The Amen Solution: The Brain Healthy Way to Lose Weight and Keep It Off

by Daniel G. Amen

A breakthrough, easy-to-follow brain-based program to lose weight and keep it off—for the rest of your life—from the bestselling author of Change Your Brain, Change Your Body, Magnificent Mind at Any Age, and Change Your Brain, Change Your Life
 
Have you tried diet after diet without success? Want to know the two major secrets why most diets don’t work?

The #1 secret is that most weight problems occur between your ears, not in your stomach. If you want a better body the first place to always start is by having a better brain.

Secret #2 is that there isn’t just one brain pattern associated with being overweight; there are at least five patterns. Giving everyone the same diet plan will make some people better, and a lot of people worse. Finding the right plan for your individual brain type is the key to lasting weight loss.

In The Amen Solution bestselling author and brain expert Dr. Daniel Amen shares his one-of-a-kind brain-based program that helps you lose weight, improve your memory, and boost your mood at the same time. This is the same program offered at the world-renowned Amen Clinics that has already helped thousands of people lose the love handles and muffin tops. Based on the most up-to-date research, Dr. Amen shows you how to
 
• Determine your individual brain type so you can find the plan that will work for you
• Say goodbye to emotional overeating to shed pounds
• Curb your cravings and boost willpower
• Improve your brainpower, memory, and mood
• Make small lifestyle changes that have a huge impact on weight loss
• Prepare easy, delicious brain-healthy meals
 
Packed with insight, motivation, and everything you need to get started right away, The Amen Solution will help you lose unwanted weight and teach you the strategies to keep it off for a lifetime.


From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Self Help, Psychology, Brain, Diets, Personal Development

354 pages, Audio CD

First published February 8, 2011

About the author

The Washington Post called Dr. Daniel Amen the most popular psychiatrist in America and Sharecare.com named him the web's most influential expert and advocate on mental health.
Daniel Amen is a life-long Christian and graduate of Oral Roberts University School of Medicine. He is a double board-certified psychiatrist and multiple NY Times bestselling author, with such blockbuster books as Change Your Brain, Change Your Life, Healing ADD, Change Your Brain, Change Your Body, and The Daniel Plan, co-authored by Pastor Rick Warren and Dr. Mark Hyman. In November 2016, he and his wife Tana published The Brain Warrior's Way.
Dr. Amen is the founder of Amen Clinics, which has 6 locations across the United States. Amen Clinics has the world's largest database of brain scans related to behavior, totaling more than 125,000 SPECT scans on patients from 111 countries.
Dr. Amen's research team has published more than 70 scientific articles on a wide variety of topics related to brain health. He is the lead researcher on the largest brain imaging study on active and retired NFL players and was a consultant on the movie Concussion starring Will Smith. In 2016, Discover Magazine named his brain imaging work for psychiatric diagnoses as one of the top 100 stories in all of science.
Dr. Amen has also hosted 11 national public television shows about the brain, which have aired more than 80,000 times across North America and raised more than 75 million dollars for stations.

You can connect with Dr. Amen on Facebook and Twitter

Reviews

[☘Misericordia☘ ⚡ϟ⚡⛈⚡☁ ❇️❤❣ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is marketed as something a snake oil trader would create. So, imagine my surprise when it turned out to be a veritable compendium of useful information, practical advice and creative solutions. Of course, in the fact that it could have been shortened, it is not very different from most of books. Very good info on herbs and chemicals improving brainwork.

Q:
Знаете ли вы, что низкий уровень холестерина связывают со склонностью к убийству и самоубийству? Если на вечеринке кто-то хвастается передо мной своим низким холестерином, я всегда веду себя с этим человеком очень вежливо. (c)
Q:
Куркума, находящаяся в смеси карри, содержит вещества , продемонстрировавшие свою способность снижать количество бляшек в мозге, которые, по предположениям, являются причиной болезни Альцгеймера.
• В ходе 4 исследований было обнаружено, что экстракт шафрана эффективен в качестве противодепрессивного средства при лечении людей с глубокой депрессией.
• Существуют очень надежные научные свидетельства того, что шалфей помогает улучшить память.
• Корица показала свою способность улучшать внимание. Обнаружено также, что она помогает регулировать уровень сахара в крови. Это, в свою очередь, улучшает мозговую функцию и эффективность принятия решений. (c)

