Trying to lose weight? DietBet puts your money where your cake-hole is
Join the Cheapskate in a 28-day race to lose weight. Put up a few bucks and you could win (or at least share) a substantial jackpot.
Everyone wants to lose weight, but for many folks, the rewards of looking better, feeling better, and living longer aren't sufficient motivation.
Ah, but what if there's money involved?
That's the idea behind DietBet, a "social dieting game" with a twist: You bet some money with friends and/or strangers, then spend 28 days trying to lose 4 percent of your body weight. Winner takes the pot -- which can end up being pretty sizable. If there are multiple winners, they split the cash.
In other words, here's your chance to lose weight and make a few bucks in the process. Talk about a win-win.
I haven't tried DietBet myself -- but I'm about to. And I'd like to invite you to join me! The buy-in is $25, and the game starts in five days: March 25.
One or two days before then, you'll need to perform your official weigh-in, which involves snapping and submitting a couple photos. (DietBet uses a photo-review process to prevent cheating. Even so, be on your honor, people!)
Then you just get cracking, by which I mean you stop snacking. And hitting the drive-through. And avoiding the treadmill. Need help tracking your calories and exercise? I highly recommend MyFitnessPal for iOS. (It's also available for Android, BlackBerry, and Windows Phone).
And speaking of apps, you can use DietBet for iOS to track your progress, add comments and photos, weigh in (albeit unofficially), and so on.
I'm only looking to lose about 10 pounds, but I'm really fired up about this. And I think the more people who join, the more fun it will be. For what it's worth, I'm donating 50 percent of whatever money I win (and I will be among the winners, thank you) to Mothers Against Drunk Driving. If you want to support a charity as well, you can update your DietBet profile accordingly.
Have you tried DietBet yourself? If so, how'd it go? Whatever your experience, I hope you'll try this with me. Not only do you stand to drop some pounds and gain some cash, you'll also save money on food (because you'll be eating less of it). For us cheapskates, that's a win-win-win.