My name is Kristina. I used to weigh a staggering 196 lbs. I was always sleepy, tired, and felt weak. Let’s just say it was one reason why everything else fell apart. It was one eventful day in June 2014 when I went out on my last quick break from work. My colleague F.J. approached me, and noticed that I was losing weight. All I said was, “I have to.” – with all the list of big and small reasons all of a sudden flashes back in my memory. Of all the big reasons, I gave him one: My doctor said my back couldn’t support my weight any longer. The other bigger reason I’d rather not disclose here, but I told him that. Somehow I trusted him even if we didn’t talk that much before. Little did he know I wasn’t living an active lifestyle. It was very sedentary. I was just losing weight simply because I have lost my appetite after a major life event. I used to love food so much to the extent of taking pictures of scrumptious food (be it healthy or unhealthy) and suddenly uploading it on facebook. I just lost my interest in food back then. I wasn’t eating right anymore, if not at all. I already lost 6 lbs just by doing this.

FJ then told me about losing weight and gaining something out of it in the process. He told me of a website where I could join a group of people from different places in the world, and try to lose a percentage of your current body weight at a specific timeframe. Of course, you put in a small amount of money so you could join the game. If you hit your target weight by the end of the time allowed, either you get your money back, or earn more. If you don’t, you actually lose your money. At first I was hesitant because I was going to risk my hard-earned money and convert it to virtual money for online transactions and I promised myself before that I would never do this. Then again, I told myself, I have lost so much, there’s nothing left to lose but my weight. So I agreed.

Being a busy person that he is, he asked his friend/colleague A.L. to help me and try it out first without joining DietBet. AL gave me a goal weight and timeframe. He wanted me to lose 4 lbs. He was shocked that I lost 8 lbs. I guess it’s easy to lose weight if you have so much of it. J

So they decided that I am ready to join. FJ created my profile in DietBet, gave me a goal and timeframe, and helped me manage my account. FJ and AL supported me through my first DietBet game. AL lent me his own weighing scale, gave me suggestions as to what I can eat, and what I shouldn’t eat. I followed through. It wasn’t as hard as I expected, since I didn’t have any appetite left. He motivated me to keep busy, to jog (well, brisk-walk really), and to live an active lifestyle. I had to pace myself because it’s hard to keep up with people who are used to jogging and dieting. After a few weeks I kept up but I was already craving food again – the healthy kind. I must admit, the sight of crispy fried chicken, cold carbonated beverages and McDonald’s chicken nuggets never failed to tempt me, but I always said NO, with my goal weight all of a sudden popping back into my head. I just kept my eyes on the prize. Every day I started looking forward to my daily 10-minute cardio workout. I went swimming, played badminton, jogged, even on my own. I learned to discipline myself. With my 2 colleagues motivating me, and telling me I could do it, the days went on until my final weigh-in. Lo and behold! I won my first 3 DietBet games! Thank you FJ and AL, I couldn’t have done it without you guys.

I couldn’t say that money was my only motivation for hitting my goal. I had greater reasons. So if money is the only reason why you are joining, you better equip yourself with other motivations, because dieting is not easy, especially if there are people around you who are not on a diet, and will keep on eating the things you’re not supposed to. I had my colleagues (now friends) to support me, and guide me especially if I was having a hard time. Now I could wear my old clothes that I really liked. People keep on congratulating me for seeing how much weight I have lost. If only I earned a buck every time someone told me that, I’d be rich by now. I can’t say DietBet changed my life. DietBet became my instrument for change. I, along with the help of my new friends, long-time friends, and the One above, have contributed to this change.

My name is Kristina. I now weigh 157.2 lbs. Currently 2.5 lbs ahead of my goal weight for a current game. I hope that all who could read this, overweight, obese, or anyone with a goal/interest in losing weight, will realize that this kind of change is not impossible. Just keep your eyes on the prize, learn to motivate and discipline yourself, and have your friends support you through your journey. If you believe in God, ask for his help as you work your way through your goal weight. I took the first step. Will you?