Patient's and physician's weight management goals based on silhouettes and BMI

Background and aims: Silhouettes is self-reported measure of body image used as a method for estimating: current size, desired size and a discrepancy score, which is often used as a measure of body dissatisfaction. Several studies have looked at patients' perceptions of their weight and the accuracy of their impressions. The aim of the study was to find out if the discrepancies in silhouettes rating could be matched with weight loss goals projected by BMI, obtained both in patients and doctors. Methods: The silhouettes method was tested on 179 obese and overweight patients in out-patient dietetic unit and simultaneously in obese patients seeking treatment and their physicians. Results: The study has demonstrated that the magnitude of projected weight loss is very high, especially in female patients who expected their BMI after weight loss program to fit into normal range. Obese men projected their target BMI towards overweight cut-off point. Besides being very high in female patients, expected weight loss appeared to be much higher in patients in general in comparison to their physicians, Conclusion: The silhouette approach proved to be an accurate method for estimating nutritional status both when used by patients and physicians, and a useful easy-to-use tool during weight loss treatment. Obesity and Metabolism 2010; 6: 34-38.