Lois Campbell, a 57-year old woman has been overweight since childhood, has gained weight throughout her adult life, and has tried many diets without any success. She loses weight at the beginning, but then regains it after only a few months. Otherwise, she is healthy and is not taking any medications. Other family members are also overweight or obese and she does not exercise regularly and has a sedentary office job. She is 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs 270 pounds, with a body mass index (BMI) of 46.3 (normal <25)
a. Briefly describe how is short-term and long-term body weight is controlled?
b. What is the most commonly used index of obesity? How is it calculated and what do the calculations indicate?
c. List 3 medical conditions she is at increased risk for due to her obesity and explain why?