Author: Dr Megan Arroll PhD, FHEA, CPsychol, CSci, AFBPsS Category: Health, Diet
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The only diet book that takes your personality as a starting point to losing weight

How many diets have you tried?  And how many have worked…?  Most likely all of them – for a short space of time.  The problem with calorie controlled or any other food-based diet is not that the pounds don’t drop in the first few weeks, rather it’s the keeping the weight off that’s the big issue (and often elephant in the room).

I’ve spent the past 17 years as a psychologist carefully studying health behaviours and it’s clear that the action – whether that is grabbing a quick croissant because there’s no time to prep breakfast or sticking to the same old routines in all areas of health – is only the tip of the iceberg.

Beneath the water there are complex feelings, emotions and thoughts that drive behaviour.  So, when we try a diet that ‘prescribes’ a certain meal at a particular time of day, or a substitute shake here and there, it’s only dealing with the iceberg’s tip.  It’s not that these approaches don’t work, as mentioned, but rather they won’t get to the root of the problem.  By looking more closely at our behavioural patterns, thoughts around eating and our relationship with food, we can get to grips with over-eating triggers that sabotage our best intentions.  Meaning that any change in eating and lifestyle will have its best chance of success.

One important aspect of the base of this iceberg is our personality type.  Personality has been an area of research in psychology almost since its birth as a discipline and has proven to be a useful way to understand why people do what they do – their behaviour, which has health implications.  Studies have shown that people who score differently on certain traits have different health outcomes.  For instance, research has shown that people who have a low ‘conscientiousness’ score, experience more weight fluctuations throughout life.  But this shouldn’t be taken as a fait accompli – instead we can use this valuable information to personalise and tailor weight-loss approaches to our personalities.

To this end, the respected journalist Louise Atkinson and I have developed The Shrinkology Solution with six distinct eating personalities.  Each one has diets, exercises and psychological mind hacks to break though the weight maintenance barrier, for a long-term healthy and sustainable relationship with food.  Here are a few details of each of our Shrinkology types:

The Gourmet

The Gourmet adores good quality and indulgent food – in fact the preparation and sharing of such food has become a cornerstone to the Gourmet’s interactions with others.  So, giving all this up is simply not an option, instead look out for diets that allow indulgence in a time-limited 8-hour window or an intermittent fasting plan.

The Magpie

The Magpie is a curious type who has a deep interest in health and well-being, but because of this can flit from one diet to the next, never quite sticking to one for long enough.  Magpies can also end up with mixed nutritional messages as there are just so many different plans out there.  Magpies need a dose of science to keep a plan on track, so try the Sirtfood Diet, which is based on the study of plant nutrients called sirtuins.

The Rebel

The Rebel can impressively stick to even the most rigid plan, much to the awe of friends and family.  But once there is a slight blip, Rebels tend to throw not only the towel, but all their hard work in the basket.  But Rebels can harness this all-or-nothing energy by using Dr Xand van Tulleken’s How to Eat Well, which allows an entire day’s calorific intake in one mega-meal.

The Scrambler

The Scrambler is the juggler – deftly managing family, career, friends, hobbies and everything else that life throws into the mix.  This leaves Scramblers rather time-poor, so choose diets such as Cheats & Eats by Jackie Wicks and Rob Hobson which offer doable, flexible plans for the busiest of bees.

The Soother

The Soother is a deeply caring and compassionate type who is everyone’s shoulder to cry on but wouldn’t want to bother anyone with their own troubles.  Instead, comfort is found a dreamy carb-laden bowls of pasta or chocolate treats.  Although it may seem like the best diet is one that restricts these foods, for Soothers this is simply unrealistic so instead opt for points plans such as Weight Watchers or Slimming World allow a few serotonin-boosting indulgences, with the added benefit of social support. 

The Traditional

The Traditional knows what they like and sticks to it!  Hence, Traditionals somewhat ridged rules can make it difficult to adapt to the natural changes in metabolism that come with different life stages.  Nudging these boundaries is key for Traditionals but they also need to respect the source of any dietary advice, therefore see the advice by qualified dietitians on the NHS Choices website which outline calorie deficit plans. 

The Shrinkology Solution available from Amazon £9.18