The current study evaluated body image and eating disturbance in obligatory runners, obligatory weightlifters, and sedentary controls. Thirty subjects comprised each group, evenly proportioned by gender. The results indicated that weightlifters were significantly more accurate in estimating body size than runners and controls, although the latter two groups did not differ from one another. All subjects overestimated waist and hips to a greater degree than thighs; this finding was also true for their estimates of the size of a department store mannequin. Females were more dissatisfied with their body than males, with the exception that male and female weightlifters were equivalent on body dissatisfaction indices. Runners and weightlifters had greater eating disturbance than controls; females evidenced greater eating psychopathology than males. These findings indicate that type of physical activity may be related to size estimation accuracy and body satisfaction. The results are discussed with regard to the need to further refine subtypes of both obligatory runners and weightlifters for future investigations.

Three studies are reported that measured body image and mood changes consequent to the consumption of a milkshake that differed in perceived number of calories (high vs. low). The pilot investigation on normal‐weight college females produced an interaction between perceived calorie content (PCC) and time of testing—subjects who received the high‐calorie shake overestimated body size and were more dysphoric at posttest than subjects who received the low calorie shake. Study 2 provided a credibility check that the pilot investigation failed to include and replicated the interaction between PCC and time of testing for size estimation accuracy. The effect was a/so found for an attitudinal measure of body satisfaction, but only a main effect of time eventuated for the mood measure. Study 3 compared subjects who differed on exercise status (runners vs. sedentary controls). In general, runners were less negatively affected by the high‐calorie shake than controls, however, none of the hypothesized three‐way interactions among group, PCC, and time of testing were significant. The findings are discussed in terms of the need to further experimentally investigate factors that affect different aspects of body image. © 1993 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.