Self-fulfilling chubby prophecy

Apparently, just perceiving yourself as fat can lead to extra pounds.

A researcher at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology found that teenagers who feel fat, but aren’t actually fat, tend to become fat adults.

The researcher, Koenraad Cuypers, analyzed data from another study and found that 22 percent of the girls thought they were too fat as teens.

Of that group of girls, 59 percent became chubby adults, as determined by BMI (if they used waist circumference, 78 percent were overweight), according to a Today Health story.

As for the boys, only 9 percent believed they were fat teenagers, even though they weren’t overweight. Of that group, 63 percent became chubby adults, according to the story.

As if the teen years aren’t bad enough.

Was it just coincidence? Or does misguided self-perception translate to future reality?