AOW Feb. 26

     In the article "5 Surprising Reasons You're Not Losing" Denny Watkins explains why you may be having a "stalemate with the scale" (1) and offers solutions to get back on track to be leaner and fitter.
     Denny Watkins is a freelance journalist who specializes in health fitness and nutrition.  He has been published in Men's Health and other magazines and newspapers.  Health Magazine is an American magazine focused on women's health, first published in 1981.
     The context of the article is the struggle with losing weight, even though in theory, you're doing everything correctly.
     The purpose of the article is to show simple solutions to lose weight and explain that the problem with not losing weight may be hidden among random things you do everyday.  The key is to outwit habits that are sabotaging your best efforts.
     Rhetorical elements used: appeal to ethos, pathos and logos.  Watkins uses the opinions and suggestions from a variety of experts: doctors, authors of diet books and research results from several studies.  Watkins also relates to the audience by speaking a simple language.  The ideas from the experts are simplified in a way that is understood.   The rhetoric is relatively informal, for example, "keep dollars on hand for snack breaks- you might just save on calories" (2).  This solution reads like a friend or close doctor is suggesting this.   Watkins also appeals to logic.  The shows that he understands many people struggle with balance and his solutions fit to a busy lifestyle.  For example, "If you awaken before the alarm, you can get by with less sleep.   But if you hit snooze, you may need eight or even nine hours a night to wake up refreshed, recharged and ready to burn some fat" (3). 
     The audience intended for this article are readers of Health Magazine and people who want to lose weight.
     The author is successful.  The suggestions for changes to your lifestyle are reasonable and adaptable.  There are many solutions I might try, like getting more sleep and eating only a small snack before exercise.

Article found in the March issue of Health Magazine