How expensive is it to carry excess weight?

Excess weight isn’t just a physical challenge—it’s a financial one too. With over 64 percent of Americans battling weight issues, the costs, both personal and societal, are substantial. In this blog post, we’ll unravel the financial realities of carrying excess weight and how shedding those pounds can transform your life, leading to a healthier, happier you.

The Financial Toll of Excess Weight: A Costly Reality

There is over 64 percent of Americans that are over-fat and overweight. Living this way can literally cost you money and time. The average overweight individual tends to spend an additional $400-$1000 monthly. This spending encompasses groceries, restaurant meals, doctor bills, larger clothes, and insurance premiums.

Obesity-related illnesses cause an astonishing loss of 39 million workdays per year in America. Weight gain isn’t just expensive for the individual. It costs companies who employ overweight and obese individuals.

Your Health: The Core of a Fulfilling Life

You are your number-one asset in life. If you aren’t taking care of yourself to the best of your ability, then other areas in your life will diminish. Picture or draw a “wheel of life” categorized into sectioned pie pieces. Each one should be individually labeled according to life’s priorities. For example, I would section it into faith, family, health, relationships, finances, career, etc. When I look at my wheel, I see that my health is the glue that holds all of these categories intact. In fact, the quality of each area of your life is a reflection of your current health condition as well.

Reclaiming Your Focus: The Path to Transformation

Having a healthy mind, body, and spirit allows you the opportunity to live up to your fullest potential and maximize your success. Without great health, it would be difficult to be fully engaged with any of the other areas of life. How many times have you noticed your health getting in the way of relationships, careers, or even life experiences? Is excess weight keeping you from playing with your kids to the fullest? Is it preventing you from traveling and experiencing the world? Perhaps it’s simply keeping you in a negative, low self-esteem state. It’s time to focus on the glue that fixates everything together…your health and well-being.

The Power of Small Steps: Initiating Change for a Better Tomorrow

Hmmm, focus? That might be what is lacking. How do you get focus and achieve better health in the process? Focus comes once the decision has been faithfully made to make a change. It doesn’t mean you know all the steps or what to do, but you’re focused on the end result and why you are ready to change.

Once you look at yourself in the mirror and commit to transforming into the person that you were created to be, add determination and motivation to your focused decision. It’s not always easy to get “real” with yourself, but when you decide to release the weight for YOU then results will take shape. Remember that doing this for you has a positive effect on every other facet of your life. Never underestimate the power of healthy choices one baby step at a time – it will cost you in other areas of your life if you don’t!