The Game On! Diet

by Krista Vernoff, A.Z. Ferguson

"The Game On! Diet" is not a diet. It's a bold new approach to fitness that turns the latest, smartest, most successful health science into a fun, fierce, and exhilarating game. Developed by Az Ferguson, to help "Grey's Anatomy" writer Krista Vernoff shed forty pounds of postpregnancy weight, it is the ideal program for busy people who should be working out but have a thousand good excuses not to.

Az keeps you motivated and Krista keeps you laughing as they show you how to organize opposing teams, set goals, and compete to earn points for daily exercise, healthy meal plans, and positive lifestyle changes. With "The Game On! Diet," the process of losing weight, for the first time ever, is actually fun. After all, what's better than a bikini body . . . "and" bragging rights?

Get out there and lose . . . to win! "Game on!"

Genres: Nonfiction, Health, Self Help, Sports, Fitness, Diets, Recreation

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 30, 2009

Reviews

[Malbadeen]

You know what's more boring than a lunch with a bunch of teachers? A lunch with a bunch of teachers on diets.

It's bad enough that 1/2 the staff at my work is doing Weight Watchers and that every lunch break I get to hear about how many "points" everyone's lunch is worth and the latest ways they're tricking themselves into thinking they don't want to eat normal food anymore.

But now another group, or some of the same group? are rallying around this book and trying to get people involved. And I've now had 3 people ask me if I, too will take part because I'm "competitive".

And that's the problem, people confuse my stubborn, opinionated, rudeness for competitiveness. I have no desire what-so-ever to compete with someone over how much water I can drink in a day. I already know how much I can drink: as much as there is in 4 - 6 cups of coffee.

Yes, I played sports and I do like trivia night and all that, but I believe that whoever comes up with the best smack talk IS the winner (who cares who wins or loses the "game"?) I think the last time I competed in something that I was really invested in was when I worked at a summer camp and I bet my friend an ice cream Sunday to see who could get one of the counselors to kiss us first.

Let me just say, by the end of the summer, I earned a bannana split with all the toppings!

*please note if you work with me (Erin), that the purpose of this email is only intended for comedic relief. No actual adjectives or nouns should be taken as anything other than a joke. with love, your literacy coach.

[Shawnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basically this book promotes doing healthy things for your body: drinking water, exercising, 7 hours of sleep and more. The idea is to do the challenge with friends making teams for a competition. The competitive edge is supposed to help you keep your motivation. I'm ready to give it a try, anyone want to join me for some healthy competition?

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an EASY read and is really FUNNY to read! My friends and I have taken the challenge and are currently in week 3 of 4. So far, I've lost about 5 pounds! It provides a really easy way to curb your portions and also adds changing or creating habits in your life. I just can't say enough about the program!

[Mai-ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book, easy to read. Now want to play the game. Not just a book about 'dieting' as it isn't really a diet as such. Looks at all aspects of your life and how it can affect your health and wellbeing which quite often then affects your weight anyway.
Written in a very casual style, making it easy to read and not just full of 'sciencey' stuff like a lot of so-called books are.

So game on anyone?

[Ti · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Short of It:

A fun, competitive way to take off a few pounds.

My Thoughts:

When I first agreed to join a Game On Diet team, I wasn't sure what to expect. Dawn made it sound like so much fun and I had read Book Club Girl's posts about Game On and I was intrigued with her success on the program. However, when the book came, I was a bit overwhelmed.

You see, there are points to be made and penalties to be had. A good choice could get you points for your team but a BAD choice could cost your team points and who wants to be the one bad egg in a group of Grade AA's? Not me!!

Here's the gist of it:

You need to eat 5 mini meals a day.

You must avoid F.L.A.B.B foods (basically, anything that tastes good)

You must get at least 20 minutes of exercise in every day unless it's your day off.

No diet sodas, no artificial sweeteners, no white flour, no alcohol...

You must give up a bad habit and replace it with a healthy habit.

You must drink 3 liters of water a day (except for day off)

There's more, but you get the idea. Basically all that was lovely and good in the way of food goes bye-bye and gets replaced with Greek yogurt (and lots of it!), low-fat string cheese, low-fat cottage cheese, veggies, nuts and palm sized portions of protein. Now there are other foods out there that fit the program but because most of the foods I picked had to be easy and quick to grab, I ended up with a lot of dairy in my diet. When I incorporate what I've learned into my everyday diet, I plan to balance it out a bit more.

