MAYBE GO SLOW on the Guinness and mince pies this festive season – you might not be in as good shape as you think you are.

A new study from Red C Research has found that many Irish people are kidding themselves when it comes to their health and weight.

Despite the country having one of the highest rates of obese or overweight adults in western Europe, the research revealed more than 8 in 10 people still considered themselves healthy.

Nearly 57% of Irish adults are overweight or obese, according to the latest World Health Organisation (WHO) figures, but only 43% of those surveyed nominated themselves as fitting into the category.

Some 78% said they had a healthy diet, while less than 1 out of 10 thought they needed to radically change what they ate.

Red C Research Red C Research

Another recent report found Irish men tended to see food as “fuel” and about 70% were classed as overweight or obese – compared to 50% of women.

Greeks, Germans the most unrealistic on weight

But locals weren’t the most deluded when it came to their weight, according to parallel surveys of other European nations.

Greeks had the biggest gap between perception and reality – with 24% of those polled claiming they were overweight, compared to the WHO’s actual figure of 57%.

Only 37% of Germans said they were overweight, but the WHO said the real share was 67% – the highest of the 12 surveyed countries.

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In 3 countries – Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands – more people thought they were overweight than was the case based on the WHO’s data.

Germans were the most likely to say they had an unhealthy diet, compared to 97% of Finns who thought what they ate was good for them.

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