Dieter Questions

Is Lose-Win Situation a diet plan?
No. Lose-Win Situation is a weight-loss motivation program.

Which existing weight-loss motivation programs are similar to Lose-Win Situation?
None. Lose-Win Situation is the first and only program that exists for the sole purpose of motivating dieters to stick to their diet and exercise programs.

Which diet programs does Lose-Win Situation recommend?
No programs in particular. We believe all reputable diet programs that effectively reduce calories will enable a dieter to lose weight – as long as the dieter sticks with the program.

Which exercise programs does Lose-Win Situation recommend?
No programs in particular. We believe all reputable exercise programs that effectively burn calories will enable people to lose weight – as long as they stick with the program.

With which diet and exercise programs does Lose-Win Situation work best?
Lose-Win Situation will motivate you to stick to any diet and exercise program you choose to follow. The reputable programs all provide the means to lose weight. Lose-Win Situation provides the motivation.

What are Lose-Win Situation’s views on nutrition?
We profess no expertise in the area of nutrition. The reputable diet programs are the experts and we defer to their expertise.

What is lacking from the reputable diet programs?
They are experts in providing the means to lose weight. But the forms of motivation they provide are vague and ineffective. They offer pointers that you already know and encourage you to do unrealistic things like recite slogans or ask yourself a series of analytical questions when cravings hit. It is very unlikely that these empty tactics will keep you motivated to stick to your diet when it’s late at night and you’re staring at the fridge knowing that there’s a cheesecake inside.

How is Lose-Win Situation’s approach to motivation different?
Lose-Win Situation’s motivational approach is clear and based on a concrete fact – if you stick to your diet you will generate funds for your favorite charity. If you break your diet you will cut off funds from your charity.

Am I overweight?
Some people who think they are overweight are actually normal or unhealthily underweight. To calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI) and determine if you are normal, overweight or underweight .

How do I select a charity?
Click CHARITIES/Our Charities to browse the list and read the descriptions. For more information on a charity click “View Website”. When you find your favorite simply click “Diet to Support this Charity” to register. Or you can

Why was a Psychologist’s Message included on the website?
Because Lose-Win Situation totally changes the psychology of dieting. Dr. Jennifer Johnston-Jones, the author of the Psychologist’s Message and a licensed PhD based in Hermosa Beach , CA has described Lose-Win Situation as “The only weight-loss program I have ever seen that is not superficially motivated.”

How does my weight-loss result in funds raised for my charity?
You enlist people you know to sponsor your weight loss. They pledge to donate to your charity a certain number of dollars for each pound you lose.

Who can I approach to become sponsors?
You can start with your spouse, parents or children, siblings and some close friends. Then you can add other friends and relatives, neighbors and co-workers, anyone who would be pleased to support your weight-loss and your charity.

How will Lose-Win Situation help me enlist sponsors?
Lose-Win Situation will send you an email describing your charity and requesting sponsorship. You forward the email to your potential sponsors. All recipients have to do is click the link contained in the email and they will be taken to the Sponsor Registration page of this website. They can then proceed to register to become your sponsors.

You will also receive a flyer which you can print and distribute to your sponsors.

How often do I have to get weighed?
Once a month.

Can I weigh myself on my home scale?
Yes! – as long as that is acceptable to all of your sponsors. If so, weigh yourself each month and then log in to your account and click “Enter My Weight.”

However if one or more of your sponsors indicated that they require that they be billed based on a verified weight you must get weighed at a doctor's office, diet center or health spa. They must indicate the date, your name and your weight on their letterhead or official weigh-in log book. You then fax the verified weight to the Lose-Win Situation toll-free fax number (888) 858-LOSE (5673). Or you can scan your verified weight and attach it to an email you send to weigh-in@LoseWinSituation.com .

How much will it cost me to participate in Lose-Win Situation?
Dieters will never pay anything at any time to Lose-Win Situation. If you are on the Honor System you can weigh yourself on your home scale but otherwise you may have to pay your doctor to weigh you each month or to join a diet plan that can provide you with your verified weight.

Can my sponsors specify a maximum dollar donation when they register?
Yes.

