Who’s More Overweight, Women or Men?

Since weight is often thought of as a woman’s issue, most of us would be tempted to answer that question by saying women are. But there are actually more overweight men in the US than overweight women. According to the latest national statistics, 71 percent of adult men and 62 percent of adult women are overweight. When it comes to obesity, the news is different there are more obese women than obese men. The landscape when it comes to who’s more obese seems to be changing, however.

The rate among adult women is about 33 percent and has stayed relatively steady for several years. And although there are fewer obese men the current rate is 31 percent that number is on the rise. For example, in 1999 only 27.5 percent of men were obese. Men now make up one of the fastest-growing groups of weight gainers in our society (children are another).

Why are men more likely to be overweight than women? While several factors undoubtedly account for the difference, the gender gap when it comes to self-assessment may play an important role.Women are more likely than men to identify themselves as overweight, while men are more likely to remain unaware of the status of their weight.

FROM A WOMAN’S VIEWPOINT WHO’S MORE OVERWEIGHT,WOMEN OR MEN?

Women are not in wonderland when they’re in front of the looking glass. Researchers have confirmed that compared with men,women are more accurate in assessing the status of their weight.They seem to be able to quickly pinpoint when and where they are accumulating body fat and are faster to acknowledge a need to lose weight. And if a woman is actively gaining weight or is already overweight or obese, that finely tuned ability to see body fat is good news. But it can have a dark side, too. It’s no secret that our society values thinness in women. Underweight women routinely grace the covers of popular women’s magazines and star in the latest Hollywood films.

But the reality is that being underweight also carries health risks. The constant exposure to toothin women may create an environment in which a woman who is already at a healthy weight may feel the need to lose weight and a woman who is overweight may overestimate the amount of weight she needs to lose. Indeed, in a woman’s mind, there tends to be a mix-up between the body weight that is desirable for good health and the one that is deemed desirable for appearance. Surveys have found that this is particularly true for young and middle-aged women, who are often more likely to consider themselves overweight even when their weight is within the recommended range.

FROM A MAN’S VIEWPOINT WHO’S MORE OVERWEIGHT,WOMEN OR MEN?

Are these shirt collars getting tight or did the dry cleaner shrink them? Studies have found that many men’s ability to assess their weight status is less finely tuned than women’s.Why might this be? The reason could be in part that compared with women, the majority of men have less practice analyzing their bodies and, in turn, their weight.

Other than shaving, brushing their teeth, and buying new clothes, men typically don’t spend much time in front of a mirror.Whereas a woman can easily spend 45 to 60 minutes getting ready for her day in the shower, styling her hair, applying cosmetics, and dressing men tend to spend a fraction of that time in their daily ritual. Let’s be honest the amount of face time the genders spend in front of a mirror (especially a full-length one) is very different. Another factor that can skew a guy’s self-assessment skills when it comes to his weight is our societal view of what men are supposed to look like. Just as our culture values very thin women, it also values large, strong men.

A comment like “He looks like a linebacker” is a compliment for most guys and an aspiration of many young men. So when some guys do take a good look at their bodies they see themselves as big rather than overweight. There’s another irony when it comes to men,women, and their perceptions of weight. Just as women confuse the ideal-for-appearance body with the ideal-for-health body, so do men but the opposite way.

One study of over 29,000 men and women found that a considerable number of overweight men were satisfied with their current weight and so were not making any attempt to reduce it. In other words, men are likely to believe that the weight that is healthy for them is greater than what research has shown it to be. Since men are without an awareness of what a healthy weight is, it’s no wonder that the number of overweight and obese men is on the rise.

How Couples Think and Feel about Their Weight

A study sponsored by Weight Watchers found that men and women who described themselves as overweight tended to differ in how often they thought about their weight and in their emotional reactions to those thoughts.

