Starting and maintaining weight loss can be challenging, and you may find it difficult to stick to your eating and exercise plans without encouragement from others. Weight loss groups can be helpful for encouragement and camaraderie. While the personal satisfaction of achieving a goal is enough to keep some people motivated, incentives -- both for reaching and for maintaining goals -- can create or increase motivation for others. Before starting a weight loss program, check with your health care provider.

Financial Rewards

To provide a financial incentive in a group environment, have each participant contribute a predetermined amount that isn’t prohibitive -- $5 or $10 is appropriate. Decide on a time period for a competition -- 12 weeks is reasonable -- for the contest. If there are more than 10 people in the group that wants to lose weight, consider breaking the group into teams. Have all participants weigh in and record their weight at the beginning of the competition. The person or team that loses either the most weight or the highest percentage of their weight wins the cash prize at the end of the competition. If the teams have different numbers of people in them, calculate an average number of pounds lost per person.

Personalized Incentives

Some people prefer more personal rewards, such as hand-made items from other group participants. If your group meets once a week, choose one letter of the alphabet to correspond with each week. As each person to bring in a small gift from home valued under $5 and starting with the letter of the week. For example, Week 1 can be assigned “A.” You might bring a bag of apples or artwork you drew. Whoever loses the highest percentage of weight that week would win the gifts brought in by other participants.

Photo Recognition

If your group has a newsletter or Web page, feature the individuals who achieved or maintained their goals each week. The frequency of once-a-week photos helps keep participants on task and keeps people checking back to see who the latest winners are. Bulletin boards in the meeting room provide ample opportunity to post pictures, as well.

Employment Scenarios

Some employers have realized the value of a healthy workforce, and have implemented incentives for those who need to lose weight. Lower insurance premiums and reimbursement for home gym equipment provide a financial motivation, and on-site group meetings help with encouragement and accountability. Employers can also provide healthy food options in their cafeterias and snack machines, and provide walking areas for employees to use on breaks.