Lesson 4.3: Maintaining a Healthy Weight

Overview

This lesson focuses on identifying influences on body weight and understanding what healthy weight is, healthy ways to lose and gain weight, and the dangers of fad diets and supplements on overall health.

Learning Targets

  • Identify influences on body weight.
  • Explain what a healthy weight is.
  • Explain healthy ways to lose and gain weight.
  • Explain the risks of fad diets and supplements, including anabolic steroids.
  • Access valid and reliable information about weight loss supplements.

Preparation

For the Warm-Up Activity: Write the journal question on the board, or identify (and copy as needed) the worksheets you plan to use:

For the Content Focus: Open the Lesson 4.3 PowerPoint slides, or make copies of the Lesson 4.3 Note-Taking Guide.

For the Lesson Focus: Copy the Accessing Weight Loss Information Skill-Building Challenge Worksheet.

Warm-Up Activity

Select a warm-up activity to help get your class focused and on task.

  • Journal Question: What does it mean to be overweight? Can a person be overweight and still be healthy?
    • Option: Write or project the question, and have students respond in their journals as they enter class.
    • Option: Have students discuss the question with a partner or in a small group.
  • Vocabulary Review: Have students work individually, in partners, or in small groups to complete the Lesson 4.3 Vocabulary Review Worksheet.
  • Quiz: Have students complete the Lesson 4.3 Quiz to assess their prior knowledge.
    • Option: Collect the quizzes, and use them alongside posttests to demonstrate student learning.
    • Option: Have students share their answers with a partner and then go over the answers together as a class.

Lesson Content

Review the content from the textbook lesson.

Option: Use the Lesson 4.3 PowerPoint slides to review the chapter content.

Option: Have students use the Lesson 4.3 Note-Taking Guide to review chapter content. Ask students to work alone, in pairs, or in small groups. Review the questions as a class if time permits.

Lesson Focus: Accessing Information

  1. Provide each student with a copy of the Lesson 4.3 Accessing Weight Loss Information Skill-Building Challenge Worksheet.
  2. Review the directions for the worksheet with students.
  3. Review the accessing valid and reliable websites skill cue with students.
  4. Explain to students that they need to analyze each website for its credibility before they choose to use it for their work. Encourage students to look into two or three different supplements so they can complete the worksheet using information for a supplement they find most interesting.
  5. When done, have students pair up with another student who researched a different supplement. Have students share their findings with their partner.
  6. Option:Have students rotate through the class to learn about even more supplements.

Challenge Activity

Have students who need an additional challenge work on the following critical-thinking task.

Read the following descriptions and decide which of the three you think is the healthiest person. Support your choice with facts. Adam: 68 inches tall and 160 pounds. Waist-to-hip ratio of 1.10. Eats an okay diet but never works out. Mariah: 62 inches tall and 120 pounds. Waist-to-hip ratio of 0.92. Loves to read and play video games while snacking on chips and cookies. Brittney: 64 inches tall and 160 pounds. Waist-to-hip ratio of 0.76. Loves to jog and run 5K races. Eats a well-balanced diet.

Reflection and Summary

Review the critical content from today’s lesson. Review the learning targets, and ask students to answer each question posed.

Can you…

  • Identify influences on body weight?

    A healthy weight is a weight that you are comfortable with and that can be maintained by following basic nutrition and physical activity guidelines.

  • Explain healthy ways to lose and gain weight?

    Eating a well-balanced, nutrient-dense diet high in total calories and doing more resistance training are the most effective ways to gain healthy lean body tissue. Eating the right amount of nutrient-dense foods and increasing physical activity are the healthiest ways to lose body fat and weight.

  • Explain the risks of fad diets and supplements, including anabolic steroids?

    Oftentimes, fad diets and supplements claim to give quick and dramatic results, but most often these substances begin what is called weight cycling. Fad diets and supplements have health risks that increase the risk for diseases and other health issues. Anabolic steroids are a class of hormones that can stimulate muscle growth. Steroids can cause permanent damage to the cardiovascular system, liver, and kidneys; severe acne; hair loss; and mood swings.

  • Access valid and reliable information about weight loss supplements?

    When researching health information, including supplements, ensure the website being used is valid so that you get accurate information.

Assessment

Complete one or more of the following assessment tasks for this lesson.

  • Quiz: Have students take the Lesson 4.3 Quiz.
  • Vocabulary Review: Collect the Lesson 4.3 Vocabulary Review Worksheets, and evaluate them for accuracy.
  • Note-Taking Guide: Collect the completed Lesson 4.3 Note-Taking Guide, and spot check one or more items for completion and accuracy.
  • Skill-Building Worksheet: Have students submit the Lesson 4.3 Accessing Weight Loss Information Skill-Building Challenge Worksheets, and use the Accessing Valid and Reliable Information Holistic Rubric to evaluate their skill development.
  • Journal Question: Ask students to respond to the journal question again, adding information they learned from today’s class. Require a one-paragraph response that uses proper grammar.

Take It Home

Provide emotional support to a friend or family member who struggles with their body weight. Remind them that behaviors are more important than the numbers on a scale and encourage them to make healthy choices.