It's been 5 weeks since my first dietbet started. I didn't choose December because I wanted an extra challenge, I started because I once again hit my all time "best" weight, way beyond what can be described as "just a bit overweight". So far, it's been working great - I've lost 7kgs over that time period and it doesn't stop here. I've reached my goal weight for the second dietbet and there are many more to come. I was very positively surprised with how much money I got back from my first $30 bet.
I've recently been to Milan, Italy and saw their Cathedral, the Duomo. Let me tell you this - if you think it takes a lot of effort to get fit, compare this to the 6 centuries it took to complete this thing. Check the photos on the internet, this is something truly breathtaking. For me this is yet another source of motivation and inspiration. If thousands and thousands were working tirelessly on this cathedral without even the slightest hope of ever seeing it completed within their lifetime, I can surely spend a few months dieting. Or years. Because I will see it completed, it is completely under my control and it does not take slave labor to get completed. Well, maybe just a bit. :-)
Best of luck to all of you dieting and look for sources of inspiration so that the occasional crisis does not become the end of your journey. I am sure there were quite some problems when this Cathedral was being built, they didnt stop, and now every tourist can marvel at the incomparable beauty of the work of some 30 generations of stone workers, artists, visionaries and engineers.