App aims to humiliate dieters into avoiding temptation (VIDEO)

Not only does the dieter have to deal with personally failing at his diet, but with this app, he is subject to humiliation on his social networks. (Courtesy of Meta Real)
When the dieter raids the fridge, this is the message sent to his Facebook newsfeed. (Courtesy of Meta Real)
The message that pops up on the dieter's Facebook page is not subtle, broadcasting the raid in red and yellow colors. (Courtesy of Meta Real)
The dieter's friends are encouraged to poke fun at the moment of weakness. Some seem to just find the alert humorous. (Courtesy of Meta Real)
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Megan Cloherty, wtop.com

WASHINGTON – For anyone who has been on a diet, you know there are many tricks to sticking to it, including telling your friends that you’re dieting in the first place. A new app takes it a step further, broadcasting your late night cheating at the fridge to your social networks.

Virtual Fridge Lock is no joke. Created by a Brazilian weight loss company called Meta Real to promote its diet program, the app works with a magnetic device attached to the dieter’s fridge door. It can sense when the door is opened and sends an alert to the app, which then publishes the moment on the dieter’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.

And it’s not subtle. A large yellow box pops up in the newsfeed with a red arrow pointing to the dieter’s profile picture.

The message reads, “This person just raided the fridge.”

Those who see the post are encouraged to reply with comments that condemn the person for his late night indulgence.

Keep in mind, a dieter signs up for the program and really can’t forget his diet with a giant red magnet attached to the fridge.

Some who commented on the article in The Daily Mail say they’d get around the possibility of embarrassment by keeping their snacks outside the fridge.

Only those on Meta Real’s diet plan (only available in Portuguese) can download the app that works in conjunction with the weight loss program.

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(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

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