Mar 31, 2009 6:10 pm US/Eastern
Web Sites Offer Weight Loss Wagers As Motivation
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
Exercise. Healthy eating. They're noble goals that are tough to achieve and maintain, but now more people are using money as a motivator to lose weight.
"Diet betting is basically making a wager that you will lose a certain amount of weight in a specified amount of time and lots of people are doing this," said Nutritionist Elisa Zied.
Coworkers and friends have made small weight loss wagers for years, but now there are Web sites to keep you on track!
Mary Lou Wehrli and her brother, Grant, are using
FatBet.net to try to lose about 20 pounds each. "The loser will buy the victory dinner or lunch for six at a sushi house that we like and the loser will then write and perform---sing--- at this meal -- an ode to the victor."
They post their weight at least once a week on the Web site and can taunt each other on the site's blog. "That motivation has had me get off the couch when I really didn't want to work out because I was thinking, I have to report in three days," said Grant Wehrli.
Users say teasing and tempting is all part of the fun. Both weighing in and paying up depend on the honor system.
"This motivation of this younger brother that's going to lose a bet to me, it's just so cool," said Mary Lou.
On another site,
Stickk.com, when you place a wager, you sign a commitment contract.
You hand over your credit card number and each week that you don't meet your goal, you're charged. "A user says 'You know, I want to lose a pound a week for the next 10 weeks. I'm putting $10 on the line each week. Each week I don't lose that pound, I lose the $10,'" explains Jordan Goldberg from Stickk.com.
When you lose a bet, you choose where your money goes -- a competitor, a charity, or what they call an anti-charity. "That's where we take your money and we donate it to an organization that you oppose," said Goldberg. So let's say you're pro-gun control, we send your money to the NRA!"
Diet betting may not be a fit for everyone, though, says Elisa Zied, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. "The concerns I have is that if you're not winning the bet, this can lead to unhealthy behaviors, whether it's over exercising or dramatically cutting your calories."
Zied's advice on how to keep diet betting healthy is to "set a realistic goal of one to two pounds a week."
That's what Mary Lou and Grant are aiming for and to make the competition a little more intense.
Mary Lou and Grant Wehrli say, "For the next month, whenever the loser sees the victor he has to say…you are so awesome. That's all it took for me…. I will not utter those words!"
These diet betting sites are free to use. The average bet is between $100 and $300. The weight loss goals, according to the Web sites, range from a few pounds to 50 or more.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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