Due to the request of a high percentage of our visitors, the information on this page is being changed. It seems like the information got a little technical with the science of why this weight loss program works, instead of what to do in order to lose weight. We apologize!

If you have come to this page first, before reading the rest of the site, we need to answer the question many of you have.  Who is The Road Back?

The Road Back is a step-by-step program used by the patient and prescribing physician to taper off psychiatric medication safely. This program has been in existence since 1999. Over 30,000 people have now used this program to taper off psychiatric medication.

In 2002, The Road Back began researching to find the cause of medication induced weight gain and hopefully to find a solution. As thousands of people completed their taper off the medication, many success stories began to come in about weight loss as well. Some of what we found was by research, but some was by chance.

How to lose weight will be separated into two areas:

1. If you are still taking medication.
2. If you are already off the medication.
   

·         A few supplements will be mentioned as well and under each section we let you know where these specific supplements can be found.

If You Are Still Taking Medication

Watch your diet changes. An all protein diet or a crash diet can create an adverse reaction with the medication. The normal adverse reactions with the wrong change of food intake will be anxiety, fatigue or insomnia.

You are somewhat limited with what type of diet or supplement program you can use while taking psychiatric medication. This is why the options are limited within this program.

What to Do

The following seems to work for about 35 percent of the population for weight loss. If you are one of the 35 percent, expect excellent weight loss though. The 35% report; weight just falls off between week 4 and week 5.

Of note, of the 65% this weight loss program did not work for, a very high percentage reported the weight gain at least stopped. So, if you are still gaining weight and you have not found a way to stop the weight gain, the odds are in your favor your weight gain will at least stop if you use these procedures.

There are 4 supplements that are needed:

1. Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA).
2. Omega 3 Fish Oil.
3. Vitamin E.
4. Calcium/Magnesium.

These 4 products work as a team.

The CLA and Omega 3 work as a team on the cellular level to adjust your leptin levels. Leptin is a hormone that is secreted by adipose tissue (adipose tissue - a type of tissue that contains stored cellular fat) that acts to regulate appetite and energy expenditure. This is where the cells are sent a signal to hold on to the fat. 

Vitamin E has a role to help breakdown the CLA and Omega 3. The calcium/magnesium combination will help the nutrients move in and out of the cells and promote weight loss within this combination.

Food Adjustment

If you feel you have the ability to only eat 3 meals each day and not have snacks in between, snacks of any kind, you can also change when you eat to improve your odds of weight loss.

You would follow this exactly:

·         Eat 3 meals only each day.

·         Wait at least 5 hours before your next meal.

·         Make your breakfast a high protein meal.

·         Eat dinner before 6 pm.

·         Do not eat anything after dinner. Nothing.

Make sure you eat enough food with the 3 meals you will have. Don’t over indulge, but eat enough.

Following the food steps above is more important than what foods you eat. Of course, an all ice cream diet will not be the way to go. The point here is, you do not have to really watch calories to an extreme or the foods you eat to an extreme in order to lose weight.

You can still live life, and have a life, while you lose weight!

Add the food adjustment to the supplements recommended and you will have a very good chance of losing the weight that would not come off in the past, no matter what you might have tried.

What to Expect

Weight loss usually will not start until week 3 or 4. You may very well see size reduction during the first 3 weeks before the weight loss begins.

Adding 30 minutes of exercise each day, even a slow casual walk will promote further weight loss.

Supplements - The type of CLA, Omega 3 and calcium/magnesium used make all the difference with this weight loss method. The CLA and Omega 3 would be the two main items to not short cut with.

The brand of vitamin E is not important, but we do recommend you take an all natural vitamin E.

How Much to Take Daily

Morning – Three Ultimate Omega 3 softgels.
                   Two CLA softgels.
                   One 200 i.u. vitamin E.

Noon -       Three Ultimate Omega 3 softgels.
                   Two CLA softgels.

Bedtime -  One tablespoon of calcium/magnesium mixed in water.
(If you have any anxiety or insomnia do not use the calcium/magnesium)

This is all you take.

Drink plenty of water each day. If you do not drink water now, it is time to start. You need the water to help move toxins out of the body. A general scientific consensus is; ½ of your body weight in ounces of water a day. If you weigh 200 pounds, you would drink 100 ounces of water a day. Do the best you can with this.

Remember to add in the ½ hour of some type of exercise to your daily routine.

Do the above for 5 full weeks consistently.

