Balance Your Budget: Can You Afford NOT to Get Healthy?

[Alex Brecher 10,494]

A common concern among people who are trying to lose weight is the cost of your lifestyle change. If you are trying to decide whether weight loss surgery is for you, you might be worried about the cost of the procedure. If you have had weight loss surgery but are struggling to lose weight, you might be having trouble justifying the cost of your healthy diet.

While it is true that you will have to pay more for certain things, such as the upfront cost of surgery and the cost of healthy foods, it is also true that by getting healthy, you can save plenty of money on long-term healthcare costs and other expenses.

How Much Does Obesity Cost?

The answer is not simple when you consider the current and future costs of medications and other medical care for obesity and related conditions. Many obese individuals are taking medications to lower cholesterol and blood pressure and to manage diabetes. You can easily be spending hundreds of dollars a month on your prescription drug regimen. Blood tests are another expense that you probably regularly need to purchase in order to monitor your cholesterol, blood sugar, and triglyceride level. Even with insurance, you might be paying substantial amounts until you hit your maximum out-of-pocket level.

You also need to think about the possible costs down the road. These can include major expenses, such as the cost of knee or hip surgery to relieve osteoarthritis pain, a hospital stay for a heart attack or stroke, or dialysis because of kidney failure resulting from complications of diabetes. Obesity is not guaranteed to cause all of these in every individual, but it does increase your risk.

Of course, you are also paying for obesity if you take more sick days than you otherwise would, or if you are unable to accept promotions or switch job because you cannot meet the job demands.

Do Not Forget the Cost of Temporary Weight Solutions

If you are even thinking about weight loss surgery, it is because you have already tried – without success – to lose weight. You might have been unable to lose weight on any diet plan, or you might have been able to lose weight at the beginning, but you gained it back within months or years.

Whether you were unable to lose weight at all or were unable to keep it off, you have undoubtedly tried numerous diet programs. They are not cheap. You need to pay for the cost of prepared foods or special diet shakes or supplements. Some diet programs also charge for their support as well as for each pound that you lose. Hundreds of dollars over the course of years puts a serious dent in your budget, especially if you

The True Cost of Unhealthy vs. Healthy Food

At many fast food restaurants, five dollars can buy you some sort of value meal with a burger, burrito, or chicken sandwich, a side, such as French fries or nachos, and a soft drink. For those same five dollars, you can purchase a can of tuna, a few servings of fresh or frozen vegetables, an apple and an entire loaf of whole-wheat bread. Even if you want to eat lunch at a fast food restaurant after weight loss surgery, you can buy a salad with chicken breast or a small taco or grilled chicken sandwich for those five dollars.

The unhealthy value meal can have over 1,000 calories, while the other options might have only a few hundred. While you might not be getting as many calories for those same five dollars when you make the healthy choices, you are still spending the same amount of money (or less) and meeting your needs for that same meal. Get out of the mindset of trying to get the most food per dollar, and get into the mindset of making the best choice for your money.

Are the Costs of Weight Loss Surgery and a Healthy Lifestyle Worthwhile?

The weight loss surgery procedure itself can cost several thousand dollars without insurance, and that may not include the cost of medical tests before and after surgery, follow-up visits, and any additional care that may be necessary in the case of complications related to surgery.

You also need to buy healthy foods. Lean sources of Protein, such as chicken and turkey breast, cheese, tuna and extra lean ground beef, are no longer optional. You also need to buy vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. These can seem expensive, but compare them to what you used to buy.

As an example, if you are a man who weighed 260 pounds and exercised lightly a couple of times per week, you needed 2,500 calories per day simply to maintain your weight before surgery – and if you were gaining weight, you were eating more than 2,500 calories per day. After weight loss surgery, your calorie consumption is closer to half that amount. Eating half the calories lets you select nutritious foods while keeping your total costs low.

Another cost of a healthy lifestyle is staying active. A gym membership can be a few hundred dollars a year, but you do not need to join a gym to get fit. Throw on a pair of sturdy walking shoes and some comfortable clothes, and you can be pounding the pavement for under $100.

Consider the Intangibles

Life is not all about dollars and cents. It is about living. As an obese individual, you might be missing out on a lot of life. You might not be able to spend the day on your feet when you go out with friends and family, shopping for clothes might be a humiliating experience, and fitting into an airplane seat or restaurant booth might be impossible. On top of all that, your life expectancy is lower if you are obese. Seeing your children graduate from college or being able to take care of the grandchildren is a privilege that has no cost.

