Dallas County Living Well Magazine Spring 2015 | Page 43

goals and deadlines. In other words, financial incentives help prevent procrastination by establishing a firm start date, and help prevent quitting by establishing a firm goal date. Financial incentives also make weight loss a lot more fun and exciting by transforming the process into a game. tion, you should consider taking the social element even farther. Try writing a blog about your progress. Not only will your readers help keep you seriously accountable, but you may discover that being a great teacher is one of the best ways to learn and improve your own success. There are fantastic tools and resources available online for setting up financial incentives. For its part, HealthyWage allows participants to make a personal weight loss “bet” with a payout of up to $10,000. You plug your weight loss goal and timeframe into the HealthyWager bet calculator to see the amount of the prize you can get (based on your inputs) -- up to $10,000. If you achieve your goal, you win the prize. If you don’t, HealthyWage keeps your bet. Fleming explains, “The double financial incentive is an incredible motivator and source of structure that most HealthyWager winners say is indispensable. Although HealthyWage is most widely used by employees at big companies, the HealthyWager betting program is available to everyone.” 5. Seek fellowship. When you tell people about your diet resolution, be on the look-out for a dieting partner (or group of partners). When you work on your diet resolution with a buddy or group of friends or family members, you are even more likely to accomplish your goals. You get all the benefits of accountability plus the comfort and fun of knowing there’s someone waiting for you to exercise, compare food and restaurant experiences, and share the ups and downs of dieting. According to the American Psychiatric Association, “Enlisting family and friends in the effort may help.” One study shows that participants who do a weight loss program with friends are more than twice as likely to keep their weight off than those that try to do it on their own. 3. Do one thing at a time. Trying to stick to more than one resolution creates a willpower diffusion that is almost always a recipe for failure. Your weight loss resolution requires time, planning and lots of action items. The winding road from plump to sexy is made of many cobblestones that you have to lay down one at a time with lots of small, frequent decisions (e.g., “this morning, I am going to skip that second donut”). With all the good judgment and will power those little decisions require, you simply won’t have the time and energy for your other resolutions, too. You’re booked solid! If you think your weight loss resolution isn’t that big of a deal, you might be off track. HealthyWage program statistics confirm the results of the study. For example, HealthyWage tracks the extent to which participants communicate with friends and teammates on their HealthyWage dashboards. There is a direct correlation between the extent of a participant’s social messaging and the participant’s success. The company’s metrics have proven that weight loss that is social is much more likely to be successful. So, get a team together! 4. Tell everyone. Or, at least tell a few friends or family members about your endeavor. If you’re not willing to tell someone about your diet resolution, you might not be committed enough to succeed. When you tell other people about your plans, a magical thing happens. You know that your supporters are waiting to hear news of your success, and you don’t want to let them down. Some researchers believe that the social element is one of the most powerful tools in your arsenal. Plus, it’s important to have support -- i.e., people to brag to when you succeed; people to talk to when you feel like overeating. Talking is a great antidote to a desire to binge or eat things that could get in the way of your success. If you’re really determined to achieve your resolu- The Money Motivation Paradigm HealthyWage.com has executed its popular $10,000 Team Weight Loss Challenge and/or other of its novel “money motivation” diet and fitness programs for over 800 client organizations throughout the U.S. that collectively employ more than three million employees. Large and small companies are utilizing the company’s cash-fueled competitions, which is understandable given multiple highly credible studies underscore the value of employing financial incentives and peer support to motivate weight loss. The programs pro