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Why Am I Gaining Weight?
Is Your Personality Making You Fat?
Larger-than-life personalities are real—they just might not be what you think
By
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Deciphering Your Personality
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1
If You’re a People Pleaser
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2
If You’re Depressed
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3
If You’re Impulsive or Compulsive
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4
If You’re Mean
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5
If You’re Ambitious
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6
If You’re Disorganized
If You’re Impulsive or Compulsive
Does your resolve crumble every time you see a flash sale on Gilt? Unable to resist another round of Blackjack? If your willpower is weak and your impulses strong, chances are you might be overweight, too. Extraordinarily impulsive people weighed an average of 24 pounds more than those who were hardly spontaneous at all in a Department of Health and Human Services study.
When people are impulsive or compulsive in one area of their life—hoarding, gambling, uncontrollable shopping—they also tend to be careless with their eating habits, points out Kushner. It makes sense. The more sporadic you are in general, the more likely you are to give into spur-of-the-moment cravings.
Your Personality Prescription: Keep a food journal to maintain a sense of when and how much you’re eating, recommends Kushner. When a craving strikes, you can look back at your record to see if you’re really hungry or craving food just in the moment. Also try limiting your intake of simple sugars, sweets and fats, which light up the reward and pleasure centers of your brain and can perhaps fuel food addictions. To burn a few more calories, channel your compulsive behavior away from eating and toward physical activity.
Track your weight, log your calories, and record your exercise using our handy Fit Tracker tool!
When people are impulsive or compulsive in one area of their life—hoarding, gambling, uncontrollable shopping—they also tend to be careless with their eating habits, points out Kushner. It makes sense. The more sporadic you are in general, the more likely you are to give into spur-of-the-moment cravings.
Your Personality Prescription: Keep a food journal to maintain a sense of when and how much you’re eating, recommends Kushner. When a craving strikes, you can look back at your record to see if you’re really hungry or craving food just in the moment. Also try limiting your intake of simple sugars, sweets and fats, which light up the reward and pleasure centers of your brain and can perhaps fuel food addictions. To burn a few more calories, channel your compulsive behavior away from eating and toward physical activity.
Track your weight, log your calories, and record your exercise using our handy Fit Tracker tool!
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