What type of eater are you?

Let's face it.  We all find it hard to follow a diet.  What gets people the most is the monotony of a diet - the lack of variation and the constant nagging thought process of "I can't eat that but I really want to!"  Dieting can quite often cause a lot of stress and anxiety.

One thing that is clear to me is that not everyone is suited to the same diet.  Some people find it easy to follow a very restrictive diet while others would rather jump off a cliff before doing without their favorite dish.

However, what we do know is that being overweight or obese is a serious danger to health, so people need specific diets that suit each individual.

A group of experts from the UK have discovered that by studying the TYPE of eater that you are means that a specific diet can be recommended which will be easier to follow and therefore more successful.  This has been turned into a Horizon program for the BBC.

Let me explain:

The experts studied 75 overweight volunteers who took part in a complex screening process first.  The experts found that the volunteers fell into three different categories:

1. EMOTIONAL EATERS:  People who eat for psychological reasons, eating when they are stressed, anxious or depressed.
2. FEASTERS:  These are people who have difficulty stopping once they start.  Scientists believe that this is due to a lower production of the gut hormone GLP-1 which signals the brain that a person is full.
3. CONSTANT CRAVERS: This means a person is hungry all the time and although they may not eat large portions they are constantly eating throughout the day.  The experts believe this is due to more genes that make you feel hungrier.  This increases the likelihood of eating too much and gaining weight.

The experts then devised weight loss plans for each group based on the type of eaters they were.

The EMOTIONAL EATERS were encouraged to join weight loss groups where they would receive the emotional support they needed instead of turning to food.  They were also given Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help them change their emotional responses to emotional problems.

The FEASTERS diet was designed to maximize the production of the GLP-1 hormone that they are lacking, and promoted foods that are digested in that specific part of the gut.  The diet was high in protein and low glycemic index (GI) carbohydrates as these are known to encourage production of the vital hormones and increase feelings of fullness.

The CONSTANT CRAVERS were put on the 5:2 diet where their calories were restricted severely for 2 days a week (between 600-800 calories) and they were free to eat a healthy mediterranean style diet for the other 5 days - although neither calories nor carbohydrates were restricted for the 5 free days.

To me, this actually makes a lot of sense.  Tailoring a diet to a persons psychological profile should mean that the person finds dieting a lot easier to handle and will therefore be more successful.

So what type of eater are you?  You can take the test here!

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com