CANYOU GET HIGH LOSING WEIGHT?

To expand your mind and contract your gut, all you need is a little entry-level brain science. There's a neurotransmitter called serotonin that relays positive vibes around your body. It's responsible for the high you get after sex or exercise, but it also lifts your mood as you slim down. We're not saying weight loss is a mind-expanding experience, but with these foods and activities you'll increase the happy hormones buzzing around your brain, preventing low moods from dragging down your motivation. The only thing that'll be downbeat is your fat stores.

Your new go-to veggie side course: broad beans. They contain a compound called levodopa, which increasesthe 'pleasure hormone' dopamine, found Vanderbilt University. Plus, multiple studies show the dietary fibre you get from beans encourages you to eat less. Alternatively, peas are good. They're high in tyrosine, a precursor to levodopa.

LIGHTEN YOUR MOOD

Go for three 40-minute sunlit runs a week. Regular light therapy helps you shed 2% more body fat, according to research by Canadian scientists. And the exposure to natural blue sky and green space leads to an instant uplift in your mood. It's the most blatant reminder of the lighter, brighter side of shedding those excess kilos.

CALORIES CUT I 400

MOOD LIFT I 14%

FEELlN' ALL WHITE

Your nightcap of choice should be a glass of milk. Research published in the Journal of Nutrition found it lowers levels of the stress hormone cortisol - linked to excess belly fat - and helps you cut calories by filling you up so you find it easier to avoid an oversized breakfast in the morning. The study authors say you need 711ml daily for the full effects.

CALORIES CUT I 200

MOOD LIFT I 7%

GO INTO A TRANCE

Shred fat simply by sitting still and letting this tip wash over you: the Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience found that meditation sends you into a state oftota I relaxation. Practise breathing techniques half an hour before a meal and you'll also strengthen your resolve not to go crazy at the all-you can- eat curry house. Karma over korma every time.

CALORIES CUT I 170

MOOD LIFT 116%

WEED IT OUT

Snack yourself slim by making your own seaweed crisps. Buy a pack of nori - a sea vegetable - from your supermarket and bake it at 200°C for 15 minutes. Seaweed is one of the best natural sources of tyrosine, a nutrient your body needs to make dopamine. If that's not reason enough, in a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, dieters lost 41b extra when taking seaweed supps.

CALORIES CUT I 130

MOOD LI FT I 6%

GET A BIT TRYP-Y

Dose up on venison at least once a week. A standard 120g steak contains 112% of your RDA of tryptophan, an amino acid that's crucial for the production of the mood-improving chemical serotonin. Compared to beef, you'll also save 12g of fat and 5g of sat fat per serving. If the deer is too dear, you'll also find an uplifting amount of tryptophan in tuna, cod, chicken, turkey and prawns.

CALORIES CUT I 115

MOOD LIFT I 7%

TASTE THE TROPICS

Wake up to a 200ml glass of pineapple juice. You'll save calories over OJ and fill up on the hormone melatonin, which adds an average 25 minutes to your sleep, according to Northumbria University. It's good for your mood because your serotonin levels fall when you're not getting enough shut-eye. When you sleep well, you're also less likely to snack in the day and several studies have shown that vitamin C - also present in the tropical fruit - helps to oxidise fat, putting your love handles on a downer.

CALORIES CUT 120

MOOD LI FT I 8%