What I've Learned:

I really can live on 5 small meals and not be hungry.

Food played a big a role in my life. I ate out a lot and it was actually a form of entertainment. How sad! I now know to balance it out a bit more. I plan to enjoy the people I am with and not focus on the food so much.

I've learned that I like exercise. Having a routine has really helped me feel a lot better.

That my previous diet was filled with processed foods. Eating whole foods has actually killed all my cravings for the bad stuff.

Now a bit about the book itself. I feel that the book is broken down into logical, very readable sections. However, it is missing an index which I could have really used since I had to refer to the book often while playing the game. I appreciate the humor to a degree, but during week 3, which I felt was the toughest week, I found the humor to be a bit irritating. It could be that the lack of fried foods in my diet sucked my sense of humor dry. That's always a possibility.

Overall, I found the team concept to be very effective and in the end, I lost a total of 10 lbs. I had a slight gain one week (damn that week 3) which slowed me down but I am happy with losing what I did and I feel as if I can follow this program on a regular basis. Four weeks was just enough time for things to become habit for me.

Here are the teams. They should all be given a huge round of applause:


Team Ding Dong
Ti of Book Chatter and Other Stuff
Jill of Rhapsody in Books
Julie of Booking Mama
Amy of My Friend Amy
Jill of Fizzy Thoughts


Team Twinkie
Dawn of She Is Too Fond of Books
Beth of Beth Fish Reads
Denise of M. Denise C.
Jenn of Jenn's Bookshelf
Jenners of Find Your Next Book Here


Team Ho-Hos
Kathy of The Brain Lair
Kathy also has other team mates, but they aren't bloggers, so I have no links. Oh, except for a last minute addition...Vasilly! ( I stoll all of this from Jill/Fizzy).

Thanks to Book Club Girl for providing us with copies of the book and for being our Game On mentor. Thanks to Dawn too for getting the teams together and for handling all the logistics.
As of this writing, I do not know which team came out ahead but in the big scheme of things, I'm not sure it really matters. Ten lbs down and three inches lost overall is pretty darn good. I am continuing with the plan, just not the "team" part of it. I want to see how well I can do on my own.
If you have been curious about the plan, check it out online, then get the book, form a team and dive in!

[Athira (Reading on a Rainy Day) · Rating 4 out of 5]

After two-three months of displaced schedules and irregular routines, I found it hard to settle in after starting my new job. I had a lot of stuffs to do and buy, and every evening I came home to an overwhelming panicky feeling because I keep doing chores but they never end. So I ended up doing what I always did in such scenarios - procrastinate. When I was contacted by a blogger asking if I would like to do this game, I jumped right in. Granted, that was a tall order considering that I was still yet to get used to my new life, but I figured if not now, then I'll probably never get to it.

The Game-On! Diet game is not really a diet book - at least it's not like other diets I've read of. Rather, it's an approach to diets. There are guidelines and recommendations and points for doing things the book's way. I don't like diets, but I read a lot about them. I think that doing one is simply equivalent to giving a rough time to your body, but then over-eating is also the same. I love eating out, but I do it only sparingly. I mostly cook at home, and also work out regularly. I never deprived myself of junk food when I really wanted it. This book also enforces the same message.

Four weeks after doing this game, I can tell you that there are habits I will probably never change. For instance, this book advocates 5 small meals a day. I will be sticking to it even though I'm done with the game now. I've never gone hungry since starting this game but I've never put on too many pounds either. Previously, I never really looked at what I ate. I implemented portion control, but didn't check if I was getting my required carbs, proteins and fats per day. Now though, I find that I plan my meals better. I no longer eat whimsically. I don't feel guilty either when I overeat one day or eat fatty foods, because as the book says, my body needs a calorie boost once in a while, and it's right - that has never deflected my bathroom scales too much.

I also loved the focus this book throws on inculcating new habits and weeding off bad ones. The participant can choose a new habit to develop and an old one to let go off. In addition, points are accumulated based on whether each daily goal was met. Although I rebelled a lot in the first week, because I just didn't want to do any meal overhauls, I found that I like it better now. In fact, it's lesser time in the kitchen nowadays on weekdays, and that's a real blessing because I get so tired by the time I get home each day.

