The Indulgent diet attribute identifies people who like to feel free to eat and drink whatever they like. Dominated by their most basic instincts, whether it be fighting to survive or being driven by the search for pleasure, they have learned to let go of discipline and control. As essentially hedonists, Indulgent diet espousers demand immediate satisfaction, particularly physical pleasure received through the senses.

They know their lifestyle is unhealthy, but their priority is to enjoy life to the full with few restrictions. They have learned how to survive and how to express their instincts, but have not necessarily learned how to control those instincts. Their behaviour is not affected by reality, logic or by what other people think of them; however, when they reach old age and get ill it can lead to a little more discipline.

The majority of Indulgent diet espousers do not consider the consequences of their actions and those that are aware of the consequences do not worry about them. Without the need to think or be concerned about other people, they try to express their emotions to the full without losing control. But they know they will lose it, sometimes! Some individuals can be rather aggressive. Seeing life like a jungle, they live for the thrill of today, even to the extent that a significant proportion of espousers would not be particularly reluctant to use physical force to get what they want and exhibit violent behaviour to relieve the tension. Not surprisingly, this impulsive approach to life can lead to problems with relationships, health and finance, as well as legal issues.

Tending to come from lower income households, they are likely to spend impulsively and not think about their longer term needs. If they want something, they get it; so they often find themselves in debt. Even if they were lucky enough to receive lots of money, it is unlikely to last long, because they would want to spend and enjoy it as fast as possible. One exception is that they do not buy clothes on impulse, because they do not particularly care how they look, providing they look “OK”.

The core needs underlying this unrestrained behaviour also influence other areas of their lives, where they resist any limits placed upon their everyday actions. They live life on the edge, either because they feel forced to live in survival mode, or because they choose to enjoy the thrill associated with the adrenaline rush. Some individuals may even be seen to have a borderline personality disorder, where they are struggling to manage a wider range of impulsive behaviours.

Indulgent diet espousers form one of the “hard to reach” groups that frustrate the efforts of those who would like to help others to help themselves. The reason they are hard to reach is that their behaviour is rooted in something that, emotionally, goes much deeper than most behaviour change campaigners are prepared to recognise.