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Is money an effective weight-loss incentive?

April 17, 2017
by Megan Ogilvie

Apps and weight loss programs are offering cash for weight loss - and research suggests it's a good approach.

Read the full article.

Help reach your goals by betting on yourself to lose weight

January 27th, 2017
by Jennifer Warnick

How many of you started the new year resolving to lose some weight? Many who did have already fallen back into old habits, but now there's a way to keep you on track by putting your money on the line.

Read the full article.

Fitness apps to get you moving in the new year

January 3, 2017
by Debbie Carlson

Have a New Year's resolution to get in shape but abhor the gym? Fitness apps may be the solution.

Read the full article.

Joy Fit Club member is walking down the aisle 152 pounds lighter!

December 12, 2016

TODAY contributor and nutritionist Joy Bauer introduces the two newest members of the Joy Fit Club: Kate Kehrel and Nina Gibson! Kate went from a size 28 to a size 8 after seeing how she looked in a bridesmaid dress. She talks about her use of the app DietBet in her journey. 

Read the full article.

Obese Starbucks fan who slurped FOUR 400-calorie mochas a day slims down to a size 2 after failing to fit into size XL leggings

by Victoria Finan

A Starbucks fan who drank four massive mochas a day has lost 126lbs after being horrified to find she was large for leggings.

Read the full article.

The 38 Best Health and Fitness Apps of 2016

April 19, 2016
by By Jeff Cattel and Zach Watson

We spend too much time staring at our phones—just ask the pedestrians we almost walk into on a daily basis. If scrolling through your Newsfeed or swiping right were Olympic sports, we’d definitely take home a medal. But in reality, the only things getting a workout in either case are our thumbs. That’s not to say your phone can’t help you lead a healthier, happier life. You just need to know the right apps to download. Before you fall down the rabbit hole that is the app store, check out our list of the best health and fitness apps. We tested out hundreds before whittling it down to the 39 that are really worth checking out.

Read the full article.

Weight Loss Tricks to Keep You Motivated

April 12, 2016

Fitness director Jaclyn Emerick of Shape Magazine shares weight loss tricks designed to keep you motivated.
Watch the video.

Read the full article.

25 Simple Weight Loss Secrets From Women Who Majorly Transformed Their Bods

Mar 15, 2016
by Rachel Jacoby Zoldan

News flash: There will never be just one way to lose weight. Which is why 25 women shared the different success secrets that all yielded the same result: A healthier, more confident version of themselves.

Read the full article.

Get paid for losing weight

March 4, 2016
by Diane Lee

Want to fatten your wallet as you trim your waistline?
Companies that offer weight loss services raked in more than $6 billion last year.
So why not get some of that money back?
There are several programs that pay you to shed pounds. The catch, if you don’t make your goal you’re the one who has to pay up.

Read the full article.

Dieting Website Allows Users To Bet Money On Losing Weight

March 2, 2016
by Dana Kozlov

Lose weight, win money: that’s the promise of a website thousands of people are using to shed those extra pounds.
But does it work? CBS 2’s Dana Kozlov takes a look in this Original Report.

Read the full article.

I Lost 70 Pounds from Healthy Eating, Exercise, and Betting Money on My Success

Feb 26, 2016
by Sara Bibee as told to Ashley Oerman

Sara Bibee took a gamble on her weight loss—literally.

Read the full article.

These gadgets will help you keep your New Year's resolutions

Feb 24, 2016
by Jennifer Jolly

We’re well into the New Year and right on schedule our big resolution resolve is…gone. Abandoned. Dead. According to statistics, 36% of people who make resolutions give up before February and only 8% keep their resolutions for an entire year. Don’t worry, it happens to the best of us—not for lack of willpower—it’s just that old habits are hard to break and new ones tough to make stick. Here are a handful of tech tools to get you back on track with the most common resolutions of the year.

Read the full article.

DietBet: When It Comes To Losing Weight, Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

Feb 22, 2016
by Dahlia Snaiderman

If you're struggling to lose weight, it might be because you're going at it alone. It might also be because you've tried before and saw yourself go up and down, so it's hard to find concrete motivation to make this the time that the weight actually comes off. If you want to give a real, valiant effort and motivate yourself to lose weight and get healthy, you might want to put your money where your mouth is and give DietBet a try.

Read the full article.

Here’s How You Should Pay Yourself To Work Out

February 16, 2016
by Michael Rodio

Cold, hard cash is a great way to convince yourself to hit the gym—that much we know. But as a new study shows, monetary motivation should be less carrot and more stick.

Read the full article.

16 Best Health and Fitness Apps of 2016

by Hunter Hewitt

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Spotify—you likely know about the big-name apps that help you connect with loved ones, upload photos or listen to music.

But what about the apps that help you improve your health?

According to a recent study, participants who used fitness apps were much more active compared to nonusers. Current users also had a lower body mass index.

Read the full article.

Vista woman cashes in on weight loss

Dec 28, 2015
by Jonathan Horn

VISTA, Calif. - As New Years Day approaches, thousands of San Diegans will make that resolution to lose weight.
And those who succeed can pick up some extra bucks.
Vista resident Stephanie Miko has lost 100 pounds in the last two years.

Read the full article.

The Easy Steps That Helped Me Lose More Than 175 Pounds

August 7, 2015
by Jennifer Downard as told to Ashley Oerman

Before: 373
After: 198

The Lifestyle

My family and I have always been overweight. I don't want to blame my parents, but they pretty much let my brother and me eat whatever we wanted when we were kids. There were times where I would eat an entire box of Pop-Tarts, and no one said anything. By the time I reached high school, I weighed about 260 pounds. But I never really saw the need to lose weight because I was funny, and that made me feel confident.

When I got to college, I weighed about 300 pounds and then put on the freshman 15—times two. I think the reason I gained so much is that I just kept up my unhealthy habits, didn't exercise, and ate like a college kid. I don't think I had one vegetable while I was there.

Read the full article.

