Do you think weight, debt and clutter may somehow be connected?

lessismoreohio

Do you think a person's weight, debt and clutter may somehow be connected? I've sometimes wondered about this. There are some older studies out there that claim the three may be linked through stress, self control or some other link.

Your thoughts?

donnamoore58

I don't know about stats but I do know when my house is organized and clean, I feel more motivated to lose weight. When I clean the CRAP out of my fridge, then go to the store, it's easier to buy healthier food. There's just something about being organized that makes me feel good.

Motorsheen

great question; thanks for posting.

without anything to back up my thoughts (what's new?) , I think: Yes.

Travel Light, Live Light; Be Light

singingflutelady

For me no. I am a cluttery person living in poverty with debt and am BMI 20.

jennybearlv

I hate clutter, have no debt, and am morbidly obese. I don't see a connection in my life. If anything having the dishes clean and put away and plenty of open counter space just encourages me to cook and bake. I did hear about a study where people ate more in a cluttered kitchen than a clean kitchen.

synchkat

My house is terribly cluttered and I'm not overweight.

Karb_Kween

I think you might be hinting at overall laziness of mind and body... I guess?

But there's a ton of variables that I suspect would dictate otherwise

Lounmoun

They don't have to go together.
At my highest weight I hurt a lot. I had less energy. My house was messier...fewer projects around the house were completed. It did not impact my finances though.
Someone can have weight, clutter or financial problems related to drepression, stress or other health problems. Weight doesn't create those issues but can be in the mix.

stephmph16

Motorsheen wrote: »

great question; thanks for posting.

without anything to back up my thoughts (what's new?) , I think: Yes.

Travel Light, Live Light; Be Light

I like this.

I just went through a rough patch and can say when I'm very depressed I spend more money, don't care about the house as much, and eat like crap. When I take care of myself, then I stop the retail therapy, I take pride in a tidier house and I eat much better and work out much longer. For me it's all connected.

(Eta: That said, even when I was depressed the clutter/debt/weight wasn't terrible, it was just not normal for me. I'm Type A and like a tidy home, my finances in order, and I don't let myself go too far off the wagon. It wasn't a huge downward spiral, just a break from the norm. Still all very connected though, and interesting to think about!)

Tanafee

For me i do see a connection. For me my cluttered room represents lack of self control and makes me depressed and anxious which makes me eat more! An aha moment!

Karb_Kween

I eat more when I'm depressed and bored

singingflutelady

I restrict when depressed

lessismoreohio

Karb_Kween wrote: »

I eat more when I'm depressed and bored

This is me as well.

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PowerMan40

Yes yes and yes.... although some times ones debt is not something you can control, if you have an ex wife or two.

rugratz2015

Absolutely, but there are exceptions

kbmnurse

Yes, messy unmotivated and no self respect======obesity.

JustMissTracy

Yes

My mom used to say some quote about "clean house, clean body, clean mind"

Thehardmakesitworthit

Yes, this is my experience also. Even at work, when my office is a mess, I feel defeated somehow. It is a strange correlation but I feel that way.

ParadiseLost91

I believe this to be true.

I was a healthy weight, until my depression. It started creeping on without me noticing. I was still managing my studies, but my apartment got messier, I gained weight, I spent more money on crap to make myself happy...

I didn't realise it was depression/ compassion fatigue (I'm a vet student), so I just kept going.
And the messier and more horrible my home became, the more bad I felt and the more crap food I would eat.

It wasn't until my friend visited me unexpected and commented the mountain of dirty dishes, and dirt (I'm so ashamed writing this).
That was a breaking point. I went to the doctor, got refered to a psychiatrist (thank God we have free healthcare), and took time off from my studies.

I'm on MFP to lose the depression-weight. Bloody hard work. Turns out I'm an emotional eater, and overeat when stressed and sad.
I haven't exactly chosen a good field to work in based on this, haha..

TheRoadDog

Just because I am fat and poor doesn't mean I don't pick up after myself.

Timshel_

lessismoreohio wrote: »

Do you think a person's weight, debt and clutter may somehow be connected?

Certainly not a causal relationship, but there is data to support a correlation. It is not always laziness as was suggested though. It is more with habits and thought processes that lead a person to be apathetic in health, finance, and life.

singingflutelady

So having some clutter= lack of self control, laziness, dirt, no self respect and apathy? I see it differently. I grew up in a house with both parents who are ocd about cleaning and it was the most important thing ever. They wouldn't even let me study for an exam if anything was out of place and forced me to clean instead. My mom has endless conversations about cleaning products and anxiety if people are coming over because the house isn't clean (it is spotless) I prefer a home to look like it is lived in instead of endlessly cleaning dirt that isn't there. I lived in a house that if a book was out of place it was a huge problem so yup not going to give a care if my books are crooked or my couch isn't perfect straight or I have a few papers on my table.

cwolfman13

IDK...I'm pretty organized and don't really have much in the way of debt except for the mortgage...I put on 55 Lbs over eight years anyway...

CooCooPuff

My parents grew up in extreme poverty, were obese (mom still is, dad lost a lot due to diabetes), and have a house so cluttered and junky, their grandkids don't want to spend the night.

I'm left with messages of "It's still good" when I offer to help move something, so I imagine there's some connection.

JustMissTracy

ParadiseLost91 wrote: »

I believe this to be true.

I was a healthy weight, until my depression. It started creeping on without me noticing. I was still managing my studies, but my apartment got messier, I gained weight, I spent more money on crap to make myself happy...

I didn't realise it was depression/ compassion fatigue (I'm a vet student), so I just kept going.
And the messier and more horrible my home became, the more bad I felt and the more crap food I would eat.

It wasn't until my friend visited me unexpected and commented the mountain of dirty dishes, and dirt (I'm so ashamed writing this).
That was a breaking point. I went to the doctor, got refered to a psychiatrist (thank God we have free healthcare), and took time off from my studies.

I'm on MFP to lose the depression-weight. Bloody hard work. Turns out I'm an emotional eater, and overeat when stressed and sad.
I haven't exactly chosen a good field to work in based on this, haha..

I'm so proud of you for realizing the problem and doing something about it! xo

JustMissTracy

TheRoadDog wrote: »

Just because I am fat and poor doesn't mean I don't pick up after myself.

I was a single mom pretty much till my kids were late teens, and I never had much money, and was always struggling to make ends meet. When the kids were getting ready for school or an event I always told them "We may be poor, but we don't have to look like it."

JustMissTracy

synchkat wrote: »

My house is terribly cluttered and I'm not overweight.

LOL...AND you have a Eunice! I want her job, is she retiring soon?!!!!

MsAmandaNJ

Maybe, maybe not. I think it depends on why those situations occur. I wasn't taught how to eat, but I was taught how to handle money as well as clean. For me, my lack of clutter is deeply rooted in control.