Losing weight or living an active lifestyle is challenging sometimes. Between working an office job, aging, and finding time to exercise, it can be tricky to find enough energy to stay physically active.

Additionally, according to researchers at Harvard, losing weight is an biological uphill battle. The human body adapts to weight loss by lowering its metabolic rate, which certainly doesn’t help anyone in their mission to lose weight.

Now, I’ve covered various apps that pay you to exercise before for a few reasons. Firstly, I think apps that encourage us to stay active and get extra steps are fun and healthy. Secondly, I’m just a sucker for any type of passive income app.

So, when I stumbled across HealthyWage, another app that pays users to lose weight, I was immediately intrigued.

If you want to get paid to lose weight and make a lifestyle change for the better, be sure to read my HealthyWage review until the end!

What Is HealthyWage?

HealthyWage is a platform that encourages users to improve their fitness and reach their weight loss goals by including financial incentives in the equation.

On HealthyWage, users work as individuals or part of a team to reach their overall weight loss goal. If users complete their goal, they earn cash. If they fail, they lose the money they staked. It is as simple as that.

People are free to lose weight using whatever strategy or diet they desire, and HealthyWage is not a coaching platform or fitness guide. Rather, HealthWage works by adding a financial stake to weight loss, and there is certainly the potential to make some money.

In fact, the maximum prize amount on HealthyWage is $10,000, so this company isn’t playing around.

How Does HealthyWage Work?

In a nutshell, HealthWage works in 4 simple steps:

Calculate Your Prize Make A Bet Lose Weight Cash out

Time to break down each of these steps in a little more detail!

The HealthyWage Calculator

The first step in using HealthyWage involves outlining your weight loss goal, time-frame, and how much money you want to contribute each week to your mission.

There are 2 main rules to know about HealthyWage:

Minimum Bets – You must bet at least $100 regardless of your time-frame.

You must bet at least $100 regardless of your time-frame. Minimum Weight Loss – Your minimum weight loss goal must be at least 10% of your body weight.

You also have a minimum of 6 months and a maximum of 18 months to lose all the weight.

In this example, I added 10lbs more, 6 months, and an extra $15 per month for the bet. This increased the prize range quite considerably.

So, why the range?

Well, HealthWage calculates cash prizes based on several factors.

According to HealthyWage’s FAQ, the algorithm takes several factors into account, including:

Your weight.

BMI.

Bet.

Time-frame.

Time of year you make the bet.

HealthyWage changes their algorithm frequently. However, once you make your bet, the prize amount is guaranteed.

Enter Your Stats

Once you’ve decided on your weight loss goal, time-frame, and financial backing, you enter your stats to allow the algorithm to calculate your prize.

Specifically, users provide:

Gender.

Current weight.

Height.

Motivation for losing wight.

What they want to do with the money.

HealthyWage spits out a prize amount after you’re finished the short survey. Users can then make their bet or tweak their goal to be more or less aggressive.

As you can see, this theoretical bet doesn’t break the bank. However, 11% is an awesome return. Plus, the point of HealthyWage is to encourage people to bet more money to win more because this is the only way to force people to have skin in the game.

Make The Bet

This is the stage where it all counts. If you’re serious about using HealthyWage, you have to enter your payment information and bet.

Users can pay their HealthyWage bet through monthly installments or all at once.

Verify Your Weight

You verify your weight twice with HealthyWage; once at the start of the bet, and once at the end of the competition.

You can verify your weight in two ways:

Use the HealthyWage mobile app – Follow instructions to let a HealthyWage referees watch you weigh yourself.

– Follow instructions to let a HealthyWage referees watch you weigh yourself. Submit a video – Record yourself taking your weight and submit it online.

You don’t need any special scale or camera to get the job done. A basic scale and your smartphone works.

Lose Weight & Win

If you meet your weight loss goal by your second weight verification, you win. It’s as simple as that.

You can actually submit your second weight verification within the last 2 weeks of your time-frame, so there is some wiggle room if you finish early.

HealthyWage pays via PayPal or check. PayPal payments process is 2-5 days. Check payments process in 1-3 weeks.

You technically win HealthyWage points for completing challenges, but these are redeemable for cash or as entry money for other challenges.

