I’ve been seeing an overload of Facebook ads for something called HealthyWage. The premise is that you make a bet on your diet results. Pay in your bet amount, meet or exceed your weight loss goal, and get paid back your bet amount plus. I’d mostly ignored the ads until I went into my local kickboxing place to check out a “free” intro offer, and heard them make a pitch that over a 6 week period, I’d put up a (very large!) amount, and would then win it back if I achieved my goals. I walked out annoyed, and then checked into the HealthyWage thing again.
The premise of betting on yourself is one that I’ve seen listed before as a success tactic for weight loss. Usually, the form has been, you put up an amount that you’ll contribute to some cause you otherwise would be strongly averse to supporting. So, not only are you out money, but you’re mad at yourself. I’m not going to give money to a cause I don’t find worthy, and we _do_ give money to causes we do find worthy, so that isn’t a good motivator for me. But making some money? Sure!
I ended up making a 6 month bet for a 25 pound weight loss. I’d actually like to lose 30, but opted to give myself a 5 pound buffer. I’d already signed up for a half-marathon in June – the running should help me lose the pounds, and losing the pounds should help me more readily get to the time goal I set for myself for the half- marathon. Win win. I’m paying in less money per month than I’d have been either as part of the kickbox gym “free” challenge or were I to pay for their monthly membership fees. When (not if, when!) I win, I’ll collect a nice surplus to what I paid in, enough to let me feel richly rewarded for a bit, ready for a fun treat.
If all of that sounds good to you, too, use my referral link to HealthyWage. You’ll get $40 added to your prize, and so will I. More win win. And then we can encourage each other through the weight loss journey. I happen to have a “Black Card” membership to Planet Fitness, and would be happy to go with a workout buddy.