Explore the societal stigma that accompanies people who are overweight, and research current medical thinking on "ideal weight." Identify how the perception of body image can lead to eating disorders.

Explore the social, cultural and dietary factors that have led to an increasingly obese American public. Examine how the medical and diet industries have responded to consumers' desire to lose weight, and evaluate the myriad of diets...

By the end of this section, you will be able to explain the human body's consumption of energy when at rest versus when engaged in activities that do useful work and to calculate the conversion of chemical energy in food into useful work.