Case Study 5

New Dimensions in Womens Health, Ninth Edition

Linda Lewis Alexander, Judith H. LaRosa, Helaine Bader, Susan Garfield, William Alexander

Chapter 9

Case Study 5 Nutrition, Exercise & Weight Management

By the end of her junior year, Marias efforts to maintain a healthy weight and improve her eating

habits had largely been a success. After attempting to give up snacks during study sessions entirely,

she had settled on just skipping them during the week, allowing herself to have a reward for

weekend studying. She now kept a bag of apples hanging in her closet, and a box of carrot and

celery sticks in her refrigerator, and she made an effort to eat from both sources at least once a

day. She planned her senior year schedule to allow for the chance to rejoin the rugby team in the

fall, and ran 3 miles a day, 3 times a week. She cut sodas from her diet and brought a bottle of

water with her to study instead. She was pleased to have lost nearly 10 pounds since her peak

weight earlier in the year, and she felt better too.

Questions

1. How did Maria improve her diet and eating habits? What are some productive ways that

Maria can further improve her diet and eating habits, given her busy schedule?

2. At 5 feet 7 inches tall, what weight category does Maria have according to her BMI (feel free

to use a BMI chart or calculator) when she weighed 163 pounds, and at her current weight of

154 pounds? How much of a health concern should this be for her?

3. What do you think about Marias exercise program in her attempt to rejoin the rugby team in

the fall?

4. Do you have any other ideas about Marias plan to maintain a healthy weight?

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