Maintaining a Healthy Weight, Chapter Review

Maintaining a Healthy Weight
Chapter 6 Review
“Mustangnelly”
Health 104
November 14, 2011
Page 154 (Question #’s 1-10)

#1 Question) What percentage of U.S. adults are either overweight or obese?
#2 Answer: An estimated 66% of Americans are either overweight or obese.

#2 Question) How has the average caloric intake and physical activity level for Americans changed over the past two decades?
#2 Answer: In the past few decades, daily caloric consumption is up, and the level of consistent physical activity is down. Women eat about 335 more calories, and men eat about 168 more calories, per day than they did just 30 years ago. In addition, nearly two-thirds of Americans are not physically active on a regular basis and 25% are completely sedentary.

#3 Question) Define overweight, obesity, and morbid obesity.
#3 Answer: Overweight is defined as a condition in which a person’s excess fat accumulation results in a body weight that exceeds desirable weight by 1-19 percent. Obesity is defined as a condition in which a person’s body weight is 20% or more above desirable weight as determined by standard height/weight charts. Morbid Obesity is defined as a condition in which one being 50 to 100% above normal weight, more than 100 lbs over normal weight.

#4 Question) List at least four of the methods used for assessing weight.
#4 Answer: Body Mass Index (BMI), Height/Weight Tables, Waist and Hip Measurement, Appearance, Home Scale, Body Fat Measurement (ie: Bod Pod, or Skinfold Test, or Hydrostatic Weighting)

#5 Question) Define basal metabolic rate (BMR).
#5 Answer: Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is of the three factors that determine energy needs, basal metabolism uses the highest proportion (50-70%) of the total calories required by each person. Basal metabolism changes as people age.

#6 Question) What are four factors (or more) that seem to play a significant role in the prevalence of obesity?
#6 Answer: Greater daily caloric consumption than used in one day, or not enough exercise for the amount of calories taken in. Genetic Factors Physiological and Hormonal Factors Metabolic Factors Family, Social, and Cultural Factors Environmental Factors Psychological Factors

#7 Question) Give four examples of how environmental factors can influence the amount the average person consumes.
#7 Answer: 1) Movie-goers will eat 50% more popcorn if given an extra-large tub of popcorn instead of a container one size smaller, even if the popcorn is stale. 2) If a tabletop in the office is stocked with cookies and candy, coworkers tend to nibble their way through the workday, even if they are not hungry. One study showed that when the candy was in plain sight on workers’ desks, they ate an average of nine pieces each. Storing the candy in a desk drawer reduced consumption to six pieces, as compared to putting the candy a couple of yards from the desk, cutting the number to three pieces per person. This phenomenon is referred to as “unit bias”. 3) Packaging and price can also influence the amount people consume, a concept of which advertisers, restaurants, and grocery stores are well aware. Dropping the price of the low-fat snacks by even a nickel resulted in dramatically increased sales. In contrast, stickers signaling low-fat content or cartoons promoting the low-fat alternatives had little influence over which snacks were more popular. This is rue not only of food but also of beverages: people tend to drink more from short, wide glasses than from thin, tall ones, thinking they are drinking less. 4) Having more choices also appears to make people eat more. In one study, people ate more when offered sandwiches with four different fillings that they did when they were given sandwiches with their single favorite filling. In another study, participants who were served a four-course meal with meat, fruit, bread, and a pudding, ate 60% more food than did those served an equivalent meal of only their favorite course. Note that these finding apply to people of all body sizes not just people who are overweight or obese, as is often the misconception.

#8 Question) Give examples of four different types of weight-management techniques.
#8 Answer: 1) Temporary Caloric Restriction/Fad Diets/Controlled Fasting 2) Surgical Interventions 3) Formal or Commercial Weight Reduction Programs (ie: Volumetrics) 4) Weight Loss Drugs
#9 Question) What is the most effective strategy for weight loss and weight maintenance?
#9 Answer: Lifestyle Support and Problem Solving. In addition to committing yourself to a lifestyle that features regular physical activity and careful food choices, build a support system that nurtures your efforts. Successful dieters have consistently reported that having a coach, counselor, or someone that they can meet with on a regular basis to be accountable with has made a tremendous difference in their weight loss efforts and in maintaining a healthy weight.

#10 Question) Describe the symptoms of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder.
#10 Answer: 1) Anorexia nervosa: An eating disorder in which the individual weighs less than 85% of the expected weight for his or her age, gender, and height; has an intense fear of gaining weight; and, in females, ceases to menstruate for at least three consecutive months. People with anorexia perceive themselves as overweight, even though they are underweight. 2) Bulimia nervosa: An eating disorder in which individuals engage in episodes of bingeing, consuming unusually large amounts of food and feeling out of control, and engaging in some compensatory purging behavior to eliminate the food. 3) Binge eating disorder: An eating disorder formerly referred to as compulsive overeating disorder; binge eaters use food to cope in the same way that bulimics do and also feel out of control, but do not engage in compensatory purging behavior.