The Brain Healthy Way to Get Thinner

There's great information in this book, but it seems he repeats himself over and over. I got it the first time. I've read two of his books and although I like the information in them, both books said the same thing.

Dr. Daniel B. Amen is a clinical neuroscientist, the director of the Amen Clinic and has written extensively on brain health. The Amen Solution is subtitled “The Brain Healthy Way to Lose Weight and Keep it Off,” but it is really much more than that. It is a more comprehensive book on healthy living. Dr. Amen begins the book by listing the ten main points he will make. These points include (1) Know your numbers—various health measures such as blood pressure and vitamin D level; (2) Know your motivation—find something you love more than food; and (3) Eat right and track your food intake by keeping a food journal. Each of the remaining chapters covers one of these 10 points. They contain such ideas as how to deal with negative thoughts, getting enough sleep and exercise, how to relax and meditate and other useful guidelines. The appendices of the book include a questionnaire to evaluate your brain, the calories in common foods and the calories burned in common exercises. The one disagreement that I have with Dr. Amen’s dietary ideas is with regard to his views on “healthy fats,” such as those from non-animal sources. He seems to think that a relatively high percentage of your calories can come from such fats. I am inclined to the view of Dr. Dean Ornish and others that such fats should be limited as well as so call “bad” fats such as saturated fats from animal sources.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in attaining a high state of health. It is the most useful of his many books on brain and body health. I rate it at five stars because I think that of all Dr. Amen's books this one is the one you should buy.

I ordered this book after catching a few minutes of the charming Dr. Amen on PBS. I liked what he said about sugar (never eat it.) I've been looking for a motivational book to help me with my upcoming New Year's resolution to eat better and lose weight. Unfortunately this wasn't what I was looking for.

Dr. Amen's plan is so complicated I felt an anxiety attack coming on just reading about it and, according to his exhausting 71 question test to see what type of brain I have, I'm not even the anxious type. I do, however, appear to have problems with my prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate gyrus, deep limbic system and temporal lobe, plus a hoard of bad brain habits like spending too much time on the computer. I was disturbed to find all these overlapping issues as they determined which food list I should follow, but as it turns out, the lists are all nearly identical, so I'm not too worried about that anymore. I am rather concerned about having to consider the calorie list, activity list, glycemic list, the eco-friendly list as well as the three lists of healthy brain foods and even more disturbed to read that the fifty greatest brain foods aren't enough and I'll also need a complicated array of supplements. If all this isn't working there's a chapter on hypnosis and 200 tips to help you, "leave your blubber behind."

I'm happy for the people who have lost weight and felt better with Dr. Amen's solution but apparently I waited too long and my obesity has already shrunk my brain past the point of wanting to juggle all this information. I think I'll just try to give up sugar.

I realize this is very long, but hope others with impulsive-compulsive tendencies will take a look. My concerns and questions about supplements, at the end of the review, apply to everyone.

I unexpectedly found Dr. Amen's books when spending a rare quiet evening browsing at the local library. Unchain Your Brain really enlightened me on why my mind works the way it does - in fact, why it works so poorly. My memory is terrible, my abilities to plan and follow through are dismal, my impulse control in regard to my diet is as bad as my memory and planning ability. All of these behavior patterns, I am learning, both increase and are increased by my brain type. I have learned a great deal about what is wrong with my brain and what steps I can take to help heal my impulsive-compulsive brain. After reading Unchain Your Brain, I started reading The Amen Solution because I know that my diet is harming both my brain and my body and I wanted a book that spoke directly to that aspect of my life.

However, reading this book made me think of another author's books I'd read a few years ago but failed to follow through on. The books are Potatoes Not Prozac and The Sugar Addict's Total Recovery Program, both by Dr. Kathleen DesMaisons. In reading Dr. Amen's plan for the compulsive brain, I was concerned that his advice was not good for the impulsive brain, because I remember that Dr. DesMaisons wrote that a brain like mine is low in both beta-endorphines and serotonin. Dr. Amen does acknowledge this, but I think someone with my brain type would benefit by combining the information from Dr. Amen with the more specific information in Dr. DesMaisons' books. Dr. Amen states that he finds that the impulsive-compulsive combination is fairly common in people who have a family history of alcoholism, and that is exactly the population Dr. DesMaisons' books address. Dr. Amen's books give more complete information on the workings of the brain and how brain activity affects behavior. Dr. DesMaisons, I feel, gives more complete information on how the brain chemistry of an impulsive-compulsive person manifests itself in a person's diet.