WayBetter is Killing it on SeedInvest as it "Tests the Waters" with Reg A+

June 23, 2015
by JD Alois

On Friday last week, Crowdfund Insider shared that SeedInvest, an equity crowdfunding platform in NYC, had launched a potential Regulation A+ issuer, WayBetter, as they “test the water” of investors. Part of the potential of Title IV of the JOBS Act, or Regulation A+, is the ability to gauge investor interest prior to filing with the SEC. This saves time, and of course money, for the issuing company. SeedInvest quickly leveraged the new exemption and posted what may have been the first (definitely one of the first) companies to ask investors if they would participate in a crowdfunding round. So how is WayBetter doing? They are pretty much killing it.

In just a few short days, WayBetter has registered over $4.9 million of investor interest. It took just 3 minutes for the first investor to add their name to the list. The current total is being updated in “real time”, according to SeedInvest, but if I had to guess – this one is a go.

Read the full article.

Weight loss program offers cash to shed pounds

July 21, 2015
by Sharon Ko

Weight loss can be a struggle for many people but an online company is using cash to motivate you to lose weight and keep it off.
The program is on the website DietBet.com. Users sign up, choose a challenge and decide how much money to bet for the game. If users lose the weight-loss goal, they get part of the winnings. Read the full article.

Fitness Apps that Pay You Back

July 20, 2015
by Rene A. Guzman

DietBet (Android and iOS) DietBet serves up two games you play to lose weight for cash. The four-week Kickstarter challenges you to shed 4 percent of your body weight. The six-month Transformer dares you to drop 10 percent, with six rounds of body weight losses — 3 percent to 10 percent — in that time frame. Start with a pic of you on a scale, along with your scale’s preferably digital readout and a special weigh-in word. After the final day, you have 48 hours to submit your weigh-out. Winners divide the pot. Read the full article.

The 'Right Choices' I Made That Helped Me Drop 80 Pounds Get inspiration from Stephanie Hastings' weight-loss story.

June 12, 2015
by Stephanie Hastings as told to Ashley Oerman

The Lifestyle

I've been overweight most of my life. I basically ate whatever I wanted and didn't exercise at all. For breakfast, I'd have a bagel, and lunch was either a deli sandwich or pizza. Besides choosing foods that weren't exactly low in calories, my biggest problem was overeating. I didn't know anything about portion control—I just ate until I felt really full. Even though I was heavy, I wasn't concerned about what I looked like. I assumed that this was my body and there was nothing I could do about it. Plus, I was in a great relationship with my husband, so I saw no reason to change anything. I was happy.

Read the full article.

How I Made a Bet on Myself, and Lost 145 Pounds

June 8, 2015
by All You

”For as long as I could remember, I\'d always been overweight,” Sara says. ”I used to eat a couple of bowls of cereal for breakfast, half a pizza for lunch and fast food for dinner. When I was tired in the evenings, I\'d eat to stay awake.” She hit 342 pounds in March 2013 and realized she needed to do something.

She tried multiple diets, but none worked. Then one of her college friends told Sara that she'd lost weight using the website DietBet—now a free app—that turns weight loss into a betting game played with other competitors for money. ”I didn't want to be the fat friend. I didn't want to be left behind,” Sara says. ”I wanted to live my life without worrying every day about my weight.” Read the full article.

Rewards Lure Them In

June 1, 2015
by Sonja Carberry

Would a friendly bet help you lose weight? The answer is yes for WayBetter, which has paid out $11 million to participants who lost a total of 3 million pounds while taking part in its weight-loss competition, dubbed DietBet.

For a small fee — usually $30 — people sign up to lose a predetermined percentage of their body weight in a set amount of time. Those who succeed split the pot.

“I liked the idea that if you could make something fun, people would gravitate toward it,” said WayBetter CEO Jamie Rosen. Read the full article.

Knock Out Your Muffin Top with Tips from Pro Boxer Laila Ali

June 1, 2015
by Gabrielle Olya

”Diet is the most important thing because a muffin top is basically excess fat, which comes from overeating,” says the daughter of Muhammad Ali. “So you definitely have to get your nutrition in order.”

Ali – who is hosting a DietBet online weight loss challenge starting June 1 – recommends sticking to a clean diet. Read the full article.

Win Money for Losing Weight With P90x Creator

May 8, 2015
by Nancy Cruz

The creator and founder of P90X and author of “The Big Picture” Tony Horton joined us live with summer slim down tips plus details on his new fitness challenge where you can win money for losing weight. You have til May 19th to sign up for Tony’s DietBet. Tony is also offering tons of incentives for those who join including books, autographed P90x program, and even one-on-one Skype sessions with those who recruit the most players! Read the full article.

How I Motivated Myself to Lose More Than 100 Pounds

May 1, 2015
by Sara Lugger

Putting her money where her mouth is helped Sara Lugger drop over 100 pounds.

When I realized that I was almost 350 pounds, I knew I had to make a change. There was just something about this number that made me realize I needed to try to lose weight again. I was out of excuses not to do it. That's when one of my friends from college told me she had some success losing weight using this website called DietBet.com. Basically, it's website where you join a group of people who bet a minimum of $5 that they will lose at least four percent of their body weight in 28 days. If you lose the weight, you get your money back, plus however much is left over from people who didn't lose the weight. What's cool about these 28-day "games" is that you have a support system within the group. When I was having a hard day, I wrote to people who were also trying to lose weight and told them about it. They always responded with so much support. Read the full article.

Weight-Loss Win: Sara Lost 147 Pounds And Feels Better Than Ever

April 29, 2015
by Andie Mitchell

I was turning 34 and closing in on being 350 pounds. At that time, I didn’t want to go out with friends, or to any events and outings, because I wasn’t sure if I could even fit in the seats.

One of my best friends was losing weight while being a part of a community weight-loss challenge site called DietBet.com, and after seeing her positivity and the support she was receiving from others in this group, I decided to join as well. In addition, I started working out and trying to incorporate physical activity into my daily schedule. In the mornings, I would exercise on the elliptical for 30 to 45 minutes. I made sure to walk around outside my building at work in the afternoons. And in the evenings, I would either take walks with friends or do dance workouts on my Wii. Read the full article.

