People Reveal How They Lost Weight By Betting On Their New Year's Resolution

One way to stick to your New Year's resolution? Put some money on the line.

1. "If you’re not making yourself slightly uncomfortable, then you’re never going to accomplish anything new."

“I tried to lose weight every single year. Every year, I was like, ‘Oh, this is my year! I’m gonna do it!’ But I never really made any lifestyle changes. I would kind of just do a fad diet, lose about 30 pounds, and then gain it back because there was never anything at stake.

"With HealthyWage, it was like, ‘OK, here’s $900 I’m going to lose if I don’t stick to my guns.’ It helped me finally make the lifestyle changes. I did a little bit of working out. I did something a little bit different every month or so. I tried to keep in mind the idea that if it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you. If you’re not making yourself slightly uncomfortable, then you’re never going to accomplish anything new.

"I was really trying to change my outlook on my health and not just a New Year’s goal. Of course, I wanted to be able to wear a pretty little shiny dress the next New Year — which I can and I've already picked one out — but it was more than that.”

—Stephanie N., Shreveport, Louisiana
(lost 71 pounds, bet $100/month, and won $2,905.06)

2. "It seemed like it would keep me accountable, but I was skeptical."

“I was online, reading an article about getting paid to lose weight. I was reading this article thinking, ‘This sounds too good to be true.’ But it was mid-January, so Jan. 1 had already passed. I had set my New Year’s resolution to lose weight and had sort of blown it. I started researching to see if HealthyWage was legit because it seemed like it would keep me accountable, but I was skeptical. I played around with the calculator. I read some more. I just kind of waited. And then, finally, I decided I would bet $100 a month starting Feb. 1.

"It was all legit! It kept me on track, and it worked out. Before, I was always tired. I would get through every day thinking, 'You just gotta push through it.' But it feels like a fog has been lifted. I have more energy. I sleep better. I have like a whole new wardrobe. I’m more social. Before, I would stay home; now I go out and do things. It’s made a world of difference in my outlook on everything. Without HealthyWage, I probably would’ve gone a few months before falling off the bandwagon and never getting back on. But I couldn’t do that because the money was coming out of my account every month.”

—Denice R., Lumberton, Texas
(lost 53 pounds, bet $100/month, and won $2,571.14)

3. "I still have my check. I’m going to frame it."

“I’d tried to lose weight every year for like the last 20 years. And then, after a couple of months, I would be like, ‘Am I supposed to be doing something?’ They kind of petered out. But this one was different. I had committed so much: I bet money, I let people know, and I committed upfront.

"I had tried diet-betting before, so I knew I needed to go big. The money needed to be significant. So I looked on the internet for options, and HealthyWage came up. I played around with their calculator and bet $900 — $100 a month for the term of my bet. I couldn’t afford to lose it. And I won! I still have my check. I’m going to frame it.”

—Christine H., Huntington Beach, California
(lost 60 pounds, bet $100/month, and won $2,896.06)

4. “I have two small children. And I started to think about my ability to enjoy activities with them and be around for a long time."

“I have two small children. And I started to think about my ability to enjoy activities with them and be around for a long time — it was getting scary. So I started a new bet. I changed my eating habits and started to exercise.

"When it came to exercise, because of my weight, I was really afraid of hurting myself or pushing myself too hard and having something medical happen. So, I started off doing four-mile walks. I was doing them five to seven times a week. I just made a habit of doing them, and I still do them now. That was the primary exercise. I was very mindful of not wanting to incur an injury that might cause a setback.

“Even though I did my due diligence beforehand, reading different reports about the company and I saw they were featured on different TV shows, there’s still that skepticism of 'Am I gonna get there and there’s gonna be a catch?' There was skepticism right up until the point that I won and got the money. And then there was a sigh of relief.”

—John P., Sanford, Florida
(lost 86 pounds, bet $150/month, and won $2,880)

5. "I always sort of knew what to do, but they helped me actually do it.”

“Through my work we have a wellness coach, so she and I had been working, but I never really got motivated to stick with it. I told her at previous jobs we had had weight loss competitions, and she told me that, ‘We don’t do that here, but there are weight-loss betting sites.’ Which I found interesting because I’m pretty competitive. I looked at some different sites and I liked HealthyWage because there wasn’t a pot — it seemed geared toward your own individual willpower.

"I’m a yo-yo dieter. I’ve lost and gained the same 60 pounds a number of times over the course of my life. But by doing this and joining the community, I’ve learned how to keep it off. I’ve learned the 80/20 rule. It works even when I’m on vacation. And I learned that through the HealthyWage community. I always sort of knew what to do, but they helped me actually do it.”

—Christine N., Toronto, Ohio
(lost 80 pounds, bet $25/month, and won $1,053.29)

6. "I wrote $2,800 on my palm with a Sharpie."

“Losing weight was something I had thought about over the years, but I was always too busy. The bet was about putting my money where my mouth was. It was like a carrot and the stick: I had that monthly little bit of pain of putting $100 a month toward it, and I also had that $2,800 reward sitting up there.

"I wrote $2,800 on my palm with a Sharpie for the first couple of months. Coworkers would ask about it and that was an easy way to quickly build a support team to help me stay on the path. I work at a grocery store, so the temptations were around every corner. Once I found a diet that worked well for my body, I was able to stay straight because of that support team.”

—Brett M., Puyallup, Washington
(lost 103 pounds, bet $100/month, and won $2,800.00)

Bet on yourself in 2018! Enter your information in the HealthyWage Prize Calculator to find out how much you can win.

Enter how much weight you want to lose (10–150 pounds, minimum 10% of your starting weight), how long you’ll take (6–18 months), and how much you want to bet per month ($20–$150/month) — the calculator will determine your potential prize, up to $10,000!

All images courtesy of HealthyWage.