Too Poor to Be Fat

Having to buy clothes every time I gain more weight! Especially pants and skirts, as I gain most of my weight in my thighs. I usually buy maybe 1 or 2 new pairs of pants or a skirt every year as old ones wear out, but this year I've bought about 8 pairs of pants to keep up with my increasing weight. No more of that for me, thanks!

I agree with you. Whenever I get off track, I eat a lot of fast food too which I think is more expensive than getting your weekly foods at the grocery store. It helps to look at the sale ads to see what fresh foods are on sale that week and that will save you money.

Clothes for fat people look awful. Clothes for fat women are just horrific bags. While some fat women wear nice looking clothes they're tailored for them - ie, Oprah, Kirstie Alley. Clothes are just sh** in larger sizes.

It costs me a lot in jeans. My thighs rub so the insides of my jeans wear out faster than the rest and then they are useless. But I figure that's probably going to happen when I'm quite a bit smaller too. You have to be pretty tiny for your thighs not to touch. lol

Hmmm I'm trying to think of other ways it costs me but I really can't.


And yeah, I feel your mom's pain - eating healthier is pretty expensive NOW but I'm sure it saves TONS of money in the long run. Junk food is super cheap but it costs so much in the end. IMO people can't afford NOT to eat healthier.

Its more expensive to buy the big sizes
then add on the shipping costs for those stores you can only get plus sizes through the mail
I go through jeans like crazy because I wear the inner thighs out fast
Depending on how overweight you're talking, plane tickets can be super expensive

I know this isn't what you're asking but come on, surely cookies cost $2 a pound as well.

everything costs more to me when im bingeing/not eating healthy. always trying to make sure there is junk food in the house, not budgeting properly, not living properly. the price of a gym membership and healthy food (it actually costs me less buying healthy food) is priceless to me.

LOL I am rolling @ janesmith1

Let's be honest: fast food can be an incredibly cheap way to get calories - that's one of the problems!

You can get 600 Cal from McD for $2 + tax. (McDouble and small fry) I have a few recent immigrants working for me and they've both said that they lived on McD when they first came to this country with very little money. Sure, you can do better with rice and beans, but start adding significant vegetables and fruit and you'll get above $4/day pretty quick.

Let's be honest: fast food can be an incredibly cheap way to get calories - that's one of the problems!

You can get 600 Cal from McD for $2 + tax. (McDouble and small fry) I have a few recent immigrants working for me and they've both said that they lived on McD when they first came to this country with very little money. Sure, you can do better with rice and beans, but start adding significant vegetables and fruit and you'll get above $4/day pretty quick.

Exactly. You can get a burger for one dollar at McDonald's but once you factor in the price of the meat, bun, condiments, cooking and prep time, etc, you can't even make it that cheap at home. It's ridiculous. That's why the poorest people in our country are also usually the fattest. Sad but true.

Try ethnic grocery stores. I go to the hispanic and asian markets and never pay over $1/lb for any fresh produce, if I don't want to. They will have some exotic varieties now and then that I go for, but that is my choice. I usually walk out with a ton of bags for about $35.

As a college student, I feel pretty confident that I've figured out cheap eating. Oatmeal for breakfast every day, bought in bulk. Cheap, healthy, whole grain, low cal, boom. Seasonal fruits and veggies for other meals, very cheap, roasted with olive oil for meals. Check those grocery store ads - they've got great deals on produce. Rice and chicken breasts from costco (less than $1 per breast) and combine with delicious spices and water instead of soda, food is pretty darn cheap and can still be delicious with the right seasoning. (My favorite is any menage of onion, garlic, oregano, thyme, and whatever else I can find on sale!)

My list: Clothes - having to buy replacements because of fit rather than just when they wear out.
Tylenol/Aspirin - this extra weight makes me clumsy. I have to take pain relievers for my knees and ankles when I trip or stumble and hurt myself.
Gasoline - my weight not only impacts my fuel economy in my car but drains my energy so that I am more apt to take the car even if I could walk to the store.

Sadly your mother has to find her own motivation to lose weight, just like we all did. The best you can do is support her when the time comes.

--Disclaimers: 1) the next part is just for fun. 2) I am an accountant and I can't help it.--

Now for the two issues I saw with your mothers arguement regarding cookies. First, what do you get for $2 in plums? 210 calories, 7 grams of dietary fiber, and 44 mg of Vitamin C. What do you get for $2 in cookies? (assumes generic sandwich cookie) 2385 calories, 0 grams of dietary fiber, and 0 mg of Vitamin C Essentially you pay for empty calories.

Second, cookies are not a necessity. If someone is trying to argue that they can not afford to buy healthy groceries, I will happily point them to the aisle with the dried beans and bags of rice. $2 in beans and rice (one bag each) 2700 calories, 96 grams of dietary fiber, 8.4 mg of Vitamin C. (I realize I am ignoring the cost of the onion, garlic and diced tomatoes that make it taste good but you get my point.)

Plums at $2 a pound doesn't sound expensive to me, that's how expensive they would be in the middle of their season in Australia when they are in plentiful supply. However, everything is so gosh darn expensive in Australia.... mumble grumble serum I can get on the internet for less than $50 is $135 from the beautician's down the road...

Word. Why is everything in Australia so expensive? Yikes!

Pants. It was cheaper to lose weight than buy all new pants (and to replace the pants that my bottom literally burst through. While I was out in public).

There are tons of cheap, healthy foods! You can buy a big bag of rice or dried beans for just a couple of bucks, and it will last awhile. In regards to fruits/veggies, buy seasonal! And check your store circulars before you go so that you can plan ahead. If you have a farmers market near you, try going at the end of the day - vendors are more willing to negotiate for lower prices.

For everything else, always check the price per oz. Usually it's cheaper to buy the larger containers of food (yogurt, milk, cheese, etc), but sometimes when smaller containers are on sale (or if you have a coupon!), that can be a better deal.