There are several ways to deal with an out of control weight problem from a health standpoint, but from a life insurance point of view it’s pretty clear cut. If you are morbidly obese the best case is that you will have to pay more than the average person for your life insurance and in the worst case, you may not be able to get life insurance at all.

Some years ago I followed the programs Biggest Loser and Fat March, reality programs about morbidly obese people trying to get back to some semblance of normal through diet and exercise and in the case of Fat March, an excruciating several hundred mile walk in an attempt to drop weight. I tracked these programs as people went from uninsurable weights to insurable rates, and in the case of one person, all the way to a preferred rate build. I posted an interview with one of the participants to talk about their experience and what happened when they left the program. Clearly they had tried drastic measures to get their weight in check. For him it didn’t work. For some it did.

I know there are those who would take exception to a guy my size, 5’10, 180, having an opinion on how to deal with weight issues, but I haven’t always been 175 pounds and I know how much work it can take to shed 50 pounds and how must compound exponentially with each additional 50 pounds. I also know that I could go on an ice cream binge and put on 15 or 20 pounds when I was younger and it didn’t take a lot of effort to dump the excess. Now, as I crash in on 60 I can come back from a vacation having enjoyed a little too much food, and I have to work my rear off to shed 5 or 6 pounds. Again there are plenty out there who would shake their heads at why I fuss over getting back down to 175, and maybe it’s just the way I’m built, but when my weight goes up, my clothes are too tight and I’m not comfortable.

I know. This is about obesity life insurance and whether your issue is with your clothes, your health or your fight to get affordable life insurance, should drastic measures be considered? Drastic means different things to different people. Being on Biggest Loser or going through that type of boot camp diet and exercise program is certainly drastic and it takes a highly motivated person to make that work on their own, let alone on national TV. I’m working with a husband and wife right now who joined Weight Watchers and started their own exercise program and 18 months later they are both 75 pounds lighter. That’s drastic but having that spousal, same mission support system is getting it done for them. I’m currently working with another client who had a gastric bypass operation 17 months ago. He started at 340 pounds and his weight has been stable now for several months at 200. He is running 25 miles a week and assures me that the operation did what he couldn’t do on his own and now that he’s there, he is relearning a lifestyle that will ensure the weight stays off. That’s drastic.

Seriously dealing with an obesity challenge takes drastic measures. I’m not saying it has to be boot camp, Weight Watchers or gastric bypass, but it takes a focus and seriousness that is way beyond normal and has to be maintained for the rest of a person’s life…….drastic measures. The great news is that with those drastic measures comes vastly improved health and energy and the good news is that you can pay a lot less for life insurance. The other good news is that I can help you get the life insurance you need whatever end of those drastic measures you’re on.

Bottom line. I was really ticked when I found out that according to BMI calculations I am overweight even at 118, but it’s all I can do to exercise daily and try to control my ice cream intake and stay overweight. If you have any questions or want to discuss what life insurance would cost now and hypothetically what it would cost for a smaller you, call or email me directly. My name is Ed Hinerman and I’m overweight. Let’s talk.