Anyone who’s ever tried to shed a few pounds knows how hard it can be to stay motivated. Sometimes you just can’t reach down and find the fortitude deep inside to put down the doughnut and pick up your dumbbells without a more immediate payoff.

A recently opened rental property in Osaka has come up with a novel idea to help dieters keep their motivation up: a discount on rent for weight lost.

It’s called “Ladies Share House Beauty & Diet” and the company which owns the property, Broad Enterprise, is offering renters a 1000 yen (about $13) discount in rent for every kilo lost in a month. There are 25 rooms available, open only to women, with shared living rooms, kitchens and bathrooms, so it’s not only a place to live, but a ready-made support group as well. And of course there is a fully equipped exercise area, along with free exercise classes.

Broad Enterprise chose a location about 20 minutes walk from the nearest station, which is normally a poor selling point for real estate, and turned it into a positive. “It’s a good distance for losing weight,” they say, claiming that all aspects of the property have been developed with weight loss in mind. The living room, for instance, is painted an appetite-suppressing blue.

Interestingly, this isn’t a perfect dieter’s paradise either. The company also provides “traps” like all-you-can-eat potato chips. According to their representative, “We want the women to not only achieve their ideal body, but also to develop mental and emotional strength.” The snack corner is meant to help renters develop their power to resist temptation.

Renters also get access to a dietician, who helps them develop well-balanced daily menus and keep the diet from becoming too much of an ordeal.

Renters are weighed when they move in, and their monthly rent will be calculated at 1000 yen per kilo. After that, their weight is taken every three months and their rent adjusted accordingly. There may be some fluctuation, but a lower limit of 40,000 yen a month and an upper limit of 60,000 yen are imposed to keep it in check. In addition, there is a 20,000 yen per month operations fee.

Seems like a solid idea to us, but will it take off? What do you think, readers, would discounted rent get you to the gym?

Source: Mainichi, Ladies’ Share House Beauty & Diet