Obesity is a problem in the United States. Nearly 40% of Americans, or 93 million adults, are considered to be obese. Obesity is determined by a person’s body mass index or BMI. BMI is figured by taking the weight of a person divided by his/her height. A person becomes obese when they have a 30 BMI or higher. Obesity itself is divided into three categories, and if you have a BMI of 40 or higher you are considered severely obese.

This amount of weight can have a serious effect on the human body with obesity-related conditions including stroke, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and certain kinds of cancer. The estimated medical cost of obesity is $147 billion dollars.

In this case, students would be looking at a specific person whose story has been told on the TLC show, My 600 Pound Life. From this students will:

• Develop a realistic plan for how the weight will be lost including exercise and nutrition and a timeline for what this should look like
• Create a timeline over the course of a single year
• Investigate the effects of gastric bypass surgery