New research suggests that people who see themselves as overweight are more likely to gain weight, Reuters Health reported.
Researchers at the University of Liverpool found that people who recognize they are overweight or obese are more likely to pack on more pounds than those who are unaware of their heavy weight. This may be due to stress.
"Realizing you are an overweight individual is in itself likely to be quite stressful and make making healthy choices in your lifestyle more difficult. It is a tricky finding for public health intervention work," researcher Dr. Eric Robinson said in a statement. "You would hope that making a person aware they are overweight would result in them being more likely to adopt a healthier lifestyle and lose some weight."
According to Reuters, the findings were true whether or not the perceptions were correct.
For the study, researchers collected and analyzed data from three different studies: the US National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, the UK National Child Development Study and Midlife in the United States.
They analyzed data from time periods after the children had reached adulthood to find out their perception of their own weight -- whether or not it was correct -- and their subsequent weight gain over time.
Researchers found that those who realized they were overweight "were more likely to report overeating in response to stress," The Daily Pakistan reported. Robinson used their eating habits to predict subsequent weight gain.
"What is important is to tackle stigma in society. People with a heavier body weight have body image challenges. That is not surprising given the way we talk about weight as a society," Robinson said.
However, society needs to reconsider the way body weight is talked about and how overweight and obesity are portrayed.
"There are ways of encouraging people to make healthy changes to their lifestyle that don't portray adiposity as a terrible thing," Robinson said.
The findings are detailed in the International Journal of Obesity.
