you need to replenish both types of brain chemical, alternate by adding a serotonin booster meal or snack one day and a dopamine booster meal or snack the next.
• Add one booster activity each day. Based on your findings in Part II, I’ll give you a list of activities that will replenish the neurochemicals you need most. If you need to replenish both serotonin and dopamine, alternate by adding a serotonin booster one day and a dopamine booster the next.
WEEK 2
• Don’t cut anything from your normal diet.
• Make sure that at least two of your meals or snacks each day are made up of serotonin or dopamine booster foods. If you need to replenish both types of brain chemicals, add one serotonin and one dopamine booster meal or snack each day.
• Add two serotonin or dopamine booster activities each day. As with your food boosters, if you’re both serotonin and dopamine deficient, add one booster activity for each neurochemical every day.
WEEK 3
• Limit your pitfall foods to no more than three servings per day. The rest of all meals and snacks will be made up of booster foods. Favor boosters tailored to your brain chemistry, but now that your brain chemistry is beginning to be balanced, any booster food will start to be beneficial. A pitfall food serving should be around 300 calories at most, so you’re going for a maximum of about 900 calories from pitfall foods a day.
• Add three serotonin or dopamine booster activities each day. If you need to replenish both types of brain chemical, alternate between adding two serotonin boosters and one dopamine booster, and adding one serotonin booster and two dopamine boosters.
WEEK 4
• Limit your pitfall foods to no more than two servings per day. Everything else you eat should be boosters. Favor boosters tailored to your brain chemistry, but now that your brain chemistry is beginning to be balanced, any booster food will start to be beneficial. Remember, one serving of a pitfall is about 300 calories, so you’re looking at a maximum of about 600 calories of pitfalls.
• Add four serotonin or dopamine booster activities each day. If you need to replenish both types of brain chemical, add two boosters of each type every day.
MAINTENANCE
• Limit your pitfall foods to no more than two servings per day. The rest of all meals and snacks will be made up of boosters. Favor boosters tailored to your brain chemistry, but now that your brain chemistry is beginning to be balanced, any booster food will start to be beneficial. Remember, one serving of a pitfall is about 300 calories, so you’re looking at a maximum of about 600 calories of pitfalls.
• Maintain four booster activities each day. Favor booster activities tailored to your brain chemistry (low serotonin or low dopamine), but now that your brain chemistry is beginning to be balanced, any booster activity will start to be beneficial. Low serotonin types may want to add a few dopamine booster activities, especially when they feel like they need an energizing lift. Low dopamine types may want to add a few serotonin booster activities, especially when they need some peace and calm. Dual-deficiency types can continue to add from both dopamine booster and serotonin booster activities lists.
Looking for a Shortcut?
I’d like you to read every word of this book because I think the more you understand about food addiction and brain chemistry, the more empowered and proactive you’ll be at implementing Diet Rehab and making it work for you.
But if you’re eager to get started and just want to know exactly what to do, here’s how you can move through this book more quickly:
1. Take the quizzes on pages 73 and 105. They will help you figure out whether you are serotonin deficient, dopamine deficient, or both.
2. Based on what you learn about your body chemistry, go to the lists of booster foods and activities on pages 204 and 219. Choose as many as you can and prepare to add them to your daily diet
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