Top Clin Nutr Vol. 29, No. 1, pp. 15–21 Copyright c  2014 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins WEIGHT MANAGEMENT Body Image Does Not Predict Caloric Estimation Accuracy Michael E. Holmstrup, PhD; Amy J. Bidwell, PhD; Timothy J. Fairchild, PhD This study characterized the accuracy of estimating calories of prepared, healthy meals, with the specific hypothesis that individuals with greater body dissatisfaction will overestimate calorie content. Ninety-eight individuals estimated the number of calories in 4 separate healthy meals. Differences in the bias of caloric estimation were determined in relation to sex, body mass index, body fat percentage, and body image dissatisfaction. Subjects, regardless of sex, weight status, and body image, tended to overestimate the number of calories in prepared, healthy meals. Quantifying portion size makes the task of caloric estimation in prepared meals more difficult and should be addressed to enhance accuracy. Key words: actual-ideal body fat discrepancy, body image, calorie estimation F OOD CHOICE and portion size are key contributors to the obesity pandemic. 1-3 Although food choice is dependent on sev- eral competing influences, 4 knowledge of caloric content has been shown to influ- ence attitudes, intentions, and choices about food. 5 In this vein, adolescents and adults ex- press major concern for body weight man- agement when making decisions about food consumption. 6 These decisions are often well- intentioned, if not well-informed. In an effort to increase the available information regard- ing food choices, the Patient Protection and Author Affiliation: Department of Exercise Science, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York. The authors thank the participants in this study, as well as Jay Koloseus and Mohamadia Darwish who assisted with the implementation of the study protocol. There are no finding sources to report for this study. The authors have disclosed that they have no signif- icant relationships with, or financial interest in, any commercial companies pertaining to this article. Correspondence: Michael E. Holmstrup, PhD, Depart- ment of Exercise and Rehabilitative Sciences, Slippery Rock University, Patterson Hall, Room 337, Slippery Rock, PA 16057 (michael.holmstrup@sru.edu). DOI: 10.1097/01.TIN.0000443023.83158.ab Affordable Care Act (2010) contains a provi- sion that introduces federal calorie-labeling guidelines in restaurants with 20 or more locations. 7 The information concerning the caloric content of home-prepared and small restaurant meals, however, remains limited. In addition, mounting evidence of ignorance toward, underutilization of, and/or confusion over posted calorie information in large-chain settings 8,9 lends credence to the notion that a focused educational effort should accom- pany mandated menu labeling 7 and provide resources for situations where calorie infor- mation is not available. Previous research 10-12 has demonstrated that individuals are relatively inaccurate when estimating the calorie content of meals, al- though the underlying cause of this inaccu- racy is unknown. Given the importance of food choice and portion size in the devel- opment of obesity, it is likely that an im- proved understanding of factors contributing to caloric estimation accuracy may assist with obesity-prevention efforts and public health initiatives by helping individuals im- prove their food choices. Studies examining caloric estimation accu- racy use either written food descriptions or Copyright © 2014 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited. 15