A growing and increasingly present problem in American society is that of obesity. According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, completed in 2009-2010, approximately 35.7 percent of adults and 16.9 percent of children in America weighed as obese. The phenomenon of obesity in America can be attributed to many daily activities common in modern society, such as connivance with fast food, an inactive and unhealthy lifestyle, and family health history. In body mass index, or BMI, the obese category can lead to many health complications including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. Being obese can also cause emotional harm, such as depression, and lower your overall quality of life. Obesity in America can largely be attributed to the enormous amount of fast food that Americans consume. Since 1970, the number of fast food restaurants has doubled, making them a social norm and the quickest way to feed a family. A typical fast food meal is high in fat and sodium which can add a surprising amount of calories. With a fast food restaurant around every corner there is no longer a need or desire for a family-cooked meal made from healthy, unprocessed foods. Going hand in hand with the food consumed by Americans is the lack of daily physical activity. Today, nearly 80% of Americans work in jobs that require little or no physical activity during the workday. In schools it is also possible to forgo a physical education course in the gym in exchange for a course taken in class or online. This lack of exercise during the day impacts the sedentary after-work lifestyle that most people lead. Lack of sleep is another factor in an unhealthy lifestyle that also increases the risk of… physical problems… because of what you can do and participate in. It is difficult for those who are overweight to fully participate in activities such as playing catch with a child, hiking in the mountains on vacation, and keeping up with those who are physically fit. This decline in quality of life and emotional well-being is one of the major consequences of obesity that can seriously hinder a person's life. With the rise of a lifestyle that causes extreme weight gain and obesity in America comes the health and emotional consequences it brings. The social normalities of the food Americans consume and the inactive lifestyles they live are direct causes of some of the deadliest diseases known to mankind. With the knowledge we have about obesity and its effects on the human body we must ask ourselves whether the connivance of this lifestyle is worth the risks that obesity entails.