Does Feeling Fat Make You Fat?

We have all those days.  The ones where you feel fat and frumpy.  But just because you "feel" fat, does that make you fat??  According to a recent study published in the Journal of Obesity by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, normal-weight teens who felt fat were more likely to grow up to be fat.  This study was an eleven-year follow-up that tracked 1196 normal-weight teens as they progressed into adulthood (between ages 24 and 30).  

According to the results of this study, researchers found that half of the participants still maintained a healthy weight as an adult.  Unfortunately, the results also showed that 59 percent of the girls who felt fat as a teen later became an overweight adult (based on body mass index, or BMI).  This is in comparison with 31 percent of girls who did NOT feel fat as a teenager but developed into overweight adults.  This study also showed that normal-weight girls were more likely to perceive themselves as overweight in comparison to normal-weight boys.  Twenty-two percent of the girls in the initial study felt they were overweight whereas only nine percent of boys felt this way.

Why is this??  According to the researchers, psychosocial stress is most likely the main culprit.  The need (or the want) for maintaining an ideal body weight according to social pressure can cause people, especially teenage girls, to gain weight as they progress into adulthood.  This psychosocial stress can cause poor habits such as improper dieting and skipping meals.  Both of these result in weight gain.  Unfortunately, teenage girls are affected more by this psychosocial stress due to media pressure for girls to be thin.

The media's notion of the "ideal" body type for women is based on celebrities and super models.  Young people, both female and male, need to have positive (and healthy) role-models, not ones who severely restrict their calorie intake or engage in unhealthy dietary habits.  Make sure you spend time with your children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews to ensure they understand what the "ideal" body type is and how to properly achieve healthy results.  Keep kids active and limit time spent in front of the television, video games, and computers.  Schedule family "play-time" to get everyone involved and active so you can help young adults improve their self-esteem.

Need help with getting your teen involved and active?  Check with your school or local government to see what programs or assistance is available to you.  Also, check at local gyms or health clubs for after-school activities or sports for your teens.  Set an example by being active yourself and make appropriate food choices.  Together, we can help turn these statistics around and make the future for our children brighter, happier, and most importantly, healthier!!

Norwegian University of Science and Technology (2012, August 8). Feeling fat may make you fat, study suggests. ScienceDaily.