Other than willpower: when it comes to diet, it is the personality that matters. Committing all your energy to cutting calories is not the right mindset: we can be very determined at work but, as for food, if we don't have an inner balance to guide us failure is inevitable. The doctor explains it very well Tiziana Stallone, nutritionist biologist, in her latest book La Diet persona (Tre60, € 16), in which she addresses the problem of curb hunger and fight overweight considering the fundamental aspect of personality.
Says the expert: «I can follow the banana diet for three months and lose a few pounds. My will is "dragged" by wanting to lose weight and enjoy more, but then what? In the long run, the mechanism does not work. We immediately recover what we have eliminated and we find ourselves immersed in a feeling of frustration and failure ».
Learn to listen to yourself
The key to success is another: "We need to know who we are, realize what our needs are»Adds Dr. Stallone. “This is why the book is central personality concept. I have identified four: the melancholy, the compulsive, the hedonistic and the social. The latter two are easier to manage from a power point of view: that's enough ensure a good combination of flavors, quality foods and convivial possibilities for the diet to be successful. The situation is different for the melancholy and compulsive personalities, who they eat a lot with little awareness, they let themselves be tempted by comforting food (often rich in calories) and they nibble constantly ».
Il temperament therefore it is an element which, if not supported, determines the most bankruptcy cases (about 85%) of a weight loss program. Let's see then how to remedy the failures with the help of our expert. By identifying first what kind of eaters we are and following then the most suitable menus to our personality: browse the gallery!
Melancholy eater
You can't do without small rewards (like a square of chocolate or a glass of wine at dinner). Here's how to choose them and include them in the daily menu to be able to lose weight.
No sweets in the morning, otherwise you risk not being able to do without it throughout the day. Instead of biscuits, honey or jam, take a cup of milk with whole grains: gratifying and filling. Then, in the middle of the morning, keep hunger at bay with a fruit.
In the afternoon, ok for a double snack: so you will avoid eating before dinner. If you're feeling a little down, fresh fruit paired with a piece of black chocolate is ideal.
After dinner, yes to a calorie controlled premium. You can choose between a cup of hot milk with cocoa, 15 g of dried fruit, 2 whole grain rusks with honey or jam or another square of chocolate (the top).
Breakfast
200 ml (250 ml for him) of semi-skimmed milk, soy or oat milk + 30 g (50 g for him) of wholemeal bran sticks, oat flakes or other whole grains.
Snack
150 g of fresh fruit (1 large or 2 small fruit) or, alternatively, 200 ml (1 glass) of citrus fruit juice or fruit / vegetable centrifuged.
Lunch
50 g (90 g for him) of naturally leavened bread + 200 g of fish of any kind + vegetables and mushrooms at will or, alternatively, 70 g of pasta (100 g for him) + ricotta (1 tablespoon) + vegetables and mushrooms at will.
Merenda
150 g of fresh fruit (1 large fruit or 2 small ones) + 20 g (25 g for him) of 85% dark chocolate.
Price
150 g (300 g for him) of potatoes + 150 g of lean meat, preferably white + vegetables or mushrooms at will.
Before sleep
200 ml (250 ml for him) of milk with bitter cocoa and 1 teaspoon of honey.
More
2 tablespoons (3 for him) of extra virgin olive oil + tomato sauce, lemon, vinegar (including balsamic) to taste + 2 liters (2,5 for him) of water.
Social eater
It is not hunger but conviviality that pushes you towards food. You like to eat with friends, invite friends, taste typical regional dishes.
The first thing you need to do? Study (or review) the rules of good nutrition, to understand which are the right portions to be included in the menu and to know the risks and pitfalls of excesses at the table.
Don't give up on traditions. Even classic dishes (such as cannelloni and gnocchi) can find space in lunches or dinners. As well as cured meats, tripe, liver ... Just be careful not to overdo the quantities.
Allow yourself 1-2 free meals a week. They are essential to make the diet sustainable in the long term. You have to live them as a moment of great celebration, which will not affect your weight loss path, as long as they do not turn into a binge and that you do not overdo it with other meals.
Breakfast
200 ml of partially skimmed milk + 4 biscuits of any type, the important thing is that they provide no more than 50 calories each (for him: 250 ml of partially skimmed milk + 70 g of stale bread, a typical breakfast of our tradition) .
Snack
150 g of fresh fruit (1 large fruit or 2 small ones).
Lunch
2 cannelloni stuffed with meat or ricotta or, alternatively, 125 g of tortellini + vegetables and mushrooms at will (for him: 250 g of gnocchi + 25 g of parmesan, pecorino or salted ricotta + vegetables and mushrooms at will).
