Persuasive Essay About Obesity

I. Introduction
Because of the omnipotence of fast food chains in America, when we feel the urge for an easy meal, Americans, in general, immediately look to the fast food nation for a quick suppression to their hunger.   Because we live in a time-is-money society the most efficient means of hunger satisfaction is the almighty drive-through. Corporations spend billions of dollars advertising to enhance sales of their products. With American catching on to the lack of healthy food options in the fast food nation, fast food chains began campaigning healthier food such as their salads and fruit cups. However salads may sound healthy but a Southwest Salad with Grilled Chicken from McDonalds has 320 calories and 90 grams of fat. Where"s the "healthy" in that. Now that Obesity is the second leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. we need to re-evaluate the importance of healthy eating. By increasing awareness of the obesity epidemic in America we can begin to reverse the trend in weight gain among Americans.
A. PREVIEW OF MAIN POINTS:
1. Americans continue to gain weight, increasing the number of obesity related deaths each year.
2. The availability and advertisement of fast food restaurants prevents Americans from slimming down.
3. We"ll discuss the solution to weight loss through personal motivation.
TRANSITION: In order to understand the impact obesity has on America we should all be aware of the facts.
II. Body
A. SIGNIFICANCE: In 1966 four out of every 10 Americans needed to lose weight. "Today, two out of every three Americans need to lose weight" (Obesity in America, 2006, p.1).
1. A person is considered obese when they have a Body Mass Index of 30 or more (Schroeder, 2006).
a) "Body Mass Index (BMI) is a number calculated from a person"s weight and height" (CDC, 2006, p. 1). DEFINITION
(i) "To calculate BMI divide your weight in pounds by your height in inches squared and multiply by a conversion factor of 703" (CDC, 2006, p. 2).
2. The...