Other Ways To Make Money With HealthyWage

You don’t just have to bet on yourself to lose weight with HealthyWage. There are several other exciting ways to wager and win, many of which involve team members!

In fact, you can join up to 10 HealthyWage challenges simultaneously, meaning your weight loss effort can help you earn even more. Checkout the HealthyWage Directory for a list of ongoing challenges.

Team Challenges

HealthyWage’s team challenges are the most exciting aspect of this platform as they allow teams of 5 to compete for up to $10,000 in prize money.

HealthyWage team challenges are simple:

Create a team with 5 friends or join an existing team that is looking for members.

Contribute $33/month for 3 months as your individual bet.

Work with your teammates and a HealthyWage coach for 12 weeks to lose as much collective weight as possible.

Earn up to $10,000 for being the team with the highest % weight loss.

for being the team with the highest % weight loss. Weigh in again after 6 months and earn your entry fee back for maintaining the weight loss.

The fact that you can recoup your $100 entry fee for being consistent with your weight loss is pretty awesome. You don’t have to even be the top team to win some prize money, so this is a relatively low-risk way to get paid to lose weight.

Besides, if you are the best team, the rewards are nice. Just check out these HealthyWage winners!

HealthyWage Step Challenge

HealthyWage runs step-based challenges in addition to weight loss challenges. If you’re intimidated by taking on a specific weight loss target, this is a great way to still motivate yourself to become more active. Plus, there’s still the potential to earn some cash.

Step Challenges have simple rules:

Everyone contributes 25% of their registration fee into the prize pot.

Contestants connect a step-tracking device to the HealthyWage app. This creates a personalized goal for each contestant.

Contestants who achieve their step goal win a share of the pot.

Android users can connect with Garmin, Google Fit, or a FitBit. IOS users can also use Garmin, FitBit, or Apple Health.

Personal Jackpots

HealthyWage runs personal jackpot challenges alongside other competitions. Again, this is a less intense version of a personal weight loss challenge.

As you can see, these 3 Personal Jackpot challenges all have pots of several thousand dollars. Plus, these challenges only cost $60 to enter and have a lower weight loss target.

Corporate Challenges

HealthyWage offers a corporate-facing side of their platform in addition to personal jackpots and team challenges.

If you participate in a HealthyWage challenge through your employer, your registration fees can be completely waived. This is because HealthyWage works with corporate clients looking to promote healthy lifestyles for their employees.

If you work for a company that has an on-going health and wellness program, you might be able to start a HealthyWage challenge with your fellow coworkers!

How Does HealthyWage Make Money?

If you decide to try out HealthyWage, it’s important to understand how this company operates financially before deciding to pledge your money.

In all honesty, HealthyWage sounds like a predatory company at first glance. It’s easy to think of this platform as being nothing more than a way to take advantage of people struggling with their weight.

However, while users who fail to complete their weight loss goals lose their bets, this is not HealthyWage’s primary source of income.

HealthyWage earns money from government grants and corporate sponsors that are interested in tackling weight loss. This company wants users to successfully lose weight because that shows proof of concept. Betting is simply a way to force people to care.

The question is, does this method of financial reinforcement even work?

The Psychology Behind Financial Incentives

In terms of science, using financial incentives to encourage weight loss has some pros and cons.

Research from the Journal of Economic Perspectives shows that financial incentives can be effective to encourage people to study or exercise more. However, this is not always a long-term solution.

The trouble with financial incentives is that they are almost always temporary. According to the same article “…incentives might have the desired effects in the short term, but they still weaken intrinsic motivation. Thus, once the incentives are removed, people may pursue the desired outcome less eagerly.”

So, don’t think of HealthyWage as a one-stop solution for living a healthy lifestyle. This platform is great for getting the ball rolling, but it is important to rely on other resources, such as HealthyWage coaching or other nutritional guides, to build lasting habits.

Is HealthyWage Legit?

Alright, time to tackle the most important question: does HealthyWage actually pay?

For starters, you can checkout other HealthyWage reviews on the official website. There’s an impressive array of testimonials and success stories from top earners.

Press coverage of HealthyWage is also quite positive. This app has been featured on CNN, the Washington Post, Fox News, ABC, and plenty of other media outlets across the world.