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book informative and motivating to make some positive health changes in my life. I don't know much about SPECT brain images, and I noticed that there are some websites accusing Amen of being a quack or a scam. Even if all of the SPECT image info was dropped from the book, his nutrition information corresponds to what I've read in many other books about the relationship between a healthy brain and overall wellness. His advice for supplements matched my own doctor's advice after a series of blood tests that I had, and I have felt a significant increase in my energy levels and my ability to think clearly since I've started taking a few key supplements (and mind you, I'm someone who hasn't taken supplements regularly in about 4 or more years). Sometimes, I found Amen's "Would-everyone-else-please-figure-out-what-I-know-already-and-get-healthy?" tone a bit annoying, but the book is easy to read and well laid-out. Just when you start to lose your mind in scientific talk, he breaks it up with a success story of one of his patients, complete with before and after photos (don't we all love those?). I also like the idea of thinking about health in terms of obtaining and maintaining a healthy brain. It takes the focus off of the pants size and the weight, and it reminds me of what's really important about eating healthy and keeping physically fit -- living well.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw Dr. Amen on PBS one day and was immediately sucked in to his seminar on the brain and losing weight. This book fascinated me because it it correlated bad habits (mainly due to eating/diet) with problems in certain parts of the brain and it just made total sense to me. The book has you figure out your "brain type" and the type of eater you are, and then he suggests exercises, supplements, and other ways to improve that part of your brain. I like that as a doctor he admits that you should always try supplements first and then go to your doctor for medicines if those don't work. I think all doctors should do this. My biggest "a-ha!" moment in this book was figuring out that I'm an impulse eater and it's made me more conscience of what and when I'm eating now. There's tons of great things about this book that I'm not going to type right now....go and read it yourself!

[Elena Ammosova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Книга мне очень понравилась. Просто кладезь полезной информации и советов. Рекомендую всем прочитать.

[Mallory · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some good advice in here, although most of the lists are so long that when you are listening to it in the car it's hard to concentrate on it and I ended up skipping a lot of chapters when he started getting to his 56th point with no end was in sight. I think it would have been better to include the appendixes as a pdf file rather than reading out long lists of foods.

The Amen solution isn't as forgiving as most other diet books - for Amen it's all or nothing. He said he doesn't believe in "everything in moderation" because have one piece of chocolate a week is like a heroin addict have a small amount of heroin once a week. He wants you to completely change your life right away and never look back, not even on your birthday! It's great for someone with a lot of self-control, but for the rest of us I would recommend reading this book for the basic advice, but not beat yourself up for not following it 100%.

He also makes strange comparisons that don't make any sense. For example, he suggests having a more narrow diet (where as most health and diet experts say to expand our food choices to keep things interesting and to also ensure we are eating in season) is better because that's what baboons do and they're healthy enough! Really?

[Jay French · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you've read other Amen books you'll find a lot of familiar territory covered in this one. Whole chapters on supplements and exercises for brain health seem to have been lifted from Amen's "Magnificent Mind for Any Age" and placed in this one -- at least he appears to be consistent in his recommendations. His take on weight loss starts from the way the brain works, as you would expect given his background. Certainly contained some interesting ideas, but there were plenty of the expected ideas you see in other weight loss books out there. I listened on audio. This book had too many charts and lists that were very difficult to follow -- the appendices took more than an hour to read, and many were tables that were of little value on audio. Amen references a website for further information, including bibliography/reference. In summary, reading one of Amen's books appears to be sufficient to understand what he will say in the others he's written.

[Marissa Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book contains a questionnaire to help readers learn which brain dysfunctions they have, and Amen provides specific weight management guidelines for each brain type. Other useful things in this book include a template for day-to-day weight-loss record keeping, a list of foods that are healthy for both body and brain, and a bunch of little tips titled "Two Hundred Ways To Leave Your Blubber Behind."

Everything here seems medically sound and simple enough.

[Jayson Graves · Rating 5 out of 5]

We have been using Dr. Amen's supplements for years with great success personally and with our counseling clients.You can use our affiliate code for a 15% discount at AmenClinics.com on all supplements and products: ECENTER4

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting stuff. Rather self-righteous tone. Information presented in way too many long lists.

[Tasos Manouras · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty interesting read.
The reason why anyone who has basic knowledge of dieting would read it, is his take on supplements and of course categorizing brains according to behaviors, foods to eat and general things to avoid.

[Nancy Sigl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this on Overdrive at double speed because he repeats himself often and the content was nothing really new. I did glean a few thoughts and tips so it wasn’t a waste of time. It can all be summarized into this: Be mindful of what you eat!

[cindy meeks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not trying to lose weight

Still helpful reading as learned science behind healthy eating also learned motivational strategies i can use to improve my healthybhabits

[Linda Galella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in 2011, “The Amen Solution” is potentially more credible today than it was 12 years ago. Many of the ideas author, Daniel G. Amen, M.D., espoused were fringe back then but are now gold standard. His manner with words can be a bit offensive but if you’re one who prefers facts over superfluous prose, this book will do you well.

