In a world saturated with diet plans and health advice, "The Game On! Diet" emerges as a unique and engaging approach to fitness. Created by Az Ferguson and Krista Vernoff, this isn't just another diet book; it's a playful competition designed to motivate individuals and teams to adopt healthier habits. The diet is presented as a game for two or more teams of players to coax themselves and each other into healthier habits, while engaging in a four-week competition for fun, prizes, and bragging rights. This review delves into the core principles of the diet, its strengths and weaknesses, and overall effectiveness.
Core Principles of the Game On! Diet
The Game On! Diet revolves around earning points for positive lifestyle choices. Players accumulate points by adhering to a meal plan, exercising regularly, maintaining adequate sleep, drinking sufficient water, and cultivating new, healthy habits while breaking free from detrimental ones. Players earn points for following the meal plan, exercising, sleeping, drinking water, banishing bad habits, and establishing new good ones. A score sheet and rules all make it clear exactly how the game is to be played.
The point system breaks down as follows:
- Meal Points: 30 points are awarded daily, with 6 points for each of the five meals consisting of a healthy carb, a lean protein, and a healthy fat. At least two meals must include vegetables.
- Exercise Points: 20 points are earned for a minimum of 20 minutes of daily exercise.
- Water Points: 10 points are given for consuming 3 liters of water each day.
- Sleep Points: 15 points are awarded for achieving at least 7 hours of sleep per night.
- Transformation Points: 20 points are allocated for adopting a healthy new habit (10 points) and eliminating an unhealthy old one (10 points).
- Communication Points: 5 points are earned for daily communication with team members.
Penalties are incurred for:
- Snacking: 10 points are deducted for snacking between meals.
- Collusion: 20 points are subtracted for colluding with another player.
- Alcohol Consumption: 25 points are penalized per portion of alcohol.
The diet offers some flexibility:
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- Day Off: Participants are allowed one day per week without adhering to any rules.
- Free Meal: One meal per week can be chosen without restrictions, including one unit of alcohol.
- Bonus Treat: A daily bonus of 100 calories can be consumed as desired.
Strengths of the Game On! Diet
- Engaging and Motivating: The game format introduces an element of fun and competition, making the process of adopting healthier habits more enjoyable. The competitive edge is supposed to help you keep your motivation.
- Focus on Habit Formation: The diet emphasizes creating new, healthy habits and breaking old, unhealthy ones, promoting long-term lifestyle changes. The participant can choose a new habit to develop and an old one to let go off.
- Team Support: The team aspect provides a sense of community and encouragement, making it easier to stay on track. I loved being able to talk/complain about this diet and my lack of weight loss with others in the same boat.
- Flexibility: The inclusion of a "day off" and a "free meal" each week allows for occasional indulgences without derailing progress.
- Comprehensive Approach: The diet addresses multiple aspects of health, including nutrition, exercise, sleep, and hydration. Looks at all aspects of your life and how it can affect your health and wellbeing which quite often then affects your weight anyway.
Weaknesses of the Game On! Diet
- Potential for Calorie Overconsumption: Eating five meals a day, even if they are small, may lead to increased calorie intake for some individuals. Upon further assessment of the meal plan, I think I might have been consuming too many calories even without that "free meal."
- Restrictive Food Choices: The diet restricts certain foods, such as diet sodas and artificial sweeteners, which may be difficult for some people to eliminate. First and foremost, what's up with me not being able to drink Diet Coke?!?!?!?!?!
- Inconvenience: Eating five times a day can be challenging for individuals with busy schedules. Eating five times a day is going to be a problem, but just on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Those are the days I teach three back-to-back classes with like no time in between.
- Lack of Individualization: The diet does not account for individual differences in age, sex, weight, body size, activity level, or health status. The amount and types of recommended foods are the same for everyone.
- Potentially Offensive Language: The book contains profanity, which may be off-putting to some readers. The word fuck is peppered throughout.
Effectiveness and Results
The Game On! Diet has been shown to be effective for weight loss and improving overall health. Participants have reported losing weight, developing healthier eating habits, increasing their physical activity levels, and implementing new positive habits into their lives. I think I developed some really good habits like eating smaller portions, drinking more water, eating more veggies, and doing five sun salutations every day.
However, individual results may vary. Some participants have found the diet challenging to follow, while others have struggled with weight loss despite adhering to the rules. While I did take my day off each week, I didn't take my extra meal off until week 4. I felt as if I ate that extra meal, I would have never reached my 1% weight loss goal each week -- I found that quite annoying!
Target Audience
The Game On! Diet is likely to appeal to individuals who:
- Enjoy competition and games.
- Thrive in a team environment.
- Are motivated by rewards and recognition.
- Are looking for a structured approach to weight loss and healthy living.
- Don't mind profanity. In general, the writing style and the game are going to appeal to younger, more extroverted types, who don’t object to seeing the f-bomb in print.
Alternative Approaches
For those who find the Game On! Diet too restrictive or challenging, alternative approaches to weight loss and healthy living may be more suitable. These include:
- Weight Watchers: A points-based system that allows for more flexibility in food choices.
- The Paleolithic Diet: A diet based on the foods that humans are believed to have eaten during the Paleolithic era.
- The Ketogenic Diet: A high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet that forces the body to burn fat for energy.
- Intuitive Eating: An approach that focuses on listening to the body's hunger and fullness cues.
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