Comments on: I Know Why I’m Fat! It’s Because of My Credit Cards!!

By: Dancing Empress

Dancing Empress — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 05:59:19 +0000

My crackpot opinion is that it’s a corollary, rather than a causative relationship.

People who overspend tend to overeat, and vice versa. Because if you’ve passed your personal threshold for difficulty and you need to check out for a while, you’ll find a way to do it, and food & shoes are two of the easiest ways I know how

By: Carnivals, Paying off $70k in Debt, Closing Credit Cards, an Award and a Free DVD » Blogging Away Debt

Fri, 20 Jul 2007 12:52:02 +0000

[...] Super Saver: Tricia, Interesting read but bad science:-) It makes the… [...]

By: Super Saver

Super Saver — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 00:33:09 +0000

Tricia,

Interesting read but bad science:-) It makes the incorrect conclusion that if A causes B, and B causes C, then A causes C. You got it right. It’s not that simple.

By: Adventures In Money Making

Adventures In Money Making — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 17:40:15 +0000

i read that article too.

It gets my stupid article of the week award!

By: Midweek Money Links

Midweek Money Links — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 17:31:22 +0000

[...] I Know Why Iâ€™m Fat! Itâ€™s Because of My Credit Cards!! by Tricia @ Blogging Away Debt. [...]

By: kitty

kitty — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 15:02:49 +0000

My mother is borderline obese and while she is using credit cards she 1) has always paid her credit card balances in full 2) doesn’t have any debt at all 3) always eats at home. I have cousins in Russia and in Israel – neither has credit cards and both have no money for restaurants and always eat at home – and they are fat. Maybe not as fat as some Americans, but still in the obese category.

But…. This is all anekdotal and the plural of anekdot isn’t data. A study involving a poll of 32 people is hardly what you call rigorous or scientific – too few people and phone polls are unreliable. But I think Emma is right in that both getting fat and having debt indicate lack of personal responsibility. So there might be an overlap, but there are thin people who have debt and there are fat people who don’t.

I have no debt and I am slim. Yes I use credit cards but I don’t carry balances. I treat my credit card bill the same way I treat my electric bill or my phone bill – I have the full balance automatically deducted from my checking account every month. But while I was never terribly fat, I was slightly overweight a few years back and gaining weight. At some point I looked in the mirror and hated what I saw. So I went on a diet and started exercising, lost about 18 pounds over 6 month and so far managed to keep them off. But… I spend a lot more on clothes now than when I did when I was mildly overweight. I can easily afford what I buy, but I do buy more clothes than I need. I wonder if thin people spend more on clothes: when nothing you like fits and the styles you like don’t look good on you, you spend a lot less on clothes than when everything looks great, IMHO.

You can easily gain weight without ever eating out. You can get fat on “free” stuff – samples in the supermarket, pastries your co-workers bring, “events” at work. So before I believe that credit cards make you fat, I need to see some real studies.

By: 70 Tidbits and Tips on Personal Finance - The 109th Carnival of Personal Finance - “First Post” Edition »

Mon, 16 Jul 2007 14:50:56 +0000

[...] I Know Why I’m Fat! It’s Because of My Credit Cards! from Blogging Away Debt. Tricia takes a closer look to see if having credit card debt is related to being fat, as one article suggested. Tricia’s first post: 2/16/2006. [...]

By: David

David — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 14:37:27 +0000

I think by having credit, I was able to eat out more often instead of cooking more healthy meals at home. However, I would not say that my debt is the cause of my weight gain! I think they are rather indicative of a more root problem of being undisciplined, ignorant, and indulgent. These qualities in myself are what caused me to go into debt (no budget, no plan, too many purchases) and gain weight (no exercise, no plan, too much eating out). So while I think debt and weight have correlation, just like debt and owning Jimmy Choo boots have a correlation, they are both signs of a deeper personal problem rather than causal of one another.

By: Emma

Emma — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 08:39:21 +0000

I think it would be truer to say that accumulating debt / weight is a symptom of issues such as lack of awareness, lack of discipline and a desire for instant gratification. I am overweight and have debt and I think it’s changes in thinking that are affecting how I manage my money / health.

By: ladydoughgirl

ladydoughgirl — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 01:06:54 +0000

I hate to say that I’m fat….I suppose I’m in denial. I weight more than I should by about 45 pounds. I can’t blame my battle of the bulge on credit cards. I think that perhaps learning moderation can be a them between eating and spending too much. But I don’t think one can say that credit cards make a person fat. That’s faulty logic!
Thanks!

By: Cheryl

Cheryl — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 01:14:00 +0000

I have debt, and I am not fat, nor do I eat fast food. I do not think they are related at all other than using credit cards for anything other than an emergency is a bad choice, and chooing to eat fast food is an unhealthy choice. So, they are both bad choices.

By: Roundup for week of 8 July 2007: Desert Heat Edition at Mighty Bargain Hunter

Roundup for week of 8 July 2007: Desert Heat Edition at Mighty Bargain Hunter — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 18:16:55 +0000

[...] Blogging Away Debt comments on a study that says credit cards make you fat. [...]

By: jim

jim — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 13:51:06 +0000

I’m fat because I eat too much.

By: D

Sat, 14 Jul 2007 12:38:42 +0000

One question…

If credit cards are making us fat and most of us have either been maxed out or are maxed out or are in financial mess….how come when that happened we didn’t watch the pounds melt off. After all, it was the credit cards enabling us to be fat. Once they were not “able” to help us how come we didn’t become beautiful models?? How about slip down a size?

By: jaye

jaye — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 12:17:12 +0000

Hmmm…I don’t eat fast food (hate it) and yet I am chubby. Who’s fault is that? I’d love to find someone else to blame!!

Unfortunately, I’ll have to agree with you that it’s the calories in/calories out equation that actually controls weight. Bummer.

By: Ken

Ken — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 05:44:45 +0000

Have you seen the Visa commercial where the the people are standing in line ,at a doughnut shop,waiting to pay- with their credit cards. The line is moving fast until one guy tries to pay with CASH and the line stops and everyone looks at the guy like he’s an idiot.
Now I guess they’re going to say “if you don’t pay with your credit card, you are an idiot”.
Ok, my new rule is “never trust an article published by a bank” unless it contains interest rates.
Tricia, you keep doin what ya doin. Sounds like you are right on track. By the way, try daveramsey.com for ideas on debt reduction.

By: Renee

Renee — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 03:41:03 +0000

Hmmm… rather than thinking of credit cards as a *cause* of weight gain, I’d think of them more as an enabler. Like fast food. You can choose not to eat fast food, or to eat healthy choices, but the convenience, speed, cost, and tastiness of McDonald’s and other fast food have made a lot more people overweight. It’s not because of Mickey D’s that people are fat – but having quick cheap food makes it easier to gain weight quickly.

I’d say the same about credit cards. They don’t make you fat, but if you are in the mindset to eat too much and exercise too little, credit cards can make that even easier.

If they’re going to put buying fast food with CCs on that list, they might as well put shopping from home without having to move, too!

By: My Credit Cards Made Me Fat! » Blogging Away Fat

My Credit Cards Made Me Fat! » Blogging Away Fat — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 01:22:00 +0000

[...] I Know Why I’m Fat! It’s Because of My Credit Cards! [...]