Where to Find the Supplements Suggested

CLA and Ultimate Omega 3: These are manufactured by TRB Health. To reach the online shopping cart click here or you can order by telephone at 1-866-810-3809. The office hours are 8:30 am to 6 pm, Monday – Friday, Pacific Standard Time zone.

On their shopping cart look for the CLA and Ultimate Omega 3:

Calcium/Magnesium: The best calcium/magnesium made is produced by Peter Gillham Natural Vitality, and called CalMag. The best price is from a Web Site called VitaCost.com.

You can find the calcium/magnesium on the VitaCost site easiest by doing a copy and paste of these numbers, 183405000179 into their product search box that is located near the top left of their home page or you can type in the entire product name as given above.

You can order off their site at www.vitacost.com or by calling 1-800-381-0759, 24-hours a day.

What to Do if You Did Not Get Complete Results With the Above

If the program above did not create the weight loss, do not give up hope. We need to find the right thing for your body. Your body needs to be able to adjust further and the medication is probably holding something in place or keeping something out of balance. It is probably with one of the hormones the medication is affecting.

Add a virgin coconut oil to your daily intake. A total of 1 tablespoon each day of this oil. You can spread this out during the day if you wish, you can take all of it at once, you can just put it in your mouth and swallow, or you can put the oil on food, your choice.

Coconut oil helps balance one of the hormones antidepressants and antipsychotics alter. This was found by reading a clinical trial with weight loss after a person used an antipsychotic. In the trial found, the abortion drug RU486 was used to see if it would reverse the drug induced weight gain, and it did.

It only took looking at the exact action the RU486 was doing with a hormone and then doing a search for a natural product that would have the same effect on that hormone and virgin coconut oil was found. Amazingly, there were several Web Sites found that already promoted coconut oil for weight loss!

You can keep taking the CLA, Ultimate Omega 3, vitamin E and calcium/magnesium along with the coconut oil if you feel they at least made you feel better, but if you have not lost weight within 5 weeks with those products you probably will not.

Virgin Coconut Oil – Any virgin or extra virgin coconut oil will work as well as any other. If you shop online, Jarrow Formulas, Organic Coconut Oil Extra Virgin, is about the lowest price.

You can find the Jarrow Formulas, Organic Coconut Oil Extra Virgin, on the VitaCost site easiest by doing a copy and paste of these numbers, 790011160335 into their product search box that is located near the top left of their home page or you can type in the entire product name as given above. Click here to go to VitaCost.

If You are Already off the Medication

Follow the program as exactly detailed for people that are still taking medication, but include one additional supplement.

You will be taking 100 mg of alpha lipoic acid. Lipoic acid will help speed up the burning of energy and help regulate glucose.

Take the lipoic acid with the morning CLA and Ultimate Omega 3.

There is one additional supplement that may work for you, and if it does, it is another one of those supplements that gives dramatic results. The amino acid, Tyrosine, will enhance the metabolism, assist in burning carbohydrates and more.

The only Tyrosine we have found to be effective at all is made and sold by GNC stores. Only use their tablet form, not the capsule, and get the 500 mg tablet. Most of the GNC stores visited only carry Tyrosine tablets in the 1,000 mg bottle. You can break them in half or order the 500 mg tablet online.

Take (1), 500 mg tablet in the morning but make sure you do not have any food or protein within 1 hour before taking it or 1 hour afterwards. Ideally you would chew it up and swallow. It has kind of a chalk taste though.

Click here to go to the GNC Web Site.

If you have not experienced weight loss by the end of 5 full weeks, discontinue the CLA, but continue taking all other supplements and give this additional time.

Don’t forget to drink plenty of water each day and get ½ hour of exercise each day to help increase the weight loss.

Where to Find the Supplements Suggested (All links to other Web Sites will open a new browser window so you can return with ease to this page and print the data)

CLA and Ultimate Omega 3: These are manufactured by TRB Health. To reach the online shopping cart  click here or you can order by telephone at 1-866-810-3809. The office hours are 8:30 am to 6 pm, Monday – Friday, Pacific Standard Time zone.

On their shopping cart look for the CLA and Ultimate Omega 3.

Calcium/Magnesium: The best calcium/magnesium made is produced by Peter Gillham Natural Vitality, and called CalMag. The best price is from a Web Site called VitaCost.com.

You can find the calcium/magnesium on the VitaCost site easiest by doing a copy and paste of these numbers, 183405000179 into their product search box that is located near the top left of their home page or you can type in the entire product name as given above.

