Weight Management, Money Management

Steph Wagner MS, RDN

May 21, 2013

Get the bariatric recipes and tips YOU need!

Take the Quiz

Everyday in my office with clients, I find myself equating weight loss to finances. But what does money have to do with it?

Some might say money has a lot to do with it, because losing weight is expensive. I beg to differ.

Okay, wait…that is also pretty true. Weight loss is a 40 billion dollar per year industry. Yes, you did read that right. So, are people spending too much money to lose weight?! Sure they are. Weight loss drugs, supplements, diet plans and programs are high dollar- and I think it’s because they know how desperate we feel when we can’t get it off.

So why is it again that I beg to differ?

There are several things in life we have to manage. Stress management. Time management. Sleep management. Money management…..and Weight management. We have many hats to wear and jobs to juggle. And the more people (and little people) we are in charge of, the more we have to manage.

But have you ever noticed the times in your life you are following a budget, you feel a little more in control of your stress? And your sleep? And even, your eating? You eat out less. You are following the money plan so you feel more in control. You feel more peaceful. You stress eat less. You sleep a little better. You know what your having for dinner before you get home….which feels awesome. On the flip side, when one comes crashing down…the others seem to follow.

If you’ve spent anytime listening to or following Dave Ramsey, you’ll know why I use the term “peaceful.” The name of his class? Financial Peace University. As I read or listen to his ideas on money, I hear my own voice talking about weight control. Plan ahead. Stick to the plan. Stay focused on getting the debt gone (okay…the weight gone) and when you get the debt paid off, you don’t go back into debt.

You stay focused and get the weight off, but when you do, you do get more freedom just like being debt free, but you don’t want to put the weight back on. No news to you, huh?

Maintaing weight-loss is one of the most difficult parts of all. It’s tricky not getting too comfortable or feel exempt from all the things that got the weight off in the first place. Just like following a budget is important for your lifetime, so is following a good eating plan.

In the weeks to come I want to continue to equate financial management to weight management. There are so many ways to look at this, and looking at weight control in a different way always helps to gain new perspective. And with new perspective, comes new motivation!

16 thoughts on “Weight Management, Money Management”

  1. Love this. So true. I’m reading it as I’m eating my pre-planned lime shrimp. It was so nice coming home from a busy day knowing that I don’t have to stress about what’s for dinner. Usually when I don’t plan ahead I wait until I’m starving to think about dinner and that’s when the fast food, carbs and sugar start talking….Thanks Steph!

  2. ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS!!! It gave me a much needed reminder of not only weight management but also money! Thanks!

  3. Awesome comparison! Like this morning, giving the dogs a treat for getting their rears in the house quickly (so I could hurry to work), I gave them a chip. It was SO incredibly tempting to give myself a chip as well, but the consequences are just too severe. I keep telling myself that I’ve put too much work into changing my eating habits to screw it up now…hopefully that mentality doesn’t become lax. Now, if I could just get that mentality to stick on my finances! haha!!

  4. Hi Steph! I tried emailing you back and for some reason I am getting a “Failure to Deliver” Message back. Can you shoot me over another email? I’m not sure what’s up with it. I look forward to talking with you! Thanks!

  5. Okay, this is just strange. Both addresses are saying that. I will have to look into it from this end. I just want to send you my reply :( haha

  6. I sent an email to myself from my other email and I got exactly what you are getting. I’m not sure who to contact, but I’m going to try!

    Ummmm…Facebook?! You can find me under Steph Moore Wagner :)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *