The HIGH Cost of the Bulge

We all know how much it is costing healthcare providers (in some countries, this is the gov’t which in turn means the individual tax payer since healthcare is provided by tax dollars) to treat and manage obesity and related issues that go with it.  But have you ever thought what it is costing YOU directly?

Lets do some math — I’ll make it easy.

You head into your local Tim Hortons every morning for a coffee, bagel and donut.  Approx. cost $3.50/day.  Over one week this is costing you $17.00 and per month it is $68.00 and finally over one year it is $816.00.

Lunch costs you $10.00 per day, over a month about $200 or $2,400 per year.

The occasional family dinner out (perhaps 2x per week) at minimum $50.00 per outing or about $200/month or $2,400 per year.

Now on top of spending money on eating out, you are no doubt spending the same amount on groceries — so in fact you are spending twice the amount on food when you really should not be.

Were you keeping track?

Breakfast – approx $816.00

Lunch – approx $2,400

Occasional Dinner – approx $2,400

TOTAL – $5,616.00 or $15.40 per day

You are probably spending money on groceries as well anywhere from $300 per month to as much as $1,200 per month depending on the size of your family.

Not only will you save on the cost to buy the food, but in turn you will slim down since we all know tht fast food really isn’t good for you unless you’re eating salads with no dressing.

So when you look at the cost of the bulge – don’t look at it only from the point of view of healthcare dollars spent or money spent on prescription medications (I know a diabetic that spends about $300 per month on various medications – about $3,600 per year that is paid through private insurance).  What is YOUR OUT OF POCKET expense?  Now imagine if you could cut down your outings by 50% or more – how much will you save?  Remember the savings are not only the hard cash you will save, but your health.

Next time you decide on the $2.50 bag of chips – think about the cost to your health AND your wallet over the course of a year.

Here is to your health!

Mohamed

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