DietBet weight-loss website banks on competitive spirit, money reward

March 29, 2015
by CBC News

Losing weight is going competitive as a new website uses people’s urge to make money as an incentive to shed pounds. DietBet is a New York City-based website that launched in 2013. It allows users to put money on the line that they can win back if they lose a certain percentage of their body weight in a set amount of time.

Ottawa mother Laureen Krumshyn said she bet $200 she’d lose 10 per cent of her body weight in six months and it’s working so far.

“It’s a competitive thing for me,” she said. “I don't like to lose. It's fun knowing that you've made this commitment and you're motivated to do it.” Read the full article.

How to win money for losing weight

February 24, 2015
by Ashlei King

After having her first baby in 2009, Brandi Laughlin weighed more than 200 pounds. One year later, she shredded 60 pounds, but gained back the majority of it after she had her second child.

“I was just sick with myself and I didn’t want to be a mom that had let herself go,” the mother of two said.

Laughlin said she got serious, started working out with a trainer and even competed in her first bikini competition.

During her weight loss journey, she regularly updated her blog called, “Mama Laughlin.”

"It just kind of stuck. After I had my first child, I was like, ‘I’m a mom now. Mama Laughlin,’” she said.

Laughlin did not know it, but hundreds of women across the country were inspired by her blog, including San Antonio resident Jenica Muse.

“She’s such an inspiration,” Muse said. “It really helped me to realize that there’s a lot of people that go through the same trials and tribulations and have their own weight loss story.”

Since Laughlin has a strong following, a weight loss website called DietBet asked her to host a challenge. Anyone can sign up. All you have to do is place a bet that you’ll lose four percent of your body weight in four weeks. The winners then split the money.

More than 4000 people signed up for Laughlin’s DietBet competition, putting down more than $158,000.

“You’re putting it out there for a chance to lose it all, so that helped give me that motivation to where I don’t want to lose that money. I actually want to win some money and I did,” Muse said.

Muse won $46.31 for losing a total of 12.5 pounds over four weeks.

Read the full article.

Betting on weight loss can help people meet goals

January 21, 2015
by Allison Eatough

For most of her adult life, Alfena Rascoe battled obesity. At 238 pounds, the Laurel resident said, the extra weight slowed her down, affecting her stamina at work as a child psychiatric specialist. It also led to high blood pressure, putting her at risk of heart disease and stroke.

"I've done Atkins [diet], protein powder, the lemonade diet," says the 47-year-old. "Everything you can think of, I've tried it. They all work, but my issue is being able to maintain it."

So in March 2013, after a new blood pressure medication caused swollen ankles and shortness of breath, she decided to give dieting one more try. This time, she found a new motivation: money. Rascoe joined DietBet, a website that turns losing weight into a money-making — or money-losing — game. Read the full article.

It's been a Godsend for Houstonian Nick Alvarado.

January 5, 2015
by Lauren Talarico

Millions of Americans promise to lose weight every January, but by February, that couch and those cheeseburgers are starting to look good.

If you need a little extra motivation this time around, how about a cash incentive? There's an online game that pays players to shed pounds.

Read the full article.

Trying to lose weight? Latest diet fad offers cash reward

November 26, 2014
by Erika Tallan

One of the latest diet trends has people logging on and betting money to drop pounds. Dawn Hyatt had tried a number of diets before but nothing seemed to stick. Her co-worker told her about DietBet, a website that lets people gamble on their weight loss. If they meet their goals, they could get their money back and then some. "I've kind of gotten a little addicted to it," she said. Dawn has lost 42 pounds since June. It turns out the money was a huge motivator. Read the full article.

Shed the pounds with Shaun T

October 12, 2014
by Kelly Bowman

The fitness guru stopped by Weekend Express to tell us about some new projects he has in the works, including a weight loss challenge that could have you winning big bucks and a fun new workout that makes it possible to shed pounds in only 30 minutes a day!

Read the full article.

Social media driver behind weight loss

Sept 30, 2014
by Madeline Ruth

Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition contestant Bruce Pitcher from Salt Lake City, lost over 200 pounds on the show and is now an expert on nutrition and fitness and said social media has played a huge role in his success, so much so that he developed his own weight loss game on DietBet, an application for smartphones. Pitcher believes when people post before and after photos it inspires those people to get up and do something about their weight because they see others who are in the same situation. He gets the most feedback when he posts photos on social media of where he used to be and where he is now. Read the full article.

The Morning Blend: Have Fun Lose Weight

Sept 22, 2014
by NBC TMJ4

DietBet brings people together as a community to support and motivate each other to lose weight. They call it Social Dieting, and it works! 96% of their users lose weight during their games, about 5.5 pounds in a month on average. Winners lose over 9 pounds and make money. Read the full article.

Is Betting on Weight Loss a Good Idea? Wagering your money may help you shed the pounds.

August 29, 2014
by Amir Khan

Have you ever tried to lose weight, only to fall off your diet? If staying on your diet could net you some extra cash, would you be more likely to stick to your goal? Thanks to websites like DietBet, FatBet and HealthyWage, you can bet on yourself to lose weight – hit your target and you win cash, or miss it and pay up. The sites all differ in terms of payouts and goals, but they generally work the same. Pony up money, send the website a photo of you on the scale and then try to hit your target weight. “On our site, there’s a community of people who are coming together to try and hit a specific goal,” says Jamie Rosen, founder and CEO of DietBet. “Our most popular competition is to lose 4 percent of your body weight in four weeks.” Read the full article.

WTVG on ABC: Health and Fitness Segment

May 13, 2014
by Rebecca Regnier

Transcript: Anchor: Doug from Perrysburg says - "My friends are doing a DietBet. Is this a scam? how does it work?" Health Expert: No, it is not a scam. It's a reputable website and a way to lose weight as a competition. You've seen how the biggest loser offers major cash prizes and how it does serve to motivate people. Offices have long done weight loss pools or competitions. DietBet formalizes it and lets you connect with your fellow dieters online. Everyone puts in a certain amount of money and the people in the group who reach a 4-percent weight loss goal split the pot. Huge pots can mean nice payouts if you win. If you're looking for a cash incentive or online support maybe check it out. Visit DietBet.com for the details on how it works. Read the full article.

