Measuring the problem: Health care in retirement is going to be costly, but can be significantly different from one person to another. Even the healthiest of us will pay a large amount, though the more out of shape we are, the more money we are likely have to spend on ourselves. Since I believe that our health and retirement savings go hand and hand, I think the first step is to find out what you are expected to spend on healthcare in retirement. You can simply go to the AARP website, enter in bit of information about yourself and you will see what someone of your basis characteristics will spend in retirement. The more information you put in, the more realistic the number will be.
This exercise should serve two purposes. The first is to open your eyes to how much you will have to spend on healthcare in retirement. Although it is just a ballpark number, it will probably be much higher than you realized.
The second purpose is to see the cost savings you can reap by getting in better shape. After you’ve generated your initial results, enter in the data of the size you would like to be. You can learn what weight (remember this is general information) someone of your height would be optimal. For instance, if you are 6’ tall and weigh 250 pounds, enter 200 pounds to see what someone of that size will spend in retirement as compared to what size you currently are.
Solving the problem: Different weight loss methods work for different people. There is no “one size fits all” when it comes to getting in better shape. Whether through weight loss, exercising or a combination of both, there is an infinite number of ways this can be done. One way or the other though, losing weight can’t be done without change and creating a calorie deficit.