The Happiness Diet by Tyler Graham and Drew Ramsey

Make sure you learn how to enjoy your food while losing weight and keeping happy with the help of a new diet book by Tyler Graham and Drew Ramsey, The Happiness Diet.

It seems that there's a new diet in town and this one is actually targeting your mood as well as your waistline. The Happiness Diet book was created by Tyler Graham and Drew Ramsey, and it was based on a new theory, Dr.Tim Sharp's theory which stands to support positive psychology.

The Happiness Diet argues that giving your brain the food it needs thus keeping it happy can help you lose weight and reach your goals more effectively than when depriving yourself from essential, key nutrients. The diet book was created by Drew Ramsey, a clinical psychologist at Columbia University and Tyler Graham, health writer, who believe that eating the right foods is 'the foundation of mental health'.

The two believe the rise of both obesity and depression during the past ten years are an effect of the Modern American Diet, which is based on eating foods that feature added fats and trans fats, that have been linked to a higher risk of depression. The quality of the factory raised animal meat is lower now opposed to the quality of grass fed animals, as the animals are fed growth hormones, antibiotics and have an unnatural diet that doesn't provide the meat with as much fat and nutrients as normal.

Happiness seems to be the 'holy grail' of feeling great mentally and physically and it seems that The Happiness Diet is clearing out the mystery that has been surrounding the link between what we eat and how we feel. Most diets are pretty drastic as far as eating goes and it seems that the more restrained we are from food and certain nutrients, the more likely we are to become moody, depressed and anxious.

According to The Happiness Diet, magnesium, B vitamins, and healthy fats are 'mood boosters' and can have an amazing positive impact over your mood. Keeping the brain happy and nourished can help you focus on reaching your weight loss goal and not only.

A diet which is rich in healthy nutrients such as healthy fats like natural full fat dairy, olive oil, whole grains, vegetables and high quality grass-fed meat will help you feel satiated, happy as you're eating quality, nutritious food and aid in your weight loss plan as you're not packing on empty calories.

Controlling the quality of your food as well as its quantity will aid weight loss, thus you won't have to starve and deprive your body from essential vitamins to lose those extra inches off your waistline.
The food industry brings forward processed foods, foods that are loaded with added sugar, refined carbs and vegetable fats such as corn oil, thus making obtaining those essential 'mood boosters' for our brain much more difficult. Tyler Graham told today.com that:
“You can't feel your best if you starve the brain.”

According to Mr. Drew Ramsey, people who turn towards low fat diets to help them lose weight are more likely to fail. He tells today.com that:
“Focusing on getting skinny by eating a low-fat, low-calorie diet, fails for most people.”

Although exercise is not a subject that is tackled in the book, it is a definite must when it comes to losing weight and maintaining health. Drew Ramsey says that exercising is a 'top prescription for anxiety' and that a healthy 'Happy ' diet will help you find more energy to turn towards exercising that when eating unhealthy foods.

Because most believe that eating quality foods may boost your expense bill, Ramsey says to search for alternatives such as community-supported agriculture programs, enabling you to have access to quality products that are sometimes less expensive than store bought products, and freeze your products to prevent them from going bad. This way you can de-freeze products and enjoy a quality meal on a daily basis.

Graham tries to underline that your health should worth a bit of extra money and he states that: “What's more important, having 200 cable channels or feeding your brain the nutrients it needs?”
Check out this new interesting concept and diet plan and see if it works for you!

Get the book here: The Happiness Diet($19.17)

Photos courtesy of Thinkstock Photos

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Lauren Graham Trains for SELF October 2011 Issue

Lauren Graham sure knows how to tackle a challenge in style and the 5 week "Train like an athlete" program she embarked on for the October 2011 SELF cover is a prime example of this fact. Learn more about her experience next.

Well known 'Parenthood' actress Lauren Graham has always been a fit celebrity and she doesn't plan on lowering the bar any time soon. In fact, she does everything she can to maintain or even raise it. The latest example is a self-imposed challenge to train like an athlete for 5 weeks straight and to document her experience every step of the way: “When SELF invited me to be on the cover, I told the editors I wanted to try training like an athlete. Good news: They loved the idea and said they had the perfect trainer for me. Bad news: I had only five weeks until the cover shoot, during which I’d be traveling a lot. I panicked."

“?I'd wanted a fitness challenge. I've always been athletic, but I was in a slump. I'd been?Spinning, running?and?hiking, but that didn't seem to be having a big impact on my body or fitness level. I felt as if my efforts were all for nothing and maybe shoe shopping with my sister Shade would be a better use of time.”

The perfect trainer for Lauren? Michelle Lovitt. 'I've learned a lot from trainers over the years, but mainly that you need discipline to stay in the gym and out of the many fine cupcake emporiums on every corner. So I wasn't expecting anything revolutionary. I was in for a surprise. Michelle Lovitt is inspiringly fit and educated in how the body responds to exercise. A few sessions with her and I started using words like glycogen. (Don't get me started on fast-twitch muscles. I'm saving that for?Letterman!)."

Among the lessons the trainer endorsed is the use of a heart monitor: 'Michelle?taught me to use a heart-rate monitor?to be sure I'm exercising in my fat-burning range. My goal is to burn 3,500 calories a week, which equals 1 pound of body fat. She claims I'll notice a difference in five weeks”, Lauren remembers.

The actress immediately saw that training like an athlete meant working twice as long for better results: 'Sessions with Michelle aren't necessarily harder than my old workouts, but at 90 minutes, they're twice as long. With one eye on the monitor so I stay between 125 and 155 beats per minute, I'm running intervals or walking on an incline on the treadmill (from 4 to 7 miles), or hiking (6 miles). My muscles are sore. My feet hurt. And my?stomach?seems to be flattening!'

During the second week, the star revealed one of her biggest weaknesses when it comes to healthy eating along with the part self respect plays in making right choices: 'I'm in New York City to visit my sister. Unfortunately, my dear friends Bagel and Cream Cheese live here, too. So I train with a friend of Michelle's, Kacy Duke, who tells me to get in touch with my Inner Diva Warrior. What? Isn't a diva a singer who throws things at assistants? I think she means to tell yourself you're worth it. Try it. You'll feel dumb, but you won't be sorry. '

As the challenge goes on, Lauren tries to fix the bad habit of not drinking enough water: 'I travel to Minnesota, then D.C., to see family. It's so humid that running is a water sport. I now go longer and?burn more calories. But I feel puffy. I call Michelle. "You're in insane heat. Drink more water," she says. "I only like water when it tastes like a?margarita," I whine. Apparently, dehydration can sometimes lead to bloating, so drinking helps. I try flavored waters."

At the end of the challenge, the star feels extremely satisfied with her progress: 'Back in L.A. with Michelle, who says, "You're melting like an ice cube" when she sees me. So gratifying! I was stronger and had seen, during my vacation, that I could stick to my new regimen on my own.' Lesson learned? The feeling one gets from achieving the desired outcomes is priceless: 'I was leaner, which made posing in only a men's shirt seem like a grand idea. Hopefully, there are loved ones whose opinions you treasure, but in the end, there is no substitute for something you did for yourself that makes you proud. I think that's what getting in touch with your Inner Diva Warrior really means. '

Source: SELF Magazine

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