Is Your Personality Making You Fat?

There are many reasons (valid and not-so-valid) overweight people may offer up for continuing to carry around those extra pounds -- we don't have the time to exercise, we can't stop eating our favorite foods, we try but always fail to lose weight. But now Hank Cardello, author of Stuffed: An Insider's Look at Who's Really Making America Fat, suggests that a key reason you may struggle with your weight is hard-wired into the very essence of who you are: your personality. Cardello says diets and exercise programs are severely flawed in the fact that they often require a person to become who they simply are not. For example, a person whose personality is "go with the flow" or "unorganized" is simply unable to adapt to a regimented fitness and nutrition program. In fact, they may be predisposed to fight against them. "Perhaps this is why Oprah has struggled with the yo-yo diet syndrome," Cardello says. "It's not in her wiring to stick with all those convoluted dietary instructions." So what's the solution? If you're a "clean desk" or "always early" type that thrives on order and structure, by all means adopt a stricter regimen, Cardello says. But if rigidity rubs you the wrong way, find an approach that is more flexible and that allows you greater choice over what you can eat and how you can become more fit.