When we are at the counter buying fast food, we a number of times increase our order for the fries from medium or large size to a jumbo size or mega size. Quite frequently we go through this process without even thinking what we are doing.

We may be doing this without any active thought process, but there's a hidden cost associated with those larger portions, not even counting the health consequences of developing obesity. A team of scientists from University of Wisconsin-Madison recently has analyzed this issue and computed how a number of dollars a single bout of overeating can incur in costs over the next year. I know without you telling me, none of us consider one episode of over eating as having serious consequences, but this has to be viewed in the context of ever growing problem of obesity in our country.

It's a fact that we don't need to evaluate the growing national problems associated with obesity and intricate statistics when we order our next super size fries. But it must remembered that obesity predicted to increase from the current level of 30 percent to 40 % of our population by 2010, and you might be included in that extra 10 %. Researches from University of Wisconsin-Madison state that for that extra 67 cents you give for up sizing your fast food-menu, you get 36 grams of weight. This weight gain would cause increased expenditure for energy needs like home heating, gasoline and health costs amounting anywhere between 4.06 dollars and $7.72 for males and dollars 3.10 and dollars 4.53 for females, based on their body type. It might appear to be economical to change your meal to super size while you are already buying a meal. Going to the super size will get you 73 % extra calories for only an additional 17 % in price of the order. Be aware of the fact that saving of few cents or pennies has unseen financial costs, which drive the cost of that meal up between 191 and 123 percent.

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