Rich or thin? What a conundrum

Marcela Barsse | E+ | Getty Images

They say you can never be too rich or too thin. But if you have to choose one or the other, many say it's tough call.

A poll released Wednesday finds that only 28 percent of Americans would be willing to gain 25 pounds to get out of debt.

The online poll, conducted by Harris Interactive for personal finance website Credit Karma, also found that 43 percent of Americans think how much they weigh is more important than how much debt they have. That left a narrow majority – 57 percent – who disagreed with the idea that weight matters more than debt.

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If they had to choose between more extreme examples - obesity and bankruptcy - financial fitness appeared to win out. About 62 percent said they would prefer to be obese but free of all debt, while 38 percent said they'd prefer to be their ideal weight but facing bankruptcy.

The poll of about 2,000 adults was conducted in June.

About three-fourths of the respondents said they had some kind of debt, with the most common type being credit card debt.

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Clearly, both obesity and debt are an issue for Americans.

More than one-third of adults are obese, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Americans also owe more than $2.84 trillion in total debt, including everything from mortgages and student loans to credit debt and car loans, according to the Federal Reserve.

—By CNBC's Allison Linn. Follow her on Twitter @allisondlinn and Google or send her an email.