Obese live in denial of their weight

Almost a quarter of Britons are obese but a large number of them deny how badly their weight could be affecting their health, a new survey has found. According to Slimming World magazine's National Slimming Survey of 2,065 respondents, only six per cent believed their weight problem is severe enough to be described as obese and three-quarters of people with a high body mass index underestimated their weight. Over a third of the obese said they thought weight "the most important issue in life". Half said their weight embarrassed them, while others said they felt awkward, disgusted, ashamed, clumsy or trapped. "This worrying new data reveals the complex psychological issues," the Daily Express quoted Jacquie Lavin of Slimming World magazine as saying. "Many people, including many health professionals, believe that managing weight is just about energy balance and that people simply need to eat less and exercise more. "However, that approach can never work while so many people deny how severely their weight could be affecting their health by increasing their risk of diabetes, heart disease and stroke or while they struggle with the emotional burden of being overweight, which can affect their confidence in their ability to make healthy changes," she said. Many people, including many health professionals, believe that managing weight is just about energy balance and that people simply need to eat less and exercise more.