive lure!
13
Dopamine-Deprived: Longing for Fat and Caffeine
I
f you discovered in Chapter 5 that you’re low on dopamine, you may be frustrated with a life that seems too slow and boring, or you might have the opposite problem: feeling overwhelmed by a life that feels too fast and full. Maybe you bounce from deadline to deadline or crisis to crisis, always pulling out a little more energy, a few more reserves—only to feel burned out. Or perhaps you feel trapped in a dead-end job or in a narrow life, wondering how you ended up spending every waking minute on child care and housekeeping, with so little room for fun.
f you discovered in Chapter 5 that you’re low on dopamine, you may be frustrated with a life that seems too slow and boring, or you might have the opposite problem: feeling overwhelmed by a life that feels too fast and full. Maybe you bounce from deadline to deadline or crisis to crisis, always pulling out a little more energy, a few more reserves—only to feel burned out. Or perhaps you feel trapped in a dead-end job or in a narrow life, wondering how you ended up spending every waking minute on child care and housekeeping, with so little room for fun.
If the serotonin-deficient food addict is an anxious eater, the dopamine-deficient food addict is a depressed one. Feeling empty, lonely, or perhaps a little bit lost can all lead to self-medicating with high-fat, dopamine-rich foods. Plus, low-dopamine types are much more likely to avoid talking about feelings than those with low serotonin, so your friends may not know that you’re unhappy or how frustrated and unfulfilled you are. You may be missing the support of others who are intimidated by your seemingly perfect life and your unwillingness to ask for or accept help.
Even if your life looks successful and put together, your dopamine deprivation may reflect some subtle problems that you’re having trouble acknowledging, even to yourself. Maybe you and your partner are too tired for the kind of sex you’d like to have. Maybe you’ve mastered your formerly satisfying job and no longer find it a challenge. Maybe your wonderful kids fill your heart with love—but still you long for a bit of adventure.
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