Which Diet Matches Your Personality?

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Diet Food Yoga Working Out

Which Diet Matches Your Personality?

September 14, 2009

The same diet or way of eating doesn't work for everyone since we all have such different needs, goals, likes, and dislikes. So if you've struggled with your weight and what eating plan matches your lifestyle, check out which diet fits your personality.

Personality Type	Traits When It Comes to Food	Recommended Diets
The Structured Eater	likes orderliness prefers rules and regulations likes lists, knowing what they can and can't eat likes knowing what amounts are OK to eat pays attention to details	Atkins, South Beach Diet, The Zone

To see the other types of eaters read more.

Personality Type	Traits When It Comes to Food	Recommended Diets
The Flexible Eater	laid back adaptable likes structure but not rigidity flexibility allows them not to feel deprived wants to have freedom to choose; a little "wiggle room"	Weight Watchers, Volumetrics
The Organizational Eater	lack of choice is comforting thrives on long-term plans such as a monthly meal schedule enjoys extreme structure, being told what to do	Nutrisystem, Jenny Craig, HMR
The Social Eater	emotional eater doesn't manage stress well turns to food for comfort loves connecting with other people	All types of diet can work as long as the program offers emotional support either through community boards, support groups, regular one-on-one visits, emails, or encouraging text messages

Which type of eater are you?

11 Comments

sparklestar 3 years 34 weeks

I eat healthily and exercise... what does that make me? OH freaking sensible.

iheartkerning 3 years 35 weeks

I am in the same boat as cg130...I simply avoid eating foods that set me over the edge—like chocolate, or pizza.However these changes are part of a lifestyle change I've made and embraced, not a diet. I do not believe following diets works for the majority of people and I'm sad to see them promoted here on fitsugar...

iheartkerning 3 years 35 weeks

I am in the same boat as cg130...I simply avoid eating foods that set me over the edge—like chocolate, or pizza. However these changes are part of a lifestyle change I've made and embraced, not a diet. I do not believe following diets works for the majority of people and I'm sad to see them promoted here on fitsugar...

Spectra 3 years 35 weeks

I'm a flexible eater and that's probably why WW worked pretty well for me. I was able to eat whatever I wanted to, but I knew that certain foods were going to satisfy me more than other foods were, so I chose things like fruits/veggies/proteins instead of chips or cookies or things like that. I didn't know about the Volumetrics plan until after I'd lost weight, but when I read the book, I realized that's sort of how I chose to approach WW. Volumetrics works by identifying foods that are not very calorie-dense, like vegetables and foods that are very calorie-dense like chips. You are supposed to choose most of your foods from the low-density list (ie, mostly fruits and veggies) and you get to choose what foods from the high-density list you want to eat. You aren't supposed to completely avoid the high-density foods because some of them are very nutritious; you're just supposed to choose wisely (like eating nuts and not chips or choosing olive oil vs. butter). If you read the book, it makes a lot of sense.And about the whole Nutrisystem/Jenny Craig/meal-replacement programs...why are we promoting those again? They don't teach you how to eat; they basically give you a set number of things to eat and as long as you eat their food, you lose weight. Once you try eating on your own, you most likely gain weight back because you're not eating the program food. I really don't think those kinds of plans are sustainable for a lifetime.

Spectra 3 years 35 weeks

I'm a flexible eater and that's probably why WW worked pretty well for me. I was able to eat whatever I wanted to, but I knew that certain foods were going to satisfy me more than other foods were, so I chose things like fruits/veggies/proteins instead of chips or cookies or things like that. I didn't know about the Volumetrics plan until after I'd lost weight, but when I read the book, I realized that's sort of how I chose to approach WW. Volumetrics works by identifying foods that are not very calorie-dense, like vegetables and foods that are very calorie-dense like chips. You are supposed to choose most of your foods from the low-density list (ie, mostly fruits and veggies) and you get to choose what foods from the high-density list you want to eat. You aren't supposed to completely avoid the high-density foods because some of them are very nutritious; you're just supposed to choose wisely (like eating nuts and not chips or choosing olive oil vs. butter). If you read the book, it makes a lot of sense. And about the whole Nutrisystem/Jenny Craig/meal-replacement programs...why are we promoting those again? They don't teach you how to eat; they basically give you a set number of things to eat and as long as you eat their food, you lose weight. Once you try eating on your own, you most likely gain weight back because you're not eating the program food. I really don't think those kinds of plans are sustainable for a lifetime.

chloe bella 3 years 35 weeks

@ cg130 - I never thought of it from that perspective. I personally cannot comprehend binge eating. I've always had the opposite problem - if I really like a food, I try to save it and make it last longer, then it usually ends up going bad. It's a weird quirk I've had since I was a kid. I can understand now how some people might enjoy a structured diet, but it still seems totally foreign to me.

cg130 3 years 35 weeks

I'm probably a "structured eater" - there are some foods I just cannot eat because they cause me to binge. I do take comfort in setting up boundaries for myself and telling myself that I can't eat my trigger foods, because then I am freed from a cycle of bingeing and then beating myself up for days afterwards. "Everything in moderation" doesn't always work for me, because I would often rather cut something out than just have a teeny bit of it - that always intensifies my craving, instead of conquering it.

chloe bella 3 years 35 weeks

Does anyone honestly find a lack of choice to be comforting? Isn't that why most people fail at diets? If someone really "enjoys" cutting food out of their life that much and are already super structured when it comes to food intake, they probably aren't going to be overweight in the first place!