Massive media marketing surrounds Ozempic, Wegovy, and other weight reduction products, a topic important not only to economists but to anyone who pays taxes for Medicare and other health programs. A recent report by the U.S. Joint Economic Committee estimates obesity will result in $8.2 to $9.1 trillion in excess medical expenditures over the next ten years. Can behavioral economics provide a solution?
According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data, approximately 73.6% of adults in the United States are overweight or obese. Almost 43% are considered obese, which often coexists with other health conditions, such as heart disease, sleep apnea, and diabetes. I was once a behavioral consultant to the U.S. Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC) studying Type 2 diabetes, probably the most expensive disease considering indirect costs of heart, eyesight and many other problems. It is probably also the most preventable disease.
I developed an answer to the high costs (and side effects) of weight reduction products which I call the Half Plate Plan or HPP. I started at restaurants and then transitioned to meals at home. At restaurants, when a plate is first served, I use the knife to cut the portion in half, carefully separating the halves with space between them. Then I slowly eat the first half and ask the wait person for a box. Selective perception causes a brain to “be finished” after the first half with little appetite for a second portion. With repetition (one of the most important principles of psychology) the brain “learns” that one half is enough and within a few weeks, the belly will not want the second portion. After a few weeks of doing this in restaurants and home, I no longer had an appetite for large portions. From psychology, we know repetition is the basis for habits, so HPP is a permanent solution compared to medicine or diet plans. At Chinese and some Italian restaurants, I cut the serving into thirds, and I have lunch or dinner for the next two days. Over a few months and at least 5,000 steps a day, I dropped 35 pounds, and it has not changed the past two years.
Advantages of HPP compared to other solutions:
- It reduces food cost substantially.
- It allows me to eat the same foods I like, just not as much of them. I can still enjoy dessert, as long as I also cut it in half.
- It saves time by having tomorrow’s meal already prepared, with a minute in the microwave.
- It is a permanent solution with no adverse side effects.
- If enough people adopt the HPP program, it reduces price inflation for the nation.
The HPP program is just another reason we gave our book Objective Prosperity, the subtitle of “How Behavioral Economics Could Improve Outcomes for YOU, as well as your business and the nation.”
