1 – What is the first historical event that we can point to as contributing to the rise in excess   pounds?

a. The development of agriculture.

b. The development of whipped cream in coffee.

c. The development of more office jobs.

d. The development of fast food.

Answer – (a) The development of agriculture meant that we could now have foods we wanted along with those we needed. This is what provided the foundation for indulgence.

2 – What is the reason most diets fail?

a. They are designed so that they’re impossible to stick to long term.

b. They’re so complicated that you need a math degree to follow them.

c. There are only so many carrot sticks and celery stalks a person can take.

d. Mozzarella sticks. Mmmm!

Answer – (a) Most diets are not based on permanent lifestyle changes and can often be quite difficult to follow. You will eventually go off the diet as surely as you went on it.

3 – Which of the following strategies should you adopt when trying to lose weight?

a. Weighing yourself once a week.

b. Eating 2 or 3 small meals per day.

c. Eating nuts every day.

d. Ex-Lax smoothies for everyone!

Answer – (c) Eating a handful of nuts has been shown to help you stay full, while skipping meals can be detrimental because your body will go into a fat storing, starvation mode when it does not have enough calories.

4 – What is the most important number for determining whether an increased waist size is putting you at risk for health problems?

a. Bra size

b. Blood pressure

c. Cholesterol

d. Heart rate

Answer – (b) Of these risks, blood pressure is the greatest indicator of health risks associated with being overweight.

5 – What is ghrelin?

a. The name of a Harry Potter character.

b. A hormone that makes you want to eat more.

c. The  name of fat cells in your body.

d. The chemical in your brain that makes you feel good.

Answer – (b) Ghrelin makes you want to eat more.

6 – What is leptin?

a. The name of the dude on  the Lucky Charms cereal box.

b. The muscle-building protein that helps burn fat.

c. The nutrient in fruit that works in conjunction with fiber.

d. A chemical from fat that tells your brain that you are full.

Answer – (d) Leptin tells you that you are full.

7 – Which spice has been shown to be helpful for controlling weight?

a. Cinnamon

b. Thyme

c. Oregano

d. Black pepper

Answer – (a) Cinnamon has been shown to increase insulin sensitivity, which helps enhance the satiety center in your brain. It has also been shown to help reduce blood sugar levels.

8 – Complete this sentence with the most accurate response. Fructose ___________

a.  Is responsible for decreasing the number of calories in many foods.

b. Tricks your mind to stay hungry longer.

c. Is responsible for increasing the amount of bad-for-you trans fats in foods.

d. Sure makes your Trix taste darn good.

Answer – (b) Fructose, as in high fructose corn syrup, does not appear to turn off your hunger chemicals. so you do not feel full. Therefore you eat more.

9 – What does your body most want to do during periods of extreme stress?

a. Stay away from food.

b. Gorge on food.

c. Seek crunchy foods.

d. Crumple up into a pile of jelly and retreat to a warm bath.

Answer – (a) Extreme stress, such as in the case of an accident, turns off your hunger. Chronic stress can make you crave feel-good carbohydrates.

10 – Which choice should you make to cut your appetite?

a. Whole-grain foods

b. Whole aisles of fruit

c. Whole lot of diet soda

d. Whole boxes of Girl Scout cookies

Answer – (a) Whole-grain foods are filled with filling fiber.

11 – Which organ is most responsible for metabolism?

a. Heart

b. Stomach

c. Liver

d. Kidneys

Answer – (c) You liver is most responsible for metabolic functions in your body.

12 – Calorie for calorie, what fills you up for the longest amount of time?

a. Fat

b. Fiber

c. Fructose

d. French fries

Answer – (b) Fiber fills you. A cup of oatmeal in the morning can prevent you from gorging later in the day.

13 – What is your omentum?

a. A badly misspelled word.

b. The part of your brain that is stimulated to store fat.

c. A chemical that controls hunger.

d. A fat storing tissue

Answer – (d) Located next to your stomach, your omentum is fat that can cause damage to surrounding organs.

14 – Which condition is responsible for weight gain in about 10 to 20 percent of younger women?

a. Vulvodynia

b. Hyperthyroidism

c. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

d. Give me a break, I have had a few kids now.

Answer – (c) PCOS is responsible for weight gain in at least 10 percent of women under age 50. It is now clinically called androgen excess; androgen refers to male hormone.

15 – Health-wise, what is the optimal waist size for a woman?

a. As little as possible.

b. 32 1/2 inches

c. Under 35 inches

d. Whatever slides into a little black dress!

Answer – (b) While 32 1/2 inches is ideal, 37 inches is when women start seeing a greatly increased risk of weight related disorders.

16 – Which part of your body that plays a role in weight gain works most like your brain?

a. Your stomach

b. Your heart

c. Your small intestine

d. Your unmentionables

Answer – (c) Your small intestine, with 100 million neurons, has anatomy similar to your brain.

17 – Of the following, which contributes the most to weight gain?

a. Periods of low levels of will power.

b. Short periods of high intensity stress.

c. Long periods of low intensity stress

d. Periods of high intensity dessert trays.

Answer – (c) Chronic stress makes your body store more fat.

18 – Which activity is most helpful for weight control?

a. Crunches

b. Cardiovascular training like running

c. Resistance training like lifting weights

d. Salsa dancing every other Tuesday night

Answer – (C) Adding more muscle through resistance training helps to increase your metabolism in order to more effectively burn fat.