Story Highlights
31% think their weight is 20+ pounds more than it should be
Only about half of these are seriously trying to lose weight
Chances of being overweight affected by age, gender, income
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- More than three in 10 American adults (31%) say they weigh at least 20 pounds more than their "ideal" weight, and almost all of these (90%) want to do something about it. But less than half (48%) say they are "seriously trying to lose weight."
In its annual Health and Healthcare survey, Gallup asks Americans to report their weight, and later, to say what their ideal weight should be. In 2015, the average weight for U.S. adults was 176 pounds, including an average 196 pounds for men and 155 pounds for women. The reported ideal weight is 161 pounds for national adults -- 183 pounds for men and 139 pounds for women. Americans weigh an average of 15 pounds more than their perceived ideal weight.
Questions about how close people are to their ideal weight are dependent on the individual's idea of what that weight should be. Even with that in mind, the evidence from five years of Gallup polls clearly shows that a large percentage of Americans see themselves as overweight. It is possible or likely that people may be somewhat less than accurate in disclosing their weight in a telephone interview; even so, a substantial 31% of Americans say they are 20 pounds heavier than their self-defined ideal weight. Further, though most of those who are overweight realize they are, the far lower percentage who are doing something about it is not increasing over time.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/187580/ha...se-weight.aspx
What can be done to change perceptions?
The obesity crisis is not going to fix itself.
We all need to do our part and make sure we're encouraging the overweight people around us to fix themselves.