Hi Larry,

First, thanks for providing a great website with so much useful information.

As someone who’s very well read and educated on weight loss research, what advice would you give to someone in my position - a woman who wants to lose about 10-20 pounds as quickly as possible, who tends to gain the bulk of her weight in the mid-section, and who has problems with Night Eating Disorder and binge eating (no purging)?  I’ve read through the information on your website, as well as lots of other resources, and there’s just so much info out there, some of which is conflicting.  I fully understand that each individual responds differently and seeking professional help is best (particularly for my Night Eating Disorder), but I do not have any health insurance at this moment, and moreover, I would love to hear your wise thoughts!  So far, I’m taking ephedrine + caffeine twice a day (to increase thermogonesis), melatonin at night (since levels are supposedly lower among night eaters), and magnesium at night (I read it’s supposed to relieve cravings).  Unfortunately, the melatonin and magnesium haven’t helped thus far.  I’ve also tried Topamax and Wellbutrin in the past, but neither relieved my binge eating. 

I apologize for such a long post, and I realize that the response may be complex, but any suggestions would be so helpful, especially in regard to my Night Eating Syndrome.  I feel like I’ll eat healthy most of the day, and then I binge so much in the middle of the night.

Thanks!
CalGal

Hi CalGal,

Thank you for your nice comments. I appreciate it.

Low-carb diets work the best, and weight loss is rapid at first.

Low-carb articles are posted here:

http://fatnews.com/index.php/weblog/C77/

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Low-carb diets involve dramatically limiting carbohydrate intake.

Dr. Atkins recommended people limit carbohydrate intake to only 20 grams of carbohydrates per day for the first two weeks, then limiting carbohydrate intake to only 50 grams per day for two months.

After that, he said to limit carbohydrate intake to prevent weight gain.

See here:

http://fatnews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/1614/

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Also the interview with Michael Eades, MD, author of “Protein Power”.

His diet is a low-carb diet similar to Atkins.

http://fatnews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/380/

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Also note that…

Women eating the most protein lost the most weight after one year—14 lbs vs 7.5 lbs.

See here:

http://fatnews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/women-consuming-the-most-protein-lost-the-most-weight-after-one-year-143-lb/

————-

Another study found that women lost more weight on a low-carb Atkins diet than on a moderate-protein, moderate-fat, moderate-carbohydrate diet Zone-type diet—10 lbs vs 4-6 lbs with other diets.

http://fatnews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/women-lost-more-weight-on-the-atkins-diet-than-on-the-zone-a-low-fat-diet-o/

CalGal,

Regarding Night Eating…

Eating protein earlier in the day reduces appetite later in the day.

You might also try L-tryptophan or 5-HTP.

For people who struggle with weight and have an issue with night eating, it makes the most sense to me to take it late afternoon or early evening.

See the interview with Jay Piatek, MD about using 5-HTP.

http://fatnews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/382/

Search for “5-HTP”.

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L-tryptophan becomes 5-HTP in the body.

I heard a therapist say that they work equally well in 90% of people, but in about 10% of people, one of them works better than the other—either tryptophan or 5-HTP.

The dose of tryptophan is usually about 10 times greater than 5-HTP—1000-3000 mg per day with tryptophan versus 100 mg with 5-HTP, although some doctors may use doses up to 300 mg in some patients.

As with everything, more is not better.

The idea is to create balance in the body.

I think that any type of stimulant appetite suppressant—phentermine or ephedrine and caffeine or Tenuate—should be balanced with tryptophan or 5-HTP.

I also think that phentermine or ephedrine should be used with L-tyrosine.

Tyrosine is the precursor to dopamine, noradrenaline and adrenaline.

Phentermine and ephedrine force the release of noradrenaline, so it’s important to supply the body with the raw material to make more.

One study found that giving tyrosine along with ephedrine to animals doubled it’s effectiveness.

I’ve told many doctors this over the past 15 years, but, so far, I don’t know any that recommend tyrosine to their patients taking phentermine.

————

There are also cofactors necessary to convert tryptophan into serotonin.

Vitamin C and vitamin B6.

Based on personal experience and things that Joan Mathews Larson, PhD talks about in her book “Depression-Free Naturally”, and things she has learned from treating thousands of patients, other nutrients that may make it more effective—things I’ve been experimenting with lately—include:

- Inositol
- Niacinamide
- Chromium
- Zinc—I also take several mg of copper at other times during the day to prevent a zinc-induced copper deficiency.
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Thanks for your response.  It’s very helpful information.

I have one other question.  I know that both you and Dr. Piatek suggest that zonisamide may be a better version of Topamax.  Do you think that could help with the night cravings and binging?

I’ve seen studies suggesting that Zoloft could help night eating, but I’m a little wary of them since I believe they were funded by the company that produces Zoloft.

Thanks again!

CalGal,

I would try L-tryptophan or 5-HTP first.

I would always suggest trying something natural first, and only use drugs as a last resort.

Tryptophan and 5-HTP convert to serotonin.

That’s why they are suggesting Zoloft, because it affects serotonin.

I think tryptophan is more natural than 5-HTP because our bodies are used to taking tryptophan from food, and then converting it into 5-HTP, then to serotonin.

I am not aware that we get 5-HTP in any of the food that we eat.

Richard Wurtman, MD at MIT has written that 3,000 mg of tryptophan doubles serotonin levels, but increasing the dose higher than this does not increase serotonin any more.

You can start with a small dose and increase it a little at a time.

I’ve taken it for 27 years and find sometimes I need a little more, and sometimes I need a lot more, and sometimes I need less.

I always try to be conservative with the dose I take before going to bed, and if it’s not enough, then 30 minutes later I can always take a little more, then maybe a little more, then finally it reaches the right level and I get the desired effect of falling asleep.