Woman bets she'll lose big -- and wins

March 31, 2014
by Jacque Wilson

Sara Lugger was skeptical as she placed her first $5 bet. But she realized that all she had to lose was weight -- and a few bucks if the money didn't motivate her to get in shape.
A friend's success had inspired Lugger to join DietBet, a website that hosts private and public games where people can bet on their own weight loss. Each game sets a goal, such as losing 4% of your body weight, and users who reach that goal split the pot. Lugger was 34 and weighed 342 pounds. Read the full article.

Wagering away weight can work, R.I. researcher says

March 24, 2014
by Peter C.T. Elsworth

Dietbet, a social online weight reduction program that involves financial incentives and gaming, works, according to a study at Miriam Hospital. Read the full article.

Weight Watchers meets Tough Mudder at startup DietBet

March 21, 2014
by Gary M. Stern

It took being quoted in the New York Times in 2009 to convince serial entrepreneur Jamie Rosen to turn his diet blog into a business. Inspired by seeing several friends join a dieting group at work, Rosen started a blog about weight loss. The Times’ item inundated the blog with responses and led to follow-up interviews for in-flight magazines and international publications. A business was born. Read the full article.

Trying to lose weight? Jamie Rosen and his investors bet you can. Wanna play?

March 20, 2014
by Gary M. Stern

It took being quoted in the New York Times in 2009 to convince serial entrepreneur Jamie Rosen to turn his diet blog into a business. Inspired by seeing several friends join a dieting group at work, Rosen started a blog about weight loss. The Times’ item inundated the blog with responses and led to follow-up interviews for in-flight magazines and international publications. A business was born.
Rosen had a proven track record. He sold his browser business Comet for $33 million in 2004. Read the full article.

More People Betting on Weight Loss

March 18, 2014
by Helena Oliviero

Sue Johnston’s weight loss journey started in late 2013. First she shed 7 pounds on her own, then another 45 using Weight Watchers. She still had pounds to go, though. Read the full article.

How Weight Watchers lost touch with changes in social dieting

March 17, 2014
by Jamie Rosen

A few companies, however, do compete on this level and they’re gaining traction. MyFitnessPal, for example, makes a free calorie counting app that features social connectivity among its users. Founded in 2005 with 50 million downloads and counting, it recently raised $18 million in venture capital. SparkPeople is a free weight loss community with over 10 million users, many of which are former customers of Weight Watchers. And my company, DietBetter, has received traction setting up online weight loss communities structured as social games that we call dietbets. “What we’re seeing here is classic disruptive innovation,” says John R. Kimberly, professor of management at Wharton. “Old-line companies are being deeply challenged by new technology and new competition.” Read the full article.

Trade show is the place to be for equipment, and more

March 5, 2014
by IHRSA

The IHRSA Trade Show is the biggest and best in the health and fitness industry. For two days in the San Diego Convention Center, Halls A-F, mega-companies like Technogym, Matrix, Cybex and Life Fitness will share the attention from more than 7,000 attendees (7,450 in 2013) with newbies DIetBetter, Da Vinci BodyBoard, Paofit Technology and StrongBoard as well as those somewhere in the middle, like Woodway USA, ABC Financial, Iron Grip and Spri. Read the full article.

DietBet: How social media can lead to weight loss

March 2, 2014
by Take Care

This week on Take Care, Dr. Tricia Leahey discusses DietBet, a social networking website that challenges users to lose weight. Leahey is an assistant professor in research at Brown Medical School and the Miriam Hospital’s Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center, and is also part of the DietBetter.com’s advisory team.
“We are finding that perhaps these financial incentives, by putting your money where your mouth is, plus having these social interactions and this ongoing support and friendly competition, which can actually be quite fun, does yield some pretty impressive weight losses,” says Leahey. Read the full article.

Weight loss social gaming sites effectively encourage users to win by losing: study

February 20, 2014
by AFP RELAXNEWS

People who join programs like DietBet place bets on themselves, and the ones who lose a certain amount of weight after a month all divvy up the pool. Researchers said these participants are more motivated to stick to their diets, and it shows — the big losers dropped 4.9% of their body weight and won an average of $59.
Researchers from The Miriam Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island made an interesting discovery regarding a social gaming site's link to weight loss. DietBet is an online commercial weight loss program that combines social influence with financial incentive, resulting in "significant" user weight loss. Read the full article.

Saving May be Tough but Here’s How to Get a Handle on It

February 17, 2014
by Barbara Mannino

Much like when you’re dieting, being specific leads to progress. Saying you’ll start saving Jan. 1 will likely get you nowhere, says Jamie Rosen, founder and CEO of dietbetter. Saying you’ll save $2.00 a week over the next month is likely to get results. Read the full article.

I Lost It: ‘Set small goals’ featuring Kate Fierce

February 15, 2014

I never had to worry too much about my weight until 2010. I went through a very difficult breakup and began to have health issues. Eventually I was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, but not before I’d packed on nearly 40 pounds in about a year. Read the full article.

Apps That Motivate

February 14, 2014

Make a fitness gamble. Users put up a bet ($10 or more) to join a team. If they drop 4 percent of their weight in four weeks, they split the pot with the other "losers". Read the full article.

2014 Top Five Business and Technology Trends in Health and Wellness

January 2014
by Jamie Rosen

Commercial weight loss companies like Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig continue to lose market share to do-it-yourself diets and free apps. When it comes to weight loss, people want flexibility, value and convenience. In a year in which the stock market has surged, Weight Watchers has lost nearly half its market value. Why? Commercial weight loss programs like Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, and Nutrisystem are being leapfrogged by free apps that let people customize their approach to their needs. In our annual survey of DietBet players, MyFitnessPal, Lose It! and Fooducate have been among the most popular food-tracking apps. Our players also use exercise apps such as Runkeeper, MapMyRun and Couch to 5k as tools to motivate them to exercise. It remains to be seen, however, whether calorie-counting apps are sustainable as our players tell us that they fatigue from logging everything they eat. Read the full article.

