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.

"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.

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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.

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.