Are you struggling to find a diet that suits you? Apparently, there’s no set formula and according to dietician and bestselling author Melissa Kathryn, a woman should eat according to her personality.
In her book Eat Right For Your Archetype she offers what she calls essentially the “Diet Free Formula to shed pounds, conquer cravings and create a body you love.”
According to Melissa there are four types of woman: the Avoider, the Nurturer, the Perfectionist and the Rebel and they each need to tailor their diet to suit accordingly.
Avoider
Melissa describes this person as someone who always talks about needing to diet, hating her weight, feeling fat, but never doing anything about, or if she does, it’s only for a few days.
This same person probably never looks at bank statements, is living with past regrets and has many unfinished projects. Her go-to is procrastinating and spending a lot of time “planning” for what she wants, and taking little to no real action. Her underlying belief is doesn’t believe what she wants is possible or possible for her. It’s safer to not really try then try and fail.
Melissa’s Mindset Tip: Planning is essential. This action step will take her out of avoidance and put her into action, thus keeping her from needing to turn to food. Eating keeps her busy and creates a distraction, this distraction allows her to procrastinate and perpetuate the pattern of negative self-talk and yo-yo dieting.
Melissa’s Nutrition Tip: Protein is key to keep her mental focus and cravings at bay. The avoider stress eats, the need for crunching and munching will be high.
Day On The Plate: To support the Avoider in breaking free from this pattern of self-sabotage, eating in accordance with her body is essential.
Breakfast: 1 egg and 3 egg white omelette with fresh veggies with 1 piece of avocado toast on sprouted bread.
Lunch: Tuna & Black Bean Salad in pita. Wild canned tuna, 1/4 cup black beans, sea salt, black pepper, 1 tablespoon olive oil, (onion, celery and cucumber optional) inside 1/2 sprouted pita. 1/2 cup sugar free chocolate pudding with 1/2 cup strawberries.
A large salad filled with veggies and wild salmon: Fresh spinach, wild salmon 4 oz, white onion,
Snack: Crudite and hummus or cucumber slices and guacamole or 3 cups of popcorn mixed with 1/4 cup of peanuts and 1 teaspoon of dark chocolate chips.
Dinner: Wild Salmon, 1/2 sweet potato with cinnamon, sautéed veggies.
Nurturer
Melissa describes this as someone who the minute she loses weight or starts to see results and feels good she sabotages herself. Her underlying belief is she not deserving or enough. This is very strong for this archetype. She also sabotages in fear of “what if I get my dreams…then what” mentality – fear of judgement, most of all her own. Her worth is from giving, being nice and being the one that helps everyone, leaving herself last on the list and often resentful. She is caught in a cycle she’s experienced most her life of keeping herself small and not playing big – often feeling unfulfilled, resentful and disappointed most of all in herself.
Melissa’s Mindset Tip: The nurturer needs to make herself a priority and schedule “Me-Time” for movement, time with friends and her hobbies. The more she fills her life with fun and herself, the less she’ll want food or need it to fill in the gaps she feels within herself.
Melissa’s Nutrition Tip: The nurturer is best to follow her personalised plan (she thrives on three meals, her daily workouts – this is about her knowing and learning what feels good for her and trusting and following those simple, yet highly effective steps – not overcomplicating) and staying committed to prove to herself she can reach her goals and won’t give up. Stay committed.
A day on the plate: Protein is key to keep her mental focus and cravings at bay. Following the eating plan that she set, based off what feels good in her body.
Before Breakfast: Warm water with lemon to flush your system and eliminate toxins and set your body up for success or 16 oz of water.
Breakfast: Greek yogurt with 1 tbsp chopped nuts, 1/2 cup of berries plus one slice of Ezekiel bread with 1 tbsp of nut butter.
Lunch: Wild salmon spinach salad with 1/4 cup blueberries, goat cheese crumble, red onion and balsamic vinaigrette to taste.
Dinner: 3 California Tacos: Lean ground turkey cooked with taco spices and kidney beans in lettuce cups, topped with 2 tsp of guacamole and salsa of your choice.
After dinner: Warm spiced almond milk.