Are their donations tax-deductible?
Yes. Since Lose-Win Situation only works with 501 (c) (3) charities, all donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

How will Lose-Win Situation help me during the course of my diet?
Lose-Win Situation will enable you to oversee your own personal fundraising project for your charity. Your personalized dieter profile will contain a list of your sponsors, their pledges, the amount they owe and the total amount paid by all your sponsors. In addition your profile will contain your weigh-in history (only you will see your actual weight). Each month you will receive an email reminding you to weigh yourself or go for your next weigh-in. Your personal animated Triangle of Kindness will motivate you by reminding you of your sponsors and the amounts of their pledges.

Every time you enter your weight (if you're on the Honor System) or fax in your verified weight you will receive an email informing you of the number of pounds you've lost that month and the resulting amount of sponsor pledges. Whenever a sponsor makes a payment you will receive an email informing you of the payment.

Every time one of your sponsors receives an email from Lose-Win Situation it will contain a link which they can click to send you a support message. Read them and be inspired! Whenever you receive an email it will contain links to click to read the latest update from your charity.

Finally, enrollment in Lose-Win Situation will make you part of an on-line community of dieters. You will be inspired by reading the testimonials of other dieters as well as the personal experience of the Dieter of the Month.

I’m not comfortable revealing my weight. What can I do to protect my privacy?
Your actual weight is NEVER displayed or revealed to anyone, not even your sponsors. Only the number of pounds you’ve lost is revealed. If you want to hide this information you can. In addition, you can identify yourself by using an alias instead of your name.

After I register for the weight-loss phase can I change my goal weight?
Yes. You can raise your goal weight (if you think the goal weight you originally set for yourself is unrealistic) or you can lower it (if you realistically think you can go lower than you originally thought).

I really have to lose a lot of weight. What do you recommend?
Since your sponsors may specify a maximum dollar donation you might want to consider recruiting some sponsors for the beginning of your diet, some others for the middle and some others for the end. This is better than to have all your sponsors sponsor you at the beginning and then, due to their maximums, not be able to sponsor you beyond that.

What are my options when I get down to goal weight by completing the weight-loss phase?
You can end your participation in Lose-Win Situation or you can transition into the weight-maintenance phase.

How do I transition into the weight-maintenance phase?
After the entry of your weight that is equal to or less than your goal weight you will receive an email that contains an option to enter the weight-maintenance phase by specifying the weight you would like to maintain. Or you can also be given this option if you raise your goal weight so that it is equal to or higher than your current weight.

Can I specify any maintenance weight?
No. The maintenance weight you specify must be within ten pounds of your goal weight. So for example, if your weight-loss phase goal weight was 150 pounds you can specify a maintenance weight of 160 but not 161.

Do my weight-loss phase sponsors become my weight-maintenance phase sponsors?
Your weight loss phase sponsors have the option of also sponsoring you for the weight maintenance phase. In addition you can enlist weight-maintenance phase sponsors who did not sponsor you during the weight-loss phase.

Do my maintenance-phase sponsors still sponsor me by making pledges based on dollars per pound lost?
No. Since you are no longer trying to lose weight, the pledges of your weight-maintenance phase sponsors are based on dollars per each month you maintain your weight.

Can my weight maintenance sponsors specify a maximum?
Yes but they don’t specify a maximum dollar donation. Instead they can specify a maximum number of months they will sponsor your weight maintenance.

If my sponsors specify a maximum number of months how can I stay motivated long into the future?
We recommend that you obtain a weight maintenance buddy. A buddy is another Lose-Win Situation dieter who is attempting to maintain his or her weight. Each of you stays motivated by becoming a sponsor of your buddy’s charity! The two of you decide on a reasonable monthly donation amount. Then, for each month you maintain your weight your buddy donates the monthly amount to your charity. For each month your buddy maintains his or her weight you donate the monthly amount to his or her charity.

How can I obtain a weight-maintenance buddy?
When you are getting close to your goal weight login to your account, click “My Account Info” and check the box that reads ‘ Display “Become my Maintenance Buddy” next to my name on the list of dieters.’ Then when another dieter looks for a weight maintenance buddy they will click on your name and send you an email. Or you can look through the list and send an email to other dieters who display “Become my Maintenance Buddy.”

