The obesity epidemic in the United States is driven by physical inactivity and poor dietary habits. Over the past few decades, the percentage of Americans who are overweight or obese has increased dramatically, with nearly 70% of adults having a BMI over 25 and over 30% having a BMI over 30. This excessive weight gain poses significant health risks, as it is a leading cause of preventable death and is linked to increased risk of conditions like heart disease and diabetes. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle through diet and exercise is vital for weight control and disease prevention.

1. CHAPTER 5 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1) What is the 2nd leading cause of preventable death in the US each year?
2) What % of the US adult population (20 years & older) have a BMI greater than 25?
3) What % of the US adult population (20 years & older) have a BMI greater than 30?
4) About how much money do people spend yearly attempting to lose weight?
5) The total cost attributable to treating obesity-related diseases is estimated at how much per year?
6) Excessive body weight & obesity are risk factors for many physical ailments including what?
7) Research indicates that individuals who are 30 or more pounds overweight lose about how many years
of life?
8) Severe obesity (BMI > 45) at a young age, may cut up to how many years off one's life?
9) About what % of people in the US are underweight?
10) Define the following eating disorders:
A) Anorexia nervosa
B) Bulimia nervosa
C) Binge-eating disorder
D) Emotional eating
11) When diet is combined with exercise, close to 100% of the weight loss is in the form of what?
12) What is ghrelin & leptin?
13) What is the average BMI of individuals who get less than 6 hours of sleep per night?
14) What is the average BMI of individuals who average 8 hours of sleep per night?
15) On average, how many pounds does the typical adult American gain per year?
16) What is the most important reason why physical activity & exercise are so vital for weight loss
maintenance?

2. “OBESITY IN AMERICA: WHAT’S DRIVING THE EPIDEMIC?”

3. 1) How many American adults out of 3 are now overweight or obese?
•2
2) What are the most obvious consequences of obesity?
•DIABETES, HYPERTENSION, & HEART DISEASE.
3) Out of every 10 American deaths, how many are the result of obesity & overweight?
•1
4) What does obesity & overweight issues cost our society every year?
•$223 BILLION.
5) What % of job in 2010 required at least moderate physical activity?
•LESS THAN 20%.
6) The average American man is burning how many fewer calories each day than he did in the 1960's?
•142
7) What % of adults get enough exercise?
•5%
8) What % of his waking hours does the average American spend sitting down?
•55%
9) What is "sedentary work?”
•DOING WORK WHILE BEING SEDENTARY.

4. 10) An ACS study found that what can be hazardous to your health?
•SITTING.
11) TV watching has been linked to an increased risk of what disease?
•CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE.
12) What 2 things account for the rise in caloric intake of Americans?
•PORTION SIZE & EATING FREQUENCY.
13) What make the single largest contribution to the caloric glut?
•SWEETENED SODAS.
14) Sleeping less than how many hours a day can lead to weight gain?
•6 HOURS.
15) Sleeping more than how many hours a day can lead to weight gain?
•8 HOURS.
16) How many drinks for a man is considered moderate drinking?
•2
17) What can moderate drinking reduce the risk of?
•HEART ATTACK & STROKE.
18) One drink a day can lead to how many pounds gained over a year?
•10

5. DIETARY HABITS
FAQ

6. WHAT IS MORE IMPORTANT FOR WEIGHT LOSS: A NEGATIVE
CALORIC BALANCE (DIET) OR INCREASING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY?
•RESEARCH SHOWS THAT WEIGHT LOSS IS MORE EFFECTIVE
WHEN YOU CUT BACK ON CALORIES AS OPPOSED TO ONLY
INCREASING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OR EXERCISE.
•HOWEVER, WEIGHT LOSS IS ACCELERTED WHEN 150 OR MORE
MINUTES OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PER WEEK ARE ADDED TO
DIETING.
•WEIGHT LOSS MAINTENANCE IS POSSIBLE WITH 60-90 MINUTES
OF SUSTAINED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OR EXERCISE AT LEAST 5
TIMES PER WEEK.

7. DOES THE TIME OF DAY WHEN CALORIES ARE CONSUMED
MATTER WHILE ON A WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM?
•WHEN ATTEMPTING TO LOSE WEIGHT, DAILY CALORIE
INTAKE SHOULD CONSIST OF:
-MINIMUM 25% FOR BREAKFAST.
-50% FOR LUNCH.
-25% OR LESS FOR DINNER.
•DO NOT EAT WITHIN 3 HOURS OF GOING TO BED
(METABOLISM IS THE SLOWEST).

