Would you lose weight if someone offered you a monetary award? I am sure that the majority of us would if the price was high enough. According to a study published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, they found that if there is a monetary incentive available then a person does lose weight, as soon as the incentive is taken away the weight increases again.

I think that if any incentive, financial or not, is offered this will provide the driving factor for anybody to lose weight.

My husband and I have tried to put a monetary value to weight loss, but it failed as we didn't keep the end of the bargain where the financial reward was actually given. The only really big incentive for me was to fit into my wedding dress. I'm sure that this is true for the majority of us, that as long as the incentive is there, we will be disciplined in our pursuit to lose weight. But if the incentive is taken away then we lose interest.

The study also suggested that insurance companies should offer monetary/rewards incentives to its members to lose weight. I think that this is a brilliant idea! If our insurance companies and medical aids offer us cash back or lower premiums, it would help us reach our ideal goal weights. This will definitely ensure a healthier, slimmer generation.