Americans
are fatter today than they were in 1990, says a new Gallup poll. But
the average U.S. citizen isn’t bummed out about it. Instead, we’re
pretty content with the extra poundage. Gallup’s findings say adults are
20 pounds cushier than in 1990, and our ideal weight is 10 pounds
higher than it used to be. Men are around 196 pounds on average, up from
180 pounds 21 years ago, and list their ideal weight at 181. Ideal
weight back in 1990 for men was 171. Women on average are 160 pounds, up
from 142 pounds in 1990. The ideal weight for ladies is now 138,
instead of 129 pounds. Even though we seem to be bulking up a bit, only
39% of those polled would call themselves overweight, and 56% say they
feel “about right” when it comes to weight – even though around 1/3 of
the United States is classified as obese by government guesses.
Researchers have a suggestion as to why we’re all so happy to be fatter,
explaining that the “disconnect between the percentage who are over
their ideal weight and the percentage who say they are overweight may
come from Americans’ own reluctance to describe themselves using such a
term.”
