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Most Americans report that they've lost weight in the previous year, when they actually gained, new research finds.
When it comes to their waistlines, many Americans -- especially men -- are in optimistic denial, a new study shows.
Researchers from the University of Washington found that people often think they are losing weight when they really aren’t, according to research published in the August issue of the journal Preventive Medicine.
“People’s weights are going up from year to year,” said lead author Catherine Wetmore, who was a researcher with the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington in Seattle when the new study was written.
“But when they’re asked to think back to a year ago, they recall being heavier than they were,” added Wetmore, who’s now a bio-statistician at the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
The new study was based on surveys of Americans in 2008 and 2009 as part of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, or BRFSS. It's the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's yearly survey of adults in the U.S., designed to track health and lifestyle indicators. For 2008, the study included data from 385,416 participants; in 2009, there were 394,700 volunteers.
For the surveys, volunteers were questioned about their socio-economic status and various health behaviors, including lifetime smoking status, daily fruit and vegetable consumption, and weekly physical activity.
They were also asked about their current weight and the prior year's weight:
“About how much do you weigh without shoes?”
“How much did you weigh a year ago?”
The intriguing part of the new study was the reality check of comparing people’s beliefs about their weight loss to what actually happened in the country as a whole from 2008 to 2009.
As it turns out, many people thought they had slimmed down because they reported their weight as being lower now than it was a year ago.
But when researchers compared the average weight of people in the 2008 survey to the average weight of people answering in the 2009 survey, there was a big disconnect: Over that year, the prevalence of obesity actually increased by half a percentage point. The fact is, on average, Americans had gained a pound.
For that to have happened, people couldn’t have been losing weight from one year to the next, Wetmore concludes.
The people’s recollection of their weights in 2008 sounds fishy.
“They do a lot of rounding up, something we call ‘heaping,’” Wetmore said. “So they report their weight change in increments of 5, 10, 15, or 20 pounds. If they say they’re now 163 pounds and they’re remembering being heavier in the past, they might add 10 to that and say they were 173 pounds a year ago.”
Men appear to be twice as likely as women to inflate the previous year’s weight. Wetmore isn’t sure why that would happen.
“There could be a lot of reasons driving it,” she said. “I know it’s a stereotype, but I think women are more attuned to their appearance. And maybe it’s society’s pressure for women to be thin. Whatever the reason, you do see women doing a better job of keeping track of changes in their weight over time.”
If the weights reported had been true, the prevalence of obesity in the U.S. would have declined from 2008 to 2009. But the scary finding in the study is that the obesity rate among the Americans studied actually jumped half a percentage point, climbing from 26 percent to 26.5 percent.
If researchers had relied on the reports of the volunteers in this study, they would have undercounted approximately 4.4 million obese adults in the U.S., Wetmore noted.
Breaking through America’s weight denial is not an easy task, but it’s a necessary one. What's scary, Wetmore said, is that many people believe they're losing weight when the nation as a whole is getting fatter -- rapidly.
“The message we’re trying to drive home is that if Americans don’t accept the reality of their weight changes over time, they’re not going to be motivated to lose weight,” Wetmore said. “It’s important to be attuned to even small changes in body weight because over time they can really add up.”
Her message to doctors: Don’t let your patients skip the annual weigh-in.
Do you weigh more or less than a year ago? Tell us about it on Facebook.
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Well, start making junk food expensive and healthy and vegetarian foods reasonable! Ever think of that for once?
But not just that, there are people with certain condition struggles and it takes time. Maybe we're just scared or nothing seem to be working. I mean, every time I went on a diet. It's always been disappointing when diet food doesn't help much, even with exercise on the side. The thing was...no one told me how MUCH to exercise or what TYPE of exercise. How to deal with calories measuring and calorie burning. No one seems to stop and think, "What triggers our body to lose weight?"
