(Originally published September 20, 2013)

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I just found one more thing to be FIRED UP about! It’s called DietBet.com and it’s a 4-week social dieting game.

This is a site where you can join a weight loss “game” that has clearly defined stakes. I just joined the Jillian Michaels game that will start in four days (there are new games starting all the time).

Everyone who joins this game will put $30 into the pot and then everyone who loses 4% body weight in 4 weeks will split the pot. (Different games have different buy-in amounts.) The Jillian Michaels pot is currently at $96,000 and increasing by the minute.

One woman wrote in a comment that since joining DietBet.com, she’s lost 40 pounds and made $400. How does it get better than MAKING MONEY to LOSE WEIGHT?!

The brilliance of this site is not only the potential to make money. It has also been proven in study after study that social support and social accountability do wonders to increase the odds of successful weight loss. This site offers BOTH! The platform is typical social media-esque, where you can link to friends and banter about things and share recipes and announce accomplishments.

I invited many friends to join me (which can be potentially awkward, so I mostly only invited friends with whom I’ve had conversations about weight loss, etc.) and I hope this is something that many of us can do together to help stay inspired and motivated. If I didn’t personally invite you but this sounds like something you’d LOVE to do, please join the challenge and then “friend” me on the site.

Another benefit is that it’s easy to roll the winnings from one challenge into the next (skimming off the top, of course, for something loving for your body like a massage or a manicure…) so that if one can stay on target, there’s really only one buy-in for many future payouts. That’s the kinda’ math I like!