Results of a recent Gallup poll in the U.S. found that people have become more accepting of their weight, despite an increase in average body weight. From 2003-2007 and between 2013-2017, Americans’ self-reported weight seemed more comparable to the number they provided as their “ideal” weight. Meanwhile, the percentage of those who consider themselves overweight declined.
 
This change in perception mostly took place between 2008-2012, according to Gallup, with Americans’ actual weight and ideal weight increasing slightly since this time. And while Americans are actually heavier, they’re less likely to identify as overweight as compared to 2003-2007. They are also less likely to take significant efforts to try to lose weight.
 
Unsurprisingly, women were more likely to consider themselves overweight compared to men, and the difference between self-reported and “ideal” weight was larger for men. Gallup reported an eight-pound difference between women’s 158-pound actual weight and their 140-pound ideal weigh in the last five years, while the gap for men was 12 pounds (195-pound actual weight vs. 183-pound ideal weight).
 
The percentage of Americans that reported being overweight dropped from 41% in 2003-2007 to 38% for 2013-2017. In the most recent period, 35% of men and 40% of women said they were overweight. A majority of men (59%) and women (53%) saw their weight as “about right,” while 6% of both sexes said they are underweight.
 
Age, education, and income level also impacted how Americans perceived their weight.
 
The higher the income bracket for men, the wider the gap, on average, between actual weight and ideal weight. For those with annual household incomes of less than $30,000, the average difference was nine pounds, but for men with annual incomes of $75,000 or more, the difference averaged 14 pounds—most of it the result of more affluent men weighing more on average than those with lower incomes.
 
Gallup found the opposite was true for women: Those with household incomes of less than $30,000 had an average difference between actual and ideal weight of 22 pounds, but it dropped to 15 pounds for those in the $75,000-and-above income bracket. “Ideal” weight was slightly lower for higher-income women, and there was a drop in actual weight compared with lower-income women.
 
Men with no college have the smallest gap between what they want to weigh and what they do weigh, while women with no college have the largest gap.
 
This review combines results from five-year periods of Gallup’s annual November Health and Healthcare survey to allow for an in-depth look at how Americans view their weight. It also provides assurance that the changes in actual weight and ideal weight are statistically significant.
 
Gallup cited that in Oct. 2017, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that nearly 40% of U.S. adults are “obese.”