14 DAY TRIAL // Health experts constantly warn us of the obesity pandemic that is sweeping over the world, but, for some reason or another, we as individuals fail to see ourselves as part of the problem, choosing instead to stand outside of it, looking in. A recent study, for instance, shows that most of those who fall in the obese category are not even aware that their weight is dangerous for their health, but they do see it in others around them, the BBC informs.
The explanation for this is to be found in the fact that, as large becomes the norm, most of the people who have issues with their weight begin to alter their perception on what is healthy and what is not in terms of weight. Perception on sizes is changing, which means that a person who is overweight will think they are the right size, if compared with someone who is obese. Ironically enough, the survey has also found that people’s perception on healthy eating has also changed drastically in recent years.
“The poll, carried out by YouGov for Slimming World, found just over a quarter of 2,000 people questioned had measurements which would place them squarely in the obese camp. But only 7% of those asked classified themselves as so. Over half of those deemed morbidly obese believed they ate a healthy diet, while more than a third of the overweight said they had never tried to shed the pounds. The findings appear to be fresh evidence of a phenomenon that health professionals have long suspected: as those around us get fatter, our perceptions of our own size change accordingly.” the BBC says of the study.
“In my view there is a very clear tendency for individuals with obesity to feel that they do not stand out from the crowd. This is because the median BMI has increased so much. For example, if some 4% of women now have a BMI of more than 40, then arguably you need this sort of BMI to begin to look obviously obese when you walk down the street. That may be one reason why self-reported obesity underestimates its true prevalence.” Jonathan Pinkney, consultant with the Association for the Study of Obesity (ASO), tells the BBC.
In comparing themselves with heavier people, the overweight virtually exclude themselves from the problem, which is yet another aspect that needs to be dealt with in order to find a solution for it. It’s a sort of “Yeah, but they’re bigger than me” type of excuse that is beginning to be more and more circulated, experts warn, and that leads to people with weight issues seriously underestimating their condition, at times with severe consequences on their health.