Studies show low serotonin levels can decrease carbohydrate cravings and promote weight loss.

See if you have an addiction to carbohydrates. Then read on to find the solution that 5HTP offers for weight loss and relieving your cravings.  Here's a Carbohydrate Addiction Quiz.

Answer yes or no to the following

1.   _____I am overweight

2.   _____I crave bread, pasta, candy, cereal, and other rich carbohydrate foods.

3.   _____If I don't eat every two or three hours throughout the day, I feel irritable, tired, shaky,or           develop a headache.

 4.  _____I get tired and/or hungry by mid-afternoon.

 5. _____I begin eating starches, snack foods, or candy, I have a hard time stopping.

 6. _____My body fat is primarily distributed around my abdomen and upper body.

 7._____I have one of the following health problems: high cholesterol, or high triglycerides,diabetes, high blood pressure, or hypoglycemia.

 8. _____I eat more when I am stressed or depressed or when I am traveling.

 9. _____I seem to gain more weight or have difficulty with weight loss in the winter time.

10. _____Even after I eat a good breakfast I get hungry before lunch.

Scores

Number of Yes Answers                                          Type of Carbohydrates Addiction

8-10                                                                                         Severe

5-7                                                                                           Strong

2-4                                                                                           Mild

None

Low serotonin levels can cause people to experience apathy and cravings for large amounts of foods high in carbohydrates.  There are two kinds of carbohydrates. One is simple carbohydrates like sugars and the foods high in carbohydrates are foods such as candy, white flour products, pastries, and most processed cereals. The second kind is called complex carbohydrates such as whole grains, pasta, and starchy vegetables such as potatoes. People that have cravings will eat any form of carbohydrates. But they prefer the simple sugars. 

In extreme cases the carbohydrate cravings can become an addiction.  This can lead to a vicious eating cycling from low serotonin levels to overwhelming cravings, to bingeing, to the levels quickly falling and the cycle starts again.

If you are tired of being overweight, depressed or anxious,this information is for you.  You could be having even more upsetting symptoms or you may just feel a little unmotivated.  You may not realize that you could feel so much better than you do now.  Imagine being motivated enough to wake up happy and ready for whatever your day may hold.  What would that be like for you?  What favorite something would you do if you had more energy?  And did you realize that negative worries or negative thoughts can drain your energy almost instantly?  So how can you feel more motivated and have fewer cravings so that you can lose those extra pounds that have bothered you?

The following may be the answer to your problem. Recommendations are: start taking 100 mg. of 5HTP three times a day. Take the dose twenty minutes before each meal.  Stick to this approach for one week.  If your weight loss results are unsatisfactory after that time, try doubling the dosage to 200 mg three times a day.  Again do this for a month.  You should experience a weight loss averaging one pound a week. 

 Let's explore this answer more.  In Europe, 5-HTP has been used for decades as an accepted treatment for weight loss, sleep problems, and depression.  The research on 5-HTP and serotonin levels is expanding at an exciting rate that clinically shows it to be safe and a natural way to boost brain serotonin.

Further recommendations are if you are serious about weight loss, taking 5-HTP alone is not enough.  For your success you have to commit to profound lifestyle changes and 5-HTP can help. 

This study is taken from the book 5-HTP by Michael T. Murray, N.D.  An Italian study involved nineteen overweight women, with the typical woman being 5'4" and 170 to 235 pounds.  The ideal weight for a 5'4" woman is 110 to 145 pounds.   The researchers gave them approx. 200 mg three times a day or with meals.  (This was a placebo-controlled crossover study.)

The researched outcomes showed that the women who took the 5-HTP ate 1,100 fewer calories a day. Nothing else was changed in their diets.   These women would burn off 1½ pounds a week, 6 pounds a month and a successful 73 pounds in a year.  Now that's a solution!

So how can you feel more motivated and have fewer cravings so that you can lose the extra body fat that has bothered you?  The facts are there, 5HTP can help boost serotonin levels and promote weight loss.  You can say goodbye to carbohydrate cravings forever!