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.