In for a penny, in for a pound

Friday, January 24, 2014
by Ashley Winchester

It's really nice when you see women working toward a common goal and sharing. We all come together, which is really nice. Nobody leaves anyone hanging, everybody really goes out of their way to help someone else. I feel like I really have someone -- no matter what time of day or night -- who will say, `We're there to support you. Read the full article.

Nutrition tip of the week: Resolutions — In one year, out the next

January 4, 2014
by Anita Marlay

If money is a motivator for you, consider joining a weight loss group online like DietBet or HealthyWage where you pay a fee to join but get money back if you meet your goals. Or, set up your own group weight loss challenge. Read the full article.

Want to lose weight? These apps will keep you on track

January 3, 2014
by Chenda Ngak

If nothing else is working for you, how about a losing weight with friends? An app called Diet Bet turns weight loss into a group competition. You and your friends can put money in a pot and whoever loses the most, wins.
Some pots have reached hundreds of thousands of dollars. How's that for an incentive? The app only works if you're part of a game, but you can find a competition to join on the website dietbet.com. The free Diet Bet app is available for iOS devices only. Read the full article.

Can You Really Learn a Skill in A Week? The Secrets Inside Tim Ferriss' Insanely Fast Learning Strategy

December 3, 2013
by Tim Ferriss

Why do people quit diets or play the guitar for two sessions, put it down, and never pick it back up? Because there's no penalty, there's no cost. You don't get fired from your job if you quit the guitar. But if you use something like stickK or DietBet.com, you can actually put your money on the line, where if you don't follow your program, and you have a referee to keep you honest, you have money that will go to an anti-charity, your least favorite charity on the planet. Read the full article.

3 Ways You Can Get Paid to Lose Weight

December 3, 2013
by Joanna & Johnny

I found that the idea of losing $20 was more motivating than actually losing the weight. The Oreos calling my name weren't nearly as loud as my wallet wailing over its missing $20. And lo and behold, when the four weeks were up, I'd miraculously lost the 4 percent. When the pot was split, I got back $39. The $20 I'd put in had almost doubled in just four weeks! How's that for a lucrative ROI? Read the full article.

Lose Weight With Dieting For Dollars

September 24, 2013
by Heidi Hatch

If this seems too good to be true just ask Sugar House Mom Samantha Stults. In June of this year she decided to bet against her own weight. So far shes lost 35 pounds and made $137 dollars after a total wager of $35. Read the full article.

Double the Payoff

August, 2013
Women's Health

In the weight-loss race, cash may be the perfect carrot. When participants in a Mayo Clinic study were offered a change to win—or lose—$20 a month, 62 percent completed the program, dropping an average of nine pounds. Without monetary motivation, only 26 percent followed through, losing just two pounds on average. Visit sites such as DietBet.com to set up a challenge for yourself or make a wager with friends.

This App Helps You Lose Weight by Betting Money

June 20, 2013
by Luisa Rollenhagen

The appeal of DietBet lies not only in the financial incentive — winners split the collected money among themselves — but also in the fact that it provides a social and motivational platform that aims to combat the dreariness and often unsustainable nature of conventional dieting. Read the full article.

DietBet Is Betting That Losing Weight Is About To Get More Social

April 25, 2013
by Alexander Taub

On June 15th, 2008 I got married. Five years and 30+ pounds later I am always on the lookout for a way to get back into my pre-marriage shape. I’ve picked up Soulcycle (which I highly recommend), joined soccer, basketball and softball leagues and a variety of other methods. Although I feel I am on the right track, I needed a little more public incentive to get the process going. And that’s when I discovered a startup called DietBet, an internet-based social dieting company. Read the full article.

Get healthy and make some dough

April 13, 2013
by Tracey English

According to Tamara Grand, BCRPA-certified personal training, advanced group fitness leader and the author offitknitchick.com, people are simply searching for the support they need, and these challenges provide it. The challenges motivate and keep people accountable to their goals,” says Grand, who just hosted her second DietBet challenge. Read the full article.

Trying to lose weight? DietBet puts your money where your cake-hole is

March 20, 2013
by Rick Broida

I haven't tried DietBet myself -- but I'm about to...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. Read the full article.

Dieting for dollars: Financial incentive helps people lose weight, study shows

March 13, 2013
Today Show

A study from the Mayo Clinic found that dieters offered a financial incentive were more likely to lose weight...TODAY contributor Dr. Roshini Raj was impressed with the results. 'As human beings, our brains really respond to rewards,' she said. 'Unfortunately, you would think being healthier, having a reduced risk of heart disease and cancer is the reward itself, but that's a long term thing. Money, you feel it in your pocket and you like it.' Read the full article.

Dieting for Dollars: A Win for Both Trainers and Clients

March 2013
by Karen Asp

I've not only gained new clients, especially since people invite their friends to join them in my DietBets, I'm also maintaining my current client base, which is what any personal trainer wants'—that she's now contemplating running a DietBet to coincide with each 'diet season,' roughly five a year. Another benefit? 'Doing these bets expands your ability to create an international or global brand,' she says. Read the full article.

Putting Cash on the Line to Lose Weight

February 20, 2013
by The Associated Press

DietBet users can go on the website and join a public group, or create their own private game among family members or friends. The amount of money needed to wager is set by the person who starts the game. There are many public games that charge as little as $25. The goal is to lose 4 percent of your body weight in four weeks. Read the full article.

Office Weight-Loss Contests Rise, Saboteurs and All

January 8, 2013
by Sue Shellenbarger

Four-week games organized by New York-based DietBet, have been run at more than 500 companies, allotting cash prizes to any participant who sheds 4% of body weight. Chief executive Jamie Rosen says 90% of players slim down, averaging a 5.4-pound loss. Other employers run ad hoc contests, usually modeled after NBC-TV's winner-take-all 'Biggest Loser' series. Read the full article.

