The perceived relative worth of reaching and maintaining goal weight

To examine the perceived relative worth of reaching and maintaining a self-selected goal weight, for obese and non-obese individuals.

Cross-sectional study.

Twenty-five obese treatment-seekers (age 41.0 y, BMI 42.5) and a community sample of 31 obese (age 40.8 y, BMI 32.2) and 64 non-obese participants (age 32.4 y, BMI 23.4).

An 18-item forced-choice questionnaire evaluating what participants would hypothetically sacrifice to reach and maintain their goal weight.

Most obese treatment-seekers would hypothetically endure much to achieve their desired weight. For example, 88% or more would forego a job promotion, retiring with full-pay, eliminating the national debt, or winning their dream house or car or an all-expense-paid vacation, and smaller majorities would suffer loss of half their income or a job demotion. Many non-treatment-seeking obese would forfeit future rewards to reach goal weight, but fewer would incur negative events. About a third of non-obese participants would forgo certain positive events, but few would suffer an adverse event to achieve goal weight. Within the combined obese sample, females viewed attaining goal weight as more important than did males, but there were no significant racial differences. An index of overall worth of weight goal was related positively to current weight and BMI and negatively to goal weight as percentage of current weight (P<0.01).

Excessive value may be placed on attaining less than realistic weight goals, particularly but not exclusively by treatment-seeking and heavier obese people and those who desire greater weight loss. Clinicians should take this phenomenon into consideration, and public health initiatives should attempt to place body weight in a more balanced perspective.