While everyone, including children, is at risk for having a poor body image, the overweight and obese tend to deal with it by comfort eating and having more rigid eating patterns, fueling their obesity even further.
The International Journal of Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity published an article in which Dr. Pedro J. Teixeira and his research team from the Technical University of Lisbon and Bangor University
The experimental group had improved body image, had fewer concerns about their size and shape, were better able to self-regulate their eating, and lost more weight than the control group, with the former, 7% less than their starting weight, and the latter, 2%.
This shows that increased body image most definitely is a factor in helping obese woman lose weight, and having weight loss programs include factors such as tackling body image would be advantageous.
This might be a difficult feat and “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.” And it seems like a catch-22 because often it is difficult for women to feel good about their bodies and have a better body image until they are at a normal weight. And one article poses the question of how are women supposed to feel good about their bodies when they are being asked to change them?
Note: I do not know if the women’s starting weight were comparable, important because when ones has more weight to lose, it can be easier for them to lose weight through diet and exercise, although this study had other finding as well.
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