Good morning and happy Monday! You might have noticed that each month I try something new to rev up my commitment to living a healthy lifestyle. I tried crossfit, meal planning, Jillian 30-Day Shred, and this month, I’m also doing DietBet, an online tool that combines money and social media to encourage weight loss!
DietBet is really more of a game than it is a tool: participants have to pay $20 to join and if they lose 4 percent of their starting weight in 4 weeks, they get their $20 back, plus more! All the winning “losers” split the pot.
At first 4 percent made me nervous– how much is that? It sounds like a lot! (Math is not my subject) But when I did the math and realized it’s only about 6 pounds, I felt encouraged. Don’t most health professionals recommend aiming to lose 2 lbs a week? Well, with DietBet, you only have to lose a pound a half a week!
What I love:
*The concept alone struck me– I’ve never bet money on my ability to lose weight! But then again, how seriously do I take my weight loss goals? Truth be told, some days I’m committed, some days I’m not, but I having a little cash on the line (having ‘invested’ something) helps a lot.
*The time limit– It’s easy to say “I have 4 weeks to lose weight,” but when I got the email that said 28 DAYS, I don’t know, that seemed different, like time is precious!
*I’m all about rewards– I tell myself all the time that if I lose x amount of weight, I’ll reward myself with a new pair of shoes or a mani-pedi, or if I get to my GOAL weight, I’ll revamp my entire wardrobe! The bigger the reward, the better!
*Money, money, moneyyyyy– When I signed up for DietBet, there was only about 20 pledges in my game and the pot was just $300. By the time the game officially started, the pot was up to $1300! Hello motivation!!!!
Granted, there’s about 70 players, but even still! If half of them lose their 4 percent, that’s still $37 back, which is $17 more than what I had at the start! If you need more incentive, don’t worry, there’s other games with WAY bigger pots!
Helpful Tips:
*As for the weigh-in– you receive a code word which you’ll write on a note card and place next to the scale. You take a picture of the scale, as well as a picture of yourself on the scale. (Just as it’s described below.)
The weigh-in was really easy and I loved that I was able to take the pictures with my phone, and upload them simultaneously using the DietBet app!
*Download the App– The website is great (I love all the cute illustrations!) but the app is better. Each game has it’s own board that functions similiar to Twitter and Facebook allowing you to upload comments and pictures, and log activities. There’s also “standings” that show how far along the other players are (for instance, some are 0% completed their goal, others at already 60%). You can weigh-in daily (but weights are kept private, of course), and just tons of other helpful stuff!
*There’s a money-back guarantee— On the website, you’ll see a money-back guarantee at the bottom left. Apparently, you have a week into the game to back out and get a refund on your money!
*Check out the testimonials— I’m a stickler for a good transformation story and there’s a few on the website, which I thought looked pretty cool! They say “Weight Lost // Money Won.” How awesome is that?
Now, I’ll be the first to admit that money involved or not, losing weight has never been easy for me. Moreover, I don’t think there’s anything magicial about DietBet. If anything, it’s just another daily reminder of my goals and weight loss (at least for me) is a day-to-day struggle… well, more like minute-to-minute struggle!
I’m sharing this new find with you in case you’re looking for motivation, too. I find that I’m the most successful when I’m doing a lot of different things (in this case, counting calories, the 30-Day Shred, and now, DietBet!). It keeps me from getting bored, or blowing off my goals!
What do you guys think?
Have you ever heard of DietBet?
Would you bet money on your plans to lose weight?
If you’ve done DietBet, were you successful? What helped?
{All graphics and photos are from Dietbet.com}
This is so interesting – I know I’d be WAAAY more motivated!