I Bet You CAN Lose Weight: 4% in 28 days

Before I can post about the roller coaster ride my life has been over the past week and a half, I’ve decided I must write about my upcoming DietBet. I need participants! 

Exactly how I felt when I got on the scale last month. This is from some site on losing weight by going herbal.

(Disclaimer: By the way, this is not a sponsored post. DietBet won’t even know I’m writing this until after it’s posted, when they may chastise me and tell me I can’t use their name or something. I don’t know about rules when it comes to blogging.)

In February, SelfishMom convinced me to join her DietBet. I’d been slowly letting the weight creep back on, so this was a great incentive to get my growing ass moving again.  It’s just what it sounds like – you make a bet based on losing weight.  I wasn’t sure I could do it, but I figured losing money is always a motivator to me so why not try it?  I won: my $50 back plus an additional $33. And I lost 8 pounds.  

Several of my friends thought this was a cool idea and wanted to participate.  With an upcoming beach vacation in May (now cancelled, and that’s another post in itself, part of the whole damn roller coaster ride), I figured I’d host my own bet.

A very ugly picture of my messy room and what I looked like going into my first DietBet.

Here are some basics.

• The game starts on Monday, April 9. This lets everyone go have fun the week before Easter (it’s Spring Break around here) and enjoy their Easter brunches or candy or whatever (for those who celebrate) and weigh in on Monday.
• Buy-in is $50.
• Bet is that you will lose 4% of your current body weight in 28 days.  (Game ends on Monday, May 7.)
• The pot gets split between everyone who meets the goal of 4%. There’s no special award for losing the most weight or losing weight the fastest.  If you meet the goal, you win.
• Participant must be at least 18-years-old.
• You can lose weight through any method that works for you. There’s no set diet plan, nothing to buy, no specific exercises.

Because I have people from all over participating, there is room for cheating. I’m inviting people I trust and asking them to invite people they trust. Hopefully there are no sore losers out there who are intent on cheating us out of our money.

How it works:

1. E-mail me or leave me a comment with your contact information and I’ll send you an invitation.
2. Follow the link I send and register on the DietBet site. You do not need to pay when you accept the invitation, but I must receive your money before the game begins.  You’ll need to send the money via PayPal.  I’ll send more directions when you request an invite.
3. On Monday, April 9, weigh in. This is where trust comes in.  You’ll email or picture message me a picture of you on the scale, and the picture must show the weight on the scale. You can take this picture looking down at your feet.  Use the same scale, dress the same way  you will dress and weigh in at the same time of day you will on May 7.  Don’t layer up for April 9 and then get on the scale naked on May 7.  Or pig out all day for weigh in and then weigh before you eat anything on the final day.
4. Go about the next 28 days doing what works for you as far as losing weight. Encourage or set-up friendly competition with the other participants.
5. On May 7, weigh in and again send me a picture. Once I have everyone’s weights I’ll let you know how many people met the goal and get the money sent out.

During my DietBet I really looked forward to interacting with other players. Some were on the DietBet site regularly, posting successes and frustrations.  Others we didn’t hear from at all other than weigh in.  It’s completely up to you how much you want to participate in the site. You can find other people to talk to on Twitter using the #DietBet hashtag.

So, comment or email me if you want to participate. If you’re a blogger, leave me a link to your page. I may require references or background check. J

What have you got to lose, other than weight, and maybe $50?

My goal weight. This isn't a great picture. Go to my previous post for a picture of my true goal!  Yes, it is inappropriate to ask me if I'm wearing anything underneath this dress.