Additionally, HealthyWage has between a 4.5+ star review on both the Google PlayStore and IOS App Store, with over 12,000 combined reviews.

This is a strong sign that this company is legitimate. But, what do actual HealthyWage users say?

Real HealthyWage Reviews – What Users Say

A quick Google search of other reviews brings up plenty of Reddit threads. I love using Reddit to get a true sense of how lucrative various apps can be. Thankfully, the Reddit vibe is also fairly positive for HealthyWage.

As this user explains in this thread, HealthyWage provides a reasonable return and some much-needed motivation.

Another thread shows that again, the added motivation from HealthyWage is the main attraction:

Of course, there are people who dislike HealthyWage or prefer other apps like HealthyWage. The most common complaint is that weight loss is a tough enough process without having to worry about possible financial loss. Users also worry about the possible health effects of extreme weight loss.

Alternative Apps – HealthyWage Vs. Dietbet

In terms of apps like HealthyWage, the most popular alternative is Dietbet, which works on a very similar premise.

The main difference between HealthyWage and Dietbet is time-frame and weight loss targets. Dietbet offers monthly challenges with a goal of just 4% body weight loss. Dietbet also allows users to make their own challenges with friends.

Overall, Dietbet seems like a lower-risk, lower-reward alternative to HealthyWage. Both companies have a fair share of positive reviews and proof of payment, so deciding between one is really a matter of personal preference.

HealthyWage Rules – Important Facts To Know

There are several rules and commonly asked questions about HealthyWage, so I figure I’d outline them here in case you have any final concerns! I suggest reading the official rules for more info.

Availability – Users from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia, United Kingdom, and much of Europe and Asia can participate.

Users from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia, United Kingdom, and much of Europe and Asia can participate. Yo-Yo Rule – If you’ve previously won $200 or more on HealthyWage, you must start future challenges at or below the weight you ended your last challenge at. This is to discourage yo-yoing in weight to keep winning challenges, which is unhealthy.

If you’ve previously won $200 or more on HealthyWage, you must start future challenges at or below the weight you ended your last challenge at. This is to discourage yo-yoing in weight to keep winning challenges, which is unhealthy. Pregnancy – Pregnant users cannot compete in HealthyWage. If you think you are pregnant, you challenge is cancelled and you have 60 days to provide proof of pregnancy from a clinic/doctor to recoup your bet.

Pregnant users cannot compete in HealthyWage. If you think you are pregnant, you challenge is cancelled and you have 60 days to provide proof of pregnancy from a clinic/doctor to recoup your bet. Buying More Time – You can buy more time once in a challenge. Buying time adds 6 more months and installments to your challenge and does not change reward potential.

You can buy more time once in a challenge. Buying time adds 6 more months and installments to your challenge and does not change reward potential. Are Winnings Taxed? – HealthyWage reports all payouts. However, you generally need to earn $600 or more to worry about declaring prize winnings.

HealthyWage reports all payouts. However, you generally need to earn $600 or more to worry about declaring prize winnings. Refunds – HealthyWage never offers refunds since that ruins the entire point of the challenge!

HealthyWage never offers refunds since that ruins the entire point of the challenge! Professionals – No professional athletes, body builders, or trainers.

No professional athletes, body builders, or trainers. HealthyWage cheating – HealthyWage has the right to ask for additional weight verification. Cheaters are banned and their money is not returned.

Final Thoughts

HealthyWage is not a way to get rich. In fact, for most weight groups, this app won’t earn more than a few hundred dollars at best.

However, earning thousands of dollars really isn’t the point. Rather, the entire point of this platform or similar fitness apps is to encourage healthier lifestyles for contestants. When you consider the true financial cost of obesity, HealthyWage is more of a money-saving app than anything.

Sure, if you shed a tonne of weight and win a $10,000 jackpot with a team, HealthyWage is pretty awesome. But, realistically, most participants will not earn this amount, and this is okay.

To reiterate, HealthyWage is not for individuals who are tight on cash. The added financial stress is simply not worth the potential to earn a few hundred bucks.

HealthyWage is for anyone who is financially stable and looking to for some added motivation to meet their goals.

I hope this HealthyWage review has helped clarify any questions, and I wish you the best of luck on your fitness journey if you decide to place a bet!

Catch you guys in the next one.