8 Secrets of the Naturally Slim (Wealthy), part 1 of 2

I found this article on MSN over the weekend, 8 Secrets of the Naturally Slim, and couldn't help but think about how much of this advice applies to money.  The funniest word in this whole thing is "naturally."  In both wealth and fitness, there is little that is simply natural.  Yes, you may argue that some are physically predisposed to slimness, while others are born with a larger frame.  After watching each of the last three seasons of The Biggest Loser, I'm not so sure I believe it.  This coming from someone who started a weight loss blog to battle the bulge.  Yet, like many, I remember a day when fitness seemed to come easily.  A day when my midsection was closer to six pack (though not quite) than mini keg.

Likewise, some are born to money, while others are born in poverty.  And yes, there is clearly a disparity.  However, once in adulthood, assuming one isn't beginning with a Paris Hilton type trust fund, while the other is sending half of our starting salary back to the homeland, most of us start out on similar footing.  That is to say, with little to no money, easy access to credit, some skills that allow for an income.

What are the secrets of the "naturally" slim, and how do they relate to personal finance?

1.  They choose satisfied over stuffed.  On a fullness scale of 1-10, slim folks stop eating at 6 or 7, while we, soft in the middle types, keep on going until we have reached a 8 or 9, otherwise known as "Thanksgiving full."  Here's the thing.  A "1" is not acceptable.  You need a certain amount of sustenance, probably enough to put you somewhere around a 4-5 on the fullness scale.  The "natural" part of this is that slim people (I'm told) do not feel deprived.  They stop at 6 or 7 because that is the point at which they are satisfied.  They don't desire to be 8 or 9 full.

Likewise, you can't just not buy anything.  You need food, clothes, shelter, transportation.  However, you needn't go all the way to 8 or 9 on the scale of "providing" for yourself and your family.  In terms of spending on transportation, walking barefoot everywhere would be a 1.  Buy shoes, and you're at a 2, unless they're $150 Air Jordans.  A bus/subway pass is probably a 3, buying an old beater car is a 4, a used Honda a 5, a used Lexus a 6, new Honda a 7, new Lexus an 8, new Mercedes a 9, and a new Porsche a 10.  Or something to that effect.  See, just like slim people, "naturally" wealthy people are satisfied with the used Honda.  The don't desire the new Benz.

It's an exercise in wants versus needs.  A 4-5 satisfies your needs, 6-7 will do so comfortably.  Your wants are being indulged in the 8-9 range, and in either case, you're just in the land of excess at a 10.

2. They realize hunger isn't an emergency.  In the land of the pudgy, we see hunger as a condition to be cured.  Slim folks realize that hunger pangs come and go.

This is essentially the urgency with which you indulge the wants or needs from above.  Think of it this way.  Once in a while I look at my closet and think, "I need some new dressy shirts."  I can rush out to Ross Dress for Less immediately and satiate that "need," or I can wait.  I can keep wearing the perfectly fine shirts that I currently own.

3.  They don't use food to cure the blues.  From the article, "It's not that thin women are immune to emotional eating, says Kara Gallagher, PhD, a weight loss expert based in Louisville. But they tend to recognize when they're doing it and stop."

I remember when I was living in my first apartment.  It was an exciting time, but frustrating and confusing all the same.  I worked across the street from a mall, and would wander over after work more often than not.  One day, when I got home from work, via the mall, with some useless kitchen gizmo, it hit me.  "Hey dude, check out what I got."  "That's cool dude.  Are you really gonna use that?"  "Hmmm... I think I've been spending too much money, haven't I?"

Do you remember the families from the Oprah Debt Diet?  They were emotional spending out the wazoo!

4.  They eat more fruit.  Well, maybe they don't all apply apples to apples, but the message is clear.  Fit people make healthy choices.  Just as wealthy people make choices that are good for their financial health.  I would equate eating the proper recommended portions of fruits and vegetables on a daily basis to allocating an appropriate percentage of your income to savings and investing.

For those not eating healthily, finding ways to incorporate fruits and vegetables into your diet may be a challenge.  But once you have made it habit, it is not only easy, but difficult to imagine otherwise.  Likewise, for someone who is not saving, it may seem an overwhelming challenge to save on a regular basis.  However, once you have made it routine, it becomes easy, and even difficult to imagine not saving regularly.

5-8 coming soon.

Comments

[IR]

I really like this analogy. I've read about the 'naturally thin' before and have seen it in action. Looking forward to reading 5-8

[debttodreams]

another likely factor is that slim/healthy/wealthy people made it a habit long ago to eat well, exercise, not spend their bonus at the casino etc..

once it's a habit, they don't have to work as hard at it, they do the right thing by second nature.

[Kate]

Another reason it could be "natural" is because their parents raised them to have good financial and eating habits. That's how it is in my case. My parents raised me this way, so it just comes naturally.

[Aimee]

I like the comparisons. It's totally true! And it's a fun way to look at money too.