A penny for your pounds?

The other day at the gym, I was lifting weights (curling 15-pounders, if you must know. I'm a momster), when a news bit came on the TV about an Italian mayor spearheading a project to help his citizens lose weight: He's paying them.

Basically, men living in Mayor Gianluca Buonanno's city of Varallo will received 50 euros (about $74, I believe) for losing 9 pounds in a month; women will get the same amount of money for sweating off 7 pounds. I'm not sure the reason behind the discrepancy in weight loss goals, but perhaps it has to do with the fact that guys often lose weight more quickly than gals.

Bonus for the Italians (35% of whom are overweight or obese): If they keep the weight off for five months, they'll receive an extra 200 euros.

I thought this was interesting - not just because I was exercising at the time I saw the news about exercising, which was oh-so-meta, but because it goes to show that many people who feel they don't have enough time to workout...or energy...or proper equipment...might be much more willing to change their tune for a little cashola. A recent study in the Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine explored this as well. Two hundred overweight/obese volunteers were promised money for weight loss (1/3 of the volunteers were given $7 for every 1% drop in body weight; 1/3 received $14 and the rest got nada). The painfully obvious conclusion: Those who were paid the most lost the most.

If I were comtemplating weight loss and felt saddled by a lack of motivation, I absolutely know money would help. Money always helps! (Except in the case of sweet, naive, pre-Grey's Patrick Demsey in Can't Buy Me Love, but that's another story). On the other hand, we can't always put the responsibility on others to get us healthier. Not every town has a magical, suave money-man named Gianluca who's going to fund our expensive jeans habit. Just like it's unlikely those recovering from drug addiction are going to have someone looking over them, paying them for every day they avoid cocaine.

Don't get me wrong - I applaud the public health effort going on in Varallo and of course, anything that can be done to improve a population's overall health is good in my book. Er, blog. But perhaps there's another way to incentivize men and women without dipping into a community's coffers? I know many people motivate themselves during weight loss by setting mini-goals and buying a little something for themselvs at milestones, like a lipstick at 5 pounds or a fab new sportsbra at 10 pounds. For me, it's the ability to indulge in my fave foods combined with keeping myself healthy and clogged-artery-free. And stress relief. And it just makes me feel GOOD.

How about you? What are your motivations for working out? Looking hot in your leather pants? Avoiding a family history of diabetes? Running a 5K with your best friend?

Ciao, bellas!

Comments

Okay, I'm going to admit it, and I'm going to sound slightly bitchy for it... I'm motivated suddenly to lose weight because not only is my best friend losing it but so is the guy I'm dating. They've both joined gyms in the past six weeks and have both lost over 15 lbs a piece, and the look great and apparently feel great! And I want to look great too! And have more energy! And get a boyfriend who at least lives in this state! :)

That and I have to stand up in a wedding next October....

I have to throw this in there...I'm 18 and anorexic, dangerously underweight... What would they do if I tried to lose more weight? Would they pay me 50 euros to "reward" me? What about other people who have some reason for not needing or being able to lose weight?

Does it provide that one must be overweight to qualify? Given all the press that Italians with anorexia lately, so I wonder if there is something that disqualifies those who it would be medically unnecessary for?

A long time ago, my now ex-fiancee's father proposed a plan to pay us to lose weight because he was so concerned for the health of my fiancee and myself. He offered to pay my fiancee $10 for every pound he lost and $5 for every pound I lost. And you know what? It didn't work at all. If anything, it was so stressful to put a price on weight loss that it actually made things worse.

I've found that I am more motivated to work out and take batter care of myself when I feel lovingly toward myself. Self-hatred and money and vanity were never good enough reasons to keep me going for very long.

I thought the same thing that Twisted Barbie and Tori did. Maybe they should pay them to be more active and go to the gym. Meaning they get rewarded when they complete a certain number miles/workouts/etc as opposed to pounds lost. It reminds me too much of the weight loss report cards for younger kids which just seemed like too much stress and attention on the wrong thing IMHO.

For me personally, money is only a motivator if I'm saving it, like riding my bike to the store instead of using gas in my car. The other motivators would be races or events in the far future. The thought of racing others and competing keeps me going on those rainy/tiring/boring days when I just don't wanna :)

Where does the money come from. if it comes from community coffers then its ridiculous. the people who already take care of themselves get screwed over. no way!!!! its unfair, its like mike bloombergs idea in nyc to pay parents for getting their kids to school and dr's appointments.

Kinda sounds to me like giving kids candy as a reward for behaving themselves, or something. Pretty soon they only do the right thing if there's something in it for them.

Interesting idea.

I'm vain, so my main motivator is looking good, and being able to wear certain styles that I cannot wear when I put on weight...Health probably would factor in there somewhere, but vanity is where it's at.

Aren't we all at least a little bit vain? Or, you know, in my case, A LOT?

Um, well it used to be to look good, i guess it still is, but i went through a period where i lost a lot of weight really quickly and was OD-ing on exercise. Actually, nowadays i find it that it makes me sane and mentally balanced (hey better than smoking right?) and makes me feel less guilty when i eat my occasional funnel cake. I think a great motivator to to just feel better about yourself, its not vain! i think some people need to be a little vain because they put themselves down so much. I like the gym commercials that said, "you never said, 'Damn, i wish i hadn't gone to the gym today'". I wish people wouldnt do it for money, boyfriends, or to miminc fitness gurus and celebs. Do it because YOU DESERVE it!

in response to the questions about being thin and how payment-for-weight-loss would work, I'm assuming these types of programs target overweight populations. I can't imagine a doctor or public figure embarking on a project wear they pay already-thin people to lose weight. They'd be in deep doo-doo.

Tori, I wish you well in your recovery and hope you feel able to reach out if need be.

x,
leslie