Your Belly is a Bank

Ever thought of your body fat as your bank account? It’s not all that farfetched if you think about it. Your body is trying to save up fat just like you are trying to save up money. The balance of debits and credits are like the balance of calorie consumption and energy burnt in a day. If you put more money in the bank than you take out, you end up increasing your net worth. If you put more calories in your body than you take out, you end up increasing body fat. Obviously, the goals are exact opposite in these scenarios. We want to see the bank account grow and the fat shrink, but the system of accounting is quite similar.

Calories Consumed are Deposits

When you eat food, it’s like making a deposit at the body fat bank. It’s important to keep track of your deposits throughout the day, they can add up quickly. Eating too many calories can lead to weight gain and health problems, just like overspending can lead to debt and financial troubles.

For example, that bag of chips you ate while watching TV is like that impulse buy you made while scrolling Amazon. It might feel good at the time, but its not doing you any favors in the long run. When you look at your monthly balance, the scale in this case, you may find yourself surprised.

Snacks are Like Cash Register Purchases

Snacks are the trinkets of the calorie world, rarely something you need and very quickly forgotten. Just like buying unneeded items can drain your bank account, snacking can drain your calorie balance. Not only will snacks throw you out of balance for calories, they also offer very little in return as far a nutrition. You’ll soon find yourself snacking again with very little to show for it.

Nobody wants to look at their bank account, or scale, and see a disappointing number. It’s even worse when you have nothing to show for it. These little purchases or snacks don’t give you lasting pleasure. In a months’ time you won’t even remember the thing you ate or bought. You will only remember the number that you see in front of you now.

Calories Burnt are Debits

When you exercise or engage in physical activities, you’re burning calories and debiting your “fat bank.” Just like with personal finance, it’s important to keep track of your debits. If you’re not burning enough calories, you may not be able to maintain a healthy weight or improve your fitness level. In life there are basic needs that must be purchased, like your house, clothes, and food. Beyond the essentials the rest depends upon your income. Your body fat bank is similar, there are basics that must be met just to keep your body running. Any additional “deposits” in the body fat bank must be met with a debit or the number on the scale is going to rise.

Healthy Choices are Sale Items

When you need something, you need it. But when you need something and find it on sale, bonus win. Making healthy eating choices are like finding the things you need on sale. Your needs are fulfilled without throwing your bank account out of balance. Just like shopping for deals, looking for healthy eating options isn’t always the easiest. Sometimes you must hunt for the best priced item, just like sometimes you will have to hunt for the healthy option. Making the effort is worth it when the reward is reaching your goal weight.

You Can Increase Your Income

I nice raise can make a difference in the balance sheet at the end of the month. Just like your bank account your body can be adjusted to change the balance. Holding muscle on your body consumes extra calories all the time. Like a constant drain on your body fat bank account, muscle nickel-and-dimes you. You don’t have to be an Olympic bodybuilder to see the difference it can make.

If you get a raise at work and immediately sign up for more bills the balance in your bank at the end of the month will look the same. If you increase your muscle and consume more calories the same thing will happen, your body fat will stay the same. Its important to use the extra calorie burn appropriately so you can take advantage of the new burn rate.

Body Fat is the Size of Your Bank Account

Obviously, this is a simplified way to look at healthy eating habits, but it is a useful tool as you go about your daily routine. When you have an urge to grab a doughnut or sugary drink, stop and think to yourself. If this was an “as seen on TV’ item on the endcap, would I throw it in may cart just because it looked good in the moment? Probably not. Walk past the temptation and remind yourself that you just shrunk your body fat bank account.

I don’t know of any financial planers who suggest that you spend money without paying attention. I also don’t know of any nutritionists that will tell you to eat without paying attention. There also aren’t many financial advisors that will tell you buying something frivolous for yourself occasionally is out of the question. Most nutritionists will also advise that you can eat a piece of birthday cake occasionally. It all depends on the condition of your bank and body fat account.

You can always look at your bank statements and figure out where things went wrong. Unfortunately, there isn’t a solution quite as easy when it comes to monitoring your calorie intake. Logging calories is a lot of work, but it can be worth it. Especially if you are just starting out with a calorie monitoring plan. It can be a very powerful method to learn how quickly things can go awry in a day. So even if you just commit to monitoring for a couple months, you will quickly learn to assess what your daily intake is and how it impacts your body fat bank.

So, it’s easy to see how your body Fat is like your bank account balance. If you consistently consume more calories than you burn, you’ll start accumulating body fat. Just like spending more than you deposited, your balance will decrease. As you go about your day, just think of your body like your bank account and keep track of what you put in and take out. You can learn to have a healthy balance over time.