An interesting ultimatum is the focus of a new survey from Yahoo! Health and Readers Digest. The economy has taken such a toll on Americans that 78 percent of adults would rather pack on 10 extra pounds versus taking on $10,000 of debt.

When the weight increased to 50 pounds, almost half of adults (46 percent) would rather gain weight to avoid debt.

Considering nearly 36 percent of adult Americans are already obese, that's a pretty heavy statement. It seems people are biting off a lot more than they can chew (last pun, I promise) when it comes to spending and debt. Here are the alarming numbers, according to CreditCards.com:

• Total U.S. revolving debt (98 percent of which is made up of credit card debt): $793.1 billion, as of May 2011
• Total U.S. consumer debt: $2.43 trillion, as of May 2011
• Average credit card debt per household with credit card debt: $15,799

Experts say reducing or eliminating debt is one of the most important steps to retire with fiancial diginity. "No duh," you say, but how much of this is actually communicated to those closest to retirement? Dave Ramsey, a money-management expert, tells BankRate.com senior citizens are the fastest growing area of bankruptcy filers, and baby boomers are close behind. The challenge of being financially secure in retirement is a double-edged sword: "You not only have to get out of debt, but you have to take the money that you used to pay out in payments and then save and invest it," Ramsey says.