This year, I found myself more active and much healthier. Six years ago, I was 166 lbs. Today, 145 lbs. I'm still not giving up until the stomach is flat! The trick was...I was missing out on the calories counting and losing. No one told me, but the doctors weren't much of a help either. He just says, "You're heavy. Just lose weight." I agreed with him and told him about my PCOS and this is what he said, "Just lose weight." He didn't seem to care about answering a simple question on what type of exercise should I go by. To me, he's just say the same thing. =\
So, really, it's between the doctors and the calories you have to deal with.
It must be a very slow news day if the author of this story thinks I am going to worry about 1 lb. on my 120 lb frame. That 1 lb gain could be water weight, or the time of day you weighed yourself or hell even the time of year. If you are fat you know it and you don't need someone telling you where the god-awful salad bar is.
Something tells me that this article wasn't written with you in mind. Good job on being self-centered, though.
This article actually kinda makes sense. When I got out of highschool, went through college, then started working a desk job I kept comparing myself year after year thinking I was at the same weight or gaining very little. For some reason the increasing pant sizes didn't give it away because I just wanted to be delusional, that and I was always a bit overweight growing up so I hardly noticed it as it increased.
I realized in jan. however after visiting the dr. office that I had infact gained a ton of weight, weighing in at 265 in Jan, over a 20lb gain since I started college, and trust me it wasn't muscle. So I finally took it for what it was worth, started dieting, execercising and now I'm down to 245lb.
I dont' have stock in Weight Watchers or anything but I started the program at the peak of my weight back in Janruary and now I'm back down to 245lb again, almost my college weight. I only bring this up because I feel it works soley because you aren't in denial about your weight and you're watching the calories (or in WW Points) and just making a few healthy choices here and there.
Don't be in denial about your weight, recognize it and do something about it.
Not that anybody cares, but last year on Aug 1st I weighed 245 and this morning I weighed 238. Ive kept an exercise journal for over 10 years. I wear a pedometer and go to the gym 4-5 times/week immediately after work. I eat much better than when I weighed 270 a few years ago. I fluctuate between 233 and 243 these days, Im almost breaking under 230! My goal is about 215, though Id binge for a bit just to see like 197 once..
Anyway, stop lying to yourselves about your diets. Your portions are WAAAAY too big if you are trying to shed some lbs.. America has a portion problem and is denial about fast food intake, fat, sugar, and salt. Cmon America, knock it off already!
what the exercise/health nuts fail to realize, is... not everyone gives a rats adz about exercising, or how much they weigh. Who cares what other people think about how much I weigh, or what I look like. If I'm happy with my life, then that is what matters. Oh, its not the food, it's the Screen. 90%+ people are in front of a Screen of some sort (TV or P/C) for hours and hours each day. A lack of movement/exercise is what is causing this problem. Add in, most parents use that same screen as a baby-sitter. The kids are inside, safe where no baddies can get to them... I don't know how we survived before that Screen was there to take care of us while we grew up.. All that dangerous time outside, gasp... even after dark....
I am 5'11" and last year I weighed 429 pounds. Yeah it sucked. My oldest son told me that He wants me to be around when he graduates from high school. (He starts 9th grade this fall.) I am eating healthier, stop drinking soda and started to bike 5 miles a day no matter how tired I am. Last time I was weighed I was at 369 pounds and yes I have a long way to go. I will be happy to lose another 169 pounds.
You got a while to go but sounds like you're going in the right direction, keep it up. I've started exercising and eating healthier and I'm down 20lbs since Jan. I'm 245 and my BMI tells me I should be 175lb to be considered healthy for my height. I'm doing the WW thing and I'm losing weight steadily but slower than when I first started. That's not a bad thing, it just means it'll take a good amount of time of healthier habits before I get to the 175lb. That's a good thing though, I'd just gain it all back if I lost it now, we need to learn before we can keep it off.
I'm 35, 6'0" and have never weighed more than 155. I've always had high metabolism and I guess a natural gift to stay small. I do exercise a lot but I'm lucky.
