If each American suddenly slimmed down to a healthy weight, the country would be $487 billion richer, reports MSN Money. Among other gains, we could save $5 billion in fuel costs (airlines would be profitable); $10 billion on plus-size clothing; $81 billion from the extra food we need to maintain our massive weight; $141 billion on health care; and $257 billion in lost productivity.
Obesity also costs us in the form of bigger doorways, wider seats and stronger furniture according to the MSN report.
Obesity even damages the environment. The fuel, food and other costs noted above lead to carbon emissions, fertilizing the land and other practices that aren't so good for nature (at least in the quantity and frequency we apply them).
On top of all that, slimmer people tend to be paid more, have better jobs, sleep better and have better sex.
My fellow Americans, let's loose weight, okay? Tons of it.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
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About Me
- pound360
- I started pound360 to channel my obsession with vitamins, running and the five senses. Eventually, I got bored focusing on all that stuff, so I came back from a one month hiatus in May of 2007 (one year after launching Pound360) and broadened my mumblings here to include all science.
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2 comments:
Hi, I found this particular blog from a Google search I conducted for research and my studies. These are very interesting numbers you have posted, and I want to know if you remember your sources for this information.
Thanks!
Hi standupbean, thanks for the question... go ahead and click on the link in the blog post to MSN Money for the source on those numbers (though I don't recall a specific study... the journalist, Shirley Skeel, may have pulled these figures from govt reports).
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