Wagers help motivate weight-loss goals

January 8, 2013
by Holly Bristow
My Fox Orlando

It's a great accountability system,' says personal trainer Tony Pino, who work at Platinum Gym in Sanford. Now that he knows about DietBet, he says he's going to encourage his clients to use it. When you have something to shoot for and then you have a group of other people shooting for the same goal or heading in the same direction, that gets momentum,' Pino said. Read the full article.

New apps offer smartphone support on losing weight and sticking to exercise programs

January 7, 2013
by Nicole Lyn Pesce

This social dieting game puts your money where your mouth is. Create a game with friends, set the bet amount, and the first person to lose 4% of their starting weight wins the pot. The more people who play, the bigger the pay. You can also join in existing games. Read the full article.

Gamble your way to weight loss with new apps

January 4, 2013

New websites and apps known as weight loss wager programs are encouraging dieters to gamble their way to a leaner figure, betting on whether they can shed unwanted pounds. TODAY's Erica Hill reports and Jamie Rosen of DietBet.com shows how the program changed the lives of five employees. Read the full article.

Free Apps for New Year's Resolutions

January 2, 2013
by Ann Hynek

DietBet.com wants to help you make money while dieting. You can set up a challenge of your own or join another group. The competition lasts four weeks and the person who loses 4% of their bodyweight during that time wins. Celebrity trainers, gyms, HR managers, charities and others already have challenges set up on the site. DietBet is available for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. Read the full article.

9 Apps to Fast-Track Your New Year's Resolutions

January 1, 2013
by Kate Freeman

We've compiled a list of apps that can help you accomplish all sorts of goals this year. Check it out and let us know if we missed any that you plan on using in 2013. Read the full article.

Tim Ferriss attempts to do what hundreds of years of psychological research couldn't

November 27, 2012
by Kym McNicholas

Ahead of his latest book launch "The 4-Hour Chef," Ferris is hoping to get to the bottom of why people fall off the wagon with their diets, and figure out how to keep them on track. His first step was to put all participants on the same low carb diet and exercise program. [T]wo groups are using online tools that claim to help people create goals and stick with them in different ways that hold them more accountable and then offer them rewards for their success. Read the full article.

Need some financial incentive to motivate your weight loss?

November 5, 2012
by Hungry Girl

DietBet is a four-week weight-loss game with major perks! Join an existing game or start your own. Then place your wager, big or small -- the more people involved, the bigger the prize! And everyone who loses 4 percent of their body weight gets a share of the pot at the end. Read the full article.

How to Use Money As Running Motivation

October 26, 2012
by Bob Cooper

Having a financial incentive to lose weight could make you five times more likely to succeed, according to a study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association in 2008, which may explain the recent success of 'social dieting' Web sites that let you bet on yourself. When you lose the weight, you win the money–a classic win/win. 'Nobody likes dieting, but everyone likes games,' says Jamie Rosen, the New York City marathoner who founded dietbet.com, where you win a share of the "pot" when you achieve a weight-loss goal in an online competition. Read the full article.

The 4-Hour Body Million-Pound March (and $1,000,000 Pot)

October 24, 2012
by Tim Ferriss

When you diet alone, nobody's holding your feet to the fire. There's nothing stopping you from saying, "I'll do it next month." But when you compete with others, especially with money on the line, it focuses you on a goal like nothing else. It's strict accountability wrapped in a game. Read the full article.

Social Dieting

September 10, 2012
by Katie McGee

The Couch
Read the full article.

BET YOUR BOTTOM

August 27, 2012

Starting a diet can feel about as enjoyable as enduring a root canal. But now there's a service that seeks to turn the process into a good-natured game, replete with rules, winners and cash prizes. Essentially a tech-savvy version of the age-old weight-loss competition (or, you know, The Biggest Loser), the new website DietBet facilitates one-month "games" between friends to see who can drop the most excess baggage. It's up to the organizer of each competition to invite participants and determine how much money is at stake; you can bet nothing, though recent studies show that money might be the most persuasive motivator. Once everybody is ready to go, contestants enter a starting weight (don't worry, the actual number is hidden from your pals) along with a telling "before" picture. At the end of the four-week period, dieters submit their final "after" shots and weigh-in numbers (to be reviewed by DietBet employees to weed out cheaters), and anyone who has lost at least 4 percent of their body weight wins or splits the pot. DietBet discourages dangerous behavior by disqualifying people who lose more than triple their goal, and of course a general air of sportsmanship is expected. After all, nobody likes a sore loser. Read the full article.

Fit Fight: Challenge Friends to Lose Weight with DietBet

June 26, 2012

The idea is called The Fun Theory and it's what inspired the creation of DietBet, a site that turns losing weight into a game amongst friends. Participants ante up via PayPal or credit card. After the initial weigh-in, competitors have 28 days to reach their target weight. The winner gets the pot; if multiple players succeed, the pot is split amongst them. The official rules keep players honest and safe (you can be disqualified for losing too much weight). And while the game is afoot, you can talk smack, devise a strategy, and add photographic evidence to prove your dominance. At the end, you'll have lost weight and had fun doing it — not just in theory. Read the full article.

Wagering on Weight Loss: Diet Bet Websites

May 29, 2012
by Lynn Langway

Blogger Amy Oztan decided it was time to kick her diet into higher gear. She turned to dietbet.com, a new website that lets you wager on future weight loss. Although she'd previously managed to shed 18 lbs. on her own, Oztan figured that she'd be spurred on by the combined threat of online humiliation if she failed, plus the thrill of prize money if she succeeded. Read the full article.

Would you lose weight if money were at stake?

May 28, 2012
by Elizabeth Landau

You might want to lose weight, but the noticeable benefits seem so far off in the future that you continually procrastinate. You need a reason to get more fit right now - how about money? A new study in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine reinforces this idea that if money were on the line, you might start on a healthier path. In fact, there's other evidence to suggest that money does matter. A 2008 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that financial incentives did get people to lose weight. You can find websites that offer rewards for healthy behaviors. Others offer you the opportunity to punish yourself financially if you don't meet your goals (that may sound harsh, but it's a motivator): DietBet.com: This website lets you join with other people in betting on weight loss. You sign up with at least one other person and get 28 days to lose weight. If there's only one winner, he or she wins the entire prize pot. Multiple winners get equal shares of the pot. Read the full article.