I think we've got too much bad crap in our food. I'm not sure more regulation is the answer though as that will only decrease the amount of sources for the food. I think we need more competition but to do this might require deregulating in order to allow more start-up businesses to form. There might need to be less taxation as well to help small companies or individuals compete. Deregulation means more consumer responsibility. In this model, the country will know it's up to us to decide what we eat. Consumer review will rule. Businesses will have to show they are safe if they want people to eat their food. You can expect a broader range of qualities of food. Some great foods!..and some really bad stuff!. Nature of consumer regulation is it will weed out the bad food. We'll be better off.
Your shoveling more than just food America!
And obamas in denial about the effectivness of his policies........."the private sector is doing just fine"......LOL!
SILLYSHRINKS your answer sounds a lot like the people in the article who make up excuses just to continue doing the same ole crappy bad habits that have led to obesity. Instead of getting on a soap box against organic food (and in some cases you are right) why not say something like "yes, you make a good point, but make sure its really organic". The way you worded it it sounded to me like you are just attacking the messenger so you can discount the message. People in this country are disgustingly overweight and horribly under-exercised! We are lazy, whinier, and entitled but being that way is not going to get the job done. Physical fitness is the last bastion of achievement that will not be done "for you" by others, by pill, or easy circumstance, but rather through hard work and commitment. As far as vanity is concerned, its not about that so much as it is about HEALTH. If we have to throw in vanity then all that means is that high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease ARE NOT sexy. Besides that and the slugs who run our insurance industries, it is one of the countless reasons why are healthcare has risen uncontrollably in this country. With so many being sick all the time because their weight and fat/height ratio, the rest of us have to pay more.
I really dislike this "fat acceptance" thing that seems to be picking up steam. You can get away with it in your 20s and 30s but health declines pretty quickly after that. People who "accept themselves as they are" are not living up to their full potential, but much like our educational system, only a small segment of the population are willing to put in the work that excellence requires.
Nobody is destined at birth to be fat. There were no "genetically fat" people 50 years ago. Nearly all of my family is obese with chronic health problems, be it diabetes, hypertension, or heart disease, but I work hard to make sure that won't happen to me. If I can do it with my bad knees, anyone can. It just takes a little effort and a little heart.
And obviously you are perfect, so it's easy for you to pass judgement on others. There have always been genetically fat people, in fact, there was a time in history when fat was desirable - diet and exercise don't work for everyone, sometimes despite monumental effort because there's some underlying problem that blind health professionals don't acknowledge because they believe it all it takes is a little effort and a little heart. Too bad that's all you've got. A very little heart.
You are obviously one of the lazy fat-asses we are all talking about. You see your mindset is totally all wrong, you think people that are not obese and have their BMI in order are perfect? Nobody is perfect and that is not the subject we are discussing, we are discussing weight issues in American and the fact that we as a nation are grossly unhealthy! And he's right, MOST people we are talking about ARE NOT genetically predisposed! That and the thyroid excuse only affects something like 10% of the population or less. We love excuses in this country instead of DOING! I remember when i were in grade school in the 70"s, most of the class looked like bean poles! The kids that were fat, and there were only 1or 2 in any given class, were subject to getting picked on. Now everything seems to have been reversed, most kids in a class are fat and fast becoming obese and they are now picking on the healthier skinny kids. This country is getting more and more @!$%#ed up by the year...
Every time I feel fat I just go to Walmart and take a look around and I leave feeling much better about myself.
The problem is most of the 'diet tips' we're given by health care 'professionals' are wrong and lead to disordered eating and weight gain. We're fat because it's profitable for Big Pharma Big Diet for us to be fat. They sell us drugs, diet tricks, body mutilating weight loss surgery and fake food because the 'war on obesity' needs casualties. The more casualties, the more money they can stuff in their pockets.