However, I wasn't impressed with the author's tone in the book. I found myself getting irritated with the constants "NO, don't do this", or "That's allowed but our research has shown that this works better", etc. One thing I have learnt about diets is that if one diet works for someone, it doesn't have to work for another person. There is no black and white set of rules here. And each time, I found myself rolling my eyes or snarking back at the book. While the author's intention is good (to strongly encourage the reader to do something), I don't think the way it was done really appealed to me. If someone picked this book to read, it is probably because that person wants to try a different way to lose or maintain weight. For that reason alone, I don't think the author needed to try too hard to convince.

I will recommend this book to anyone who wants a healthy lifestyle. Doing the game really helps because after doing something repeatedly for four weeks, most of the habits stick. And then you have the choice to decide which routines to keep and which to bid adieu to. As for weight, I did shed a few and managed to get to my overall target weight. Mostly though, I feel healthier.

[Trisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Short and Sweet of It
This is not your typical diet book. 1) It sets up healthy living as a competition. 2) The authors are real people instead of doctors. 3) The word fuck is peppered throughout. Even if you don't want to lose weight or get healthy, you should read this because it's so freaking funny.

A Bit of a Ramble
First, a bothersome note. I hate Grey's Anatomy. McDreamy isn't dreamy, McSteamy isn't steamy, and the lead female character bothers me something fierce. Why do I mention this in a review of a diet book you might ask? Because the primary author, Krista, is the lead writer on that annoying program. While I may not like Grey's Anatomy, I really love the writing in this book. Krista writes from a very personal, very honest, and very funny point of view.

The diet works on a points system with certain actions gaining points for participants (like eating well, exercising often, and sleeping regularly) and other actions detracting points (like snacking and drinking alcohol). The idea is to set up two teams and see who gets the most points. At first the system seems a bit complicated, but once you've read the book and printed the worksheets, it's clear that this is a plan people can follow. I am not saying it's going to be easy, but it's definitely doable.

I do have two tiny issues though. First and foremost, what's up with me not being able to drink Diet Coke?!?!?!?!?! I have been addicted to Coca-Cola for like six years, and finally, finally I manage to switch it up to Diet Coke, like one month ago, and now I'm going to start a diet which requires me to give even that up! You have got to be kidding! Second, and not quite so earth shattering, 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. I have yet to figure out how exactly I am going to finagle some food time in there. I typically don't eat until 3:30 in the afternoon. I know, I know, that's seriously unhealthy, especially since I then proceed to eat until I go to bed. :)

Overall, I think this is a manageable, healthy choice for me at this point. Again though, informative awesome weight loss healthy living stuff aside, the book itself is worth a read just for the excellently hilarious writing.

[crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book when a group of people decided to start a game in the office. I was recruited to a team and felt the rules outlined were hard to understand and I needed more detail.

The book sets up healthy living as part of a competition. It’s written by Krista, the lead writer from Grey’s Anatomy. I don’t watch the show or even know who the characters are, so I was a bit worried that any references would be lost on me. Luckily, the author does not put in any references other than what life is like in the writer’s room. The co-author, Az, doesn’t provide a lot of fodder for the book, but does give some insights and tips. His writing comes across as the more serious parts of the book, while Krista’s comes across as more of the sarcastic, witty, friend you wish you had. Both of the authors are real people, not trained MDs. So it makes it a little easier to believe what they are telling you. Both authors, especially Krista, write with a real, honest, and personal voice.

There is one warning that should be on the book, and that is the language. F-bombs appear throughout the book, which was a bit shocking to some of my friends who also read it. If you don’t like or can’t tolerate foul language, then you should not read this one.

The diet program works on a point system. Certain positive actions give you point, and negative actions give you penalties. You play on teams and see who can get the most points.

You can get the gist of all the rules from the first few chapters. The subsequent chapters, though, contain information as to why the rule is important. This was very helpful for anyone who can’t get a rule or who is confused by a rule.

