I am strictly anti-diet but I am singing a different tune these days. As of last Tuesday, I’m officially on DietBet.

I had never heard of DietBet until I got an email from a coworker. Basically you pledge to lose 4% of your body weight within one month. You put $25 toward your team (in this case, my coworkers who also joined) and if you meet your goal, you split the pot.

Right now our pot is at $575. The whole theory behind the success of the program is that people are motivated to do something if there’s money involved.

In my opinion, losing $25 isn’t that big of a deal ($75 on the other hand, I would care about). What did draw me to sign up was making the commitment in front of someone else and setting an attainable goal within a certain time period.

Pin It

Plus, I really think the team camaraderie is helpful. So many people are in the same boat with me. Although weight is a very personal thing, I feel telling others and getting support is half the battle.

Why I wanted to lose the weight

So why did I want to join DietBet? Although living a healthy lifestyle is ingrained into my DNA and I LOVE working out, food has always been a challenge for me. As a food writer for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, I’m constantly thinking about my next project. Plus, I love to cook and bake. It’s how I relax and unwind. I think if I didn’t like food (which, let’s face it, not everyone does), this whole thing would be much easier!

To be honest, I was about 12 pounds lighter a year and a half ago. But job changes, a death in the family and other drama set me into stress overdrive. Before I knew it, I gained weight — even while exercising 6 days a week. For me, my biggest problem was snacking between meals and mindless munching after dinner.

Although life may get hectic, I want to be more mindful about my eating habits, no matter what else is going on. I’m also trying to listen to my body better and decide if I’m really as hungry as my body says I am.

Why I’m confessing

I know it’s definitely not like me to be this personal on my blog, but I believe in the blogging community so much that I think it’s the right thing to do. I know I’m not the first person to go on an actual diet and I won’t be the last. Still, the whole thing scares me a bit.

Reason number one is that I hate feeling hungry. I immediately think I’m going to starve and I reach for a snack. I’m trying to train my brain that it’s OK to feel hungry.

Number two is social situations. I do great diet-wise during the week. I have a much harder time on weekends when my routine changes a bit.

Although our DietBet weigh-in is on Feb. 20, I want to make life-changing habits and not just a one-month change.

Question: Have you ever lost weight? What helped you the most during your journey? Do you have any tips?

25 Responses to “My DietBet Confession”