Lose weight, earn money

mom2kpr
mom2kpr Posts: 348 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I came across a this website a while back & was curious if anyone has tried it.
You put in money (each group is different) & then you set a goal of losing 4% weight in 4 weeks. The winners split the pot. So for me at 210 lbs, I would need to lose 8.4 lbs at 2.1 a week. Someone that weighs 130 would need to lose 5.2 at 1.3 a week.
If you've tried it, were you successful? Is it something you would be willing to try?

Replies

  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    No. For some people, it is not possible to lose 4% in 4 weeks, and it would be a very stupid gamble.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I'vd done contests like that with friends or co-workers, but I'm not sure I'd give my money to an unfamiliar website. That seems like a very good opportunity for identity theft. How do you measure and make sure others are being honest? Who/what holds the money during the contest? What method do you use for giving / receiving money?
  • snazzyjazzy21
    snazzyjazzy21 Posts: 1,298 Member
    If you like the incentive, try Gym Pact (app for smartphone). You sign up, say you're going to go to the gym (or for a run, etc) for x amount of days a week. If you go, you get money, if you don't it subtracts money (obviously you need a credit card). I personally don't use it but I have friends who do and really like it.
  • beachlover317
    beachlover317 Posts: 2,848 Member
    For the right person maybe. I look at this the same way I look at all the groups that pop up before Christmas, encouraging people to lose 40 pounds before Christmas. Come on! Let's do it! Who's in?

    Maybe I will lose that much and maybe I won't. But one thing I do know - I'll still be losing without joining a group. I'll still be here for the insanity that is New Year's On MFP. I'll be here when people are "getting back on the wagon". I'll be here working my plan every day. No one pays me. I do it for me and for my health.
  • pwnderosa
    pwnderosa Posts: 280 Member
    My coworkers did a weight loss challenge starting in January, it was whoever lost the most percent of their weight wins, and they had the top 3 people divvy up the pot. I didn't join in and I'm glad I didn't because the people who won ate hardly a thing for 3 months and were miserable. Not the way I wanted to go about weight loss. Only one of the group has kept up with their exercise and lower calorie eating since the contest ended in April...
  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,064 Member
    I would never trust anything like that.
  • lsmsrbls
    lsmsrbls Posts: 232 Member
    I have no desire to lose 1% of my body weight per week.

    I might do something like that if it was a smaller percentage over a longer time, but I'm not in any rush to lose weight.
  • recoveryjunky
    recoveryjunky Posts: 162 Member
    I did a DietBet and I LOVED it! I lost 11 lbs (starting around 250ish and got down into the 230's!) and it kept me super accountable. For me, the money was a huge motivator though... I make around $750 a month (with about $600 in bills) so putting down $35 was a HUGE chunk of my "me" money for the month. I ended up getting about $45 back so I made money on it :) If you have any further questions, go ahead and ask me :)

    also, it's not for everyone... I was VERY overweight and it's easier for obese people to lose weight quickly. I probably could have done up to 5% in that time and been healthy, so just keep that in mind!
  • mom2kpr
    mom2kpr Posts: 348 Member
    Thanks everyone.
    I realize I forgot to give the website - it is www.dietbetter.com.
    For me, I am about 80 - 90 lbs overweight, so to lose 2 lbs a week isn't out of the realm of possibility. I'm thinking what I will do, is see if I can do the 4% in 4 weeks on my own (without joining the website) & if I can do it pretty easily, I might try it.
  • recoveryjunky
    recoveryjunky Posts: 162 Member
    Thanks everyone.
    I realize I forgot to give the website - it is www.dietbetter.com.
    For me, I am about 80 - 90 lbs overweight, so to lose 2 lbs a week isn't out of the realm of possibility. I'm thinking what I will do, is see if I can do the 4% in 4 weeks on my own (without joining the website) & if I can do it pretty easily, I might try it.

    Go for it! Honestly, it was a great experience for me. The people in my game (I did it on that site too) we really encouraging and weren't afraid to share their failures and successes. Everyone is there for everyone else. It's a fantastic environment :)

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