Being Overweight Is Not Good For Your Wallet … Really?

It is absurd to say that overweight people have higher grocery bills. This is not always the case. But there is one huge area where your wallet is being hit over and over again when you carry around too many extra pounds.

That is your individual cost for health care. Since 2001, research indicates that heavier people will pay two to four times more for their health care than those of you with healthy body weights.

This specifically refers to those who carry from twenty-five and forty extra pounds, as opposed to those who are considered morbidly obese. Related read: Lose the weight with this diet

The Obvious and Hidden Costs of Being Overweight

The primary health threats that come with being overweight are heart disease, diabetes, and decreased longevity. And, as we are all quite aware, if one of these big demons should strike, you could quickly find yourself in dire financial straits. Related read: Frozen diet food can help you lose slim down

Not only will you have to pay for doctors visits, hospital stays, prescription medications, blood and other medical tests (including MRIs, ECGs, EKGs, etc.), but your insurance company is monitoring all of this. These things act as signals- to them anyway- that they should probably be charging you a higher premium. Heck, they have to recoup some of the monies they have had to pay out for your care.

The primary health threats that come with being overweight are heart disease, diabetes, and decreased longevity. And, as we are all quite aware, if one of these big demons should strike, you could quickly find yourself in dire financial straits.

Even if you are able to absorb the added costs, and when you think you are out of the woods, you could be hit with any number of ancillary ailments like dental decay and vision problems. The worst part is that most insurance policies do not cover these specialties, so that is more out of your pocket. It becomes a vicious cycle of you getting sick and having to pay dearly.

With the recent increases in health care premiums, and the fact that the number of people who are overweight continues to grow, we can only expect these costs to continue to climb to new heights.

Stop Your Wallet from Hemorrhaging

The most practical thing you can do for yourself is to simply begin losing weight. This means you have to eat better and exercise more. When you adopt a healthier lifestyle, you cut out bad, expensive habits like smoking and drinking, among other things.

Ceasing smoking alone will save you between two and three thousand dollars a year- and that is just on the tobacco! You insurance premiums will drop upwards of one hundred dollars per month if you have quit for six months or longer. One health-conscious choice could lead to almost five thousand dollars in your pocket every year. Related read: Discount coupons make weight loss affordable

Economist Jay Zagorsky from Ohio State University agreed when he told the New York Times that being overweight is “dangerous to your wealth.”

If smoking can accomplish that, how much do you think you could save by losing weight? Consider that people with body mass indices (BMIs) within the normally accepted range do not suffer from most of the worst health threats listed above.

In fact, losing weight now can allow your body to being to reverse some of the damage caused by years of neglect. The good news it that it can rejuvenate and improve itself in a relatively short period of time. And that means that the healthier you become, the less you will be spending on health care.

Dr. Truls Ostbye, a medical professor with Duke University, called any excess weight a detriment to your life on every level. Economist Jay Zagorsky from Ohio State University agreed when he told the New York Times that being overweight is “dangerous to your wealth.”

Who knew that losing weight could actually save you money?