

Obesity is an extremely important topic to me because I have family members that are or have been overweight at one point. Heart diseases, cancer, and diabetes also runs deep in my blood so, I am by far one of the healthiest and most fit people in my family. I am interested in the topic of having policies and regulations to help prevent obesity because I believe if people understood the number of risks and costs that come along with it, they would have more motivation to change their lifestyle for the better. Determining ways that people will actually want to be a part of would make me feel very accomplished. I am always telling people how much better I feel when I work out and eat a balanced diet but no one follows through with my advice. Given my two and a half years of experience with this type of lifestyle, I believe I am qualified to write a paper involving options to develop a healthier America. Two years of amateur experience is nothing compared to what some older people know but at this stage in my life, I feel that I know enough about the subject to argue that obesity should be prevented in some way, shape, or form. In my short couple of years of experience I have learned that when it comes to eating a well rounded diet and staying motivated, it is 100% self control and balance. People do not know that it is okay to splurge from your diet every once in a while because, everything is okay in moderation. I will use this bit of advice to argue that it is possible to convince people it isn't as hard as it seems.

Source 1

In The Washington Post's Article dealing with obesity in America, Ariana Cha makes the claim that obesity has taken over the country. She states statistics put out by the CDC to make her point that almost two thirds of the U.S. is considered to be obese. Obesity rates nationwide are continuously growing and in the present and future, there will be no significant difference between the rates of younger people versus older." (Cha).  It must be stopped in order to save the lives of people that have no idea what they are getting themselves into. People deserve to be educated on how living this type of lifestyle can shorten their life span by years. Ariana Cha is the writer and chief for The Washington Post and has also been a correspondent in Baghdad. She was once a program analyst on Wall Street before becoming a journalist. Cha is credible because she has had multiple experiences in the writing industry and obviously does her research on her topics with there being multiple citations in the article. She states her opinion in the article that something needs to be done about the issue so she is bias towards ending obesity and/or lowering the numbers of it.

Source 2

Rebecca Stillwell's Bloomberg article goes over specific effects that obesity has on the economy. She lists out and explains multiple pieces of evidence on how obesity has changed our country for the worse. Factors such as costs surges, less productivity, expensive treatments, lower earnings, and even the usage of more gasoline are listed out to argue that obesity has hurt America tremendously. People could very well take this article offensively if they are in the percent considered to be obese. Factors involved in being obese are more than just the general health issues and people deserve to know that. This article tells it how it really is and reveals every bit of life that is affected by a person being overweight. Stilwell is a writer for the Bloomberg Business website and obviously does her research on her pieces of writing. There are times in the article where she uses other people's statements to back up her own opinion and argues that each of these pieces of evidence have affected not just people that are obese but everyone.

Source 3

Michelle Obama's "Let's Move!" campaign's goal is to spread the word about obesity in America and get kids involved in more physical activities along with educating them on the effects of unhealthy eating habits on a level they are able to understand. The website states the mission for her program and the steps she plans on taking to accomplish it. Michelle Obama states on the website that this is not just an issue she is interested in but it is a passion of hers to make a difference in children's lives.  A major piece of evidence she uses is the fact that everyone has a role in preventing obesity-from schools and the government to parents and health care providers. She values the lives of children and thinks they deserve the chance to live a long and healthy life, despite if their parents live differently. Michelle is a credible source for this program with her being the first lady. She is able to make a huge difference in communities all over the country. People may not agree with her actions on preventing obesity but that does not matter to her. She has had the courage not just to take action and start the program but she has been actively hands on with it since it began.

Reflection:

The question of if policies and/or training should be required for people that are considered obese is arguable because over half of the United States is now considered obese and these people should know the long term effects they are putting on their bodies, their future family, and their financial situations. In the past couple years Michelle Obama has made an effort to fix obesity in America and thousands of people fired back saying it was wrong of her to do so. People will disagree that policies should not be put into place because it is an individual's decision on their lifestyle but in reality, these overweight people are not just hurting themselves but the entire country. People are going to disagree with any type of policy put into place nowadays but that's just life-everyone is not going to be pleased. 

On the other side, many people will agree with policies being put in place because they know the risks obesity puts on the individual and the country as a whole. The mindset of people in today's society is that the obese people have made the choice to live the way they are so it is their issue to deal with. When in reality, people like myself that are not obese have the potential to help with the issue just as much as anyone else. Together we could spread the word and help those in need of education on the subject and turn people's lives around. 

These articles have helped me focus my argument on why people choose not to eat healthy to begin with. I will now look for other sources to prove that healthier options are not that much expensive, everything is okay in moderation, and there are many more benefits in the end.

