Bet on Yourself?

Good morning internet crew! Our topic for today is an interesting one-- we're going to chat about motivation again. This morning as I was checking the world news and there was a link to this very interesting website called Healthy Wage . The gist of the website is that you put down money that the website will double or triple based on your weight loss goals. You can give them 100 dollars and if you've lost 10% of your body weight in six months-- you get 200 back! Or, if you have less weight to lose, you can give them 300 dollars, and if you're at a healthy BMI in a year you get 1000 dollars!!! Well, specifically, if you can go from a BMI over 30 to one below 25 in a year.  Totes doable!

If you weigh less than the cash you get to keep it!

So that's cool. I mean, getting some money for accomplishing your goals is cool! Positive rewards are awesome. Clearly, there's already a consequence system built into the weight loss process. What could be a worse consequence than, "If you don't lose weight, you'll maybe have a heart attack, or develop diabetes!" Okay, so there's already a stick-- so is Healthy Wage just the carrot? I'm not sure. 

See, heart attacks are the stick and  the carrot is maybe $700!

Let's talk about this. I feel like if I lost a bunch of weight for money, then I might get the money, then I'd gain the weight back? I'm just really torn about this idea. I feel like true lifestyle change has to come from more of an inner place-- not so much a wallet place?  But then of course, I also believe very firmly in "Fake-It-Till-You-Make-It" So I'm torn. On one hand, I think that positive rewards are important. But I wonder if these rewards are too long term-- and far off? Unreal? 

Look at how impersonal that goal is! 

Here's the thing about goals. This is more therapy stuff. These goals are certainly time-based and measurable. I just feel like it's impersonal; weird. A website (a cool one!) gives you money for reaching your fitness goals! But that's not sustainable, I mean, you know, they aren't going to keep giving you money so that you keep making better choices. I was thinking maybe you could mix some other sweet goals in there, and make it like a SUPERGOAL!

TOUCHDOWN!!!

I mean, people derive motivation from a lot of different places. Unfortunately I feel like a lot of my motivation comes straight out of shame, even to this day. I have a few things in place to motivate me, but they are pretty far off. Maybe it's a good idea for me to put more little goals. I mean, I have big goal ideas, like:

• Weighing less than 200 pounds
• Weighing less than my husband (180lbs)
• Weighing less than I did in undergrad (165lbs)
• Within the "Healthy" weight range for my age and height (150lbs)
• Weighing less than I ever have in my adult life (140lbs)
• Goal weight: 135. 

Most of these goals revolve around feeling better and better-- I don't know if these are carrots or sticks? So as you can see, most of my goals start after the 200 pound mark, and I still have FORTY big pounds to lose before then. I think the problem is that these past 40 pounds have heaped on SO quickly in the past two years that it's difficult to pin them to anything specific. 

Maybe I should dedicate each of the 5 pounds between now and 200 to grad school?

What if I actually did dedicate The next 40 pounds to a person per 5 pounds? So eight people? I could dedicate each 5 pound increment to someone and keep them in mind while I'm exercising and eating better? Is that weird? I feel like maybe it would work? I mean, you know, people do things like that, right? 

Does it make you make this face?

What do you think? Would you want 5 pounds dedicated to you? Would you be my mentor for five pounds? Am I totally creepifying everyone? Lemme know. <3