Results indicated that perceived overweight was associated with an increased likelihood of attempting weight loss and with healthy and unhealthy weight control strategies in some participant groups .
However , perceived overweight was not reliably associated with physical activity or healthy eating and was associated with greater disordered eating in some groups .
Rather than being associated with improved weight management , there was consistent evidence that perceived overweight was predictive of increased weight gain over time .
Individuals who perceive their weight status as overweight are more likely to report attempting weight loss but over time gain more weight
It is commonly assumed that a person identifying that they are ' overweight ' is an important prerequisite to successful weight management .
However , there has been no systematic evaluation of evidence supporting this proposition .
The aim of the present research was to systematic ally review evidence on the relationship between perceived overweight and ( i ) weight loss attempts , ( ii )  weight control strategies ( healthy and unhealthy )  , ( iii ) weight-related behaviours ( physical activity and eating habits ) , ( iv ) disordered eating and ( v ) weight change .
Does Knowing Hurt? Perceiving Oneself as Overweight Predicts Future Physical Health and Well-Being
Identifying oneself as being overweight may be associated with adverse health outcomes , yet prospect i ve tests of this possibility are lacking . Over 7 years , we examined associations between perceptions of being overweight and subsequent health in a sample of 3,582 U.S. adults . Perceiving oneself as being overweight predicted longitudinal declines in subjective health ( d = −0.22 , p < .001 ) , increases in depressive symptoms ( d = 0.09 , p < .05 ) , and raised levels of physiological dysregulation ( d = 0.24 , p < .001 ) , as gauged by clinical indicators of cardiovascular , inflammatory , and metabolic functioning . These associations remained after controlling for a range of potential confounders and were observed irrespective of whether perceptions of being overweight were accurate or inaccurate . This research highlights the possibility that identifying oneself as overweight may act independently of body mass index to contribute to unhealthy profiles of physiological functioning and impaired health over time . These findings underscore the importance of evaluating whether weight-feedback interventions may have unforeseen adverse consequences
Results indicated that perceived overweight was associated with an increased likelihood of attempting weight loss and with healthy and unhealthy weight control strategies in some participant groups .
However , perceived overweight was not reliably associated with physical activity or healthy eating and was associated with greater disordered eating in some groups .
Rather than being associated with improved weight management , there was consistent evidence that perceived overweight was predictive of increased weight gain over time .
Individuals who perceive their weight status as overweight are more likely to report attempting weight loss but over time gain more weight
It is commonly assumed that a person identifying that they are ' overweight ' is an important prerequisite to successful weight management .
However , there has been no systematic evaluation of evidence supporting this proposition .
The aim of the present research was to systematic ally review evidence on the relationship between perceived overweight and ( i ) weight loss attempts , ( ii )  weight control strategies ( healthy and unhealthy )  , ( iii ) weight-related behaviours ( physical activity and eating habits ) , ( iv ) disordered eating and ( v ) weight change .