How to Get Motivated to Get into Shape Quickly

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I’ve mentioned before that my weight tends to flip-flop before trips and after trips.  I tend to let myself eat more when I travel, then get back in shape after the trip.

In addition to using my Fitbit all the time, I have started doing something called a “DietBet” when I’ve hit a weight that’s higher than what I’m comfortable with.

Basically, DietBet runs a series of games where you bank on yourself losing weight.  You check in every so often, and if you hit your goal at the end of the month, you get your money back.  If you don’t hit your goal, the money you pledged is spread out among the winners.  Games are usually around $30, but you can also do a high-stakes game or a longer-term one.

DietBet explains itself as:

Could weight loss actually be fun? Ask the 300,000 people who’ve played DietBet.

They’ll tell you that DietBet isn’t just fun. It changes lives. Dietbetters get hooked on the accountability, social support, and inspiration.

DietBet works by forcing you to make a concrete commitment. Then it holds your feet to the fire. Finally, it gets you to laugh your way through the journey with your fellow dietbetters.

It works. Players have lost 3.6 million pounds and we’ve paid out over $16 million to winners. Dietbetting is now a worldwide movement with over 300,000 players in 90 countries.

Ready to Commit, Collaborate, and Celebrate? Join a dietbet today.

There are a few reasons why I personally find this effective.

1. It creates a time constraint

It’s easy for me to fall into the habit of “oh I’ll have this glass of wine today, but not tomorrow.”   Because tomorrow, I might say the same thing.  There’s really no urgency, and I really could do it tomorrow.

Since there’s a specific goal in a specific period of time, I can’t have that glass of wine today.   Because then I can have even less tomorrow if I want to hit my goal.  So it’s always in the back of my mind, keeping me motivated.

2. There’s a community of people doing the same thing

So at first, I thought the community was a little cheesy.  People were being super nice to each other and talking about how everyone was going to win.  (But then how would I make money?!)  But then seeing other people post their progress really kept me on track.

If someone posts a decent loss I wonder, why aren’t I there yet?  So it’s a constant reminder to keep my eye on the prize.

3. It’s only four weeks

Diets are hard, especially when you think about how much longer you need to keep it up.  And the more you delay (see #1), the longer you have to keep it up.  It’s this constant battle of wanting to be done with it and feeling pretty discouraged that the end is so far off.

This is only four weeks.  So if I want to have an extra glass of wine on the first day, I can tell myself I can have this in just four weeks.  And the time period in which I can have that again gets shorter and shorter as I go along.  So while diets usually get more difficult as they go on, this one gets easier.  The end is in sight, so it’s easy to say, “I’ll hold off on this extra glass of wine for three more days.”

And you know what?  Four weeks and one day later, I’ll have that extra glass of wine.  The important part is that I didn’t for four weeks straight.

4. You can get competitive with your friends

Part of what I like so much about FitBit is the ability to get super competitive with your friends.  The same thing is true for DietBet.

If you and your friends join the same game (either by being friends, or by using the same sign-up link),   It ranks you guys in order of who has accomplished more of a percentage of their goal.  And I’ll be darned if I let one of them beat me.

And according to their stats, people competing against friends lose 52% more weight than those who don’t.

If you want to join a game I’m in, I’m in one that started today.  You can join via this link.  I don’t get anything for you signing up under my name, except for another person to challenge (and a shout out in the game if I invite the most people overall).

This tool may take a competitive nature overall, but I found it really works.

If you want tips for working out on the go, here’s my guide on that.