The women in the study reported thinking about their weight more frequently than the men. When asked what events would trigger thoughts about their weight, the women identified a number of diverse things. For example,women closely linked weight and clothing, saying that getting dressed in the morning, getting undressed at night, and buying clothes made them think about their weight. In addition, the women said that they thought about their weight when they were in the public eye, such as when they attended celebrations of special events. Finally, experiences of physical discomfort (feeling tired or too hot, having feet that hurt or other aches and pains) or emotional distress (a low self-image, a lack of self-confidence, or depression) triggered thoughts about their weight.

When asked about their emotional responses to their thoughts about their weight, the women were more likely than the men to say that the thoughts elicited negative emotions like disgust or anxiety.

When asked the same series of questions, men identified fewer trigger times when they thought about weight.They shared with women the association with clothes, describing getting dressed, undressed, and shopping for clothes as times when they thought about their weight. Men also described linking weight to physical health, saying that experiencing physical limitations like being out of breath or feeling fatigued and being told by their doctor that they had a weightrelated medical condition made them think about their weight status. Interestingly, men did not link being out in public or times of emotional distress to thoughts about their weight. When asked to describe the emotional response to thoughts about their weight, the men were more likely to speak in terms of being “bothered,” whereas the women expressed deeper negative emotions.

This study shows another dimension of the gender weight gap. In addition to the differences in self-assessment regarding weight status, women and men differ in their reactions to the weight once the awareness is there. By thinking about their weight more often and having a stronger negative reaction to it, it follows that women are more likely than men to take action to lose weight. Conversely, the tendency of men to have less frequent thoughts about their weight and to react to those thoughts with milder feelings, such as annoyance or bother, helps us understand why many guys may place a lower priority on weight loss.

FROM A WOMAN’S VIEWPOINT HOW COUPLES THINK AND FEEL ABOUT THEIR WEIGHT

Not only do women think about their weight, but they also care what others think sometimes too much. Believing that they are being judged on the basis of their weight is largely a female phenomenon. In a Weight Watchers survey, women talked about their public persona and its contribution to a poor self-image not looking as good as they would like and not feeling good about themselves. In fact, some of the women admitted that they were depressed by their weight and embarrassed to be seen in a bathing suit, two factors that never came up among the men who took part in the survey.

FROM A MAN’S VIEWPOINT HOW COUPLES THINK AND FEEL ABOUT THEIR WEIGHT

When it comes to their weight, men spend less time thinking about it until their health is negatively affected, as with a diagnosis of high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, or diabetes. Men also appear to have fewer emotional connections with their weight. Why? Weight Watchers research suggests that men are more likely to see their excess weight as a matter of genetics or the way they were fed growing up. In other words, men tend to see their weight as inevitable, not something to be ashamed of.

Weight-Conscious Wives

Situation: I do not understand why my wife and daughter are so focused on their weight and seem to blame their weight when things don’t go right in their lives. For example, my daughter recently did not get a job that she wanted and was convinced that it was because of her weight (she’s only slightly overweight). My wife twisted her ankle recently and said that if she weighed what she should, it would never have happened. Even when they are losing weight, they can’t seem to get past blaming their weight. What can I say to help them see past the weight and understand that sometimes things just don’t go your way?

Strategies: The first thing you need to understand is that many women view the world through a weight lens. That mind-set probably stems from the fact that women tend to think about their weight more often and are usually more emotional about it than men. So it’s not uncommon for women including your wife and your daughter to blame problems on their weight. I hear it all the time. Tired after being up all night with the baby? Must be the weight. Feeling blue because a deadline at work was missed? Again, it’s the weight.

Can’t find the right outfit for an upcoming event? Bingo! Guys who understand this can help the women in their lives reframe the factual reasons behind the negative feelings. Lack of sleep, unrealistic demands at work, bad luck, and the frustration of shopping for clothes not one’s weight are more likely to be at the root of such hassles. Helping your girls expand beyond their weight the reasons why everyday obstacles crop up can help them not only focus less on their weight but also deal more effectively with those issues as they occur.