Perfectionist
Melissa describes this type as someone who sees everything is perfect, she appears to have it all together, happy, acts perfect or in alignment with what she deems as perfect, is diligent about her diet and workouts, never to miss one. She has everything in order and is very private, rarely allowing anyone – even her partner to see the “real” her for fear they and others might not like what they see or who she really is. On the outside, she’s happy but on the inside she’s struggling, hating on herself and embarrassed by her struggle with food and her weight (no matter what her size). She binges in private, those closest to her might not even know, there is little room for joy and pleasure, she lives in extremes of black and white, so she is either at her perfect weight or striving to get there and tirelessly beating herself up until she does. Her self-worth is defined by her weight. Her underlying belief is she is not enough. Her need to always have and be in control is what drives her to eat, food is her only source of fun and pleasure.
Melissa’s Mindset Tip: Create balance by allowing in fun and flow! Life is lived in colour, not in black and white extremes. Be spontaneous, get out of your routine, say yes to life and allow variety.
Melissa’s Nutrition Tip: Variety is key. Remove the high level of restricted foods and food plan you follow or believe you need to follow – this is leading you to binge in private or emotionally eat when you see a food from you “Bad” food list.
A day on the plate: Protein is key to keep her mental focus and cravings at bay.
Before Breakfast: Warm water with lemon to flush your system and eliminate toxins and set your body up for success or 16 oz of water.
Breakfast: Chocolate Banana Protein Smoothie Bowl: 1 Scoop Chocolate protein powder, 1/2 cup of ice, 1 cup coconut milk, 1/2 small banana, stevia to taste, 1 tbsp raw cocoa powder topped with 1 teaspoon of chopped nuts.
Lunch: Turkey and avocado roll ups with 1/2 cup of veggie bean salad.
Snack: Rice cake with 1 tbsp almond butter topped with sliced strawberries
Dinner: Wild Shrimp and Veggie Pasta: Black bean pasta with sautéed shrimp and vegetables in an olive oil sauce, sea salt and pepper to taste.
Dessert: (If desired) 1/2 scoop of coconut milk ice cream.
Rebel
Melissa describes this person as someone who goes all in for her next diet with an “all or nothing” mentality, which causes her to rebel against herself. She places such high demands and restrictions on herself, that the deprivation gets to be too much and she inevitably rebels against herself, with an “I deserve this after the day I had” mentality. Everything is all or nothing. She too works in extremes. Her underlying belief is I am not worthy. You will see this in her life in forms of procrastination, authority, relationships, money and taking risks. Her need for control and fear of failure are what feeds her mental thoughts, and those incessant negative thoughts push her to eat.
Melissa’s Mindset Tip: Allowance and removing restriction are necessary. The focus is to be in balance in life and that starts with her diet.
Melissa’s Nutrition Tip: Much like the Perfectionist, variety and allowance are what will create balance with eating. It’s in the restriction that our desire grows. Eliminate cheat meals all together. Step one of being done with dieting. Adding more good fats and lean protein will keep you satisfied, grounded and lessen cravings.
A day on the plate: Protein is key to keep her mental focus and cravings at bay.
Before Breakfast: Warm water with lemon to flush your system and eliminate toxins and set your body up for success or 16 oz of water.
Breakfast: Vanilla Pumpkin Spiced Oatmeal: 1/4 cup plain oatmeal, 1/4 cup pureed pumpkin, 1 scoop vanilla protein powder or 1/2 cup greek yogurt, topped with 1 tbsp slivered almonds mixed with 2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp vanilla extract and stevia to taste.
Lunch: Wild Shrimp Salad: Wild Shrimp, fresh Spinach, 1/4 cup mango, 1/4 avocado, 1/2 cucumber and balsamic vinaigrette to taste.
Midday or PM Snack: 1 Cup Vanilla & Blueberry Chai Pudding
Dinner: Bison Burger – 4 oz, bison cooked a top a bed of fresh romaine, with sautéed onions and pepper, topped with 1/4 of sliced avocado.
For more information on Melissa’s book Eat Right For Your Archetype visit here
