looking for a specific doctor's letter if anyone had any ideas?

Ok, i wasn't actually going to come back to this thread but the mood i'm currently in, I suppose I'm not really bothered if I get grief because I've had it all before.

The "program" is actually a bet with William Hill Bookmakers.

I've been offered the opportunity to lose 104lbs in weight over 52 weeks which equates to 2lbs a week. I can stake anywhere up to a maximum of £250 pounds at odds of 2/1 and if I stake the maximum amount, as I would like to, I would win £750 pounds.

This will not be paid out until the full 52 weeks have expired so there is no incentive to lose weight any quicker or do anything that isn't considered medically sound.

The only way I can do this is if they receive a letter from my GP stating what I said in the OP.

For those of you about to type "Why not just go on a diet anyway?", I've always had problems with motivation but in this instance, I am 100% confident it will work.

For those of you who haven't heard of such a thing so have decided it must either be untrue or a "scam", William Hill have had hundreds of these bets every year and have paid out so much money that the market has actually been closed - my bet would literally be the last one ever offered.

So there you have it. The full story.

gettingtheresometime wrote: »

Jason


I'm guessing you need to lose this weight for your health rather than just to win a bet so yes I'm going to say what you're expecting - why not go on a diet anyway ?


I understand that motivation is a big key here but an even bigger, and more important point, is to do it healthy

Yes a loss of up to 2lb a week is considered healthy but what happens afterwards - you lose the weight, win the bet and then what ? Go back to eating the way you did before?


I'm not saying don't lose the weight but do it for you rather than to win a bet

As I said, I've struggled with motivation for many years and in a perfect world i'd simply flip that switch to "off" and just go out and lose the weight.

Unfortunately, for me, it's not a perfect world so it's really not that simple as "doing it for my health". I know many people will equally struggle to understand that, because i've personally spoken to people like that over the years, but it is what it is.

As far as what happens afterwards, since it's the last ever diet bet they're going to offer then the onus is clearly on me to keep the weight off as I wouldn't get another opportunity.

Toothsmith wrote: »

I actually think that's a flippin' good idea!

I can see why they'd want a Drs note though, and I can see why Dr is reluctant.

Don't bet more than you can afford to lose!! When the fun stops etc....:D

Good luck!

Thankyou You're actually one of the very few people who's seen this for what it is and who hasn't tried to project their own personal beliefs on to it.

It's just frustrating that there are clearly hundreds and hundreds of GP's and medical professionals out there that have signed off on these bets over the years but I seem to have been cursed by having one of the ones who won't.

BorisThomson wrote: »

I think it's an awful idea. Weight loss needs to be motivated by long term change, not a low odds bet. What happens if you lose nothing for six months, do you then take rash measures to meet your target? What happens in week 53 once your motivation has ended?

Find a proper reason to lose weight. Accept that sometimes you'll slip up and you won't always meet your targets, but you'll get there in the long run. It's a lifestyle change you need, not some gimmick.

While we all can't predict the future, as i've said, the onus is on me to keep the weight off as this will be the final weight loss bet that they will offer. I would like to think that after a year of following a calorie controlled diet with sensible exercise that i'll be in the right frame of mind to carry that on.

If I resort to any measures that will affect my health, and I would imagine that trying to lose 104lbs in six months would certainly qualify, then the bet is immediately cancelled so there's really no incentive to do anything stupid.

This is one of the most famous cases ..

http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/9292525.Flab_bergasting__Darwen_man_wins___10_000_in_bet_he_could_lose_100lbs/

Money_maker wrote: »

What I cant understand is that this bet will only win you a (little) money whereas doing it anyway for yourself will earn you more time on this planet - which is priceless. How can £750 come anywhere close to the real benefits of losing weight?

I can understand the confusion because it's an attitude that i've faced for some time when I talk to people, but that's going towards very personal information that i'm simply not willing to share on an internet forum.

Yes, of course I should do it for my health but, as I've explained, it's not that black and white.

And for my level of income, £750 is hardly "a little money".