The NHS has announced that financial incentives will be offered to overweight people in a bid to get them to lose weight and to kick star a new weight loss drive for the UK.

Those who sign up to and complete a 13-week dieting scheme called Weight Wins, and lose weight, will be entitled to claim up to £450. Why? Well, one suspects the primary reason is that this weight loss will financial benefit the NHS in the short, medium and long term; overweight people are considered to be the largest financial burden on the National Health Service.

Lose weight and gain pounds

Diet-betting web sites have started to spring up across the internet, the idea being that users can bet on their weight loss success. Lose the weight and gain money. Sounds simple enough? However, if you fail to lose the weight, you take a hit to the wallet or purse as well as the waist-line. Think this is a good idea? Well would it surprise you to find out that people looking to lose weight have signed up in their thousands, to sites such as StickK.com.

How does the diet-betting idea work?

Based on the commitment contracts that smokers sign in a bid to kicking the habit, dieters sign a similar contract but with a twist.

Users are set weekly goals and once they have provided their credit card details, they are charged a weekly sum (the amount is their decision) if they fail to meet them. Referees - friends, partners, colleagues - can be nominated to ensure that people don\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'t cheat.

The users of diet-betting web sites submit their credit card details but pay nothing to join. Only when a wight loss report is submitted that doesn\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'t meet the goals set do users find that their cards are debited.

Incentives for improved health and fitness

Giving incentives to people isn\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'t a new idea. After all, not any people work in employment for free. Not only that but educators are now incentivizing school and paying children to attend certain courses and show a commitment by attending regularly.

Pru Health, the health insurance company, incentivize their scheme by dropping the cost of health insurance and gym membership when users show a commitment to their health by attending the gym at least twice a week and by reading health-related articles to improve health and fitness re-education amongst its customers.

Not only that but Pru Health have also partnered other companies which offer vast reductions on lifestyle services from low cost cinema tickets to low cost EuroStar travel.

Will incentives work for dieters?

There is no reason to assume that giving incentives to dieters won\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'t work. However, if a financial cost for missing a dieting goal doesn\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'t appeal perhaps email alerts to friends would shame you into that much needed weight loss.

Other dieting sites allow subscribers to submit the email addresses of friends. Hit your targets and friends are alerted to your success. The down site? Well, they are also alerted when you don\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'t. Oh the shame of it!

Of course, this may actually help. A good friend will want you to complete something that you feel you need to do. So a negative message about you missing your weight loss targets will no doubt be met with positive messages in your inbox.