You can order off their site at www.vitacost.com or by calling 1-800-381-0759, 24-hours a day.

Lipoic Acid – NSI R-Lipoic Acid Bioenhanced Na-RALA - 100 mg - 60 Capsules. You can find this easiest on the VitaCost site easiest by doing a copy and paste of these numbers, 835003001637 into their product search box that is located near the top left of their home page or you can type in the entire product name as given above. Click here to go to VitaCost.

Virgin Coconut Oil – Any virgin or extra virgin coconut oil will work as well as any other. If you shop online, Jarrow Formulas, Organic Coconut Oil Extra Virgin, is about the lowest price.

You can find the Jarrow Formulas, Organic Coconut Oil Extra Virgin, on the VitaCost site easiest by doing a copy and paste of these numbers, 790011160335 into their product search box that is located near the top left of their home page or you can type in the entire product name as given above. Click here to go to VitaCost.

Other General Instructions: If you are Still Taking or You Have Stopped Taking an Antidepressant or Antipsychotic

1.      Weigh yourself each day.

2.      Measure your waist, chest, and hips each day. 

If you backslide on the type of foods you eat one day, don’t be too hard on yourself. Just get back to it as fast as you can.

I know some people want weight loss fast and that perfect body. Well, if this program only helps you lose 3 pounds each month, it may not seem like much, but that is 36 pounds in one year. Where were you at 12 months ago? Would you take those 36 pounds of weight loss now? One year is going to come around whether we want it to or not so take advantage of that!

A Few Other Suggestions

TRB has a few other products that are used in the taper program you may benefit from.

Essential Protein Formula – This is an excellent product for a meal replacement and to help handle those sugar cravings. People using it to help the cravings reported also how it was the finishing touch to their daytime anxiety. So, if you have daytime anxiety, you can use their Essential protein Formula for that as well.

Power Barley Formula – If you have fatigue and you are tired all the time, Power Barley Formula will work. It is barley, so if you have never had a barley drink before the taste might be more than you can handle, but most people that hated the taste upfront usually began to actually like it within a few days. My wife is one of those! My 9 year old still will not touch it.

Body Calm – This is recommended in our taper program along with the Essential Protein Formula to help with daytime anxiety and sleep.

The links above for TRB Health will also take you to their shopping cart where the Essential Protein Formula, Power Barley Formula and Body Calm are located.

If You Want to Read the Technical Data

Antidepressants and anti-psychotics were created to alter an area of the brain called the Hypothalamus Pituitary-Adrenal Axis (HPA). The HPA is a system of hormones and glands. The hormones within the HPA regulate serotonin.

These medications are designed to increase the output of a hormone that is believed to lower stress, depression and symptoms associated with mental disorders.

This HPA system has a group of steroid hormones called Glucocorticoids, which regulate carbohydrate, protein, and fat metabolism.

This HPA system needs to be in balance for the body to function properly.

The human brain will usually make up 2% of our overall body mass. However, our brain will use up 50% of glucose in the body. The brain depends on our glucose for energy.

Activity within this system generates messages of “energy on demand” and “energy on request.”

The activation of the adrenal system inhibits glucose uptake by tissue, by inhibiting insulin release. This process produces insulin resistance but increases hepatic glucose production.

With inadequate “energy on request,” a condition called neuroglycopenia (a shortage of glucose in the brain, also hypoglycemia.)

Symptoms associated with this condition:

• Abnormal mentation (mental activity), thinking, impaired judgment
• Anxiety, moodiness, depression, crying, fear of dying
• Negativism, irritability, belligerence, combativeness, rage
• Personality change, emotional lability (Very rapid fluctuations in intensity of emotions.)
• Fatigue, weakness, apathy, lethargy, daydreaming, sleep
• Confusion, amnesia, dizziness, delirium
• Staring, "glassy" look, blurred vision, double vision
• Difficulty speaking, slurred speech
• Ataxia (Loss of the ability to coordinate muscular movement.), incorordination, sometimes mistaken for "drunkenness"
• General motor deficit, paralysis, hemiparesis (Muscle weakness on one side of the body.)
• Paresthesia (A skin sensation, such as burning, prickling, itching, or tingling, with no apparent physical cause.), headache
• Stupor, coma, abnormal breathing

A decrease in brain glucose will activate other portions of the brain that release proteins, which stimulate food intake.

When this happens, an increase in body weight is inevitable at this point.

The increase in fat mass will generate a feedback signal to other hormones and insulin.

