Why We Watch What We Eat

The evidence of their waistlines notwithstanding, 42 percent of American adults claim to be “controlling” their diets. A poll by Mediamark Research & Intelligence finds many (especially men) do so for reasons other than weight loss. Forty-one percent of men and 36 percent of women are controlling their diets for health reasons; 39 percent of women and 29 percent of men are doing it to lose weight. Equal numbers of men and women (27 percent each) are controlling their diets to maintain their current weight.