Lose weight and earn money: how to exchange extra pounds for money

Today, fitness is becoming an increasingly popular hobby and lifestyle. Nevertheless, not everyone can gather their courage, find motivation for themselves and really get busy. In such cases, an additional reason not to postpone weight loss in a long box can be – unexpectedly – money. It turns out that losing weight can be beneficial not only for your health, but also for your wallet. We tell you how you can get in shape and make money at it.

Win a fitness marathon

A couple of years ago, so-called fitness marathons began to gain popularity in Russia. They are organized by fitness centers, sportswear brands, individual trainers and even bloggers. The conditions of marathons can be different, but the goal is the same – to put your body in order. Some are aimed at weight loss in general – they help you get rid of excess weight. Others are more narrowly specialized and focused, for example, on “drying” – creating a relief body. In most cases, the award to the winners of the marathon is paid from the prize fund. He, in turn, is formed at the expense of contributions that participants pay to join the game. This amount can vary significantly, depending on the organizers, the duration of the marathon and the conditions of participation.

Most fitness marathons involve a regular photo report. And one “before-after” collage won’t do. As a rule, participants must publish weekly or monthly (depending on the length of the marathon) photos of their progress or send them to a mentor.

Speaking of mentors. In some marathons – for example, those organized by the trainers themselves – participants are helped to lose weight, told how to do it properly, and even given mandatory tasks “on the fly”. For example, by the end of the first week, the participant must do ten push-ups and confirm progress by sending a video of the exercise. Those who fail are automatically eliminated from the competition.

But participants are not always treated individually. In some marathons, the organizers give general advice on weight loss, for example, publish a nutrition program and a set of training for a week. At the same time, they do not interact with everyone personally.

Lose weight with an app

Today, many people fall asleep and wake up with a smartphone in their hands. It can help maintain water balance, count calories eaten, track sleep phases and, as it turns out, make money from weight loss.

There are several apps that are willing to financially reward their users if they lose weight, reach their goals and stick to a healthy lifestyle. Two main approaches can be distinguished: competition (similar to a fitness marathon) and achieving a personalized goal.

One of the most popular “competition” services that can be used worldwide is Dietbet. The name can be literally translated as “diet bet”. In essence, this is what the app is all about. The user can choose from three directions: Kickstarter, Transformer, or Continuing. The first option will suit those who want to start small. The goal of the program is to get rid of 4% of excess weight in 28 days. Transformer is designed for a longer period and a more serious result: minus 10% of weight in six months. And the program for “continuing” helps not to gain lost pounds: during the year, participants should not “return” more than 2% of their weight and lose more than 4%. The prize fund is formed in the same way as in the marathon, and is divided among all those who have fulfilled the conditions of the program in the appointed period.

Regardless of the program, Dietbet requires a photo report, and on the Transformer and Continuing directions, participants must weigh in every week. To exclude extreme and unhealthy attempts to lose weight at the very end, there are rules, and the program is divided into several rounds: Transformer – for 6, “continuing” – for 12. So, to compete for the main prize in the direction of “Transformer”, by the fifth round the participant must lose weight by at least 6%.

Another popular app is StickK. It helps users achieve goals, acquire healthy habits and get rid of bad ones. StickK also uses money as motivation, and here you can not only earn it, but also lose it (if you do not fulfill the terms of the “agreement”).

The user enters into an “agreement” with himself – in fact, he makes a promise to himself. For example, to lose weight, to keep a certain weight or to start eating right. You can choose one of the proposed goals (the most popular ones) or create a new one yourself and specify the amount of the “penalty” for failure to fulfill it. You should also decide how often the app will “penalize”: for example, every week, every day or every month. Where to send the lost money, the user decides for himself: for charity, for the development of the application or to any person (in the latter case, you will need to specify the details for the transfer).

To prevent people from harming their health, such applications always set a kind of “safety rules”. For example, Dietbet specifies the maximum percentage of the participants’ weight that they can lose in one round (this figure is different for each program). If a participant drops more than that, they are disqualified, as it is considered a potential health risk.

Arguing with a friend

If digital and mass marathons are not for you, you can always bet with a friend the old-fashioned way. Here, the amount of winnings will also depend entirely on you, and the terms of the dispute are not limited by anything – agree on such a goal and term that you consider comfortable.

In October 2019, two Russian businessmen from Novosibirsk – Ivan Luzanov dan Alexander Dolgov– decided to follow this tactic. They are longtime friends who have always wanted to get rid of excess weight: Luzanov weighed 110 kg at 183 cm tall, while Dolgov, who is 205 cm tall, weighed 140 kg.

The friends decided to motivate themselves with money and bet on 100 thousand rubles: they will receive them who will lose more weight in two months. As a bonus, you can also kick the loser. Achieve results faster if there is a specific incentive. Although it’s not just about money, as Alexander Dolgov believes, but also in the sense of competition – you do not want to lose on principle.

It’s not a question of the amount, I just don’t want to lose – it’s purely masculine.

As Luzanov said, he has been dropping weight for a long time and then gaining it again, but he can’t keep it below 100 kg. And a dispute with a friend is a great way to additionally motivate himself.
The men will summarize the results at the end of December 2019. By that time they plan to lose weight by 20 kg.

We decide to lose weight for different reasons. Someone is motivated by the sport itself, someone easily manages to convince himself in the correctness and usefulness of such a lifestyle, and someone needs stronger arguments to finally make himself start. For example, potential earnings or, on the contrary, a system of penalties. In any case, the main thing is to know the measure and approach weight loss rationally: to do everything gradually, not to arrange extreme overloads to the body and slowly but surely go to your goal.