Dietbet - anyone done it? Yay, nay?

[wifecat]

I just joined a dietbet today (with the lure of $7700 pot) but I'm sort of skeptical about the whole thing.

Anyone done it? What did you think?

If you haven't heard of it, it's basically betting with others about weight loss. You put in a bet (say it's $25) and if you lose 4% of your weight in 28 days, you win and split the pot with all of the other people who lost 4%. If you don't lose 4% (or if you lose too much and they think you cheated) you lose your $25 wager.

[Octobermommy]

I haven't heard of it but now I'm intrigued. I lost 16 pounds last time a bet was involved & now I have gained all of it back, ugh! Let me know how it goes! How much are you hoping to lose in the 4 weeks?

[wifecat]

I haven't heard of it but now I'm intrigued. I lost 16 pounds last time a bet was involved & now I have gained all of it back, ugh! Let me know how it goes! How much are you hoping to lose in the 4 weeks?

I only want to lose about 5 lbs. I've lost about 60 over the last year and I think I'm about done. I thought this might just give me the final little push (and, erm, I wouldn't mind making money on it!). I have a half marathon on Feb 10th and so I knew I'd be really motivated to be very on top of my health until then, but I don't want to slack off foodwise right after, and I think having this going until the end of Feb might help me stay on track with food even if I back off running for a bit.

[wifecat]

And mods...whooops! I meant to put this in the lounge. I'm sorry!

[amatahrain]

I've never heard of this site but I did recently hear about healthywage.com and signed up for their BMI Challenge. Basically you have to have a starting BMI of 30 or higher and lose enough to have a BMI of 25 or less. You do a final weigh in one year after you start. They have a couple of different options this one being the only one where you don't have to wager anything and you can win $100. I am a member of Weight Watchers and was able to do my official weigh in at my weekly meeting. After the first weigh in you just visit their site weekly. You can also weigh in by video or at fitness centers.

The other challenge is to lose 10% of your body weight. You wager $150 but can win $300. They also have a group challenge where you can win $10000.

[cleo27]

I'm in the middle of my first one now. There's about a $2300 pot, and I found it in a fitness blog that I follow. Ours was a $20 bet. I'm about halfway there with 2 more weeks to go. Sadly I've been pretty under the weather for almost a week, so hav ejust been trying to do my best with eating and not able to be exercising. Hope to feel better soon and meet my goal. I think it's a great motivator. I went into it thinking that if I make it and lose 8 lbs, I could probably double my money, or at worst be out $20 but lose 5 lbs or so... Win/win!

[Octobermommy]

I only want to lose about 5 lbs. I've lost about 60 over the last year and I think I'm about done. I thought this might just give me the final little push (and, erm, I wouldn't mind making money on it!). I have a half marathon on Feb 10th and so I knew I'd be really motivated to be very on top of my health until then, but I don't want to slack off foodwise right after, and I think having this going until the end of Feb might help me stay on track with food even if I back off running for a bit.

Awesome! Good luck, you have motivated me to sign up for the next one.

[Daphnecita]

Awesome! Good luck, you have motivated me to sign up for the next one.

Yeah that! Me too. Thanks for posting. I am considering one that starts in 5 days. Never heard of it prior to OP. Anyone can create one, we should do a BBB dietbet!

[jbbhb]

Anyone can create one, we should do a BBB dietbet!

Someone please do this! :)

[ckso]

Ooh, I'm intrigued. I really need to lose weight. I now weigh more than DH...unacceptable!!

How do they keep people from cheating or lying about how much you started with and how much you've lost?

[Daphnecita]

Someone please do this! :)

I just posted in the lounge and Healthy You to see if others are interested. If there is enough interest we can set one up for BBBers. I almost joined the 4-hour body one that started today but the bet was $50 and I think I'd rather do one for $25.

[logan's mom]

I want to do one but would prefer to do it with people I "know", like you guys ;) Let me know if there's a BBB dietbet!!!

