 [ Symptoms ] how important is weight loss to most people [ Disease ] many years ago i read a study conducted by rand corporation researchers in which people were asked what price they would pay to finally have and maintain an ideal body the results blew my mind most people in the survey indicated that they would be willing to give up plenty of their pleasurable lifestyle habits e g smoking watching tv alcohol vacations to achieve the holy grail of bodies however there was a significant minority that said they would be more than willing to lose a limb if it meant they could finally be the weight and shape of their dreams for years that finding has echoed in my mind as i have conducted studies and continue to work with my wonderful patients this issue of weight goes much deeper than most people appreciate on the heels of this older research comes a recent poll conducted by kelton research for nutrisystem in which 1 001 men and women were asked what they would be willing to give up to achieve weight related goals people seem to be highly motivated not to gain weight first up 52 of women adamantly stated they would be happy to bag sex for an entire summer if it meant they would not gain 10 pounds not surprisingly only 25 of men agreed sixty six per cent of those polled said that dropping pounds definitely made them feel sexier how much weight do you need to remove to rock and roll according to those polled about 23 pounds lies between you and your dream romp in the sheets it gets even more interesting if folks were given a choice of dropping 10 20 pounds or getting a job promotion wipe the shock off your face when i tell you that the majority went with the weight option fitness magazine did its own poll in 2006 and found that over 50 of adults would rather lose their job than get fat continuing in the financial vein the current poll revealed that 63 of women and 55 of men would rather be poor and average weight than rich and obese not even dollar signs can deter people from their body quest here are other sacrifices men and women were willing to undergo in order to achieve a flat stomach over the summer 1 54 — stop watching tv 2 54 — stop shopping for anything but basics for survival 3 42 — turn off the cell phone 4 36 — unplug the computer 5 21 — forsake sex 6 6 — no longer shower yikes how about the people in the poll who did not care to sacrifice forty six per cent of those polled would not “diet” because they do not want to give up their favorite foods [and] 25 do not like the stress of eating more healthfully while 39 think it is just plain a pain and inconvenient per chance you have shared some of these sentiments at some time for those who have a