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The Personalities Of Obesity

By Elizabeth C.

PUT THE JUDGMENT DOWN WHILE YOU'RE EATING WITH YOUR FAT FRIENDS: The Wall Street Journal has an articleabout personality traits and habits that contribute to obesity.

Journal columnist Melinda Beck highlight several studies that found a host of personality traits that contribute to to why people pack on pounds. Poor maternal relations, deadlines, perfectionism, neuroticism, sleep deprivation -- even selflessness all contribute to individuals collecting body fat and keeping it, according to the artice.

"Is there anybody who doesn't know that broccoli is better for you than a Big Mac?" weight-loss coach Renée Stephens tells the Journal. "What's important is identifying what's going on in our heads and what we're using the food for."

Judith S. Beck, president of the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy in Bala Cynwyd, Pa., says becoming aware of the how emotions and eating patterns can impact your weight. "You don't have to change your whole personality,'' she says. "You just need to change your thinking, which allows you to change your behavior."

Beck lists "the fix" for several behaviors that contribute to heaviness. And while some of the cures are obvious -- exercise, keeping a food journal, avoiding food after 9 p.m. -- it's refreshing to read a piece about weight without judgement. Check it out here.

And for those who want to delve deeper into the topic, GoodReads lists recommended reads on fat studies.