You really are worth your weight in gold – or at least those extra pounds that you can afford to lose are.
In a new campaign aimed at combatting obesity, Dubai is launching a ‘lose your weight in gold’ contest to raise awareness of health problems that come with weight issues.
Every United Arab Emirates resident who can lose more than two kilograms – 4.4 pounds – will be paid a gram of gold for each kilogramme shed.
The current price of a 24 carat gram of gold in Dubai is US$41.30.
The three biggest weight losers will win a gold coin to mark their achievement worth £3,500.
Paid to lose weight
Unfortunately only UAE residents are allowed to enter the contest – and have to show personal ID to qualify.
The competition runs until August 16, 2013 and is open to anyone diagnosed by medical staff as obese, which generally means they carry body fat in excess of 20% of their average weight for their age, height and build.
The Dubai competition – backed by the local municipal government and healthcare groups – cites recent US research that claims cash was the best way to incentivise weight loss.
However, said a spokesman for the municipal government, no one knows if the weight will stay off once the money is paid over.
In the research, two groups were asked to lose weight. One was paid cash for every pound lost, while the other was not.
The group picking up money lost an average 9.08 pounds, while the unincentivised group lost an average 2.34 pounds.
The report also pointed out that two-thirds of the group motivated by money finished their course, while only 26% of the other group reached the deadline.
£130,000 pay out
Getting paid for losing weight is not a new idea.
The National Health Service in Britain has promoted the idea for some time through a firm called Weight Wins.
Weight Wins boasts paying out £130,000 in rewards to members since 2007.
The deal is losing an agreed amount of weight over an agreed time period – and then not regaining that weight in five months.
The hope is that in that time, the person losing the weight develops a healthy lifestyle that will stop them putting the weight they lose back on.
The web site advertises Kate, 57, who lost 56 pounds in 12 months to earn £418 – although she paid a £10 a month fee to join the scheme.
