motivation for weight loss

Try tying a financial incentive to your weight-loss plan, but for long-term success, be mindful of your deeper motivations for weight loss.

Chasing dollars can keep you motivated, but it takes more than that to get to the finish line.

RODALE NEWS, LENOX, MA—When trying to map out a strategy for losing weight, it's easy to overlook a key factor that's less tangible than calorie counts, meal plans, and waist sizes: motivation. Prize money may spark your interest in a weight-loss competition; support, learning, and camaraderie may keep your fire going. But ultimately, the motivation for weight loss, and for keeping the weight off, has to come from inside of you.

My health club sponsored an eight-week Biggest Loser–style competition this summer. Forty-four participants paid $25 each to enter the competition. The one who lost the highest percentage of body weight would win 80 percent of the total entry fees. The second-place loser would take the remaining 20 percent. The response was overwhelming. The head of the program, Rebecca Hunter, a buff, bright-eyed fitness instructor, was shocked at the flood of applicants. People on the waiting list begged to get into the program. Were they motivated by the money or the prospect of attending educational nutrition and exercise classes, upbeat group workouts, and weekly weigh-ins that could help them lose weight? Were they eager for inspiration and support from Rebecca and her co-leader, Tammi Schmidt, who each had lost more than 60 pounds?

Or were they in it for the cash?

THE DETAILS: For Fred, a 73-year-old longtime club member, the cash was definitely a factor. After six weeks he was in second place, having lost 27 pounds. “Fred,” I asked, “What’s the secret to your weight loss?”

“The money!” he shot back. And there was some serious money on the line. First prize was $880, and the runner-up’s take was $220. OK, the prizes were a little smaller than the amounts offered on the Biggest Loser TV show. But they were still big enough to make it a very interesting competition.

Overall, the 44 participants in the contest were quite successful, losing an average of 5.3 percent of their body weight in eight weeks. Over half the participants lost at least 10 pounds.

The biggest loser, Maureen, lost 30 pounds, 15.3 percent of her body weight! Fred, who came in second, lost a total of 32 pounds, 13.7 percent of his body weight. (For years, Fred’s workouts had been inconsistent, and his weight steadily crept up. The eight-week program lit his fire; he transformed his diet, worked out for 75 minutes a day, and finally, the pounds melted away.)

Interestingly, the competition revealed that the money was not the main motivator for most of the program's participants. The results of everyone’s weekly weigh-ins were posted on a bulletin board. And after the third week, the participants could read the writing on the wall (literally). At that point, it was clear only a handful of them really had a shot at winning the prize money.

Yet, almost all of the participants persisted, and most were delighted with their results. They looked and felt better. They were excited about continuing their healthy eating and exercise habits. Many have signed up for the club's next eight-week "Biggest Loser" program, which will start in two weeks. They have made an emotional connection with healthy living that is more valuable than any cash prize.

WHAT IT MEANS: After witnessing the phenomenon for myself, I can see why these types of competitions, with cash prizes, are springing up at health clubs and in workplaces all around the country, and the world. And why they are helping people lose a lot of weight.

If the prospect of winning cash inspires you, that’s great. Get into a Biggest Loser–style competition, and use it as a jump-start to change your eating and exercise habits. (By the way, if you're a fan of the TV show, you can learn many of the weight-loss strategies, and get tips from the contestants, on Prevention.com's Biggest Loser diet page.) Research shows that financial incentives are effective weight-loss motivators for many people.