Adherence

Financial incentives structured around achieving intermediate behavioral goals (goal-directed) are theoretically more sustainable for long-term weight management than incentives contingent solely on weight loss outcomes (outcome-based), as they build self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation.

If you are trying to lose weight, focus on rewarding yourself for doing the right things (going to the gym, tracking food) rather than just the scale number. This paper suggests that paying for the *behavior* helps you build the habits and confidence to keep the weight off long-term, whereas paying only for the result might not sustain the effort once the money stops.