The economics of losing weight
Does losing weight take a toll on your budget?
For a diabetic like myself, it takes a combination of good diet, exercise, and medication to keep my sugar at bay. For my own weight loss program, food and exercise play huge roles, complementing my dose of sugar medication.
I am an advocate for home-cooked food, so you will hardly see me in restos (unless in special or work occasions) or in fast foods (the last one I had was three weeks ago, and before that, about two or three months ago). The proliferation of value meals entices buyers that for x amount they get a burger, with fries, and drink, or a chicken part, plus drinks. What we don’t really see is the loads of bad oils in which these were fried and the loads of msg, or salt put into it. Anyway, as I was saying, I try to cook most of my own food at home.
And not just any ordinary food. To keep the sugar down, I switched to eating whole wheat products, such as bread, pasta, even crackers. My occasional intake of rice consists of brown or red rice. Well the reason for this is that you can deduct the amount of sugar from the amount of fiber. For example, for every 30 g serving there’s 3 g of sugar, if the fiber content is 8 g, you can deduct 3 grams from 8 g which makes your sugar intake 5 grams for a 30 g serving. While I enjoy this benefit of living healthier and keeping my sugar down, I can also see my grocery bills going up. You realize that the price of wheat products is twice more expensive than the regular flour or white variants.
And the huge cost which can push your budget to the hilt, but mind you gives you rewarding benefits, is the tons of clothes you have to replace because your fat clothes do not fit you well anymore. Sure, they’re comfy, and there’s no greater ego-boosting testament than your clothes hanging loose. But believe me, they look shaby that way. So, lose those clothes. Donate them, or sell them in your garage sale. It’s an expense, but admit it, it’s one reason you want to lose those fats, to fit better and look good in clothes, to the point of slipping into something not found in the plus-size section.
On the upside, as far as workout is concerned, this doesn’t take much from your budget. I remember one time my endocrinologist remarked that I only need my two feet to exercise, this in response to my suggestion that I wanted to buy a rope so I can exercise anywhere. So skip the gym membership. Encourage a friend to be your jogging buddy. Form your own group of work out or fitness enthusiasts. Share resources. Motivate each other to reach target weights. Not all fitness activities happen in the gym. Watch the senior folks in Luneta doing their tai chi. We ought to learn from that.
There are many ways of looking at this situation. When you try to lose weight, you may spend a lot more because healthy food is more expensive. But when you think long term, your expense now can be translated to better health, and perhaps longer life. Think of it as your investment on yourself and for your own future. On the other hand, you can also try to eat in moderation. Eat less, buy less.
So the economics of losing weight– In- good, healthy, and nutritious food. Out – Physical fitness and regular exercise. Choose what’s best for you, and striking a balance is the key so you don’t feel being ripped.
[...] Original post by Fat-ology [...]
Weight Loss » Blog Archive » The economics of losing weight
November 21, 2008