Scale Wages: Taking Bets and Dropping Pounds

May 1, 2012

Testing the outer limits of your willpower is DietBet, a website that combines healthy old-fashioned weight loss with a healthy old-fashioned gambling competition… the Kentucky Derby of dieting. Read the full article.

Website Places Healthy Wager On Weight Loss

April 24, 2012
by Kafi Drexel
NY1

"This website gives people accountability", Glassman says. "It gives them support and also there's the real hard-core goal of it all, the competition aspect. And the goal is actually pretty reasonable." In all, the pro-eaters competing on dietbet.com lost 79 pounds and walked away with about $200 in winnings each. They plan to keep the challenge going by upping the ante instead of their waistlines. Read the full article.

The Verdict On... Dieting For Dollars

April, 2012

We know from watching The Biggest Loser that winning $250,000 can be a huge motivator. But can the fear of losing money have the same effect? New sites like DietBet.com... are, well, betting on it. Though the rules vary by site, the basic idea is the same: You wager money – say; $50 or $100 – that you'll reach your goal weight. If you do, you get back your dollars and potentially win more money. If you don't, you kiss your bucks good-bye. Experts say the premise has merit: In a recent study, people with a financial incentive to slim down lost about seven times more weight than those who had no money on the line. And if a diet betting site "motivates you to make healthy eating changes you can maintain after the competitions ends, even better," says Elisa Zied, R.D., author of Nutrition at Your Fingertips.

OUR RULING: Play your cards right and this gamble can pay off !

FAT CHANCE! Now you can win money by dropping a few pounds

April, 2012
by Christine Ianzito

Want to fatten your wallet and lose weight? New websites let you bet that you'll meet your goals – and earn money when you succeed. DietBet.com lets you bet against your pals: Those who reach their target weights by the last weigh-in win money... In general, people lose more weight when there is money on the line, a recent analysis of research from Cornell University found. Take Nat Walker, 50, who recently competed with a group on DietBet.com. He lost more than 10 pounds and won his challenge. "The financial incentive was there," says the project manager from Burlington, Connecticut. "It gave me an absolute goal of where I needed to be in28 days, and it was extremely motivating.

Is Weight Loss Contagious?

March 26, 2012
by Lisa Collier

Diet bets have become a hot trend online, in gyms, and as informal wagers between friends—and they work. One study found that dieters who stood to lose money if they didn't shed weight were five times more likely to reach their weight-loss goal than those with no financial stake. Half of the bettors shed 16 pounds in 16 weeks, versus only 10.5 percent of the non-bettors. Read the full article.

DietBet Contestants Eat 32-inch Pizza for Weight Loss

March 23, 2012
by Diane Araga

32-inch pizza, 3 minutes to spare, and a lot of beverages, the "Last Supper" was a definite eating contest. These eaters are the most competitive people out there -- you give them a competition, even if it's dieting, they'll do it!" Jamie Rosen, DietBet founder said. "Our business is about having fun while losing weight. These guys were totally up for it. Read the full article.

Got Goals But Lack Discipline? Now You Can Buy It Online

March 14, 2012
by Alan Farnham

Quitters and daydreamers, take heart! New web services don't just help keep you focused on your goals. They pay you to stick to them, and they pick your pocket if you don't. Result: You feel more committed to your ambitions, users say, and the odds that you'll achieve them rise. Other sites have a more narrow focus. Dietbet and HealthyWage, for example, are specific to people wanting to lose weight. Read the full article.

Diet Bet: All Pro Eaters Enter Pizza-Eating, Weight-Loss Competitions

March 12, 2012
by Andy Campbell

"It's the ultimate challenge for competitive eaters everywhere: don't eat." Six "All Pro Eaters" vowed to go on a one-month diet on Friday, in an unusual competition that pits once-weighty gorgers against their own fat for a chance at $1,000. Whoever loses four percent of their weight over that month splits the pot. Read the full article.

Stay Motivated and Diet For Dollars

February 15, 2012
by Sandra Mitchell, Anchor, KCAL9 Los Angeles
CBS LA

Read the full article.

Think You Can't Lose Weight? Wanna Bet?

February 1, 2012
by Amelia Harnish

DietBet  is the newest site to allow users to bet on their weight loss. The goal is to make dieting a game, according to founder Jamie Rosen. Mom blogger Amy Oztan  started a DietBet with a few other bloggers earlier this month, and has lost almost 9 pounds. "There were so many times when I wanted to just say screw it, but I didn't want to be the loser," she says. Read the full article.

Losin' It: Taking It Off For Charity

February 1, 2012
by Kathleen Canedo

The DietBet  website turns dieting into a fun competition. And by "fun" I mean "lets you risk losing a pile of money to ensure that you lose weight." DietBet put up $5,000 dollars that I, the Dilettantes, and five other bloggers were all competing to win. And if we were successful at losing 4% of our body weight in one month, the winners (losers) would share the pot and a percentage of the winnings with a charity of our choice. We all selected  DC Central Kitchen  because we love what they do, and it somehow seemed perfect we were eating less so others could eat more. Anyway, after all of this, it all came down to our weigh-in last night. And true to our freakishly competitive form, we were all successful at losing at least 4% of our body weight. And because I'm on a roll, I'm going to continue with my healthy habits to get back to my fighting weight. Read the full article.

Dieting for dollars

January 18, 2012
by Emily Jane Fox

That social accountability is the basis for DietBet, a weight-loss-wager website that launched Dec. 19…DietBet founder Jamie Rosen says users can send messages encouraging one another and track progress through an online scoreboard. "It becomes this fun social experience that's the opposite of what people think of dieting," he says. "It's not lonely or solitary." Read the full article.

