Are you thinking of losing weight so that you can enjoy better health and quality of life? Is your doctor suggesting you get in better shape to avoid long-term medications and higher medical expenses? Even ten extra pounds can have an impact on your overall health and lead to higher healthcare costs. While you’re required have health insurance {which helps cover expenses), the impact of being overweight can impact both your bank account and your body.

Losing weight isn't easy, but what if you were paid to do so? That's right, there are several programs that are encouraging people to adopt better health habits by offering monetary rewards. Three programs that many people have had success with include the following.

Diet Bet

Don't let the term "bet" throw you off; you're totally in control of whether you keep your bet or lose it, based on whether or not you meet your weight loss goal. Most four-week bets are $25 to $35 to join, and if you lose four percent of your body weight you keep your money, along with a good bit more from people who don't make their goal. The online community helps keep your motivated and is always there to answer your dieting questions.

Pact

Formerly known as Gym Pact, users of this mobile app pledge to commit to one of three challenges—working out, eating fruits/vegetables or keeping a food log—each week as a way to motivate them to live healthier lives. Users can say, for instance, they'll workout four times a week but if they don't, they're charged $10 per missed workout. If you meet your goals, you earn a portion of what is collected from other users who don't reach their goals. Payouts are small; a pact like this one will usually earn you just over $1 each week. Payouts can be collected once you accumulate $10 in winnings.

Healthy Wage

This site lets you play as a team or individually, or both. Join up with family or friends and compete to lose the highest percentage of weight among the competing groups to win a $10,000 grand prize or make a wager with yourself that you'll, for example, lose 40 pounds in five months to win a cash prize. You can even get bonuses added to your final prize if you refer other people!

Try one, or all three, and you may just see your bank account grow as your pants size gets smaller! 

Put your health first. Call McFarlin Insurance Agency at (410) 312-7800 for more information on Baltimore health insurance.