When on weight-maintenance how long into the future will I generate funds for my charity?
You can generate funds each month you maintain your weight for years and years into the future. There is no limit. It all depends on the arrangement you make with your weight-maintenance buddy.

I’m already at a weight I want to maintain. How can I raise funds for charity?
When you register you should specify “Weight-maintenance phase” and key in the weight you want to maintain.

After I register for the weight-maintenance phase can I change my maintenance weight?
You can lower your maintenance weight but you can’t raise it. Allowing you to raise it will enable you to “successfully maintain” your weight as you continue to gain weight.

Can I diet to support more than one charity?
Yes, but you must enlist separate sponsors, one set of sponsors for each charity.

Should I check with my doctor before I start my diet and exercise program?
Yes.

Sponsor Questions

How do I sponsor a dieter?
Select top menu option SPONSORS/Sponsor a Dieter and select the dieter. Or you can select top menu option CHARITIES/Our Charities and click “View Dieters.” Then locate the dieter and click “Sponsor Me!” Or you can

What’s the difference between sponsoring a weight-loss phase dieter and a weight-maintenance phase dieter?
When you sponsor a weight-loss phase dieter your pledge is based on dollars per pound lost by the dieter. When you sponsor a weight-maintenance phase dieter your pledge is based on dollars per month the dieter maintained his or her weight.

Is there a minimum pledge?
One dollar per pound (weight-loss phase pledge) or one dollar per month (weight-maintenance phase pledge).

Do I have to sponsor a dieter for the weight-maintenance phase in addition to the weight-loss phase?
No. You can sponsor a dieter for the weight-loss phase, the weight-maintenance phase or both.

Can I specify a maximum total dollar donation?
Yes. But that maximum covers just the weight-loss phase. The maintenance phase maximum is specified in terms of months.

Is my donation tax-deductible?
Since Lose-Win Situation only deals with 501 (c)(3) charities your donation is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

What billing choices do I have?
When you register to sponsor a dieter you can choose to be billed with an email invoice or you can have your credit card automatically charged.

How often am I billed?
Around once a month. Dieters are instructed to weigh-in monthly. Email invoices and automatic credit card charges are generated when the dieter's weight is entered by the dieter (if he or she is on the Honor System) or by the Lose-Win Situation staff.

How do I know the amount billed is accurate?
If you and all of your dieters' other sponsors granted him or her the Honor System privilege your bill will be based on the weight recorded by your dieter. Otherwise the amount billed is based on the entry of a verified weight recorded on a doctor's letterhead or in an official log book from a diet center or health spa.

When is my credit card automatically charged and for what amount?
Your card is automatically charged when your dieter's weight is entered, either by the Honor System dieter, or by the Lose-Win Situation staff after receiving a verified fax from a doctor's office, diet center, etc. For a dieter in the weight-loss phase the amount charged will be equal to the number of pounds lost since the previous weigh-in multiplied by your dollars-per-pound pledge. For a dieter in the weight-maintenance phase the amount charged will be equal to your dollars-per-month pledge, each month the dieter maintains his or her weight. If you specified a maximum when you registered it will not be exceeded.

Is my credit card payment secure?
All credit card payments are encrypted and secured by Rapid SSL. Authentic Sites use Rapid SSL Certificates to offer secure communications by encrypting all data to and from the site. Rapid SSL has checked and verified the site's registered domain name.

When I receive an email invoice what payment options do I have?
You can either mail in a check or post a credit card payment through the Lose-Win Situation website.

To whom is my check made payable?
The check is made payable to the charity. But you mail it to Lose-Win Situation.

When is my check forwarded to the charity?
Monthly, after the end of the calendar month.

Will I receive a receipt?
You will receive a receipt from the charity if its standard procedure is to mail receipts for donations received. Otherwise you may consider your cancelled check as a receipt of your donation.

Which credit cards are accepted?
Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover.

When is my credit card donation forwarded to the charity?
Monthly, after the end of the calendar month.