8. ARE SOME DIET PLANS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN OTHERS?
•DIET: A NEGATIVE CALORIC BALANCE.
-CONSUMING FEWER CALORIES THAN THOSE
REQUIRED TO MAINTAIN YOUR CURRENT WEIGHT.
•WHEN ENERGY OUTPUT SURPASSES ENERGY INTAKE,
WEIGHT LOSS WILL OCCUR.
•NO MATTER WHAT THE DIET, FOR HEALTH REASONS YOU
SHOULD NOT CONSUME LESS THAN 1,500 CALORIES/DAY.

9. WHY IS IT SO DIFFICULT TO CHANGE DIETARY HABITS?
• TWO MAIN REASONS:
1) OVERABUNDANCE OF FOOD
2) UNLIMITED NUMBER OF FOOD CHOICES.
• MOST AMERICANS DO NOT HAVE THE WILLPOWER TO
OVERCOME THESE.

10. 1) WHAT IS THE 2ND LEADING CAUSE OF PREVENTABLE DEATH IN THE UNITED STATES EACH
YEAR?
EXCESSIVE BODY WEIGHT COMBINED WITH PHYSICAL INACTIVITY = OBESITY
OBESITY IS:
•A BODY MASS INDEX (BMI) OF 30 OR HIGHER.
•THE POINT AT WHICH EXCESS BODY FAT CAN LEAD TO SERIOUS HEALTH PROBLEMS.

11. THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO ARE OBESE & OVERWEIGHT IN THE U.S. HAS
INCREASED DRAMATICALLY IN THE PAST FEW YEARS BECAUSE:
1) PHYSICAL INACTIVITY
2) POOR DIETARY HABITS
-BEFORE 1990, NOT A SINGLE
STATE REPORTED AN OBESITY
RATE ABOVE 15% OF THE
STATE’S TOTAL POPULATION.
BY 2007, ONLY COLORADO
HAD AN OBESITY RATE
BELOW 20%.

13. OVERWEIGHT & OBESITY STATISTICS
•ACCORDING TO WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: AN ESTIMATED 35% OF THE ADULT
POPULATION IN INDUSTRIALIZED NATIONS IS OBESE
•FROM 1960-2002 ADULT OBESITY INCREASED FROM 13% TO 30%
•THE AVERAGE WEIGHT OF AMERICAN ADULTS (20-74) HAS INCREASED BY 25+
POUNDS SINCE 1965
•IN THE LAST DECADE ALONE THE AVERAGE WEIGHT OF U.S. ADULTS HAS
INCREASED BY 15 POUNDS
•MORE THAN 1/2 OF ALL ADULTS IN THE U.S. DO NOT ACHIEVE THE MINIMUM
RECOMMENDED AMOUNT OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
•WHAT % OF US POPULATION 20 YEARS+ HAVE A BMI GREATER THAN 25?
•68%
•WHAT % OF US POPULATION 20 YEARS+ HAVE A BMI GREATER THAN 30?
•34%

14. HEALTH CONSEQUENCES
-OBESITY & UNHEALTHY LIFESTYLE LIFESTYLE HABITS ARE THE MOST CRITICAL PUBLIC HEALTH
PROBLEMS WE FACE IN THE 21ST CENTURY
-EXCESSIVE BODY WEIGHT & OBESITY ARE RISK FACTORS FOR MANY PHYSICAL AILMENTS INCLUDING
WHAT?
-CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, TYPE 2 DIABETES, SOME TYPES OF CANCER
-EXCESSIVE BODY WEIGHT COMBINED WITH PHYSICAL INACTIVITY CAUSES MORE THAN 112,000
DEATHS/YEAR
-OBESITY IS MORE PREVALENT THAN SMOKING (19%), POVERTY (14%), & PROBLEM DRINKING (6%)
-WHAT IS THE ESTIMATED TOTAL COST ATTRIBUTABLE TO TREATING OBESITY-REALTED DISEASES EACH
YEAR?
-$117 BILLION/YEAR
-RESEARCH INDICATES THAT INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE 30+ POUNDS OVERWEIGHT DURING MIDDLE AGE (30-
49) LOSE ABOUT HOW MANY YEARS OF LIFE?
-7 YEARS
-SEVERE OBESITY (BMI 45+) AT A YOUNG AGE MAY CUT UP TO HOW MANY YEARS OFF ONE’S LIFE?
-20 YEARS

