Do programs that pay people to lose weight really work?

This might be the motivation I would need to get started. This would definitely help me to stay focused if I knew there was a major reward at the end. Of course, the therapist in me says that the reward cannot be external because it won't sustain itself. Any major life change has to be for self and not for others. Either way, this is still a good incentive in my opinion.

What if someone would pay you to lose weight? Not a token amount from your meddling fitness freak brother-in-law, but serious cash, say $10,000? Would you try it?

But what if you had to put some skin in the game, 60 of your hard-earned dollars for the chance to win that $10,000 or smaller prizes of $5,000 and $3,000?

And what if you had to do this at the office, with a team of co-workers who would monitor your progress, or lack thereof, and whose chances at a payoff depended on you? Deal breaker or motivator?

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