A major concern I have is with using the supplements that Dr. Amen recommends. The vitamin and fish oil supplements are fine, but many of his other supplements left me with unanswered questions and serious concerns. For instance, dl-phenylalanine helps to produce dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine. Could that explain why I am way over-attracted to diet drinks? I would have appreciated some mention of the relationship between dl-phenylalanine and diet drinks, but no mention was made that I could see. Also, rhodiola use is encouraged because it has "been used to fight fatigue, improve memory, and increase attention span." Sounds like caffeine to me, so why it is any better for you than caffeine? One cause of concern for me was his description of St. John's Wort. According to Dr. Amen, it works very similarly to Prozac, Zoloft and Paxil. If those drugs should not be taken without a physician's involvement, then is it safe to use St. John's Wort as an over-the-counter medication? I am especially concerned about the dangers of stopping Prozac, etc. suddenly - would such concerns also apply to St. John's Wort? Dr. Amen is very careful in using SJW with some of his patients, even saying that for some, he would not use it "without first stabilizing the temporal lobes with anticonvulsant medication." My goodness, why is this supplement so easily available when it carries such risks?

All in all, I am grateful for the information Dr. Amen provides in his books, including The Amen Solution. I would personally be very hesitant to use some of the supplements he recommends and would not do so without the advice of a physician who I felt really understood my brain and behavior symptoms. Rather, I would follow Dr. DesMaisons' nutrition advice and Dr. Amen's advice in other areas, and would hope to find improvement without using too many supplements.

Some of the ideas are interesting, and there is good scientific and medical information on how different brain types can affect different types of over eating. I may even try some of the ideas simply to be more healthy, not necessarily to get thinner. But if you read this book, be prepared to be fat shamed. Any life style that isn't part of the Amen Solution obviously leaves you fat and stupid.

I enjoyed this book because of the brain typing research. It helped me to better understand myself and several other people in my life. The diet tips are nothing new, but the way Dr. Amen connects the tips to the brain research made this book unique and worth the read. It was a new way of thinking about the subject. It is also very motivating, providing new reasons for wanting to be healthy. The stronger our motivations, the more likely we will succeed. So the new motivations were worth the price for me. The downside for me was the constant pitches for his supplements and website that requires a paid subscription. If you can ignore those sales pitches, the material is very good.

I actually read the whole book and viewed his website. There is nothing about dieting or which foods are best that hasn't been written in 100 other books. Exercise, diet...if that doesn't help talk yourself into meditating or hypnosis. We already KNOW all this so I view his book as just another attempt to get money from the dieters in this country using a gimic (your Brain type). Save your money, go to the library and get one of a dozen better presentations. It's not about having a gimic, it's about admitting we HATE to exercise and we continue to learn and repeat irrational destructive habits. Unless you will change your LIFE routines you can't lose a pound. Another irritation: you must pay him to JOIN his membership if you want to do the brain test online ($30.00 by the month). Citations are conveniently left out of the book and there is no discussion of how long his patients keep the weight off. If you can learn to love exercise you don't need a special diet, exercise will keep pounds off as long as you continue it. Amen has no discussion for people who cannot exercise at all. If you are physically unable to walk very far, run, or jog, etc how do you lose sedintary weight?

If you've ever worried about Alzheimer or other brain/neuro diseases...this is the book for you. Loads of commonsense, yet scientific, info on the effect of lifestyle choices...especially diet. It set me on a much healthier path.
Health Coach Valerie, RN [...]

