Kristin B. , like many Americans is overweight.Kristin is 43-year-old and a mother of two. She has gained 40 pounds since the birth of her youngest...

3.                 Kristin B. , like many Americans is overweight. Kristin is 43-year-old and a mother of two. She has gained 40 pounds since the birth of her youngest child five years ago. She is 64 inches tall and weighs 170 pounds with a BMI of 29.2. Her waist circumference is 37.5 inches. Kristin can't figure out why it is so hard to lose weight and keep it off. 

Kristin decides something must be wrong with her to be such a dieting failure. Maybe she just doesn't have sufficient willpower or maybe she has abnormal metabolism. She feels tired most of the time and has very little energy. She is very busy with her children and has a demanding job as a middle school teacher. Kristin tries to cook healthy meals for her family but is often too tired or stressed to bother, so she stops to get some fast food on her way home. To make matters worse, her seven year-old son recently came home from school and said the kids were teasing him for being fat.

Kristin's father recently died from complications of type 2 diabetes. At her last medical checkup, her blood pressure was mildly elevated but all of her laboratory blood tests were normal.

Kristin decides it is time to make some changes for her entire family but she doesn't know quite where to start. She hopes she can help her son by finding a diet that works for him. Complicating the problem is the fact that Kristin's husband doesn't have a weight problem. Knowing that you are studying nutrition, Kristin decides to ask you for advice.

a.                 Based on her health history and physical measurements, describe how you would determine the seriousness of Kristin's weight gain in relation to her health.

b.                 Using the information in chapter 9, what would you estimate to be a reasonable amount of weight for Kristin to lose over the next six months?

c.