Regardless of your emotional set point, your everyday habits and choices are important. The way you make dietary choices can push the needle on your well-being.
People who are the happiest tend to be superior at sacrificing short-term pleasures when there is a good opportunity to make progress toward what they aspire to achieve. Happy people seem to have an intuitive grasp of the fact that sustained happiness is not just about doing things that you like. It also requires growth and adventuring beyond the boundaries of your comfort zone.
The next ‘Foodie’ personality types all revolve around happiness. They are all short term decisions to experience happiness at the expense of long term results.
Do you see yourself in any of these scenarios?
3. The Weekend-Er
Is it Friday yet? This person is typically saying that by Tuesday. When it comes to discipline during the week, they are on the straight and narrow. Their work ethic at the gym is unwavering, and their ‘clean diet’ is micromanaged.
Then the weekend and special events arrive, and it's as if Superman has just been hit with Kryptonite. As they say goodbye to their Monday-Friday schedule, they also say farewell to their adherence to the ‘plan’. For the Weekend-Er, having a good time with food and drink is a priority. They're haunted by the fear of missing out and give into the temptations of the environment they might be in. Saying "no" is impossible when you are at a fair and everyone is having a funnel cake and turkey leg, right?
At football tailgates, they drink beer in liberal amounts and eat plenty of wings, hot dogs, and burgers. They can't turn down two-for-one margarita specials or happy hour specials with friends. The typical reason why is, “You only live once.”
I competed in natural bodybuilding competitions during my college years in San Angelo, TX and I had a blast with friends that enjoyed alcohol while I sipped on my water bottle. True friends don’t judge your health decisions, they support them. Social events can be just as fun without getting trashed or stuffing yourself with garbage foods. Moderation is more important than anything to the Weekend-Er. Hang out with your friends and go to your favorite events, but limit your consumption of adult beverages and party favorites.
Pay attention to your environment and ask yourself, "Am I indulging out of true hunger, or eating and drinking out of obligation, expected societal norms, and peer pressure?"
Just remember that clocking out for the workweek doesn't equate to punching the timesheet for your fitness habits as well. Five days of eating diligently and training like a 300 warrior can't compensate for inhaling everything in sight for 48 hours straight.
4. The Diner
Seven days a week, this person is dining at various restaurants. This person will tell you that they lack culinary skills. Often, he or she isn’t in a frame of mind to learn a new skill either. Dining out gives them an opportunity to be social, people watch, and unwind.
They may use the excuse of being "too busy" to cook and prepare their meals. So they rely on takeout and restaurants for their nutritional needs.
I am no different than the next person and I love to indulge in a nice restaurant every now and then. But eating out on a regular basis is a dangerous game. It is difficult to able to control the portions given at restaurants. There is no way to know what oils or ingredients that are in your food and you are at the mercy of "secret ingredient plague”.
Sure, it looks like plain chicken breast and rice, but the chicken was probably prepared in liberal splashes of oil, and the rice cooked in butter and other ingredients not normally used in home cooking. So, what was originally thought to be around 500-600 calories might clock in at 1,000 or more.
Cooking is a skill and yes it takes time. You don't have to be a top chef make decent meals. You don’t have to be an extremist and eat bland foods either. Taking the time to create great tasting food is something you are capable of. By eating meals you make at home, you know exactly what foods are going into your body and can avoid playing the macro-guessing game.
For the busy folks, I always recommend practice a meal plan eating schedule. Eating the same 2-3 meals during the week and switching out your snacks will help you simplify the meal-planning process. It will eliminate the guesswork. Doing this over time will help you become an intuitive eater. Some day you will know your body well enough to give it what it needs.
These personalities describe how you act and who you become when you expose yourself to certain behaviors. Without keeping them in check, these behaviors can lead to health hardships. But I believe when you know better, you should do better.