For the past three-weeks (give or take a day or two) I have been betting on my weight-loss with the FitFluential DietBet. My weight-loss had stalled and I needed a little extra push to help me make the changes required to get the scale moving again.
So I placed my $25 bet that I would lose 4% of my weight in 4 weeks.
The pot in the game I am participating in is over $14,000.00.
Everyone who loses their 4% at the end of the game will split the pot equally.
The best part is I can donate my winnings to a charity of my choice. Obviously I chose Team Fox to help reach my fundraising goals for my first marathon in May.
There are strict guidelines participants must follow in order to verify their beginning and end weight (including a secret word that is only released at the beginning and end of the game). There is also a cap on how much weight you can lose to encourage participants to lose the weight in a healthy way (no crash diets).
With only 9 days to go I have already (unofficially) reached my DietBet goal (woo hoo!) but I’m not done yet. I set my own specific weight-loss goal that I would like to meet before the end of the game (it’s only a couple of more pounds so nothing drastic).
I know that DietBet is not for everyone. But at this point on my journey when I still have a lot of weight to lose, it fits into what I want to achieve. Eventually the number won’t matter on the scale as much but when you constantly see a high number staring back at you it is sometimes necessary to focus on that number to a certain extent.
It was the push I needed to get back on track. I like being held accountable to someone else besides myself. Winning money for charity is a bonus.
I am already thinking about signing up for another game once this one is finished.
Even though this is a game where I am essentially competing against other people I am ultimately competing with myself and only myself. I learned early in the game to focus on my own successes and to not let those participants who reached their goal within a day or two discourage me.
My goal is to lose the weight for good, not just for the sake of winning some money.
So what have I been doing to help me reach my goal?
- Water, water, and more water.
- Whole foods and watching portion sizes
- Exercise. In addition to training for my marathon I have also been incorporating a variety of online fitness classes from FitnessGlo into my weekly routine.
All simple yet effective things.
I think the biggest change though has been my attitude. None of this feels like a chore. It is something I want to do. There are no off-limit foods (I’ve had chocolate more than once during this DietBet). By eliminating the stress of losing weight I have had positive results.
I have also been getting my fair share of sleep, hence the reason I have been so quiet on the blog lately.
Sleep. It’s a wonderful thing.
Have you participated in a DietBet? Would you?
Congrats Jenny! I hosted one last month and at the request of my game participants am continuing with a second this month. I was very skeptical about it at first, but ended up being amazed by the supportive and motivating community that developed. More than half of them met their goal!
So happy that you had a good experience with yours too!
Thanks Tamara! The support and motivation is great, you can really tell who is in it for the long run.