I’ve been successfully following an intermittent fasting lifestyle for the last 2.5 years and have shed in excess of 150 lbs. It works for me when absolutely nothing else did. I sought out this book on the advice of a friend to see if there were other ideas I might find to enhance my journey. The plateaus are getting longer and I still need to lose more weight.

In reading thru this book, I was able to identify opportunities to tighten up my diet WITHIN my eating window to get more from my calories and try a new supplement or two. With the holidays fast approaching, the timing couldn’t be better.

Some other reviewers aren’t big fans of all the “lists” included in this volume but for me, I find them an effective way to provide great quantities of information. Some are separated into indices and others are specific to chapters. Where I do agree with them is that this book would be very difficult to appreciate as an audio.

A bit heavy on medical/brain pictures and biological information but otherwise, a good balance of disciplines and their integration to support the subtitle: “The Brain Healthy Way to Lose Weight and Keep it Off”📚

[Laurel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Day 4 - No Coffee.

Dr. Amen certainly has a passion for the brain and helping people improve themselves. He had a lot of great info and practical pieces of advice that I could start implementing right away.

Here are some of the steps I’ve started on to help my brain:
- taking daily fish oil & supplements
- prioritizing a full night of sleep
- killing ANTs - wow! So powerful
- being conscious of brain-healthy foods
- taking a coffee break (or a break from coffee)
- drinking more water each day
- mindful exercise

I am looking forward to seeing some changes in my energy and my overall health!

I’m sure I’ll be reading more of Dr Amen’s books and someday use his brain scan service for a more in-depth assessment.

[Tatiana Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Норм книга, но в стиле я буду повторять все дважды дважды. Поскольку для меня это уже не знаю какая по счету книга о правильном питании, она не супер полезна. Но для новичка вполне. Большой минус, что опять рекомендуют витамины/добавки без разбора. Да, анализы на кальций и витамин Д дорогие, но без них пить и то, и другое нельзя.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would be life- changing for plenty of people, but there was not much that was new for me. Still the first few chapters were good for reminders and motivation, but it didn't hold my interest for long. The info on brain inflammation, etc. is of course super important, but I was thinking this would be more mindbody than biomedical.

[Chava · Rating 2 out of 5]

Guess how you lose weight and keep it off? Forming habits of healthy eating and exercise! So Dr. Amen has a slightly different spin - he does brain scans to determine your "type" and suggests supplements based on this. There are some good tips, but for the full effect, you would have to go to one of his clinics.

[Carmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed how Dr. Amen identified different reasons for overeating, gave advice firing each type, and emphasized that losing weight should be a lifelong change, not just temporary. I feel inspired to continue on my weight loss journey.

[Heydi Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone should read this book!!! It encompasses everything that’s wrong with the way American’s eat and how to fix it. He discusses specific problems and how to address them and different brain types and why it’s important to know what yours is.

[Ryan Haueter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Made the mistake of doing the audio version. I could have done without the hours of giving the glycemic index, protein value, and carb count of every food known to planet Earth. Feel like they could have skipped that in the audio. Other than that, had some fairly useful and basic information.

[Jennifer Gamboa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot about myself by reading this book. Seeing the truth is the first step.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting! I like that it wasn't all theory and there was practical information. Not the best audiobook though because there are so many lists!

[Lacey Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Same stuff from his other books but focused on diet. Though it was helpful in identifying triggers or problem points.

[Gbolabo Adetunji · Rating 5 out of 5]

Check out Chapter 8 every time you recognize that the only thing left or the only thing remaining to achieve your weight goals is a lift on your psyche or brainpower.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book on healthy lifestyle changes, amen stresses on brain health and getting your brain healthy to get your body healthy.

[Mandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book to read to understand your health.

[Zavi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Should revisit

[Lisa W · Rating 4 out of 5]

PROS: Loved the brain scans…more to follow

Cons: Tba

[Seemy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was “not bad” but if your familiar with Amen’s other books - this was just rehashed content with some slight new material - wasn’t sure about his diet recommendations either with recommending “low fat” versions of foods which are proven to be worse even if low in calories and also recommending against butter which is actually proven to be beneficial - maybe because it’s an older book and new discoveries like these weren’t as obvious or mainstream but I’d expect better from him.

To Our Continued Success!
Seemy
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[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title of this book sounds like SUCH BS, but I've worked with kids who have had brain scans done at Amen clinics, and it really is fascinating the kinds of things that can go on in your brain and how they can affect your behavior. I liked that he explored how there are different issues that make people overweight--it's not always poor impulse control or bad self-esteem or whatever--and provided strategies (including brain-healthy foods, relaxation techniques, and other interesting practical ideas) that would be helpful for different kinds of eaters. It did get a little repetitive/self-helpy in places (well, it IS a self-help book), and I think there might be a lot of overlap with other books of his (esp. Change your Brain, Change your Body), but I found it a useful and interesting read.