People who recognise they are overweight or obese may be more likely to gain additional weight than those who do not realise they are heavier than medical guidance recommends, according to research from the University of Liverpool.
The study examined weight perception and later weight change among roughly 14,000 adults from both the United States and the United Kingdom. Researchers drew on data from three long-term cohort studies: the US National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, the UK National Child Development Study, and the Midlife in the United States study. By using these established longitudinal data sets, the team was able to assess how adults’ own perceptions of their weight—accurate or not—related to their subsequent eating behaviours and weight trajectories over time.
Researchers restricted their analysis to data collected after study participants reached adulthood. Follow-up periods varied across the cohorts: the UK National Child Development Study tracked participants from age 23 through age 45, while the two US cohorts provided shorter follow-up windows of approximately seven years and nine to ten years. This design allowed the team to observe whether initial self-perceptions of being “overweight” predicted later patterns of stress-related eating and measurable weight change.
The central finding was that people who identified themselves as being overweight were more likely to report overeating in response to stress, and this stress-related overeating in turn predicted future weight gain. In other words, awareness of being overweight did not uniformly lead to healthier choices or weight loss; for many participants, recognition of a heavier body weight appeared to be associated with behaviours—especially stress-induced overeating—that contributed to further weight gain.
Dr Eric Robinson, from the University of Liverpool’s Institute of Psychology, Health and Society, commented on the challenge this pattern poses for public health efforts. He noted that realising one is overweight can itself be stressful and may make it harder to adopt and maintain healthier lifestyle behaviours. This counterintuitive result complicates simple assumptions that increasing awareness of excess weight will automatically encourage weight loss.
Robinson also emphasised the importance of addressing stigma and the way society talks about body weight. People with higher body weight frequently face body image challenges and social stigma, which can affect mental health and coping behaviours. He suggested that public health messaging and interventions should avoid shaming language and should focus instead on supportive, non-stigmatising ways to encourage sustainable healthy changes. According to Robinson, there are effective approaches to motivate behaviour change without portraying adiposity as something shameful or deserving of blame.
The research team included Michael Daly from the University of Stirling and Jeffrey Hunger from the University of California, alongside lead contributors at the University of Liverpool. The analysis highlights how psychological and social factors—such as awareness of weight status, stress, coping behaviours, and public attitudes—interact with physical health outcomes over time.
From a public health perspective, these findings suggest that interventions aimed at reducing obesity and improving population health should consider psychological responses to weight awareness. Strategies that combine practical support for healthy eating, stress management, and mental health, delivered in ways that avoid stigma and blame, may be more effective than campaigns that rely solely on increasing awareness of weight status.
In summary, the study illustrates a complex relationship between self-perceived overweight status and later weight gain. Rather than acting as a straightforward motivator for healthier behaviour, awareness of being overweight can trigger stress-related coping that leads to overeating and subsequent weight gain for some people. Addressing social stigma, offering compassionate support, and integrating stress-reduction and behaviour-change techniques into weight-related public health initiatives may help reduce this unintended consequence.
Source: University of Liverpool
Image Source: University of Liverpool
Original Research: The research was scheduled to appear in the International Journal of Obesity during the week of August 3, 2015.