Diet betting websites help losers win

January 11, 2012
by Angela Hill

DietBet.com is the latest site on the scene with the motto of "Lose weight with friends while taking their money." It launched in December and already has hundreds of people signed up in various contests. "Ours is not winner-take-all like 'The Biggest Loser' show," said founder Jamie Rosen. "Anyone who reaches their goal at the end of a four-week challenge splits the pot. It doesn't matter who crosses the finish line first. We're not making this like a gambling pool, but actually trying to help people lose weight." Read the full article.

DietBet allows you and friends to wager on your weight loss

January 09, 2012
by Chris Mautner

Enter DietBet, a new social media game and website where people compete to see who can lose a given amount of weight in a four-week period with a cash prize as their reward. "We think it's a tool for dieters to get motivated and have fun," said Tina Basle, vice president of strategic alliances at DietBet. "People are keen to get fit and lose weight and keen to engage socially with one another." "No one is going to put their kid through college using DietBet, the main focus is on dieting," Basle said. "If you're a gambler, go to Vegas." Read the full article.

Money: The Root Of All Resolve

January 03, 2012
by Andrea Black

While it seems extreme and a little faddish, a popular way of dieting sweeping the internet is by registering on a betting site such as DietBet and FatBet and competing against your friends over who will get to the target weight first in a set amount of time. Money is involved, which is always a good motivator. In fact, a 2008 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that those in a weight-loss incentive group (where a cash deposit was added) were not only more likely to lose weight they were also more likely to keep the weight off - after seven months those in the incentive groups weighed substantially less than they did at the start of the study, while the control group did not. Read the full article.

Free help available with New Year's fitness resolutions

January 01, 2012
by Lauren Lang

For anyone who has made a New Year's resolution to lose weight or simply wants to improve their health in 2012 free help is available… But weight loss doesn't have to be all work. According to Jaime Rosen, founder of the website Dietbet.com, it can be fun when turned into a friendly competition. Read the full article.

Making a Resolution? Diet Betting May Offer Incentive to Lose Weight

December 19, 2011
by Jeannine Stein

You have only days until you start your New Year's resolutions, and we're going to bet a lot of you have resolved to slim down in 2012 ... A new kid on the block is DietBet, which offers to host your challenges ... Read the full article.

Win Money and Lose Weight?

December 8, 2011
by Jennifer Appenrodt

Want to shed excess pounds? Put your money where your mouth is. Research shows that financial incentives boost weight loss. Money may not be able to buy you love, but it turns out it can help with weight loss. Research has shown that, when it comes to dropping excess pounds, there's nothing like cold, hard cash to keep you motivated. In fact, dieters who have a financial incentive to lose weight are nearly five times more likely to make it happen than those with no incentive. Inspired by the statistics, there have been a new wave of websites that offer monetary rewards for weight loss. The latest to jump on the lose-to-win bandwagon is DietBet—the online social dieting game, which launches mid-December, that lets players win money through weight-loss competitions. People place wagers on reaching a healthy goal weight and everyone who achieves the goal wins a share of the pot. It's like fantasy football for dieters. Founder Jamie Rosen came up with the concept after witnessing the painstaking process friends went through to plan their own diet bets and deciding to streamline the process with an online source. "We wanted to make that all a million times easier for the game's organizer and also more fun," says Rosen. Dietbet also offers innovative features, such as the Daily Carrot—a motivational and amusing daily tip written by comedy writers from Harvard Lampoon—and a message board, where users can trash talk, share photos and keep up with each other's scores. "The reason we started DietBet was the observation that nobody in the world likes to lose weight but everyone loves playing games," explains Rosen. "So we put a lot of attention to making it a fun, social game experience." Read the full article.

Betting Against the Bulge

December 15, 2009
by Chris Warren

(in-flight magazine of American Airlines): Want to lose weight in 2010? Put your money where your mouth is. The financial incentive is one thing, of course, but what seems to supercharge the effectiveness of the method is an element of public competition -- the bigger, the better -- between friends or between foes, with the latter scenario perhaps being the more motivating one. "When you go public and make a big to-do about something you are planning to do, like lose weight, a lot of people know about it, and the stakes get raised," says Jamie Rosen, a founder of MakeMoneyLosingWeight.com. "In addition to there being money involved, just the fact that there is humiliation at risk is also compelling." The desire to win -- or at least not lose -- any amount of cash, combined with the dread of losing face, can lead to some stiff competition and mind games. Rosen says he's heard about offices where workers competing for a cash prize for the person who loses the most weight will do push-ups in front of one another's desks and surreptitiously leave chocolates around, hoping to break their adversaries. Read the full article.

Eat This Cake And Face a £200 Fine

April 29, 2009
by Deborah Cohen

A growing number of websites and NHS schemes offer cash incentives to get you healthy - or penalties should you fail makemoneylosingweight.com [is] designed for communities of dieters who want to challenge one another. A group of friends or colleagues sign up, everyone puts a set amount into a pot and makes a commitment to lose a certain amount of weight. After a pre-arranged period of time, whoever is closest to his or her target weight takes the pot. The websites provide a forum for publicly tracking weight. Read the full article.

Wager on losing weight? A Bet Where You Can Win and Lose (Video & Print)

March 31, 2009
by Al Vaughters

A recent study by the University of Pennsylvania and the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Philadelphia confirmed "cha-ching, " with an element of risk, can be a strong motivator for losing weight. Read the full article.

Getting Paid To Lose Weight Or Quit Smoking

February 24, 2009
by Rachel Emma Silverman

New research shows that there may be a way to make quitting or dieting more successful: cash. A study in the December issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association found that people who had financial incentives to lose weight were much more successful at dieting than those who did not … An increasing number of dieters are entering formal wagers with friends or co-workers to bet on weight loss goals. Read the full article.

Dieting? Put Your Money Where Your Fat Is

February 4, 2009
by Pamela Weiler Grayson

It was an eight-player example of a diet bet, in which those seeking to lose pounds give themselves a new incentive: money. If they don't lose more weight than the competition, they lose cash. Internet sites that facilitate diet betting have seen an increase in traffic, and recent studies have supported what Mr. Ee and his co-workers discovered: diet bets work for many people who couldn't seem to shed pounds any other way. Read the full article.