[elizamom]

I'd never heard of it, but I told DH about it and he is going to do it. He just started a diet anyhow so why not try to win a little money. OP, I'd be interested to hear how your experience goes.

[jennifer2saint]

I'll do one with BBB people! I need accountability but not necessarily with unknowns off of the internet!

[Daphnecita]

In case anyone that replied doesn't frequent the other boards, a BBB dietbet has been set up to start next Monday, February 11th. See the thread in Healthy You for details.

[tarnator]

I might have to have a look...

[wifecat]

Just thought I'd update on my experience. I did a dietbet for $25, and the pot ended up at $14,550. Our final weigh in is today/tomorrow and I submitted my numbers and already had them verified (they're fast!). I lost a little more than 4% of my body weight so I'll get to split the pot with the other winners.

If you haven't done it yet, basically you take a full body pic of yourself on the scale in airport attire (no shoes/jewelry/jackets) and then a pic of your weight on the scale with a password for the day to show you're taking the pic on the right day. You only have to do that at the beginning and again at the end if you're a winner (they don't ask you to verify your weight if you don't lose 4%). They'll tally up who met their goal and who didn't and email us with how we're splitting the pot in a couple of days.

A friend of mine did one with an even bigger pot than I did, and she doubled her money! I'm super excited to see what my share is. :bighand:

[cntrymoon2]

Just thought I'd update on my experience. I did a dietbet for $25, and the pot ended up at $14,550. Our final weigh in is today/tomorrow and I submitted my numbers and already had them verified (they're fast!). I lost a little more than 4% of my body weight so I'll get to split the pot with the other winners.

If you haven't done it yet, basically you take a full body pic of yourself on the scale in airport attire (no shoes/jewelry/jackets) and then a pic of your weight on the scale with a password for the day to show you're taking the pic on the right day. You only have to do that at the beginning and again at the end if you're a winner (they don't ask you to verify your weight if you don't lose 4%). They'll tally up who met their goal and who didn't and email us with how we're splitting the pot in a couple of days.

A friend of mine did one with an even bigger pot than I did, and she doubled her money! I'm super excited to see what my share is. :bighand:

Wow, congrats! Let us know how much you end up with! This is a fascinating concept to me. How do they keep people from falsifying their starting weight (i.e. weights taped to your back or something) and then just posting their 4% loss a month later? It seems like there are lots of ways to buck the system.
But in any case, who cares, because you will walk away with some cash AND weigh less!

[wifecat]

Wow, congrats! Let us know how much you end up with! This is a fascinating concept to me. How do they keep people from falsifying their starting weight (i.e. weights taped to your back or something) and then just posting their 4% loss a month later? It seems like there are lots of ways to buck the system.
But in any case, who cares, because you will walk away with some cash AND weigh less!

I agree - I was worried there would be cheaters or that people would do unhealthy things to lose weight (wouldn't it be awful if this contributed to eating disorders?). Some people posted that they lost the 4% by the first or second day - and maybe they did - or maybe they just lost water weight - who knows. Only the first and last weigh in are official. Dietbet says the picture must match the number on the scale, but who knows what that means! Seems rather subjective. I'm sure there are lots of ways people could cheat, but I joined a fb group of people doing the bet with me, and everyone on there was really supportive and excited about working out/eating right/posting pics of their dinners/reporting their mileage on the treadmill/posting progress and setbacks - it was definitely a positive, healthy thing for lots of people. And if there were cheaters...well, they'll get theirs.

[wifecat]

Just found out what the winnings were - I put in $25 and won $44.xx. Not bad! Plus I lost a smidge more than 4% of my body weight! I just signed on for another one - it has a $30 bet and starts today. From what I've read, usually 50-60% of people win the bet (lose 4% of their body weight). I'm hoping this one gets me to a comfy place for swim season. It's great motivation to shed the last few pounds that I need to lose! Wish I would have known about it a year ago - I could have made a lot more money!

[cntrymoon2]

That's great! Congrats :)