Brothers erased a 170-pound weight difference in a year to win $150,000

FAN Editor

A pair of poker-playing brothers won $150,000 by erasing the 170-pound weight difference between them in just one year.

Jaime and Matt Staples made the bet with energy trader Bill Perkins of Skylar Capital. To win, they needed to be within one pound of each other one year to the day the bet was made.

Jaime started the bet at 304 pounds, while Matt weighed 134. Perkins gave them 50-to-1 odds on $3,000, meaning they would get $150,000 if they won.

On Sunday March 25, they clinched the deal, each weighing in at exactly 188.3 pounds.

Matt had worked to gain over 50 pounds in a year, while Jaime worked even harder to lose 116 pounds over the same time frame by focusing on his diet, carefully tracking macronutrients like protein, fat and carbohydrates, and by walking. Walking a lot.

Since Jaime spent that year living in Croatia, Austria, Wales, Costa Rica and Malta, he tried to do two hours of cardio per day, mostly long hikes through the cities he was visiting. And he shared his hikes with the viewers of his vlog.

Jaime says his main motivation was not the money, or even the healthier lifestyle. “I was motived by the challenge,” he tells CNBC. “This was an opportunity to inspire people to make changes in their own lives.”

Jaime and Matt Staples with Jeff Gross, the referee of the weigh-in. Courtesy of Jeff Gross.

Jaime also felt accountable to his brother Matt, who was working out every day and eating a lot. He complained that he had to eat until he was full for the entire year. In the few days since the bet, he’s back to his normal habits and has already lost six pounds.

As for Perkins, who made the bet with the brothers and ended up giving them $150,000, he says his goal was to challenge Jaime and get him moving in the right direction. “Since Jaime has a big platform, his steps could motivate and inspire other people,” Perkins says. “I would much rather have won by two pounds but I’m happy to ship the funds.”

Now that there is no money on the line, what will motivate Jaime to keep the weight off?

“I know what it’s like to be healthy,” Jaime says. “I have the knowledge and skill set and I’m confident I’ll keep doing that.”

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