FitLit: The Game On! Diet

Too good to be true, right? When I first heard about The Game On! Diet, I sort of had low expectations. I’m so used to seeing diet books that are based more on a gimmick and less on promoting health and well-being that I’m jaded. But, in this case, I shouldn’t have been. This book really does deliver on its promises and it made me really “LOL” (and not the fake kind of LOL that you write in emails to your coworkers because you have nothing left to say but not responding at all seems rude). Author Krista Vernoff, the Grey’s producer, drops the F-bomb a number of times and is totally self-deprecating, while Az Ferguson (the Body For Life champion) backs up the book with some real fitness knowledge and advice. The premise of the book is that doing weight-loss alone sucks. And almost everyone wants to be healthier, so why not lose weight or work on your health together and compete against your friends, family or coworkers for bragging rights?

The game works like this: You play for four weeks. During those four weeks, you earn points by eating small meals, drinking water, sleeping at least 7 hours a night, exercising for at least 20 minutes a day, changing an unhealthy habit into a healthy one (such as giving up TV and taking up reading, or giving up computer games and taking up meditation), losing weight, and being in contact with at least one teammate and one opponent a day. You can also lose points by snacking outside of your mini-meals, eating “unsanctioned foods” such as sugar and fried foods, and drinking alcohol (although you do get one full day off a week to indulge without penalty, which is good for wine lovers like me). Then at the end of each week, your team totals its points and takes the average. The team with the most point wins!

I love how sane the approach is and how engaging the game is. Although weight-loss is the end result for most players, you’re rewarded for positive healthy behaviors. You have a built-in team for support and you get to talk smack. It’s like The Biggest Loser but more realistic (and without the Ranch and Bob).

And did I mention that the book is funny? With chapters like “Playing By Yourself (Which Differs Slightly from Playing with Yourself)” and “Transformation (Or, Habits? That’s, Like, Nun’s Clothes, Right?),” you just can’t help but reading every darn page. Krista’s writing on Grey’s was nominated for an Emmy, which rocks, but she was ROBBED of the win. ROBBED. This woman is hilarious and brilliant.

If you need a plan to get your fit bottom more fit and you like to whoop your friends’ arses, this is the way to do it. —Jenn