Unrealistic goal for shape change may foil dieters

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Unrealistic goal for shape change may foil dieters

NEW YORK, Apr 10 (Reuters Health) - Although people can lose weight from

dieting, only rarely will they change the shape of their bodies, an

equally important aspect of body image.

However, new research shows that many women nevertheless expect diets to

change their body shape, which may explain why some, frustrated by the

lack of effect from their efforts, have trouble maintaining their diets.

" If women are dieting with the belief that weight loss will lead to

shape change, they will fail to achieve their aim and this may be one

reason that diets are likely to be short-lived and, ultimately,

unsuccessful, " the researchers report.

The study focused on women's preferred waist-to-hip ratio (WHR),

representing the diameter of their waist divided by that of their hips.

Previous research has shown that women prefer pear-shaped bodies, with

small waists and larger hips--a low WHR--presumably because this shape

can signal health and fertility to others.

To determine whether women with higher WHRs hoped dieting might change

their shapes, the researchers, led by Dr. Dorothy Heffernan of the

University of Strathclyde, UK, showed women with high and low WHRs a

series of body images. Each image depicted bodies with different WHRs,

and the women indicated whether they believed they could achieve a

similar shape after dieting.

The investigators found that women with high WHRs believed that, through

dieting, they could develop pear-shaped bodies. These expectations did

not stem from women's misperceptions of their current body shape; most

women, pear-shaped or not, correctly identified which image best

represented their own WHR.

Based on these results, Heffernan and her colleagues suggest that many

women might begin dieting explicitly to change their shapes, and are in

danger of being disappointed by their efforts.

" We conclude that women in the high WHR group may find adherence to

diets problematic because the desired change in shape does not occur, "

the researchers write in the current issue of the International Journal

of Eating Disorders.

" Consequently, along with increasing women's awareness that weight loss

dieting does not lead to long-term weight loss, it is important to

emphasize that shape change is also unlikely to occur through diet

change, " the authors note.

Heffernan and colleagues suggest that people might be more likely to

improve their health through exercise than by losing weight.

Since increased physical activity can increase self-esteem and body

image, they add, further studies should investigate whether exercise can

" counteract potential negative effects on body image resulting from

continued unsuccessful dieting. "

SOURCE: International Journal of Eating Disorders 2002;31:339-343.