Typically, I'm of the anything-that-works mentality when it comes to weight loss -- anything healthy, that is. But as long as you're ridding your body of dangerous fat, I don't think it matters if it's by acupuncture, diet, exercise, or wearing weight-loss underwear -- different strokes for different folks, and all of that. However, when it comes to plying people with cold, hard cash to shed the pounds, that just seems mean, especially in this economy.
HealthyWage is a weight loss company that essentially lets dieters gamble that they'll lose the weight. "Win money for losing weight" is their slogan. "I've got my life back ... and $1,000!" one user claims. "I'm in the best shape of my life ... and won $10,000," states another testimonial on the site.
Oh my gawd, sign me up!!! What's there to lose but weight, right? Not quite ...
First, you have to pony up your bet. During the site's current 10 percent challenge, you put up $100. If you lose 10 percent of your body weight in six months, you get $200. If you don't, well, you just lost your money. So now we're curing one addictive behavior (overeating) with another (gambling), brilliant.
Sure you can call it an incentive, which organizers do. David Roddenberry, co-founder of HealthyWage, recently told The Huffington Post:
A gamble is a game of chance and this is a game of skill. If you lose the weight you will get paid -- there is no chance involved. From a legal perspective, we are comfortable that is a contract between a participant and us.
Legalities aside, it just seems cruel, especially when people now really need money. We all think we can lose weight if we just try, and we go into diets with all the determination in the world. It's when we actually get a few days (or hours) into it that our efforts are derailed for a hundred different reasons. So I see all these people who really need the money putting down their bet then losing it, because frankly it's just not that easy. Also, I worry about those who so desperately need money that they'll starve themselves or resort to other unhealthy methods to collect the cash.
Weight loss is really always a gamble. We've all spent plenty of money on "goal" jeans that still have the tags hanging from them mocking us in our closets, or have loaded up our refrigerator with healthy fruits and vegetables only to notice that they've gone bad as we reach in to find the chocolate sauce for our ice cream. But gambling our money in such a straightforward way seems worse somehow and like something I'm afraid Vegas is going to find some weird way to jump on soon.
What do you think of the idea of gambling on weight loss?
Image via alancleaver_2000/Flickr
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Comments 45
i do agree! i think it is better to make bets with family members! my husband and i did it once. He is slender. 5'11" at 175 pounds (about a year ago) i had put on some "happy weight" about 20 pounds more than my small frame could manage. so we made a bet: he had to gain 10 pounds of Muscle/fat and I had to lose 20 pounds. considering how hard it is to gain muscle and lose fat, i figured we were even and we were!! whoever reached their goal first was taken out on a shopping spree on the other's dime... we have join and separate accounts, so it was really fun! I reached my goal first!! and he kept his end of the deal...apparently losing weight makes you more fertile and shortly thereafter i became pregnant. fine by me considering my healthy choices have carried over to this pregnancy and i am right on track (he also took me on a cute maternity clothes shopping spree because he felt guilty that i never enjoyed my skinny clothes for long enough)
Most people think they can just starve themselves to lose weight but you can't do that because your body will go into something called starvation mode. What happens is your body will slowly eat itself. If you want to know why you can't starve yourself to lose weight, this article gives a great explanation on it.
http://explainlikeakid.blogspot.com/2011/10/why-you-cant-starve-yourself-to-lose.html
Losing weight is harder than ever in our world of technology and convenience. You don't even have to get out of your car and WALK to a pay phone anymore! It has been proven that money is a HUGE motivator to lose weight and it gives you a sense of competition, even if you are just competing with yourself to win a little money. If someone does not lose weight or does it in a unhealthy manner, it isn't the fault of HealthyWage(HW). They email those enrolled with healthy tips and ideas to be successful and post on their Facebook encouragement to stay focused. People need to be responsible for their own actions and not blame someone else. I have emailed them numerous times with questions. They have always been very nice and helpful. It does cost money to keep programs like this alive. HW has found a way to keep it affordable for the average person while paying their own bills. I hope they keep their original focus while growing and improving their website and keeping the contests interesting. I have done the corporate challenge and am working on the 10% challenge now. It is hard, nothing is easy about losing weight for many of us, but hard work and a support team will get you a little prize at the end. I put in the hard work,HW supports me, and hopefully the prize will be mine in the end.