Lose pounds and gain grams of gold as Dubai pays gold to those who lost weight for a one-month challenge.

Participants must lose at least two kilos to get the golden payout. According to the Associated Press, they must attend by Friday to weigh in. Healthcare providers are expected to be on hand to recommend healthy weight-loss methods. In the United States, rewards for people who lose weight, stop smoking, and otherwise shape up are becoming part of workplace wellness programs, though, as far as we know, they have yet to include precious metals in the payoff.

A 2011 survey of large U.S. employers found that half were using incentives as part of wellness programs or planned to do so. Incentives typically reduce the cost of health insurance premiums for employees who participate. But patient advocates say those kinds of systems can lead to discrimination against people who are in poor health through no fault of their own. Money Replaces Willpower in Programs Promoting Weight Loss incentives don't always work. Studies in which people were paid to stop smoking or lose weight have been mixed. Still, some employers say they've seen sustained benefits in lower healthcare costs.

According to NPR's Yuki Noguchi, Washington's King County saved $6 million in healthcare costs between 2007 and 2011, in part by offering incentives for county employees to lose weight. But for some people, the stick works better than the carrot, a program that lets people pledge to pay money to a cause they loathe if they fail to meet a weight-loss goal.

So, authorities in Dubai are offering gold in return for weight loss in a scheme to encourage healthier living. Those interested can sign up for the initiative, which lasts 30 days and coincides with Ramadan, a fasting month. Participants will receive a gram of gold worth about £65.09 for each kilogram lost. The Participants, dubbed "golden losers, " must lose at least two kilograms to receive the payout. Three participants who lose the most weight will be entered into a draw to win a gold coin worth $5,400. Hussain Nasser Lootah, the director general of Dubai Municipality, announced the scheme called Your Weight in Gold. “Ramadan is the most appropriate season to launch such initiatives as it reminds us about many health benefits of reducing weight and encourages us to take strong steps to change our bad lifestyles," he said.

There has been alarm across the Gulf States at the sharp rise in obesity blamed on increasing fast-food diets and a lack of exercise and affluence as the culprits. Just over half a century ago, the UAE was populated by nomadic Bedouin desert farmers and coastal dwellers - but the discovery of oil changed all that in the 1960s. With oil came money and an urban, affluent lifestyle that lacks an exercise culture, according to the World Health Organization.

The epidemic is taking its toll on the health of Gulf citizens. Five of the ten countries where diabetes is most prevalent in the world are in the Gulf, according to the International Diabetes Federation. A recent United Nations report rated the percentage of obesity in Kuwait at 42%, Saudi Arabia at 35%, the United Arab Emirates at 33%, and Qatar at 33%. Comparatively, the growing obesity rate in the United States is 35.7. So, for obesity rankings worldwide, the UAE, a collection of seven Emirates, including Dubai, is among the top 10 countries.

According to a recent World Health Organization study, 30.2% of males and 43% of women in the UAE are obese. Obesity is Officially a Disease, as medical experts released a study of 1,400 schoolchildren in the neighbouring Emirate of Abu Dhabi, which found that one out of every three children is obese. Based on data, the Municipality of Dubai, the Dubai Gold and Jewellery Group, and the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) sponsor the Your Weight in Gold scheme. Ahmed bin Sulayem, executive chairman of the DMCC, said: "We would highly encourage everyone from all walks of life to take part in this great initiative and hope DMCC's contribution of AED 100,000 ($27,225) worth of gold coins will help motivate individuals." At registration, participants will receive advice on how to lose weight without harming their health, and the final weigh-in was on 16 August.

Interestingly, this is not Dubai's first attempt to lure Emiratis off the couch with treasure. In 2011, the "Yalla Walk" or "Let's Walk" initiative offered cars as prizes to those who lost weight by walking Dubai's parks. This time, the only catch is that weight loss must exceed 4.4 pounds to be eligible for the payout, but there is no limit on the amount of gold paid to individuals.

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Credits BBC, CNN & Nancy Shute.