WHAT'S YOUR OVEREATING STYLE?
SELF-ASSESSMENT QUIZ
Meet the 7 Overeating Styles
Are you an emotional eater who binges when you’re lonely, anxious, or depressed? Or is food fretting typical for you, replete with dieting and judging food as “good” or “bad?” Perhaps you’re a task snacker who eats while you watch TV, work, or drive. Or fast food, eaten so quickly that you don’t really taste it (sensory disregard), is your most-of-the time fare. Then there’s eating alone in unpleasant emotional or aesthetic surroundings.
Based on our original research, these are the 7 overeating styles we’ve identified, which increase your odds of overeating and being overweight or obese.
In other words, the more overeating styles you engage in, the more you’re at risk for overeating and gaining weight; conversely, when you take proactive steps each day to stop the styles, you up your odds of fulfilling your weight loss potential.
Getting Started
Take our What’s Your Overeating Style? Self-Assessment Quiz below, to figure out the often unexpected reasons you overeat and gain weight—and what you can do about it. After responding to the statements, you will discover your overeating style(s), learn about the elements that could be contributing to your overeating, and find ideas to guide your food choices, eating behaviors—and weight—in the direction that can lead to weight loss, health and healing.
Consider the profile to be a lighthouse that helps you to get your bearings; a guide for determining your eating style whereabouts so that you can choose the eating style direction that will lead you naturally to weight loss success.
Where Are You Now?
To find out, complete each eating style questionnaire below by clicking the boxes that best represent your current eating style. When you finish, you’ll discover your TOTAL Overeating Style Score—and whether it ranks as “excellent,” “good,” “satisfactory,” or “needs improvement.” Then the interpretation about your score will give you the next steps you need to be a successful loser...for life. (For more about this, see our Special Weight Loss Edition for quick tips, smart strategies, optimal eating workshops, and more.)
EMOTIONAL EATING
Overeating Style
For each question, check the box in the column that best represents your “emotional eating” dynamic.
Emotional Eating Scoring Key | |
10 to -1 | Excellent |
-2 to -12 | Good |
-13 to -23 | Satisfactory |
-24 or less | Needs Improvement |
Food Fretting Scoring Key |
|
0 to -7 | Excellent |
-8 to 14 | Good |
-15 to 21 | Satisfactory |
-22 or less | Needs Improvement |
Fast Foodism Scoring Key |
|
35 to 23 | Excellent |
22 to 11 | Good |
10 to -1 | Satisfactory |
-2 or less | Needs Improvement |
Sensory Disregard Scoring Key |
|
72 to 90 | Excellent |
54 to 71 | Good |
53 to 36 | Satisfactory |
35 or less | Needs Improvement |
Task Snacking Scoring Key |
|
0 to -6 | Excellent |
-7 to -12 | Good |
-13 to -17 | Satisfactory |
-18 or less | Needs Improvement |
Unappetizing Atmosphere Scoring Key |
|
30 to 22 | Excellent |
21 to 14 | Good |
13 to 6 | Satisfactory |
5 or less | Needs Improvement |
Solo Dining Scoring Key |
|
40 to 28 | Excellent |
27 to 16 | Good |
15 to 4 | Satisfactory |
3 or less | Needs Improvement |
EVALUATING YOUR SCORE
131 or more: Excellent
Congratulations! The “excellent” level is comparable to an A+. Your relationship with food is mostly satisfying and gratifying—and you enjoy food and eating most of the time. Both what and how you eat are beneficial to your weight, your overall health, and your quality of life.
A score of “excellent” suggests that the overeating styles aren’t typical for you, and that you are already practicing many of the solutions that make weight loss last. For still more benefits, look over your answers for each overeating style and target additional changes you could make to optimize your relationship to food even more. Our blogs on the overeating styles, and “In Action” strategies, can give you still more optimal eating ideas.
130 to 57: Good
You’re doing fairly well! The “good” level gives you a grade between A and B+. The foods you choose, how you eat, and with whom you eat are typically positive and beneficial. You eat optimally sometimes; when you’re not able to—or choose not to—you let it go.
To improve your relationship to food and eating, look over your answers and decide whether there are changes you’d like to make to bring you closer to optimal eating. Then “meet” the overeating styles—particularly those to which you seem to have some resistance—as well as our “In Action” articles, and Whole Person Nutrition Workbook for more ideas about optimal eating.
56 to -16: Satisfactory
Food and eating are often issues for you. The way you typically eat is comparable to a grade between B and C. You may have some confusion about what and how to eat optimally, or overcoming your overeating style(s) hasn’t been a priority so far. Your relationship to food and eating is fairly typical, which leaves lots of room for making beneficial changes.
A score of “satisfactory” suggests that you may find it challenging to practice many of the solutions we tell you about in MakeWeightLossLast.com. Look over your answers for each overeating style to target specific changes you’d like to make to lead you closer to optimal eating. Then “meet” the overeating styles—particularly those to which you seem to have some resistance—and click on “In Action” articles, and our Whole Person Nutrition Workbook for more helpful suggestions.-15 and below: Needs Improvement
Your overall eating style is far from optimal. Decide if you want to take steps toward improving your relationship with food. Decide whether you want to take steps toward improving your relationship with food. To help you do this, first read A Successful Loser Secret? Meet the 5 Stages of Change blog, for insights into launching your successful loser strategies. Once you’re clear about wanting to make changes, look over the questions for—and your answers to—each overeating style in this quiz to target specific changes you’d like to make.
A score of “needs improvement” suggests that you would benefit greatly by learning about, and then living, the practical, step-by-step solutions we reveal in our blogs, special weight loss edition, workbook, and more. Remember, small steps can lead to big benefits. A good place to start: “meet” the overeating styles, then discover the “In Action” steps you can take to overcome them.