These phenomena can also take place with prolonged stress, starvation, and continued heavy exercise, drugs or by certain chemicals.

This results in the permanent activation of the feedback signal, which results in continued insulin resistance, hypertension and metabolic syndrome.

This is why individuals that are predisposed to diabetes are 2 to 3 times more likely to become diabetic if they use an antidepressant or anti-psychotic medication.

Another key hormone regulating weight that is also altered by glucocorticoid, is leptin.

There are two types of leptin, brain leptin and plasma leptin.

Glucocorticoids increase both appetite as well as brain leptin secretion. Plasma leptin will store unwanted fats.

The brain is the controlling factor in this system. The brain knows it needs an ample supply of glucose to survive. With this balanced system being altered with drug induced over stimulation of glucocorticoid, the brain sends a signal to increase plasma leptin for fat and glucose storage. This insures the brain of the needed glucose for survival.

This increased plasma leptin works for the brain effectively in the short-term but ultimately leads to the destruction of the body. Obesity, diabetes, and a hormone – gland system that becomes too fatigued to function, is the final outcome.

The human brain is remarkable and highly complex. But when it is threatened with survival, the automatic reaction is self-destructive. 

References:

·          "These studies suggest that the fat-cell derived hormone Leptin might play an important role. Leptin signals to the brain the size of the adipose tissue and is probably the most important peripheral signal for the long-term regulation of weight." Neurol Psychiatry

·          "Leptin, a hormone secreted from adipose tissue, was originally discovered to regulate body weight. The localization of the leptin receptor in limbic structures suggests a potential role for leptin in emotional processes. Here, we show that rats exposed to chronic unpredictable stress and chronic social defeat exhibit low leptin levels in plasma. Systemic leptin treatment reversed the hedonic-like deficit induced by chronic unpredictable stress and improved behavioral despair dose-dependently in the forced swim test (FST), a model widely used for screening potential antidepressant efficacy. The behavioral effects of leptin in the FST were accompanied by increased neuronal activation in limbic structures, particularly in the hippocampus. Intrahippocampal infusion of leptin produced a similar antidepressant-like effect in the FST as its systemic administration. By contrast, infusion of leptin into the hypothalamus decreased body weight but had no effect on FST behavior. These findings suggest that: (i) impaired leptin production and secretion may contribute to chronic stress-induced depression-like phenotypes, (ii) the hippocampus is a brain site mediating leptin's antidepressant-like activity, and (iii) elevating leptin signaling in brain may represent a novel approach for the treatment of depressive disorders." January 31, 2006 the Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Health Science Center

·          Massachusetts General Hospital, Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Boston 02114, USA.
"Weight gain is associated with the use of many psychotropic medications, including lithium, valproic acid, and several conventional and newer anti-psychotics. Patients asked to select from among several comparable drugs often choose the one least likely to cause weight gain, even if the drug is less effective or has other troublesome adverse effects. For many patients, weight gain is so intolerable that they discontinue treatment. Patients who continue treatment are at risk for clinically significant weight gain that can progress to obesity. Even after patients stop taking the drug, weight gained during therapy may be difficult to lose. Thus, the best approach is to attempt to prevent weight gain when feasible, possibly through pretreatment dietary counseling and judicious drug selection, and to intervene as soon as weight gain becomes evident."

·          The Journal of the American Medical Association - JAMA - Recombinant Leptin for Weight Loss in Obese and Lean Adults A Randomized, Controlled, Dose-Escalation Trial
"Conclusions A dose-response relationship with weight and fat loss was observed with subcutaneous recombinant leptin injections in both lean and obese subjects. Based on this study, administration of exogenous leptin appears to induce weight loss in some obese subjects with elevated endogenous serum leptin concentrations. Additional research into the potential role for leptin and related hormones in the treatment of human obesity is warranted.^"

