Are you in weight denial? Two-thirds of Americans happy with body image despite being 14lbs heavier than 20 years ago

Fine: A new Gallup poll said most overweight people are not actively trying to lose weight, and think their ideal body weight is close to where they are now

For most Americans, putting on a few extra pounds this holiday season won't bother them too much.

A new Gallup poll has found that the fatter we get, the heavier our ideal body weight becomes. In other words - Americans are happy being overweight.

Men now say their ideal weight is 14 pounds heavier than when the study first began in 1990. On average, men now weigh 16 pounds more than 20 years ago.




Women's ideal weight was similarly up 11 pounds over the same time frame, with their average actual weight rising 14 pounds.

Most people still say their goal weight is ten to 15 pounds lighter - despite everyone weighing more.

One-third of men and one-quarter of women believed they were at or below their ideal weight.

Only a quarter of respondents said they were seriously trying to lose weight, which Gallup says is 'much lower than the percentages who are above their ideal weight or say they would like to lose weight'.

'The majority of Americans say their weight is 'about right,' as they have typically responded over the past 20 years,' Gallup noted.

'But the 60 per cent who describe themselves as 'about right' is the highest Gallup has ever found.'

Gallup called this 'weight denial.'

The findings indicate that while most people know they should lose some weight, we generally believe we're fine as we are. There is room for error in this poll as subject's weights were self-reported and not verified.

Because people often lie about their weight, or don't accurately measure it, this could skew results.

Nearly 40 per cent of overweight women believe they are thinner than they really are.

Most women did not consider themselves fat, as the study found only 16 per cent of normal-weight women in the study believed they were overweight.