It's a diet based on sensible eating and exercise. So what's new?

Author Robert F. Kushner, MD, teaches medicine at Northwestern University and is director of the Wellness Institute at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. After seeing a lot of people who wanted -- and needed -- to lose weight, Kushner realized there's no one-size-fits-all diet.

The Personality Type diet asks readers to answer 66 questions about their habits and attitudes toward eating, exercise, and coping. Based on the scores, a person falls into one or more categories. For example, when it comes to eating, a person may be a Mindless Muncher; when it comes to exercise, an All-or-Nothing Doer; in coping, a Can't-Say-No Pleaser.

In sections of the book appropriate for each type, Kushner offers specific advice helpful in changing the behaviors and attitudes with which a person self-identifies. This doesn't mean other sections of the book aren't full of useful advice. But because you've already identified things you need to change, Kushner's method points you to the areas where diet and lifestyle change will do you the most good. Besides, most people will identify with more than one type in each category.