DietBet Kickstarts 1 and 2 (out of 3) have ended, and I'm a two-time winner! I have just a bit more to go before I meet the goal for my third one that weighs out this time next week, and I have every intention of winning it. Anyone in a DietBet has every intention of winning, though, right? Or they wouldn't be betting in the first place. The money is a huge motivator... but it shouldn't be the focus.
Unfortunately, I'm seeing a new trend in the DietBet community that I've never seen before in almost three years on the site: whiny, complain-y, negative comments about the modest winnings. Both of my recently-ended Kickstarters heavily showcased these gripes. In most cases, they came from people with misguided expectations about how much money they would come away with if they hit their goals -- these folks pretty clearly didn't bother to read or understand the rules before joining the game, or before shooting their mouths off at the end of it. I know it's disappointing to "only" win six bucks after working your tail off for a month, but imagine how much worse it must be to come within a pound of your goal after working your tail off for a month, and losing your entire buy-in on top of that! (By the way, those people are the ones who financed your six-buck win, complainers. And then you bitched about it. Double ouch for them, huh?)
Many people have been quick to point out to the ranters that DietBet is a place for support, motivation, and accountability; it is NOT a get-rick-quick scheme. It's why I've come to DietBet every time I've felt myself slipping and needing to get back on track, and as long as I stay focused, it works for me. Not because of the money, but because of the support. I once hosted a DietBet, albeit a small one, with a $10 buy-in that only had about a dozen people in it. We were VERY active as a group with posting and interacting, and we had a blast losing weight together. At the end of the bet, none of us profited a single penny because we ALL met our 4% goal. That wasn't a fluke coincidence; that was because we were in it together. The fact that we only got back our initial investment was beyond worth it because it meant that nobody lost the game and everybody had lost weight. We were really there for each other. It was the best DB game I've ever played.
The wonderful thing about January is it does flip a switch in people to make changes in their lives where they feel unhappy, and weight is probably the number one thing people resolve to change about themselves at the first of the year. It's fantastic when people make strides towards health and self-improvement, and even more fantastic when they succeed. Unfortunately, it means many newcomers flood gyms and websites with the most earnest of intentions, but without a real plan. They haven't done the research, and then it's everyone else's problem -- sometimes fault? -- that they aren't having their sugar-free cake and eating it, too. If you're pissy because you didn't rake in a windfall on a community weight-loss site, honestly, shame on you for having that expectation in the first place. There is nothing anywhere in the rules or FAQs that should have led you to formulate such an idea. Congratulate the people who busted their asses to win, just like you did, and get back to work. **steps off soap box**
Ironically, all the negativity in the air on DB right now has triggered some positive thinking for me. I've been kind of skittish lately about the eventuality of my foot surgery, which is likely to happen next month. I know that as long as I plan, I can avoid regaining, and can even continue to make progress on my weight loss. Even still, it's hard not to feel kind of nervous about being essentially immobilized for such a long period. That's a slippery slope to negative self-talk. What the pouters on DB have inadvertently reminded me with all their negative talk is that it's incredibly unappealing and counter-productive. I'm not on my mission for any other reason than that I want to be. And you know what? I can do it. I just have to decide to. Multiple times a day, every day. The only way to do that is by staying positive.
In the meantime, I really hope this influx of downers is not the start of a new trend on DietBet. It really crushes what has always been a positive atmosphere for most players. No one is here for that.