In the last two years I've lost over 150lbs by focusing on diet and exercise. People I haven't seen in a while are shocked and the first thing they ask me... "Gastric bypass?" Ugh. I think generally Americans are obsessed with quick fixes. The easy route. I'm not knocking everyone who has surgery but we need to get realistic and look hard at our choices. If you're heavy, you can do it too!
25 years ago we had large fries, super burgers the works.
What we did NOT have is all the growth hormones in our food supply and very little GMO food.
I would look at what is in our food rather than blaming everyone for being fat.
Stricter fork laws are needed. We need to do a background check/psych eval on everyone who wants a fork. And there needs to be a 2 day waiting period for everyone wanting to buy a fork. Forks are dangerous and are causing so many people to gain this weight.
As long as people can be manipulated into thinking that purchasing and scarfing down a couple of greasy chicken sandwiches makes them good Christians and somehow supports opposite sex marriage only, we are going to see fat people.
Do these useless studies guarantee job security for these researchers? Nothing better to do?
There was this employee at a job I had once who was very overweight. She told us one day that she had lost 7 pounds. I personally didn't see a difference but I kept that to myself. The other employees in the room just marveled over her weight loss. It's a case of the emperor has no clothes.
I'm not fat. I'm big bone!
Probably the product of the rise of greatness by a country. Fat and happy. So be it. We all have a choice. I think food should be deregulated. Consumer responsibility is a good thing and will have a long arm.
Consumer regulation and government deregulation. Make it easier for new food businesses to start-up. More regulation only further cements McDonald's and Burger King as our "only" options. I'd like to see more competition and make the consumer be responsible. Consumer responsibility will lead to business responsibility and trust.
Let's compare Food to music. You want to start a band, start it. There are no start-up costs. This model gives infinite options for consumers. There are tons of bands and music to choose from. Some bands stink..they go out of business.
When you buy a cd, the government isn't telling you what to buy. You are responsible for yourself and you buy what you want.
Now think about the food industry. High regulation/taxation in an attempt to protect consumers. This leads to a limited sources and oligopolies. More regulation will make this worse.
How do we get out of this?
I say..look at the music model. Be responsible for what you eat. With less gov regulation, the food industry will show consumers what is good and what isn't.
I weigh more than I did a year ago but the tape measure doesn't lie: I have lost five inches around the waist. Muscle weighs more than fat, and yes, there are some women who are going to put on muscle mass where they will be smaller but end up weighing the same if not heavier than before.
Hi,
I live in Canada. Can someone tell me whether bisphenol a (used in plastic bottles, cans, cosmetics, etc.) is totally banned in the US or only for infant soothers, baby bottles? Bisphenol is now totally banned here and in many other countries because of the links to hormonal changes, obesity and ADHD.
Curious, because my daughter will be going to school in the US this fall.
Thanks
I don't believe it's banned here, but many companies make BPA free water bottles... unfortunately it lines our cans, and disposable water bottles, etc.
Unlike Wayne997 above, I no longer keep a weekly weight log so, if someone with nothing better to do calls me up and asks what I weighed a year ago today, guess what I'm going to do.
Guess.
No, that's not a repeat of what I just asked you fellow readers to do, it's what I'm going to do. and, as has also been pointed out elsewhere here, I'm probably going to round off to the nearest five or ten precisely because I don't remember. (Fact is, just mentally reviewing the last twelve months, it could've been anything from 225 to 215 or so, as opposed to this morning's 220.)
Hello! What's being tested here is not weight. It's memory; and the results are not surprising. Only those like Wayne are likely to come up with a correct answer; and only that weekly record is going to enable them to do it.
And, after all, there's also the question of whether or to what extent one owes honest answers to total strangers who call and ask a series of annoyingly personal questions. And whether the sample in this so-called survey was large enough that, if every last answer was honest, there might not still be that one-pound nationwide gain. There are more than 300,000,000 of us, after all.