Americans thinking bigger, getting bigger

Americans are not only heavier than they were two decades ago, but their perceptions of their ideal weight have ballooned as well. In fact, the most recent Gallup poll reports that, on average, adults perceptions of what their ideal weight should be are now about 10 pounds heavier than they were in 1990. And unfortunately, despite their own softened standards, most Americans are now further than ever from their ideal weight both men and women are nearly 20 pounds heavier than they reported in 1990.

The results of Gallup s annual Health and Healthcare survey reveal that, on average, American men now weigh 196 pounds, and women weigh 160 pounds. While men, on average, report their ideal weight as 181 pounds and women at 138 pounds, 64 percent of men and 68 percent of women are now heavier than those ideals.

While it s difficult to pinpoint exactly why Americans continue to expand, the most likely factors are, simply, that we re eating more and moving around less. As ACSH s Dr. Gilbert Ross points out, larger portion sizes have become commonplace, while time spent in front of a wide variety of screens has increased. That people are reporting heavier ideal weights for themselves, he says, suggests that larger sizes have also become normalized. It s not a healthy trend, and the solution is not going to be simple contrary to the misguided ideas of those who advocate simplistic remedies.