Lose That Weight Or Drop Those Dollars: The Price Tag On Being Obese

Research proves being obese can put a strain on both your body and your wallet.

By: Taren Vaughan

Obesity continues to be a condition that graces the headlines of most health news websites. Even with the likes of political icons like Michelle Obama attempting to raise awareness on the subject at hand, the number of obese individuals continues to rise. It is clear that obesity has no preference when it comes to sex. Both men and women are affected by it physically. But the impact that it has on a woman’s pockets is rather shocking.

Researchers at George Washington University found that women who are overweight spend a total of $524 more dollars a year than women who are not. And compared to the obese man, they drop more cash than they do also, with obese men spending $432 more than average sized men. Now one would assume that the obese woman probably has to make more trips to the doctor’s office and take much more medication than a woman of normal size. That’s probably why she has to spend more money. Oh but it doesn’t stop there. They also found that both heavier men and women spend more on gas than average sized men and women do. That’s strange. I thought we all spend crazy amounts of money on gas. Guess I was wrong.

Assuming that they probably aren’t huge fans of walking places, most obese individuals will hop in their car to get where they need to go. Not to say that that’s the case for all of them because I’m sure it’s not. But a number of them do rely on four wheels to get from point A to B. The overall cost for an obese man is around $3,000 a year while an obese woman’s cost is around a grand total of $5,000 a year. $5,000 is no small chunk of change at all I don’t care what size you are. And even if our economy wasn’t on its last limb, who would want to spend that kind of money due to some extra pounds?

Looking from a career perspective, it has been said that heavier women usually make less money than petite women. This results in them purchasing the cheaper meals. “Cheaper meals” is another way of saying that they rely on fast food restaurants as their main sources of food. However, this statement doesn’t ring true for obese men as their occupations don’t really play a part in how much weight that they put on.

Aside from the fact that you have to spend so much money, one may ask how is it that women seem to be suffering more when it comes to this. Aren’t we the ones who tend to be obsessive about our weight? Some of us will go days, sometimes weeks, starving ourselves to death to fit into our wedding and prom dresses. Not to mention that most women are addicted to shopping. So why would we put ourselves in the position to blow that kind of money?

Truth is there are various underlying reasons as to why people become obese. It could be from excessive eating due to depression, taking certain medications or having physical disabilities that harbor them from exercising the way that they wish to. On the other hand, some people carry more weight because they are just flat out lazy and avoid the gym like the plague. As much as we harp on the fact that being extremely overweight affects one’s health, we often don’t stop to think about how costly it can be. Being obese is by far a true risk to your physical health. But it can put a huge damper on your bank account as well.

Source: NY Daily News