The obesity crisis is now being dealt with in an unusual way over in Dubai. This rich and apparently fat nation is offering weight loss incentives to it’s people…gold!
For each kilogram people lose, they will get a gram of gold – which is currently worth approximately £30. There is also the chance to win a gold bar worth approximately £3250 at the end of the thirty day challenge, which finishes on August 16th.
The rise of western fast food outlets has been to blame for the rise in obesity throughout the Gulf nations. In Dubai, half of the population is considered overweight, diabetes is on the rise and the government decided upon this novel solution to the problem. Knowing that a great deal of the residents in Dubai are incredibly wealthy, I have to wonder if this would really spur them on. I know at the height of my binging, the promise of money would not have changed my mind…unless it was significant sums – which amongst the wealth and opulence in Dubai, £30 for 2.2lbs of weight lost would not be likely to register as significant.
I have spoken many times about addressing the root cause of the issue. Without dealing with this, no amount of incentive will work in the long-term. Yes, you may find some wily residents that will shed a few pounds and end up a little richer…but what happens when the motivation of the money is removed? If you remove the thing which motivated you in the first place, then you remove the motivation to change.
Plus, we all know that faddy diets don’t work. What is likely to happen is that people will go through that famine and feast cycle…with weight coming off, yet more going on in the long run in a bid to taste all of those things that you have avoided over the past month in order to earn yourself some gold.
My biggest issue with this ‘solution’ is that it could be seen as evidence that obesity is a simple case of laziness and a lack of will power. ‘Oh – well if you pay the fat gits, they will lose the weight’…not really helpful for breaking down the stigma associated with weight issues is it – I can just imagine the headlines if this is a success in Dubai. Taxpayers will be up in arms at funding the fatties again!
Of course, I have tried the weight loss reward trick myself. I had a big ‘piggy bank’ – kind of ironic that it was called a ‘piggy’ when I was saving my weight loss related £1 coins in it! Anyway, I saved £1 for each pound that I lost, and when I got stuff like Slimmer of the Week or a new weight award or a Body Magic award, I would give myself an extra £2…until I went a bit mental one day and broke it…driving to McDonalds for a binge. More proof perhaps that monetary incentives won’t work unless the underlying issues are being addressed?
It could of course be argued that here in the UK we pay others to lose our weight…all of these faddy bloody diet companies for a start! So maybe Dubai is onto something! 
So, today then…
Today has not been brilliant. For starters, I was woken at 4.38am by the little yappy dog the new neighbours decided to let out…it seems to bark at fresh air! I couldn’t get back to sleep and found myself on the treadmill at 5.30am – unheard of and not at all anticipated…even in the future me plans. By 7am all of my exercise for the day was done, but so was I. I felt sick, dizzy, and was shivering despite being hot to the touch…roll on sunstroke! Yesterday’s escapades caught up with me after all. I had to go back to bed for an hour, where I had the strangest dreams about binging and woke up worrying about my weigh in tomorrow morning, even though a naughty morsel had not passed my lips! Other than a quick trip to top up the water for the horses, and to get today’s food, I have been at home trying to relax – and trying to drink water to sort this sunstroke out. My head is sore, but I am hoping that a good night of sleep might solve that. I have no problem with yappy dogs – actually, that is a lie, I hate yappy dogs – I just wish that they didn’t let this one out at 11pm and again at 4.30am…just as I am getting to sleep I get woken up, and just as I am in a nice deep sleep I get woken up. But what can I do – short of strangling it or them…I guess earplugs maybe? If today is anything to go by, an early night is on the cards I think.
Breakfast: Orange, banana and strawberries.
Lunch: Sardines on toast (2 x HEA and 2 x HEB).
Dinner: Sweet chilli and garlic chicken and veg (7 syns).
Snacks: None today!
Today’s food has been immense! My breakfast was a superfree feast of fruit which tasted lovely. Lunch was my toast, topped with a bed of spinach, with a mixture of sardines, chopped tomatoes, herbs, and red onions…with lovely cheese on top. Dinner was a sachet of Blue Dragon sweet chilli and garlic sauce – 7 syns – with chicken, mushrooms, pepper, courgette, spinach and red onion…delicious. No snacks as I wasn’t really that hungry.
Exercise: 2 x 15 minute and 1 x 30 minute treadmill sessions, and 1 x 15 minute BodyPump / Swiss Ball session.
Well, the early morning session was okay – apart from feeling sick and a bit dizzy…but the sunstroke will have been the culprit! In the spirit of all things gold, I am able to collect my Gold Body Magic award tomorrow too…whoop whoop! Who says fat girls can’t exercise?!
Thank you for reading – I hope that the diet fairy is sprinkling magic weight loss dust over us all in our sleep tonight!
Weight Loss Bitch xxx
WeightLossBitch
On a health and fitness driven journey to lose over 32st / 448lbs / 203kgs – yes, it is a considerable amount – I am committed to losing my excess weight without the aid of weight loss surgery, diet pills, or quick fixes…as there aren’t any! Changing my eating habits and building up my fitness levels, along with addressing the ‘head issues’ will be crucial in order for me to achieve my goal. Living in England as a 31 year old super morbidly obese woman can be challenging to say the least. I have been shouted at in the street and verbally abused far too many times to mention; hence the name ‘Weight Loss Bitch’…the day I am just called a ‘bitch’ instead of a ‘fat bitch’ will be the day that I know I have cracked my weight loss! With many reasons to lose this weight I am documenting my journey for a number of reasons. Firstly, I would like to keep a record of the ups and downs, the highs and lows, and the challenges I face with such an enormous task to tackle. Secondly, I would also like to inspire and encourage other people who are in a similar situation and to show them that significant amounts of weight can be lost naturally…with a bit of motivation, hard work, dedication and will power. Thirdly, all of the blogging, Facebook-ing, Tweet-ing, Pinterest-ing and YouTube-ing keeps me occupied and keeps my fingers out of the fridge!
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