Nearly 25% of overweight women ‘misjudge their weight’

Almost a quarter of overweight women misjudge how much they actually weigh, a study has suggested.

Researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston claim that these women’s misconceptions can make them more vulnerable to cardiovascular and other obesity-related diseases.

They also found that overweight and obese Hispanic and African American women are significantly more likely than white women to misjudge their weight.

“What we found reflects the ‘fattening’ of America,” said the study’s author Dr Mahbubur Rahman, assistant professor of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Women’s Health at UTMB.

“As obesity numbers climb, many women identify overweight as normal, not based on the scale but on how they view themselves,” he added.

Earlier this month, researchers at the University of Cincinnati claimed that people who carry excess fat around the outside of their major arteries are at increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

Do you know how much you weigh?