Better Body Image Aids In Weight Loss, Says New Study

It's no secret that many women are unsatisfied with the way their bodies look, but new research says that developing a better body image can help you lose weight.

That may sound like putting cart before the horse, since being overweight or not measuring up to societal standards of beauty can lead to feelings of inadequacy and low self esteem. But feeling better about your body might be key to reaching a healthy weight.

e! Science News reports that researchers from the Technical University of Lisbon and Bangor University enrolled a group of overweight and obese women in a year-long weight loss program. Half of the women were given general health information about proper nutrition and stress while the other half attended weekly group sessions where issues regarding "exercise, emotional eating, improving body image and the recognition of, and how to overcome, personal barriers to weight loss and lapses from the diet were discussed."

They found that for women who participated in the group sessions, the way they felt about their bodies improved. They were also better able self-regulate their eating habits and lost much more weight compared to the other group.

The study's lead researcher told e! Science News that body image problems often lead people to seek solace in food, which in turn can exacerbate a weight problem. The study showed that the better the women felt about themselves, the more they were able to embrace positive changes in their eating.

Again this sounds like a catch-22. It might be easier to lose weight if you feel better about your body, but it often takes getting your body to a weight you are more comfortable with to improve your body image.

It's well documented that most women don't feel great about the way their bodies look. A recent poll of 8,000 women in the U.S and U.K found that only 15 percent of American women gave a positive response about their overall body image, and only one out of ten UK women felt they "were made to be naked."

Body image issues are ingrained in women from a young age; last month Good Morning America gathered a panel of 5- to 8-year-old girls and asked them about how they perceive weight and what size person they consider fat. Their answers mirrored the results of a 2009 study that found that nearly half of 3- to 6-year-old girls worry about being overweight.

The newer study of adult, overweight women showed that in group sessions where participants worked out some of their feelings about their bodies, they were able to start making choices that helped them lose weight. But there's one question this research implicitly raises and doesn't answer: How can women like those participating in the study learn to feel good about their bodies while being told they need to change those bodies?

What do you think?

Comments

[StrawHat]

04:29 AM on 09/05/2011

This rings true to me. One of the ways I make myself feel better when I'm home sick with a bad cold or flu is to get up, take a long, scrubby shower, brush my teeth, dry my hair, put on some clear lip gloss (I like the beeswax kind), put on clean, pretty pajamas and a clean, pretty robe, and just sit up like a normal human being for a half hour or so having mint tea, feeling clean and presentable. I may even strip and change the bed-clothes before I go back to bed, if I have the strength, and spray a bit of lemon room spray in front of my fan. Grooming and preening just a little bit makes me feel better, sleep better, heal better.

I think that the worst thing about being overweight (if your health isn't in immediate danger) is that feeling of being a frumpy mess. It's so demoralizing to not be able to dress in pretty clothes, go out and walk tall, feeling good about yourself.

People are so mean to the obese -- truly, horrifically mean -- that of course it eats away at your self-esteem and makes you crave solace from your old frenemy, food.

I think excellent grooming, wearing nice clothes, fixing your hair, nails and make-up in a pleasing style, pretty scarves and jewelry, new good-quality shoes and walking tall is the best way to START a lifestyle makeover.

[1highstepper]

03:07 AM on 09/05/2011

I believe most women and men are continually doing something to improve their body image, be it healthier eating habits, weight loss, clothing and hair style or some type of exercise. And a good majority of the people I know and associate with are doing so.

[Habitspark]

06:14 PM on 07/27/2011

Seems like poor study design. How can you compare a condition with weekly group sessions to one without them? We don't know if it is the body image intervention or the group support and additional material that matters.

[Romaine Chritton]

11:19 AM on 07/21/2011

I guess women need to accept their bodies as they are and then work on redefinition of them. It's like the old adage, "I'm OK, Your OK. I'm working on eating smarter and making time for exercise. I know I'll never be young again, but I'm trying to make the best of what I have.

[William Anderson LMHC]

06:47 PM on 07/19/2011

Success in weight control and establishing healthier behavior has more to do with how we think than what we know. That's why Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Therapeutic Psychogenics are so effective in helping people to actually solve their weight problem. Self image and self esteem are schemas, in the world of psychotherapy, and working to change those produces miraculous results. Truly life-changing, not to mention the body.

William Anderson, LMHC
Author of 'The Anderson Method - Secrets of Permanent Weight Loss'
Blog: http://theandersonmethodblog.wordpress.com/

[Quotidien]

11:16 AM on 07/19/2011

".....for women who participated in the group sessions, the way they felt about their bodies improved."

They should hold these group sessions at the gym.

[juicybrisket]

02:40 AM on 07/19/2011

...duh?

[Shartman]

09:20 PM on 07/18/2011

I'm sorry, but this study does not support the claims in the article. The test experimental group lost more wait and learned better how to control their eating at the same time as their self-image improved. Um...yeah. That means there's no evidence that the improved self-image came before the improved lifestyle. To do that they would have had to establish a test group of equal weight and demographics but with higher self-image BEFORE the weight loss.

Basic scientific literacy here folks, it's not that hard. Self image may be a factor in weight loss (and most member of both genders aren't thrilled about their bodies) but this study did absolutely nothing to determine that.

[neastro]

08:34 PM on 07/18/2011

I would argue that many women who DO love their bodies are black women- because black women are not slated as "ideal" and don't conform to larger society's ideal of beauty. In this society (at least) black men adore black women FOR their body types; specifically BECAUSE they have what they have- which, again, in larger society if not the beauty standard (although some things are changing, admittedly).