NEW YORK, NY, February 3, 2015 –Weight-loss wagering industry pioneerHealthyWage, the world’s leading purveyor of corporate and team-based weight loss challenges and financially-induced diet contests for individuals, today announced the launch of its new “Jackpot Challenge.” Through this program, participants compete in teams of 5 to 9 to lose just 6% of their body weight. Each participant contributes $33 per month for 3months ($99 total) into the “pot,” the final size of which—the Jackpot—is dependent upon the number of contest participants. Potential winnings can be significant, as the largest Jackpot to date neared a whopping $400,000.   Teams that collectively average a 6% weight loss in a given contest will split the total Jackpot with any other winning teams. Businesses, co-workers, families, friends and other groups are welcome to form a team. A dozen large employers have already offered the HealthyWage Jackpot Challenge to employees, including five Fortune 500 companies—Texas Instruments and Huntsman among them.

“Our new Jackpot Challenge program, developed in response to heightened demand for flexible team options, incorporates behavioral economics principles into the design of the initiative and offers a motivation-inducing challenge for those looking to lose a relatively small amount of weight through a fun and supportive team dynamic,” notes HealthyWage co-founder Jimmy Fleming. “The Jackpot leverages the power of a team-based structure inclusive of ‘social norms feedback’ that promotes a sense of accountability, helping participants stay engaged in the positive new behaviors.”

Tale of the Teams
One team named “Breaking Fat” includes five Indiana-based employees of a Fortune 50 company that offers HealthyWage weight wagering programs to employees, including the new Jackpot Challenge in which thousands of employees have participated. Having worked together for fifteen years, the members of “Breaking Fat” wanted to help each other lose weight and take a shot at a share of the then $118,000 HealthyWage Jackpot.  Not only did they succeed and win nearly $1,000 of the Jackpot, “Breaking Fat” achieved almost 10% weight loss and had a blast.  Team member Brandon Maroney explains that the team originally chose the name “Baby Got Hips,” but when he showed up to the team photo dressed as Sir Mix-a-Lot, the team decided that his costume actually looked much more like the iconic Breaking Bad character Walter White.  “Breaking Fat” starting breaking fat right away, and has won almost $1,000 in total so far with HealthyWage!

Another 

team, “Mission Slimpossible,” consisting of five members of the Hofman family of Pocatello, Idaho, has collectively lost over 200 pounds and won more than $5,500 in two HealthyWage challenges so far.  Team member Jordan Hofman explains that a family vacation inspired everyone to think of fun ways to keep the family close and help everybody get healthier.  HealthyWage was the perfect solution. The family spoke frequently and kept each other on track, all the way to victory in two HealthyWage challenges.  The family’s before-and-after photo says it all.

In Tacoma, Washington, the principal and several coworkers at Sherman Elementary School formed team “Waist Management.” When they heard that the Tacoma Public Schools was offering a HealthyWage Jackpot Challenge to employees, the ladies of Waist Management resolved to help each other lose weight and win money.  Since then, they have lost almost one hundred pounds and won over $600.  Team member Linda Ramsey explains that the team would often bring a healthy food to share, like “Skinny Pop” popcorn, drinks with no calories or caffeine, celery or nuts.  They would also share recipe ideas and talk about what they had for dinner.  The team members also helped each other avoid the calorie-laden staff room!

“Waist Management” credits camaraderie and a focused competitive spirit with keeping the team on track.  The Jackpot Challenge helped improve each team member’s overall health and quality of life.  One member, who had been diagnosed as pre-diabetic before the challenge, has brought her condition under control.  Another team member no longer experiences acid reflux. Others have dropped up to four dress sizes!

The Money Motivation Paradigm
In addition to the Jackpot challenge, HealthyWage offers two distinct cash rewards-based diet programs that pay participants to successfully make healthy choices.  With the HealthyWager, program dieters select 1) how much weight they want to lose; 2) how much money they want to invest; 3) how many months they want to lose weight. HealthyWage's proprietary algorithm then tailors each player's personalized weight loss wager to assure those most in need can benefit from a more lucrative financial incentive intended to help motivate, sustain and aptly reward the weight loss effort. The program proffers the best prize-to-bet ratios for players who are most in need of weight loss. Players can opt for prizes ranging from as little as $100 to as much as $10,000, and can choose weight loss goals as little as 10% and as much as 25% of their starting weight. Players may also choose the timeframe for achieving their goal-as little as 6 months to as long as 18 months.

In the $10,000 Team Weight Loss Challenge, participants compete in in teams of 5 for the greatest percentage of weight loss over a 3-month period. Each participant pays a $75 registration fee.  The rules discourage unhealthful tactics by limiting the 12-week weight loss to 16.59 percent of starting body weight.

In order to participate in any HealthyWage challenge, players must provide two weight verifications-one at the beginning of their challenge, and one at the end-using one of 2 available methods: (1) participants may use HealthyWage's Video Verification System or (2) they can visit their own doctor or one of HealthyWage's professional partners-more than 5,000 health club, pharmacy and medical professionals that have a demonstrated interest in finding innovative and effective weight loss solutions such as that HealthyWage provides.

About HealthyWage™
Health and wellness purveyor HealthyWage provides cash incentives, social and expert-based support, tools and resources, and goal-setting and tracking technologies to address our nation’s obesity epidemic and improve America’s collective health.  HealthyWage is at the forefront of the weight wagering movement, having formally created competitive, cash-fueled programs for more than 90 Fortune 500 and other companies, hospitals, health systems, insurers, school systems, municipal governments and other organizations throughout the U.S., including General Electric, Texas Instruments and CVS Caremark, and their program has been more informally run at more than 3,000 companies and organizations.  The company was founded in response to academic research that proves even small cash rewards triple the effectiveness of weight-loss programs; that people are more effective at losing weight when their own money is at risk; and that social networks play a large role in the spread of obesity, and will likely play a large role in reversing obesity.  Learn more online at https://www.HealthyWage.com.

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