Everyone is always trying different things to lose weight. Whether they just want to look better, feel better, or actually be healthy, a lot of people run out of steam and give up. Sometimes finding the motivation to lose weight can be the most difficult part. A new study is actually trying a different tact for motivation: The Mayo Clinic is actually paying people to lose weight. Read on to learn more.
Here’s a quote from the actual article about how the study works and the results:
“Previous studies have shown that financial incentives help people lose weight, but this study examined a larger group of participants (100) over a longer period (one year), says lead author Steven Driver, M.D., an internal medicine resident at Mayo Clinic. One hundred healthy adult Mayo employees or their dependents, ages 18–63 with a body mass index of 30 to 39.9 kg/m2, were assigned to one of four weight loss groups: two with financial incentives and two without. An adult who has a body mass index — a calculation determined by using weight and height — of 30 or higher is considered obese, according the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
All participants were given a goal of losing 4 pounds per month up to a predetermined goal weight. Participants were weighed monthly for one year; previous financial incentive studies followed patients for 12 and 36 weeks. Participants in the incentive groups who met their goals received $20 per month, while those who failed to meet their targets paid $20 each month into a bonus pool. Participants in both incentive groups who completed the study were eligible to win the pool by lottery.
Study completion rates for the incentive groups were significant compared with the non-incentive groups: 62 percent versus 26 percent. In the incentive groups, participants’ mean weight loss was 9.08 pounds, compared with 2.34 pounds for the non-incentive groups.” – The Mayo Clinic
Apparently, as you can see, money is great motivation for weight loss. Money is great motivation for anything nowadays! It may not be very healthy, and you’ll probably gain all of your weight back after you stop getting paid, but maybe it could help you get started. You can allow yourself a special allowance in your next paycheck. If you gain weight, you have to put $20 in a jar and can’t touch it till you lose that weight. You try getting your friends to do it with you and create your own “bonus pool” to put the $20 in if you lose weight. Make sure you can actually trust them so they don’t run off with all the money though. If you think about it, $20 a month is actually a lot cheaper than most weight-loss clubs or groups like Weight Watchers. Plus, Weight Watchers will never pay you if you lose weight.
Hopefully, after you actually are able to lose weight, you’ll find a new reason or motivation to lose a few extra pounds. Maybe you’ll like seeing a thinner YOU when you look into the mirror. Or maybe you’ll realize that you are feeling better, more healthy, and you like it! Do what you can to lose weight, even if it seems silly. If the shoe fits, wear it!