I studied at New York University during college and graduate school. Living in New York City was really great, but it was tough for me to avoid overeating because there was just so much amazing food. I've always been somewhat overweight, but during college and grad school, I gained a lot. When I started teaching, I found that my weight was making it difficult to be comfortable when working with the kids all day.

DietBetter turned out be the perfect addition to my new healthy lifestyle because it kept me motivated to lose weight at a healthy rate. Each game I entered was a new short-term goal, which really helped me stay on track and celebrate the journey as well as the ultimate goal. I've been maintaining my weight loss for over a year now, and I've started lifting weights, so I have some new fitness goals to achieve. I also recently became a health coach, and I've helped my dad lose 110 pounds (so far!), my sister has lost 20, and I have some private clients who are doing great with their weight loss as well. I've gotten some of my family and friends to join DietBetter too. I'll use it the next time I need a boost, and I'll definitely recommend it to anyone who needs another reason to stay on track to getting healthy.

I think the competitive nature of DietBet is what made it work for me, particularly as I did more games--I made it a goal to never have to pay any new money into a game. I started with my original $25 bet and I've won every game I've entered. Although I liked the competition between me and the other DietBetters, I found it was most helpful to just think of it as competing against myself and trying to do better than last time.