What Are you Hungry For? Full Life's Healthy Lifestyle Blog

The Cost of HMR at Home vs. The High Price of Obesity

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California State Controller John Chiang said, "These figures demonstrate the real and very unsettling financial impact of the obesity epidemic on a California economy already in crisis. Think of the programs we could protect, the children we could educate and the families we could help if we could recapture those dollars by investing in prevention."

In addition to examining the health care costs associated with being overweight and obese, the report also factors in related lost productivity due to absenteeism, short-term disability and employees being unable to perform a portion of their work load because of their weight.

More than 66% of Americans are overweight and obese nationwide, and that has everything to do with what we buy to eat. Do the math state by state across the United States and you begin to get an idea what our "cheap" supersized, fast food life is really costing us.

Still, many people I talk to are concerned about the cost of weight loss with the HMR Program and fruits and vegetables. So here's what I'll say - take a harder look at what being overweight is really costing you. Sick days, lack of productivity, co-pays, prescription drugs ...If you do the math, you may find out that practicing healthy behaviors is a better investment strategy. (And Physical Activity is free.)

The cost of the HMR Healthy Solutions Diet is about $13. per day. Most people report saving money while on the HMR Program. The cost of an average serving of fruits? A USDA report says the weighted average price per serving of fruit $0.18 per serving. Vegetables? An even better bargain at $0.12 per serving.

To read the full report on costs of fruit and vegetables CLICK HERE.

If California could reclaim those lost $41 Billion, the state could buy 246 Billion servings of fruits and vegetables - enough to provide 18 servings of fruits and vegetables per day for every California resident* for a year!

How we spend our money is a personal choice. We can choose to spend on those things that support a healthier lifestyle or borrow against our better health. But if we value our health and vitality, quality of life and longevity - it's time we put our money where our mouth is.

*CA pop.37,000,000