My metabolism, hormones and energy have been crashing for the last few years. When I turned 50 a few months ago, I knew I wanted to make a change before my weight got out of control. (I was at the edge of the normal weight range for my height, approaching overweight.) I thought about some more radical methods but then I ran across Dr. Amen on PBS. I rushed out to buy the book and lost twelve pounds in 3 weeks! I thought I was a relatively healthy eater until I read the book and became more conscious of my food choices. I've also come to realize that considering the impact food has on my brain is more of a motivator for me than a number on a scale and my vanity. I eliminated all artificial sweeteners, learning to drink my coffee with organic fat-free soy milk and forgoing diet soda. I absolutely notice my mind is more clear and focused. I used to rationalize bad choices by saying to myself "I had a rough day" or "I had a good work out this morning" or "This is the fat-free version so it's OK" -- but not any more. I'm also taking the supplements suggested for my brain type. Finally, my IBS symptoms and chronic nasal congestion are virtually gone and I feel great! This is definitely a life change for me, not just a diet.... For the record, I'm an avid reader and have never written a review until now. I say AMEN for Dr. Amen!

There is nothing new in this book about diet, exercise or losing weight, the only new concept is getting your money by repeating that you need to improve your brains to improve your health. However, from medical standpoint there are no real recommendations, no real diet discussed and no real recommendations give that can be helpful or useful. However there are phrases like this throughout the book: "Stop eating chocolate doughnuts for breakfast and pounds will come off", "replace 4 soft drinks that you drink every day with water and you will see the difference", "replace French fried with sweet potatoes fries" - so you see he wants to improve a nincompoop's brains, not real peoples.

There is also an example of a neurosurgeon who after his hard work and long shifts at the hospital was looking forward to a nice meal at the end of the day, but now he has changed his ways and eats healthy, so he is looking forward to low fat plain yogurt for desert at the end of the day to reward himself for his hard work and is "satisfied" by that. I would think twice about going to a neurosurgeon who is satisfied with low fat plain yogurt as a treat, there must be something wrong with his brains for sure.

Author also goes so far as to suggest medications to use for each brain type, so it's a good thing that you need a real doctor prescription before you follow this suggestion, as the meds he suggest will bring havoc to your brains and will do more harm than good.

This, this is another gimmick that has nothing to do with real people and real issues, just another way to make money off you.

This book was amazing! Understanding the brains role in weight gain explains how it will function to help anyone lose weight. With clinical, medical proof, as well as actual patient success stories, Dr. Amen's advice seems legitimate. I will be trying out his recommendations today!

This is basically the public television program in book form. Tons of information, written in conversational tone. Dr. Amen is funny and down to earth. The information is life changing and easily understandable.

Dr. Amen has produced a plan for eating healthy and exercising both the body and brain with a vital difference than most diets these days: he stresses the role of the mind over that adipose matter. This is key because most people with weight problems have, first and foremost, an psychological issue. And while Amen doesn't get into psychology per se, he does explain the five brain patterns that are associated with being overweight.

I disagree that you cannot have a one-size-fits-all diet (if you want to take this idea to the extreme, you couldn't write a book for dieting because each person needs his own diet book to meet his own specific dietetic needs). But the rest of the book is great and will lead to healthy living if followed.

The Amen Solution is easy to follow (no regimented calorie-counting) and the plan supposedly improves memory with the mental exercises he includes. I would like to see more about the psychology of eating and a closer menu to the one we were designed to eat as in the Paleo Diets, but all in all, this is a good nutrition plan.

After hearing Dr. Amen speak on brain health on PBS, I ordered Dr. Amen's Restless Sleep product because I have a terrible time getting to and staying asleep. I've tried so many sleep products that I no longer order them unless they have a money-back guarantee, which I thought Restless Sleep had. Unfortunately, Restless Sleep did not work AT ALL for me and I found out when I called today to get a refund, I couldn't w/out returning the product, which I had used. I was very disappointed that the product didn't work and I couldn't get a refund.

Very helpful book to learn good nutrition for the brain and body. In my experience, most doctors know nothing about nutrition, so you must educate yourself and be your own advocate! This book is a very good place to start!