·          Neurol Psychiatry 2001
"Weight changes during pharmacological treatment are a well-known phenomenon and they have been an object of research since the 1950's. Weight gain occurs during treatment with drugs of different chemical structures and is an important problem when patients are treated with antidepressants, antipsychotics, or mood stabilizers. The clinical relevance of drug-induced weight changes is due to increased rates of morbidity and reduced treatment compliance. Regarding the underlying causes, the important role of neurotransmitter systems and in particular the blockade of serotonin and histamine receptors has been discussed since decades. Only recently, however, research has been started on the effects of psychotropic agents on major neuroendocrine systems involved in appetite and weight regulation. These studies suggest that the fat-cell derived hormone leptin might play an important role. Leptin signals to the brain the size of the adipose tissue and is probably the most important peripheral signal for the long-term regulation of weight. In addition to the neuroendocrine systems, weight gain induced by psychotropic agents might also involve immune modulators, in particular the proinflammatory cytokine tumor-necrosis-factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and soluble TNF-receptors. Some psychotropic agents influence the TNF system very rapidly, already prior to any obvious increases in weight. Hence, changes in the TNF-alpha system might be of predictive value for drug-induced weight gain. Strategies to minimize or to counteract weight gain induced by psychotropic agents include psychotherapeutic and pharmacological approaches. Although numerous psychotherapeutic approaches are available, they are only of limited usefulness in severely ill psychiatric patients. Fortunately, a number of promising pharmacological approaches to reduce weight have been introduced into clinical practice during the last years; however, so far there is no knowledge on pharmacodynamic and -kinetic interactions with psychotropic drugs, and there is no clinical data on the usefulness and safety of such drug combinations."

·          Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, McKnight Brain Institute, Gainesville, Florida
"Ghrelin stimulates and leptin inhibits appetite by modulating neuropeptide Y (NPY) signaling in the hypothalamus. Analysis of plasma ghrelin and leptin by sensitive radioimmunoassays showed that the two peripheral hormones are secreted in pulsatile fashion in rats consuming ad libitum rat chow. Fasting augmented all parameters of ghrelin pulsatile secretion and diminished leptin secretion by selectively attenuating the pulse amplitude; concomitantly it produced synchrony in ghrelin and leptin pulse discharge. These studies imply that a synchronous leptin restraint and ghrelin stimulus on NPYergic signaling may underlie robust appetitive drive."

·          EFA Sciences LLC, Norwood, Massachusetts
"Obesity may be a low-grade systemic inflammatory disease. Overweight and obese children and adults have elevated serum levels of C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and leptin, which are known markers of inflammation and closely associated with cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular causes of death. This may explain the increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, and many other chronic diseases in the obese. The complex interaction between several neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, neuropeptide Y, leptin, acetylcholine, melanin-concentrating hormone, ghrelin, nitric oxide, and cytokines and insulin and insulin receptors in the brain ultimately determines and regulates food intake. Breast-feeding of more than 12 mo is associated with decreased incidence of obesity. Breast milk is a rich source of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) and brain is especially rich in these fatty acids. LCPUFAs inhibit the production of proinflammatory cytokines and enhance the number of insulin receptors in various tissues and the actions of insulin and several neurotransmitters. LCPUFAs may enhance the production of bone morphogenetic proteins, which participate in neurogenesis, so these fatty acids might play an important role in brain development and function. It is proposed that obesity is a result of inadequate breast feeding, which results in marginal deficiency of LCPUFAs during the critical stages of brain development. This results in an imbalance in the structure, function, and feedback loops among various neurotransmitters and their receptors, which ultimately leads to a decrease in the number of dopamine and insulin receptors in the brain. Hence, promoting prolonged breast feeding may decrease the prevalence of obesity. Exercise enhances parasympathetic tone, promotes antiinflammation, and augments brain acetylcholine and dopamine levels, events that suppress appetite. Acetylcholine and insulin inhibit the production of proinflammatory cytokines and provide a negative feedback loop for postprandial inhibition of food intake, in part, by regulating leptin action. Statins, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma binding agents, non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs, and infant formulas supplemented with LCPUFAs, and LCPUFAs themselves, which suppress inflammation, may be beneficial in obesity."

·          Additional References:

Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Glucocorticoids reverse leptin effects on food intake and body fat in mice without increasing NPY and mRNA.

Department of Medicine, University of Tennessee College of medicine.
Inhibition of cortisol biosynthesis decreases circulating leptin levels in obese humans.

Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and metabolism, Washington University School of Medicine.
Hormonal regulation of human leptin in vivo; effects of hydrocortisone and insulin.

University of Milan
Effect of small dose of dexamethasone on plasma leptin levels in normal obese subjects; a dose-response study.

Laboratory of Physiology, University Libre de Bruxelles
Metabolic and endocrine effects of sleep deprivation.

Concept Therapeutics, Menlo Park, CA.
The efficacy of mifepristone in the reduction and prevention of olanzapine-induced weight gain in rats.

Neurobiology Division, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans
Rapid glucocorticoid actions in the hypothalamus as a mechanism of homeostatic integration.