The Cost of Becoming Fat

As a personal trainer I have many potential clients balk at the perceived high cost of fitness training. "You expect me to pay _ dollars just to get back in shape?" As a father and fellow American on a tight budget I empathize with your plight. The idea of investing hundreds if not thousands of dollars to reduce body fat from 50% to 25% may seem steep. But to put things into perspective, let's calculate the cost of arriving at 50% body fat in the first place.

The average single patty cheeseburger in America costs around $4.00, equals about 350 calories, and is comprised of approximately 17g protein, 28g carbohydrates, and 18g fat. Gourmet burgers run upwards of $8.00, while the cheapest I have seen are $.99 plus tax. For this article we will go with the cheapest burger in America - minus tax.

1 pound of fat = 3500 calories, or 10 single patty cheeseburgers.

Total cost = $9.90

Now, in order to pack on a pound of fat you must ingest more than your TEE (Total Energy Expenditure) for the day. Average TEE is about 2000 calories (kcals), which means about 1500 of those cheeseburger calories were stored as fat while the other 2000 were burned as energy. Therefore and in consideration of TEE, one must ingest 3500kcals plus an additional 2000kcals, or 16 cheeseburgers, in order to gain 1 pound of fat.

16 cheeseburgers @ $.99 each = $15.84 per day - or $110.88 per week - or $5,765.76 per year - for 52 pounds of fat.

Keep in mind, these are bottom of the barrel cheeseburgers, not fancy meals at an italian restaurant. These are bareboned calories of total trash food that would make livestock wretch. Throw in a fettucini alfredo dinner or a ribeye at a steakhouse and the cost of becoming fat easily climbs to $400 per week, or nearly $20,800 per year.

The next time you counsel with a trainer and they hit you with a number that seems outrageous, such as $100 per session, remind yourself of the cost of becoming fat. It takes about $32 per day to gain two pounds of fat - that's $224 per week - and this is using the cheapest possible fast food source. Now that we agree on the cost of gaining fat, what is a reasonable cost to lose the same fat?

Finally, further consider the cost of staying fat. Heart disease. Stroke. Cancer. Low self-esteem. Depression. Pricey pharmaceuticals, doctor visits, medical insurance, liposuction - the list goes on and on.

It is never too early to embrace a healthy lifestyle. Each moment is a choice. I am extending you my hand and inviting you to join me as you make one of the most important decisions of your life. Will you choose illness, dis-ease, and a shortened lifespan? Or will you choose wellness, happiness, and longevity? 

Yours In Health-

Bret Munk

ACSM•cPT

bret@bretmunk.com