Vol.5 Issue 1
Obesity

Although many diet books offer sound suggestions for losing weight and keeping it off, few take into account those individual characteristics that drive eating and activity behaviors.  "Dr. Kushner's Personality Type Diet" (2003, St. Martin's Press) is designed to help individuals gain insight into how their personality affects their weight management behaviors.  Readers complete a series of questionnaires in order to "discover their dietary personality," which can be summarized by a combination of seven eating, exercise, and coping patterns that fuel weight gain.  Sensible strategies are advanced to manage the issues associated with each of the patterns, an approach that's critical to the highly challenging task of sustaining weight loss.  Because these strategies are individualized, they should enhance individuals’ self-regulatory skills in order to promote healthier lifestyle behaviors.  Additionally, numerous, easy-to-prepare recipes are presented that are sure to appeal to diverse tastes and dietary preferences. 

Barbara Swanson, DNSc, RN, ACRN
Associate Professor
Rush University College of Nursing