Envision a friend that is up for anything. The person that is ready to jump out of a plane at a moment’s notice and always up for ordering the most exotic thing off of any menu while you are out for dinner. What about the friend that is always running five (or twenty-five) minutes late before showing up in a frantic mess, or the friend who is constantly smiling, even when you know something isn’t quite right?

While many of us picture impulsive personalities as overly active people who are constantly running marathons, the truth of it is that this type of personality is often associated with obesity, as are a number of other prominent personality traits.

A recent study shows us that impulsive personalities may in fact be the reason why certain people are overweight or obese. Other contenders in this list include the frazzled forgetter and the overly happy. Many people do not fit precisely into any one of these personality molds, but instead embrace a number of factors from each. Learning how to overcome personality pitfalls is a big step in keeping your weight off long-term after weight loss surgeries such as LAP-BAND or sleeve gastrectomy.

Avoid Impulse.

The downside of being impulsive is that you are less likely to think everything out long-term. That piece of chocolate cake may look awfully scrumptious, but will it feel as good when you are sick to your stomach later after eating way too much sugar?

While being impulsive may lead to fun activities and explorations, it also often leads to overeating. A recent study found that those who scored in the top 10 percent of impulsivity on a personality test were more than 20 pounds heavier on average than those who were in the bottom 10 percent of the same test. All of those impulses can really add up!

Instead of giving into every impulse and embracing your adventurous side at the cost of your own health, take a step back and evaluate what you are contemplating. For many people, the impulsive thought is enough to give them a thrill. Learn to tell yourself “no” to the extra food choices and try to hone your impulsive side for fun exercise ideas.

Become More Organized.

Being unorganized may not sound like a cause of weight gain, but you may be surprised. One study found that organized people weigh on average about 10 pounds less than their unorganized counterparts.

Think of all of the times you have forgotten to pack yourself a healthy lunch, or have stayed too late at work because you forgot to work on a task that resulted in you picking up a pizza instead of cooking a healthy meal. By becoming more organized you can focus more on the tasks that are important for your health, like exercising and eating right.

It’s not always Sunny.

For one group of personality types, bringing joy to others outweighs the duty of bringing joy to oneself. This is especially true when it comes to weight loss. Being the first to volunteer to bring cookies to the bake sale or to skip the gym to comfort a friend after a hard day can really weigh you down—literally.

Another concern for the person with a chronic smile is that those who have a sweeter disposition actually show a stronger preference to eat sweet snacks. The connection here is not fully understood, but it could have something do to with the need that so many people feel to be polite when at an outing. If you think it would make someone feel better that you took an extra piece of cake, you may do it even though you know you are full.

Being aware of these weight-gaining personality types is an important step as you are trying to lose weight. Take steps to avoid these pit-falls by being more conscious of your own tendencies. Once you are aware of how you are acting, you may be able to avoid the extra calories!