Obistiy Ouline

Faith Adejuwon
Professor Cooledge
English 310

Fat American

I. Introduction
1. Hook: Out of adults in our country, more than one third of them or about thirty-six percent are obese. This trend shows in the children of our country too with a percentage of seventeen from ages two to nineteen.
2. Thesis: Obesity is an ever growing issue in the United States and worldwide, so understanding the seriousness and implications of this epidemic is key to extinguishing it. The paper will discuss obesity and what it is. Next it will talk about the causes of obesity then the health issues associated with obesity. Then it will move into who is responsible for obesity. Lastly, it will talk about how obesity can be treated or prevented.
3. Implications: Is obesity a serious problem in the United States? What are the medical consequences of being obese? What can be done about this growing epidemic in our country?
II. Background of obesity
· A history of what obesity is.
· Show how to calculate if you may be considered obese.
III. Causes of obesity
· Obesity can be linked to a variety of different things such as emotions, availability, and habits.
· Show a food pyramid and discuss what its use is.
· Show what a portion size is as far as the food pyramid goes. Portion size is one of the hardest things to understand.
· Source: "Obesity-Cause." WebMD. WebMD, 13 Apr. 2011. Web. 01 Mar. 2012. <http://www.webmd.com/diet/tc/obesity-cause>.
· Secondary Source: "The Food Guide Pyramid." Food Guide Pyramid. Web. 01 Mar. 2012. <http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/Fpyr/pmap.htm>. Also, Wolin, Kathleen Y., and Jennifer M. Petrelli. Obesity. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood, 2009. Print.
III. Health Risks
· Death caused by higher body mass indexes and lower body mass indexes.
· Type 2 diabetes makes you lose the ability to process glucose, then you take medications to control the type 2 diabetes that promote weight gain.
· Cancer is caused when body fat stimulates the production of hormones that promote rapid cell growth and no cell death.
· Cardiovascular disease involves coronary heat disease, congestive heart failure, and sudden cardiac death.
· Asthma causes people to exercise less, so that promotes weight gain, but people who are obese don’t exercise which leads to asthma.
· Sleep apnea is when you wake up at night gasping for air because your airway has been blocked. The extra fat puts strain on the lungs, and this extra fat can cause a person to stop breathing for about ten seconds from five to thirty times an hour.
· Quality of life is decreased because people who are obese do not have the mobility that others have. Their joints ache, and they are often treated badly by society because they are different.
· Sources: Wolin, Kathleen Y., and Jennifer M. Petrelli. Obesity. Santa Barbara,

CA: Greenwood, 2009. Print.

IV. Treating the disease
· Reducing calorie intake is one of the biggest obstacles. Obese people tend to eat too much, but if their meal intake can be cut to 1,000 to 1,600 calories a day then they would be likely to lose two to three pounds a week.
· Do the recommended physical activity which is 150 minutes per week if they want to maintain their current weight, but 250-300 minutes if they actually want to lose weight.
· Counseling helps an obese person recognize what triggers their eating habits.
· Weight loss surgery can be used if nothing else has helped. Weight loss surgery comes with many risk, but also it comes with big rewards if used correctly.
· Sources: Mayo Clinic Staff. "Treatment and Drugs." Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 06 May 2011. Web. 01 Mar. 2012. <http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/obesity/DS00314/DSECTION=t reatments-and-drugs>.
V. Where responsibility lies
· Fast food restaurants have taken some heat, but typically have been found not guilty of causing obesity.
· Video games play a role in sitting sedentary for hours in front of a television. These children are less likely to get outside and play any type of sport.
· School serve unhealthy meals, and even the ones that serve healthy meals cannot make the children choose those meals over the others.
· Parents can be blamed for childhood obesity that can carry into adulthood. Children learn by example, so if their parents are obese then they are three times as likely to become obese.
· Sources: NBC, Dateline. "Who's to Blame for the U.S. Obesity Epidemic?" Msnbc.com. Msnbc Digital Network, 19 Aug. 2006. Web. 01 Mar. 2012. <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14415766/ns/dateline_nbc-food_fight/t/whos-blame-us-obesity-epidemic/>.
· "Are Schools to Blame for the Childhood Obesity Epidemic?" The Nutrition Network. Web. 01 Mar. 2012. <http://nutritionnetworknews.org/are-schools-to-blame-for-the-childhood-obesity-epidemic.htm>.
· Elise, Abigail. "Do Video Games Lead to Obesity." Obesity. 07 Feb. 2010. Web. 01 Mar. 2012. <http://www.health.am/ab/more/do-video-games-lead-to-obesity/>.
VI. Conclusion
· Recap what the problem obesity is.
· Recap what causes it and its effects.
· Recap what can be done to help future generations treat obesity.