WASHINGTON, DC — Fifty-six percent of Americans want to shave off a few pounds, according to a recent Gallup poll. Eighteen percent of those want to lose “a lot” of weight, and women are twice as likely as men to want to lose significant weight. Only 2 percent of those who want to lose weight say they would consider bariatric surgery. Instead, respondents preferred exercise or dieting to reach their goals. Of those who want to lose a lot of weight, 67 percent favor exercise over dieting. For those who only want to lose a little weight, the method for weight loss is evenly divided between diet and exercise with 49 percent choosing each. However, only 55 percent of those who want to lose a lot of weight get three hours or more of exercise each week.