Bottom Line: Do Weight Loss and Health Fit into Your Budget?

Weight loss surgery is not for everyone, and surgery and a nutritious diet can be large upfront costs. However, you are likely to gain the money back, along with a better quality of life, if you are successfully able to lose weight for good. Because of lower healthcare costs, better attendance at work, and the ability to do more fun activities, weight loss and health can surely fit into your budget.

[Ms. Yoyo 4]

I was a low BMI and therefore self pay (min. 40bmi for insurance in my country, and only national security insurance pays - private insurance companies don't), but I calculated that my surgery would cost me 2 years worth of weekly dietitian fees (or 1 year of weekly dietitian and psychologist fees); so when you think about it this way, the price of surgery seems even less:)

[HealthyNewMe 1,935]

I put off surgery because of the COST. My insurance did NOT cover it. I was the mom of four, living off of a teacher's salary...... I COULD NOT AFFORD IT.

I did get my surgery by participating in a long term (5 year) study being conducted by Pennington Biomedical Research, part of the LSU system. The State of Louisiana Office of Group Benefits, (the health care provider for state employees), hired Pennington to conduct research on the long term benefits from weight loss surrgery vs that from three month liquid Protein shakes with intensive counseling and nutritional support. My name was randomly chosen from a computer generated lottery (over 20,000 applicants, and 300 names were chosen and screened for 100 surgeries). In essence, I WON THE LOTTERY.

I already went for my six-month post-op return physical, and I will be going back in August for my one year physical. I am then required to come back on the 2, 3, 4, and 5 year anniversary of my surgery. 75% of the WLS patients had lapband surgery, with 25% receiving either the sleeve or the by-pass surgery. There are hundreds of pages of survey questions that I must answer at each visit, as well as a complete physical each and every time. All of the data will be analyzed.

I will keep this site abreast of the findings of this study as they are released.

[DLCoggin 1,788]

When I was in graduate school they taught us a deceptively simple principle for making financial decisions - weigh the cost vs. the benefit. Always. Without exception. Even relatively modest increases in cost may not be justified by marginal benefits. Very large increases in cost may be justifiable by extraordinary benefits.

In our personal lives, we wear many different hats. Every time we take one hat off and put another one on, our perspective is often different. A justifiable cost from one perspective may be less conclusive from another.

When I apply this reasoning to my weight loss surgery, the result is always the same. Whether I look at the cost from the perspective of - husband, father, grandfather, friend, mentor, business owner or just plain human being - regardless of how I look at it, the benefits of this surgery justify the cost many, many, many times over. Beyond any shadow of a doubt, from every possible perspective, the best investment I ever made. Or ever will make.

[ajustice 484]

I guess I have a more simple wording...it's investing in yourself and your future well being. Yes it's a bit more but it's so worth it. I've invested in being around a lot longer in the life of my child and in turn will be healthier to work for many more years than I probably would have been before. Sometimes those investments pay off!

[Mrs.RRn 2,110]

While admitting a patient the the hospital the other night, this 80- something year old with no chronic conditions looked up and me and said...

"You know what's wrong with healthcare nowadays?... People are just too fat."

I had to chuckle because he had no clue that I was once (recently) over 100lbs heavier.

But he's correct. The costs of obesity related illnesses are unbelievable, yet it feels nearly impossible to get insurance companies to pay for wls... or even for PCPs to accept it as treatment.

I was a self-pay because my insurance paid for NO wls. Luckily, I was in a position to pay cash. I feel for those who simply can't afford it-- can't afford to be fat (medications, dr visits, etc), yet can't afford surgery either.

[pink dahlia 2,513]

About 6 yrs ago, sitting in our company break room were 2 co workers, both very overweight. They were talking about grocery shopping. One ( about 30 yrs old ) said to the other " buying healthy food is just too expensive, so I just end up buying junk food and fast food ." !!!!! I was involved in a popular diet group then, eating healthy and NOT loosing weight, so was shocked at this obese womans comment. I wonder how much money will she pay in the future for her obesity ?

[Bandista 7,466]

@@HealthyNewMe -- I didn't know this, fascinating! I think they won the lottery, too, with you as a participant.

[HealthyNewMe 1,935]

Bandista......You are the sweetest!

[Margretta Goodis 1]

One of my favorite quotes (I cannot locate the name of the author to give credit where it is due, I apologize, it seems to be attributed to several people)

"Those who think they have no time for healthy eating, will sooner or later have to find time for illness."