Australian scientists have identified the five main diet-related personality types and why they struggle to lose weight.
Australia's largest-ever diet and personality survey, conducted by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), analyzed the diet personalities of 90,000 Australian adults.
Sinead Golley, a CSIRO behavioural scientist and leader of the project, said that by identifying what group they belong to, the two thirds of Australian adults who are overweight or obese could have a better chance of losing weight.
"If you're frustrated by unsuccessful weight loss attempts, having a better understanding of your personal triggers and diet patterns can be the crucial piece of the puzzle," Golley said in a media release on Monday.
The CSIRO found that the thinker', made up of people who over-analyze their diet progress and have unrealistic expectations of what they can achieve, was the most prominent group with 37 percent of survey respondents belonging to the group.
"People with the most common diet personality type known as the Thinker tend to have high expectations and tend to be perfectionists, giving up when things get challenging," Golley said.
Cravers were the second most common group, made up of people who struggle to resist certain delicious foods, Golley said.
"One in five Cravers have tried to lose weight more than 25 times and they say that chocolate and confectionery are the biggest problem foods to resist," she said.
Researchers found that diet habits tended to change dramatically between generations. While younger people were more likely to succumb to cravings, the diets of those aged 71 and older were more likely to be influenced by lifestyle and socialising, what the researchers called Socialisers and Foodies.
Generation X are more likely to be Cravers, Thinkers and Freewheelers. Freewheelers refer to spontaneous and impulsive eaters.
"We also found younger people commonly used fitness trackers and apps to lose weight, while older generations turned to diet books and support groups," Golley said.
