What’s your overeating style? Are you a food fretter? A task-snacker? An emotional eater? Or do you typically “flavor food” with all, or none of, the overeating styles? The newly identified “7 overeating styles” we discovered can give you insights into the underlying reasons why so many women overeat and gain weight.
Do you see yourself in any of the following overeating styles: Food Fretting; Task Snacking; Emotional Eating; Fast Foodism; Solo Dining; Unappetizing Atmosphere; and Sensory Disregard? As you look over the overeating styles, see if you can identify the ones that need your attention the most, as well as those that may need minor modifications. Then discover the solution.
The Enlightened Diet
The antidote to the overeating styles is The Enlightened Diet, a comprehensive program of seven food choices and eating behaviors that lead naturally to weight loss and well-being. To get a sense of the Enlightened Diet, think of a memorable meal you especially enjoyed. If the entire experience was particularly pleasing, then it’s likely you’ve already experienced the “ingredients” of the Enlightened Diet. They are:
• ENJOYING FOOD. Experiencing pleasure in food and eating
• MINDFULNESS EATING. Eating when you eat—without distraction
• APPETITE-BASED EATING. A just-right level of hunger
• WHOLE FOOD. Fresh, lean and green, flavor-filled food
• SOCIAL DINING. Dining with others more often than not
• APPETIZING ATMOSPHERE. Eating in pleasant surroundings
• SENSORY DELIGHT. Taking time to savor flavors in food
Over time, the Enlightened Diet empowers you to change the way you think about food, change the way you think about dieting, and change the way you think about eating, achieving, and maintaining normal weight. The end result: the experience of true nourishment, by eating less and enjoying it more.
Copyright © 2009 by Deborah Kesten, MPH
Deborah Kesten, MPH, and Larry Scherwitz, PhD, are certified wellness and cardiac coaches, who specialize in preventing, halting, and reversing overeating, overweight, and obesity and heart disease. They are also international lifestyle and nutrition researchers and award-winning authors. Visit them at www.Enlightened-Diet.com to take their FREE What's Your Eating Style? quiz, and to learn more about them and their Coaching and Optimal Eating programs.