How much?

The article "Americans may be getting honest about their weight" by Mike Stobbe (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38540537/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/) highlights that the gap between research indicating what people actually weight and what people report themselves as weighing is closing.

The articles suggests that the just over one third of the population that is overweight is getting more "realistic about their weight", meaning that people are just unaware of their true size.  True, most people would seem to rather knowingly ignore weight problems rather than step on the scale and observe how many excess pounds actually have built up.  Simply telling one's self that a few extra pounds can not be so bad, or that they really are not THAT large (comparatively speaking, while searching out larger examples than themselves) is easier and more comforting than watching the red needle on the bathroom floor scale climb steadily higher.  So, with higher reports of self-reported larger people, the article suggests that the American population is becoming more aware of their weight problems.  Which is a good thing!  An excellent first step in making progress towards easing weight problems is to admit there is a problem in the first place.

I would also like to suggest another reason for rising reports of  the self-reported overweight individuals.  Instead of willful ignorance reporting lower weights and education leading to self-realization and growing self-reports of obesity, what about just plain acceptance?    Being overweight is a social stigma.  Yes, fat people get made fun of, there is no denying that.  As more overweight individuals see people who are larger than themselves (not only everyday people, but also well know individuals (think TV)) who are willing to admit that they are overweight, these people who would otherwise stretch the truth feel more empowered to be honest with themselves and with others.  Even in phone interviews with random strangers, people want to appear better than they are and give off a good first impression.  Since society has become more open and acceptable towards being overweight, answering honestly might simple become easier since the research participants would feel less pressure to conform to a thinner social norm.

Test methods for such research are not perfect, as noted in the article, but can lead to interesting speculation about how people in America view obesity.