Learning How to Eat: The National Obesity Epidemic and How to Live a Lean and Long Life
Learn simple, effective strategies to achieve a healthy life without dieting from experts John Macionis and Myrna Garcia Haag. Discover cutting-edge nutrition techniques and personal success stories.
John Macionis, Professor, Kenyon College
Myrna Garcia Haag, R.D.
Join respected author and Professor, John Macionis, Ph.D., and Registered Dietitian, Myrna Garcia Haag, R.D., as they address the rapidly growing obesity epidemic and provide insights on how to live a lean and longer life.
In 1975, the rate of obesity in the United States was 12 percent. By 2000, it had doubled to 25 percent. By 2024, the share exceeded 40 percent. Globally, only one nation (Kuwait) tops the U.S. in terms of obesity. The more we obsess over diets, the heavier we become. Can a health catastrophe be averted? The answer is "yes," and the fix is simpler than you might expect!
Professor Macionis, author of best-selling college textbooks in social science, brings his expertise to this critical issue. He will share his personal journey of overcoming obesity and improving his health using the Myrna Method.
Joining him is Myrna Garcia Haag, R.D., a registered dietitian with decades of experience in nutrition and wellness. Myrna has developed cutting-edge nutrition balancing techniques that address the metabolic triggers of overeating, helping patients achieve their leanest and healthiest weight without dieting. Her work has also benefited athletes, including her own impressive achievements as a multi-sport athlete and Ironman competitor. Myrna's insights into the science of nutrition and her practical approach to healthy living will provide attendees with valuable tools for lasting change.
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About the speakers
John Macionis, Professor, Kenyon College
John J. Macionis has lived “a sociology life,” both as a textbook author and as a classroom teacher, for more than 50 years. This journey began at Cornell University, where John earned a bachelor’s degree, majoring in sociology, and continued as he completed a doctorate in sociology, which was awarded by the University of Pennsylvania.
John’s publications are wide-ranging, focusing on community life in the United States, interpersonal intimacy in families, effective teaching, the anatomy of humor, new information technology, and the importance of global education. John has authored a number of leading titles in sociology. Society: The Basics, the most popular introductory title in the field, is now available in its 16th Edition. The full-length Macionis introductory title is Sociology, which is now available in its 18th Edition. These titles are used around the world, in English and translated into more than a dozen other languages. He collaborates on international editions of these titles: Society: The Basics: Canadian Edition, Sociology: Canadian Edition, and Sociology: A Global Introduction. He is also the author of Social Problems, which is available in 9th edition. In addition, Macionis edited the best-selling anthology Seeing Ourselves: Classic, Contemporary, and Cross-Cultural Readings in Sociology, also available in a Canadian edition. Macionis and Vincent Parrillo have written the leading urban studies text, Cities and Urban Life, currently in the 6th Edition and in a number of international translations. For the latest on all Macionis learning titles, as well as how sociology encourages social change, visit the author’s personal website ( or ).
The American Sociological Association presented Macionis with its award for Distinguished Contributions in Teaching, citing his innovative use of global material and new teaching technology in his classroom titles.
John Macionis retired from full-time teaching at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, where he served as Professor and Distinguished Scholar of Sociology. During his long career at Kenyon, he chaired the sociology department, directed the college’s multidisciplinary program in humane studies, presided over the campus senate, was president of the college’s faculty, and taught sociology to thousands of students. Kenyon recognized his decades of service by conferring on him an honorary doctorate of humane letters.
Professor Macionis has been active in academic programs in other countries, having traveled to some 50 nations. He writes, “I have always been an ambitious traveler, eager to learn and, through the texts, to share much of what I discover with students, many of whom know little about the rest of the world. For me, traveling and writing are all dimensions of teaching. First, and foremost, I am a teacher. A passion for teaching animates everything I do.”
John applies the same passion to ensuring that his ɫèAV titles have best-in-class content. He prepares all the supplementary material for each of his titles.
In his free time, John enjoys tennis, swimming, reading, and performing oldies rock-and-roll, some of which is available at his website. He is an environmental activist in the Lake George region of New York’s Adirondack Mountains, working with a number of organizations, including the Lake George Land Conservancy, where he served for more than a decade as president of the board of directors. Currently, his nonprofit focus is expanding knowledge and understanding of U.S. history, and he now serves as vice-chair of the board of trustees of Fort Ticonderoga, a national center of teaching and learning that offers a broad range of digital historical material.
Myrna Garcia Haag, R.D.
Myrna Garcia Haag earned a degree in business administration from Michigan State University. She went on to own and operate a fitness studio and a personal raining business, and she served as general manager of the leading athletic facility in her hometown. She also participated in a successful family business.
At age fifty-five, Myrna returned to school, earning a degree in nutrition and gaining accreditation as a Registered Dietitian. She then built a clinical nutrition practice, treating patients with chronic illnesses.
Years of research and engaging with hundreds of patients led Myrna to develop nutrition balancing techniques that turn off the metabolic triggers hat cause overeating. With this science, she has helped patients approach their leanest and healthiest weight—without dieting.
Myrna’s research has also produced guidelines that empower athletes to gain a competitive edge. For more than fifty years, he has been a multi-sport athlete, beginning with swimming in high school and college and, later on, competing in triathlons. n 1988, she participated in her first Hawaii Iron-man triathlon, completing a 2.5-mile ocean swim followed by a 112-mile bicycle course and a 26.2-mile marathon. By 2004, Myrna was ranked 5th in the United States and 11th in the world for her age group n the USA Triathlon Championship. She has also completed a number of marathons. An avid cyclist, Myrna trains by riding more than 150 miles per week. Now past the age of sixty-five, he continues to compete in open-water distance swims.
For almost half a century, Myrna has been a wellness coach and group exercise trainer with certifications from the Kenneth Cooper Institute, YMCA, and the Athletics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA). She developed the Challenge exercise class, which, for more than 35 years, has successfully decreased body fat and increased athletic performance. Myrna’s exercise programs emphasize cardiovascular conditioning, isometrics, plyometrics, core strength, and proper body alignment.
Myrna is an active citizen, giving back to her community through her charitable foundation that supports veterans and free-choice education. She is guided by a mission to positively change people’s lives.