15. OBESITY AS A
RESULT OF A
LACK OF
PHYSICAL
ACTIVITY

16. FITNESS ILLUSION
”MONEY BEING SPENT ON FITNESS GOES UP BUT THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE EXERCISING GOES DOWN.”
--PEOPLE PURCHASE FITNESS RELATED MERCHANDISE & SERVICES BELIEVING THAT MERELY OWNING THESE
GOODS & SERVICES WILL MAKE THEIR BODIES FIT
-ON AVERAGE, HOW MANY POUNDS DOES THE TYPICAL ADULT AMERICAN GAIN PER YEAR?
-1-2 POUNDS
-2000:
-MORE THAN 50% OF AMERICANS DID NOT EXERCISE
-FITNESS CLUB INDUSTRY: $10.6 BILLION
-50% OF NEW FITNESS CLUB MEMBERSHIPS QUIT WITHIN 6 MONTHS
-TODAY:
-PEOPLE SPEND ABOUT HOW MUCH MONEY YEARLY ATTEMPTING TO LOSE WEIGHT?
-$40 BILLION/YEAR
-$10 BILLION TO MEMBERSHIPS IN WEIGHT REDUCTION CENTERS & $30 BILLION TO DIET FOOD SALES.
-ABOUT 44% OF ALL WOMEN & 29% OF ALL MEN ARE ON A DIET AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT
-WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT REASON WHY PHYSICAL ACTIVITY & EXERCISE ARE SO VITAL FOR WEIGHT LOSS
MAINTENANCE?
-SEDENTARY LIVING EXPENDS NO ADDITIONAL ENERGY (CALORIES) OVER THE RESTING
METABOLIC RATE

17. WEIGHT LOSS DILEMMA
-ABOUT 10% OF ALL PEOPLE WHO BEGIN A TRADITIONAL WEIGHT LOSS
PROGRAM WITHOUT EXERCISE ARE ABLE TO LOSE THE DESIRED WEIGHT
-OF THOSE 10% ONLY 5% ARE ABLE TO KEEP THE WEIGHT OFF
-WHY?
-THE BODY IS HIGHLY RESISTANT TO PERMANENT WEIGHT CHANGES
THROUGH CALORIC RESTRICTIONS ALONE
-THE $40 BILLION DIET INDUSTRY TRIES TO CAPITALIZE ON THE FALSE IDEA
THAT A PERSON CAN LOSE WEIGHT QUICKLY WITHOUT CONSIDERING:
1) THE CONSEQUENCES OF FAST WEIGHT LOSS
2) THE IMPORTANCE OF LIFETIME BEHAVIORAL CHANGES TO ENSURE
PROPER WEIGHT LOSS & MAINTENANCE
-WHEN DIET IS COMBINED WITH EXERCISE CLOSE TO 100% OF THE WEIGHT
LOSS IS IN THE FORM OF WHAT?
-FAT (LEAN TISSUE MAY ACTUALLY INCREASE)

18. SLEEP DEPRIVATION & WEIGHT MANAGEMENT
-WHAT IS THE AVERAGE BMI OF INDIVIDUALS WHO GET LESS THAN 6 HOURS OF SLEEP/NIGHT?
-28.3
-WHAT IS THE AVERAGE BMI OF INDIVIDUALS WHO AVERAGE 8 HOURS OF SLEEP/NIGHT?
-24.5
-SLEEP DEPRIVATION INTERFERES WITH THE BODY’S CAPABILITY TO LOSE WEIGHT
-LACK OF SLEEP DISRUPTS NORMAL BODY HORMONAL BALANCES
GHRELIN:
-HORMONE PROIDUCED PRIMARILY IN THE STOMACH THAT STIMULATES APPETITE.
LEPTIN:
-HORMONE PRIDUCED BY FAT CELLS THAT LETS BRAIN KNOW WHEN YOU ARE FULL.
-SLEEP DEPRIVATION ELEVATES GHRELIN LEVELS & DECREASES LEPTIN LEVELS.