Need to Lose Weight? Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is!

Recently, I was reading the online version of the Daily Press, a Newport News, Virginia based newspaper, and was immediately intrigued by an article entitled "Doctor pays patient to lose weight" by Daily Press reporter Veronica Chufo. Published on July 10, 2010, the article was about a doctor in Newport News who had come up with an innovative and effective way to get his patients to peel off pounds.

Dr. Joseph Chemplavil is a Newport News based cardiovascular endocrinologist who has seen firsthand the devastation that obesity has had on his patients' health. Dr. Chemplavil treats people with diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, three conditions associated with obesity that can later lead to heart disease, kidney disease, heart attack, and stroke. Over the years, he's watched some of his patients with uncontrolled diabetes lose legs to amputation. He's seen his patients with severe high blood pressure end up on dialysis because of advanced kidney disease brought on by poorly controlled hypertension. Both diabetes and hypertension are either caused or exacerbated by obesity.

In the past, Dr. Chemplavil often preached to his patients, telling them they needed to lose weight and exercise or suffer dire health consequences. And like most other doctors, Dr. Chemplavil usually found his orders falling on deaf ears. Then one day in November 2002, one of Chemplavil's patients lost five pounds. He congratulated her and she quipped jokingly, "That's it? No money?" With those four words, a very effective weight loss plan was hatched.

After Thanksgiving 2002, Dr. Chemplavil started his Dollar for Pound program. It works like this. Chemplavil charges his patients a $10 enrollment fee. Then, for every pound they lose, he pays them $1. For every pound they gain, they pay $1 into the doctor's "Dollar for Pound" jar, which he uses to reward other program participants. Dr. Chemplavil also pays bonuses. For instance, if a patient loses 10% of their excess weight, he might give them $35. Dr. Chemplavil even had one very successful patient earn enough to take a four day trip to Las Vegas.

The program has seen some major successes. According to Churo's Daily Press article, within the past five years, "140 of the 223 patients who started the program finished. Of those, 96 lost a total of 855 pounds, and 44 gained a total of 250 pounds" (Churo, July 2010). The patients who have lost weight are reaping the benefits of their losses in the form of living longer and better and needing less medication to control chronic conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes. Nagging aches and pains lessen when there's less stress on the joints caused by carrying too much weight.

Not only are Chemplavil's patients being paid to lose weight, they are also paying less. Think about it. Less need for medications means lower prescription drug costs and maybe even fewer visits to the doctor. Less need for fatty foods means lower grocery bills. A smaller body size may mean spending less on clothing, since many clothing labels charge extra for larger sizes. Smaller people are also less likely to have to pay for an extra seat on an airplane. In today's troubled economy, these lower costs can make a huge difference in a person's quality of life.

Most people reading this article are not residents of the Newport News area, so it may not be practical for them to become one of Dr. Chemplavil's patients. Nevertheless, with the cooperation of friends and family, you can start your own Pay for Pounds program. Set up a special account to use as an incentive to lose weight. FOr every pound you lose, pay yourself a dollar. For every pound you gain, take a dollar out of the account and give it to charity... or pay it to one of your committed weight loss buddies. Use the money you save for something fun. Take a trip, or buy something special for your home. The point is to come up with an incentive that will work for you and motivate you to lose the weight.

As someone who also could stand to lose some weight, I'm gratified to read about a behavior modification program that has worked for so many people. Maybe I'll even give it a whirl myself, if I can bring myself to step on a scale!

Sources:

Churo, Veronica. (2010, July 10) Doctor pays patients to lose weight. The Daily Press . Retrieved from http://www.dailypress.com/health/dp-nws-dollars-for-pounds-20100710,0,213930.story?page=1&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

http://www.dollarsfordieting.com