Anyone use HealthyWage? (They pay you if you lose weight)

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cee134
cee134 Posts: 33,711 Member
edited January 2016 in Motivation and Support
Hello,

Has anyone used the site HealthyWage? The idea is that money motivates. It is based on research that shows that money enhances weight loss success, making dieters significantly more likely to lose weight. You make a wager that you will lose weight by a certain time, and if you do it, you win a certain amount of money. (you get to pick how much weight you lose and by when). There is a monthly fee (Which you pick), but if you complete your goal, then you get it all back plus what you win. The theory is if you have something to lose and to win, it will motivate you to lose weight, and it helps by giving you a clear goal.

I would like thoughts about this. I might as well get paid to lose weight, but I want to know if anyone out there has done it? I have to admit it would be a good motivator for me.

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  • LHWhite903
    LHWhite903 Posts: 208 Member
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    Never tried it, but I've heard of similar apps/sites that do the same with completing workouts and such. Personal gain is a powerful motivation for most people to do just about anything. If it linked with MFP or Fitbit, and had I the money to wager, I would try it once just to see how I would do. :smiley: Just once, though. I don't want to put too much pressure on myself to lose by a certain time only to have something come up in life that could derail my efforts. I guess a simple goal, like 2-5 pounds in a month wouldn't be so bad.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    My guess is that they take in a lot more than they end up having to pay out otherwise it would be a crappy business model.
  • HorrorGeekLiz
    HorrorGeekLiz Posts: 195 Member
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    I've used Diet Bet. I thought the money would be a more powerful motivator than it was, but that's just me. There are people on there that swear by it. I can confirm that if you win, you get your money. There's no scam.

    What they do is they put everyone in the game's money into a pot. At the end, they skim 25% for themselves (that's their business model), then everyone who wins splits the rest. They guarantee you won't lose money if you win, so if everyone in the whole game wins, they forfeit their cut to ensure you at least get your buy in back. Every month long game I played in, I won and made a profit. The 6 month games is where I had issues. I did great the first two months, then the money stopped being enough incentive and I'd bomb out. This is not uncommon, but the winners love it. By the end of the 6 months, you can make quite a bit.
  • pondee629
    pondee629 Posts: 2,469 Member
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    If money was such a motivator, would so many people abandon their gym memberships?

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