This is a breakthrough book on dieting and exercise. There are hundreds out there, but this trilogy has a new and unique take – using your personality type to diagnose the best way to lose pounds and get off the couch. For those who don’t know about personality type, Wennik provides an overview and diagnostic tool to determine which of sixteen types you might be. She then proceeds to give great advice about dieting and exercise tailored for each type – what should work and what might trip you up – how your type can help and hinder your plans. The advice was spot on for my type and I’m sure will be for the others as well. For those who “yo-yo,” waste money on gym memberships they never use and generally feel like a failure Wennik says: “You have not failed. The approach you have taken failed you!”

The layout is logical and useful. (I’m an INTJ – when you read through the type descriptions, you’ll understand why I use those words rather than “The content is inspiring,” even though both are true.) You can skip the advice for other types and hone in on your own prescriptions. But I recommend you spend some time learning about the other types, it really gives you insight into your friends and family. I use the Myers-Briggs diagnostic frequently in my job to help executives understand their decision making processes and communication styles. I loved seeing this new application.

book was absolutely fabulous! Thank you for your contribution in this field. There are so many comments I could make, but I gave a stab in the two below.

Steve Martin said, “I’d do anything to look like him, except exercise and eat right.” (A quote from the book.)Over the years, I’ve read a lot of books about weight, eating and exercise. But I never come across one like this! Who expects to learn about your personality type in a fitness book? But what a help it is! How a person handles life, what motivates her, what keeps him going–it’s all influenced by our personality type. I learned a lot about myself and how I’m put together.

Think about another quote from the book: “One of the major benefits to personality typing is becoming aware of who you are, what makes you tick, what you need to make your life run smoothly….The more you understand your actions, the easier it is to change those actions that aren`t working for you.”

Of course, the type of change we’re focusing on is weight loss–and the general health of our bodies. Setting goals and keeping motivated are areas the author handles well. Not all types should try to use the same methods.

I learned why people lose weight on high-protein diets–as well as on high-carbohydrate diets. But I found out better ways than both of these. I learned how to eat out safely, what to order and what not to order. I learned what types of exercise my personality type most enjoys and will stick with. I learned why coping with stress is crucial to keeping off the weight. We want to feed our bodies, not our emotions.

Most of what I read had to do with the nuts-and-bolts of food and exercise. How to be motivated and committed to make the choices I need for growth and real change–so that the weight lost becomes permanent and healthy.

This is no lightweight, fluffed-up set of books. It took me a long time to get through–because there was so much I had to highlight and underline. None of it was dry, none of it useless. They were packed with solid, tasty nutrients.

As a National Certified Counselor and someone who has tried almost every diet from Cabbage Soup to the Zone, I was doubly intrigued by the title of Roberta Wennik’s book, Your Personality Lifestyle.  I was already familiar with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator but had never thought to apply it to weight loss.

Wennik divides her book into three parts. In Part One, she includes questionnaires so that readers can identify which of the 16 personality types they are. She then gives an excellent description of each of the types. For each, she outlines assets, attributes, challenges and stressors.

For example, Wennik says my strength as an INFJ is the ability to plan ahead. Where I fall down is minding the details. That sounds about right. She suggests that someone with my type should not count calories but instead follow basic guidelines that allow for some flexibility and variety. Preparing a list of rewards other than food for meeting intermediate goals will help keep me on track. Wennik concludes with an impressive list of resources in print and on the web.

In Part Two, Wennik outlines four different diet plans and advises which plan works best for which type. Four of the plans are familiar.  Using The Portion Control Plan means learning what actually is a normal portion, not the “supersize” to which we have become accustomed. Even simpler, Wennik says just eat half of what you would normally eat or be served at a restaurant.  The Instead Plan entails choosing better alternatives than what you have been eating. For example, choose toast with jelly instead of toast with butter or whole wheat in stead of refined pasta.  Eating only when you’re hungry Wennik calls The Intuitive Eating Plan. If only it were this easy to avoid eating when bored, tired, angry, etc., etc., etc.  Either the balanced approach of the MyPlate or a higher protein option can be used on The Choice Plan.  Drawing the Line on Calories, Carbs, and Fat is Wennik’s elaborate, patented monitoring system that graphs calories, carbs, and fat eaten.

Part Three is titled Exercise and Stress Relief for Your Type. Wennik does address these aspects but also includes a few cognitive therapy techniques, a Jungian look at the various types’ shadow sides, and quite a bit of information on nutrition.

This trilogy is well-researched and very thorough Most of the information will not come as a surprise to anyone who has ever read a diet book. Looking at it through the lens of personality types, however, is new and may just be enough of a twist to lead to success in losing weight.