Merenda
150 g of fresh fruit (1 large fruit or 2 small ones).
Price
50 g of white bread or pizza + 100 g of defatted raw or cooked ham or 70 g of mortadella or salami or 150 g of tripe + vegetables at will (for him: 50 g of pasta + 200 g of tripe or 150 g of liver or 240 g of fresh or frozen legumes + vegetables and mushrooms at will + 1 can of 330 ml of beer).
More
2-3 tablespoons (3-4 for him) of extra virgin olive oil + tomato sauce, lemon, vinegar (including balsamic) to taste + 1 tablespoon of mustard + 2 liters (2,5 for him) of water.
Compulsive eater
You are always struggling with yourself, divided between the strenuous will not to eat and the inevitable consequent binges. You have to train the physiological signals of satiety (which make you say stop eating) and avoid unnecessary restrictions at the table.
Focus on fiber for breakfast. Eat an apple (or another fruit): it fills more than one juice and, constituting a "limited" portion, helps you understand that the meal is over.
Choose yogurt as a snack, but as long as it is whole white: it is richer in fat than the light one and allows you to better control hunger attacks.
Eat vegetables at the start of meals. It takes time to chew and dilates the stomach walls, two conditions that both favor a sense of satiety.
Furthermore, prefer single-serving foods, in order not to go wrong with the quantities. And after dinner, treat yourself to a mini-gratification.
Breakfast
150 g of fresh fruit (1 large or 2 small fruit) + 1 slice of rye bread with orange or blueberry jam (for him: 1 150 g jar of white Greek yogurt + 1 plastic cup full of whole bran sticks , rolled oats or other cereals).
Snack
1 150g jar of white Greek yogurt; alternatively 1 cup of cappuccino at the bar (no snack for him).
Lunch
Vegetables and mushrooms at will + 50 g (90 g for him) of wholemeal bread + 150 g (200 g for him) of lean meat (+ 150 g of fresh fruit for him). Or, alternatively, vegetables and mushrooms at will + 125 g (250 g for him) of fresh single-portion tortellini.
Merenda
150 g of fresh fruit (1 large fruit or 2 small ones).
Price
Vegetables and mushrooms at will + 40 g of pasta (70 g of brown rice for him) in soup or minestrone + 240 g of frozen legumes, fresh or canned (+ 2 eggs just for him).
Before sleep
30 g of 85% dark chocolate (for him: 250 ml of hot vegetable soy or oat milk with bitter cocoa).
More
2 tablespoons (3 for him) of extra virgin olive oil + tomato sauce, lemon, vinegar (including balsamic) to taste + 2 liters (2,5 for him) of water.
Hedonist eater
For you, food is above all sensory pleasure. You are a refined lover of good food and good food. What you can't do without is the taste, which must be guaranteed in your diet right from breakfast.
Don't say no to butter and spices. In the morning, treat yourself to a couple of buttered rusks and a centrifuged (perhaps exotic fruit) flavored with ginger or cinnamon.
Expect imaginative dishes on the menu. Instead of ordinary bread, eat bread enriched with nuts or olives. Instead of the grilled chicken slice, treat yourself to a skewered leg. Give an extra touch to the vegetables by tossing them in a pan with herbs and capers and to the fruit by preparing a spicy fruit salad.
Take one free meal a week. It is necessary for your diet to be successful: at least once in a while you need to be able to enjoy everything you like, in small quantities.
Breakfast
1 jar of 125 g of whole white yogurt with 1 teaspoon of honey + 2 wholemeal rusks with a layer of butter and jam (for him: 1 jar of 125 g of whole white yogurt with 1 teaspoon of honey and 1 of sunflower seeds + 2 rusks with a veil of cherry jam and ricotta).
Snack
1 glass (200 ml) of seasonal fruit / vegetable juice with ginger (no snack for him).
Lunch
80 g (100 g for him) of dry egg fettuccine with 150 g of crustaceans + mushrooms or sautéed vegetables (with the addition of capers to taste) + 150 g of fruit salad (no fruit for him).
Merenda
Speckled barley (no snack for him).
Price
50 g of sourdough bread with olives or walnuts + 100 g of buffalo mozzarella + sautéed vegetables (for him: 70 g of basmati, Thai or parboiled rice + 250 g of any type of fish).
Before sleep
Just for him: 25 g of 85% dark chocolate with hazelnuts, ginger or candied fruit.
More
3 tablespoons (4 for him) of extra virgin olive oil + tomato sauce, lemon, vinegar (including balsamic) + Tabasco and low-salt soy sauce + 2 liters (2,5 for him) of water.
