caloriesandexercise | VARYING OPINIONS

11/17/14, 6:32 PM

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The majority of Americans that start an exercise program lose little to no weight and some may gain weight (Reynolds Para. 2).
There was a study that was conducted by a group of Anthropologists on volunteers from the Hadza tribe where GPS units and doubly
labeled water were used to determine miles walked, energy expenditure, and metabolic rate (Reynolds Para. 2/3). The study portrayed
that the Hazda people generally moved more than many Americans but were not burning a greater amount of calories, they were
burning roughly the same amount (Reynolds Para. 7). Conclusively, the study showed that an active, traditional lifestyle may not
prevent obesity if diets change to promote caloric consumption; you need more than just physical activity (Reynolds Para. 8). Metabolic
rates seem to be less revved by activity than originally thought which could help answer questions on the growing weight gain in
Americans as a whole. Dr. Timothy Church, Chair of Health Wisdom at Pennington Biomedical Research Center, made some comments
concerning exercise and calorie consumption. Similar to his thoughts, for generations back that answer to losing weight has been a
pensive topic. Doctors and others working in the health field would agree that your diet oversees exercise when trying to count calories
and shred the extra pounds.
"Getting reasonably accurate information about dietary intake is challenging" (Nestle Para. 2). After reading the texts of Marion
Nestle, I discovered that the lack of precision in studies and surveys can throw off the accuracy of factual information regarding calorie
intake (Nestle Para. 2). Studies using "doubly labeled water" suggest that average adult male needs about 3,050 calories and 2,400 for
women, while the FDA's 2,000 calorie standard is 50% lower for men and 20% lower for women (Nestle Para. 1). This is a prime
example of how differing numbers and results can misconstrue calorie statistics we find online or in readings. When studying dietary
intake in American's, the majority of people forget or guess numerical amounts and this makes surveys on this subject difficult to
conduct and interpret. People tend to underestimate their personal calorie intake by almost 30% and they also tend to over-exaggerate
the intake of foods that are supposedly good for their heath (Nestle Para. 5). Numbesr all across the board can be interpreted from any
survery regarding food intake in America. Do some research before relying on numbered results from online articles, try to sort through
reliable sources where you can find the most up to date statistics. You don't want to be that American that changes the way you eat, or
how much you consume because of a survery with false information.
According to study authors, Gina S. Mohr and Margaret C. Campbell, seeing another person who is overweight can lead to a
temporary decline in one's own felt commitment to his or her goals for health (Melnick Para. 2). Overweight Americans seem to be
overweight because of a stereotype activation; when people are exposed to Americans who have attached stereotypes (example:
overweight people eat a lot) they become more likely to act in a way that is similar to that stereotype (Melnick Para. 3). The "contagion
effect" is another aspect of being overweight with pertinence of obesity....people who have friends that are considered fat or
overweight are more likely to gain weight (Melnick Para. 4). A study was conducted by Dr. Nicholas Christakis, professor of medicine at
Harvard Medical School and James Fowler, a political scientist at University of California SD. The study showed that when a participant's
friend became obese, that participant had a 57% greater chance of becoming obese (Melnick Para. 4/5). However, the contagion effect
can also be related to weight loss, where behaviors of one friend can affect another. You are what you eat isn't alwasy the bold issue
when it comes to the increasing weight gain of Americans. The underlying issue has to deal with influence and habits that can be easily
passed from one friend to another and even more frequently seen, from one family member to another.

References On Page
Text:
Melnick, Meredith. "Why Looking at Overweight People Makes Us Want to Eat More, Not Less." Time. 20 April.
2011. Web. 2 Sep 2014.
Nestle, Marion. "Why Calories Count: The Problem With Dietary-Intake Studies." The Atlantic. 28 Mar. 2012.
Web. 3 Sep 2014.
Reynolds, Gretchen. "Dieting vs. Exercise for Weight Loss." The New York Times. 1 Aug. 2012. Web. 2 Sep
2014.

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