See more Empty Calories right here in the blog each week, or receive one each month when you subscribe to our free newsletter.
Read Full Post >

Welcome to the premiere episode of Vh1’s Money Hungry. My name is Josh Graston, and I’m one of the show’s contestants from the Team No Excuses and I will be your guide in this exclusive journey into the world of Bet Dieting. So, with no further adieu, I welcome you to VH1’s Money Hungry.

At the very start of the episode we see the bus loaded with all of the cast trying to make it up the driveway, and our driver Jimmy informing us that we were going to have to walk up the driveway. The cameras did not do the driveway justice, I am here to tell you it was quite steep.

Next we meet our host Dan Cortese. I was genuinely excited that we had a host that I actually recognized, although I kind of wanted a female host. Dan explains the way that our $10,000 entry fee for the show works. The final two teams each receive their entry fee back, with the winning team taking home EVERYONE else’s money, for a grand total of $100,000. Right before we head into the house Dan tells us if we break anything we own it, foreshadowing at its best.

Quickly Kaitlyn and Phillip get the party started with bodyshots, giving us our first glimpse at the amazing sound effects featured on the show. Dan Cortese shows up shortly after and we meet each of the teams and find out their team names.

Money Hungry Teams and Contestants:
Read Full Post >

Weight loss as entertainment, it’s a hot trend in Hollywood right now. The leader being none other than NBC’s Biggest Loser, set to premiere in September its tenth season of competition-based weight loss.

With the weight loss industry being a multi-billion dollar one, fads are as plentiful as they are in music, fashion and other high-yielding industries. Bet dieting is another hot trend now; the idea being that it forces people to almost literally put their money where their mouths are.

So what happens when you’ve got bet dieting and weight loss entertainment as popular trends in the day of an obesity epidemic? You get VH1′s Money Hungry, a new weight loss competition premiering August 2, 2010 at 9/8c. The show will pit 12 pairs of overweight individuals against one another in a temptation-fueled competition where they each stand to lose a lot more than just weight.
Read Full Post >

It is no surprise that money is a bigger motivation for many than their own health. It’s why the cost of fresh foods becomes an excuse why we don’t choose healthier foods. It is also why some people finally quit smoking when taxes are increased. There is even a prize for weight loss, like on the Biggest Loser (both for the finalists and the at-home winner).

Since the first season of the Biggest Loser, employees have gathered together to lose weight together, creating a pot for the participant that loses the weight. StickK is an online community that allows users to create commitment contracts for themselves and wager their own financial incentive. If they do not keep to the plan to which they committed, the money they wagered is given to a person or charity – often one to which they would not generally donate, what stickK calls “anti-charities.”

Read Full Post >

There’s nothing like a little peer pressure to help you lose weight and get into shape. I remember that I was in the best shape of my life when I had a workout partner at the gym in my 20s. Now that I’m approaching 40 with two children under four-years old, the exercise is a bit more of a challenge to squeeze into my lifestyle.

There’s another bit of pressure that may help you attain your weight loss goals: losing money! The phenomenon known as “bet dieting” is apparently still going strong. Last year, we spotlighted a site known as StickK that uses gambling as a way to keep people motivated to lose weight. You put up money, and if you hit your weight loss goal, you retain your cash. If you lose it, you can even attach it to a charity that you disagree with, making the incentive even higher. These are generally right or left wing political initiatives. If you aren’t politically inclined, the motive of keeping your money is probably still enough

The latest entry into the weight loss betting sites is Lose It or Lose It. The domain name pretty much says it all. You cough up the cash if you don’t reach your goal. But unlike StickK (whose slogan is “Put a contract out on yourself,” by the way), the cash stays with Lose It or Lose It.
Read Full Post >