The Eating Profile Questionnaire (EPQ)

[Can'tweight 41]

Thought this was interesting and wanted to pass it along.

The Eating Profile Questionnaire (EPQ)

By

Cynthia G. Last, Ph.D.

Read each question and circle the answer that best describes your behavior.

1. Do you often eat standing up? YES NO

2. Is it difficult for you to remember everything you ate today and yesterday? YES NO

3. Do you often eat between meals? YES NO

4. Do you tend to finish your food before others? YES NO

5. Do you often not use plates or utensils when eating? YES NO

6. Do you frequently do other activities while eating? YES NO

7. Is quality of food more important than quantity? YES NO

8. Do you tend to eat slowly? YES NO

9. Do you enjoy trying different types of food? YES NO

10. Do you love high-fat or high-sugar foods? YES NO

11. Do you pass on food that isn’t tasty? YES NO

12. Is eating one of your greatest pleasures? YES NO

13. Are you a nervous or high-strung person? YES NO

14. Do you often snack when you’re tense or uptight? YES NO

15. Is it hard for you to resist eating something that is right in front of you? YES NO

16. Is it difficult for you to relax? YES NO

17. Is the act of eating often more important than what you are eating? YES NO

18. Are you a worrier? YES NO

19. Is it difficult for you to be assertive? YES NO

20. Do you have upsetting dreams? YES NO

21. Do you often eat to avoid thinking about upsetting things? YES NO

22. Is it sometimes hard for you to identify your feelings? YES NO

23. Do you have problems that seem impossible to overcome? YES NO

24. Are you a people-pleaser? YES NO

25. Do you have special feel-good foods? YES NO

26. Does eating initially give you a lift or a high? YES NO

27. Do you often feel sad, bored, or down in the dumps? YES NO

28. Do you often plan out food treats for yourself? YES NO

29. Are you overly critical of yourself? YES NO

30. Do you lack energy or enthusiasm? YES NO

Use the questionnaire on the previous page to help identify your eating personality. It is beyond the scope of these guidelines to address each of these issues in detail but being able to identify possible areas of weakness will help you to better address them.

Interpretation:

Mostly YES to questions 1-6:

IMPULSE eater: not paying attention, often unplanned meals. Look at the mindful eating tips above.

Mostly YES to questions 7-12:

ENJOYS FOOD: These foods often tend to be higher in fat or sugar.

Mostly YES to questions 13-18:

STRESS eater: Look in to alternatives to help address your stress such as meditation, exercise or yoga. If you cannot do this yourself then GET HELP. Consider counseling or psychiatry.

Mostly YES to questions 19-24:

AVOIDANCE eater: You would rather eat than face a difficult situation or undertake an unpleasant task. You may need assertiveness training.

Mostly YES to questions 25-30.

PICK ME UP eater: You use food to try to improve your mood or give you comfort. Explore other ways to give yourself a boost. Exercise is a well recognized mood enhancer.

[BlackBerryJuice 349]

Should I answer this from the pre-op or post-op perspective?

[Can'tweight 41]

Should I answer this from the pre-op or post-op perspective?

I would say pre-op. I think. As I think this is to be used as a tool to figure out what changes need to be made in order to to make the life changes needed to be successful.

[swizzly 901]

Definitely I was an ENJOYS food eater prior to surgery. Which has made the transition to the sleeve pretty damn easy for me. I haven't mourned losing food at all. I can still eat food I love, just less of it. It's been criminally easy for me thus far.

[StacyS 20]

Interesting.... Not very accurate for me, but interesting! Thanks for sharing!

[Peronella 2]

This is very interesting. I am/was a stress eater and a pick me up eater. I am so very mindful now of my eating habits that I do not think that I over eat at all. However, it is very helpful to put a label on what sort of eater I have the potential to be. Thanks for posting this!