Can I make a payment through the charity’s website?
No. Doing so will not update your Lose-Win Situation account. In addition the dieter’s account showing Money Raised will not be updated. This will eliminate a vital source of dieter motivation. The dieter will not receive an automatic email informing him or her of your payment – another powerful source of motivation. Lastly, since the dieter will not know of your donation he or she will not be able to send you a personalized thank-you message.

What verification of my donations will be provided?
You will receive a statement after the end of the year providing details of your donations made during the year just ended.

Is the record of my payments kept confidential?
The dieter's profile contains a column for your Amount Owed, but the Amount Paid column only displays a total for all sponsors, not for you individually. The dieter will receive an email informing him or her whenever you make a payment.

If, for example, my dieter loses five pounds the first month, then gains back one pound the second month and then loses eight pounds the third month, am I billed a second time for the pound she regained during the second month and lost again during the third month?
No.

If I register to sponsor my dieter months after the start of his or her diet will I be billed for pounds lost during the months prior to the month I registered?
No. You will only be billed for pounds that the dieter loses during the month you register and onwards.

If my dieter regains the weight he or she lost do I receive a refund?
No - your donations served the purpose of motivating your dieter to lose weight. If you also sponsor your dieter's weight maintenance you won't be billed if the lost weight is regained.

Can I sponsor more than one Lose-Win Situation dieter?
Yes – you will be assigned a separate account number for each dieter you sponsor.

Charity Questions

	List your charity on this website under “Charities,” thereby enabling the Charity to have funds raised for it through the weight loss of the dieters who select it.
	Enable your Charity to monitor its dieters and sponsors through the Lose-Win Situation website and to monitor the funds pledged and paid.
	Include a Lose-Win Situation website link to your charity’s website.
	Provide your charity with a free customized animated Flash ad which will include an embedded link to the Lose-Win Situation website.
	Feature your charity on the Lose-Win Situation website as the homepage “Featured Charity” at some point in the future.
	Handle all matters related to the billing of sponsors of dieters supporting your charity.
	Each month deliver to your charity all the checks received from sponsor of dieters supporting your charity. In addition you will receive one check from Lose-Win Situation covering all your charity’s credit card transactions settled during the past month.

How do we monitor the funds raised by our dieters and sponsors?
Log in to your account to see a listing of your dieters and the accumulated totals of dollars pledged and dollars paid by their sponsors.

To whom do our dieters’ sponsors make their checks payable?
To your charity.

Where are the sponsors’ credit card donations deposited?
Into the Lose-Win Situation merchant account.

Does the entire amount of the sponsor’s donation get deposited?
The entire amount of the donation is deposited for American Express and Discover charges. For Visa and MasterCard charges their Discount rate reduces the amount deposited. At the end of the month a Discover Discount rate is applied to the amount deposited during the month.

Does Lose-Win Situation hold any of amount deposited?
No. Lose-Win Situation sends 100% of the net of the deposited amounts to your charity by mailing a Lose-Win Situation check for their sum.

How does Lose-Win Situation make money?
By having the participating charities pay us a percentage of the funds raised.

What is the percentage Lose-Win Situation is paid?
Lose-Win Situation is dedicated to motivating dieters (who are not charged for our unique weight loss motivation service) and helping raise funds for worthy charitable organizations. Accordingly, Lose-Win Situation is very generous and magnanimous. Lose-Win Situation requests less than a third of what many fundraisers and fundraising organizations are paid and significantly less than the guidelines established by the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance.

When will we receive the funds?
Monthly, after the end of the calendar month.

How do we know the Lose-Win Situation check covering the monthly credit card payments is accurate?
Lose-Win Situation will also send you the Authorize.Net statement for the calendar month showing all settled credit card transactions for your charity. Authorize.Net is the IP Transaction Gateway used by Lose-Win Situation.

What must we do in return?

	Provide Lose-Win Situation with two monthly Charity update letters on Charity letterhead, one addressed “Dear Lose-Win Situation Dieter” and one addressed “Dear Lose-Win Situation Sponsor.”
	Pay the monthly invoice which is based on the percentage specified in your contract.