My one issue with the book was that there was not a lot of specific information on how you could modify the food rules to fit vegetarianism. This is a diet inclusive of meat as protein, so that could make it a bit difficult for any vegetarian friends who want to play. There are ideas included in the book, but I don’t think there was enough detail.

All in all a very fun read, as much as a diet book can be. It was informational, funny, and clear. I recommend it for anyone who is competitive and wants to mix up their weight loss approach.

[NinaRene Soreco · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a good number of friends who have played this game by the book and lost weight, developed healthy habits, and had fun doing it ~ so reliably so that after some inquiry and reading the book, I am joining them this month.

The science and program seem sound and fun.

To be honest, though, the writing could use an editing cycle or two.

What I like about the writing: Some Bridget Jonesy-anecdotes that are honest and often show vulnerability and /or are funny. I love the humanity of the foibles the author presents and indeed makes me feel like this other human being did this so I can too.

What I don't like about the writing, illustrating the opposite of what Shakespeare's Polonius said about "Brevity is the soul of wit.":
~ Anecdotes that go on too long, akin to some of the more laborious Saturday Night Live skits.
~ Numerous exaggerations of people's reactions to things followed by what actually happened/was said.
~ Writing that could be made much more concise and less distracting, especially in cases of all caps, extended and/or repeated words, such as, "Can't I PLEEEEESE keep my beer? Please? Pretty please? PLEASE YOU FUCKERS PRETTY PLEASE!!!!!!"
~ The expletives don't bother me personally, but I've noticed in reader comments that many people have to overlook them or are turned off by them. Author's choice here. To whom are you addressing this book? People like me who don't mind the expletives (even if I do find them overused), or anyone who wants to live a healthier lifestyle? Remember to write for your audience.
- There are food and other lists scattered throughout the book. The authors have a website. They could utilize this to make the game easier for the players by having a downloadable web/printable form in which to count up points and check off daily/weekly requirements (this does appear at the end of the book, but you'd need to copy or scan the pages to use them for more than four weeks).

[Kylene · Rating 4 out of 5]

This "diet" was recommended to me by a fit friend who tried it and lost a few pounds, so I thought I would give it a shot. I ordered the book on Amazon, had it in 2 days and finished it in 4. I wanted to finish it so I could get started on this program ASAP. I was warned about the language. There is quite a bit, and there are definitely some unnecessary f-bombs. However, since I own the book, I used a ballpoint pen and did my own editting...so now my version is a lot cleaner. I found the book to be a super quick read...the author is hilarious...it's just too bad she used so much profanity and couldn't find any other way to express herself.

Anyway, I'm giving this a try starting this week for the next four weeks and am challenging my hubby. We need to kick our booties and gear and start living more healthily. I'll re-rate the book when we're done to let you know how it goes.

Update: 6/18/12 My husband and I have been on the program for about 3 weeks and have lost about 5lbs each. He fought it because of the rules about liquids...so much water, no artificial flavors, no soda...but after a week he told me how much better he feels. I agree. It can be hard to maintain for the long term, so we have made a few adaptations. We love how we feel and want this to be a lifestyle change. I would love to get a group together to play the game the way it's supposed to be played as my husband kind of fell of the points counting wagon after just a couple of days. So now we have no idea who is winning and therefore who deserves the prize. Probably me... But the whole game/points couting aspect of the book is what was really driving me. I just need to find someone more competitive to play with. Anyway, I would love to rate this 5+ stars, but can't because of the language, so it's going to have to be 3 1/2.

[Kathy Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hi-freaking-larious diet book. I read this in preparation for participating with a friend and her group who use this 'diet' competition every other month. It took roughly 3 hours to finish all told - v. easy reading. Combination of random health thoughts from Az, tricks, tips, and instructions from Krista (written in a very cheeky humorous manner) and real health considerations from several different health professionals. Krista is the executive producer, former writer for Grey's Anatomy (which I stopped watching after Denny died in the first season because it was too damn sad - and who needs to cry that much while watching TV?!!) - I did not expect her to be so funny and real. Granted the book needed some editing, which she admits up front and she and others do let the expletives fly - but who of us that have dieted DON'T let the expletives fly when dieting...

Having had to watch my weight my whole life, what they were telling me in the book wasn't new or surprising. Their whole premise is more energy output (exercise) less energy input (stuffing your face). Duh. The cool twist though is that you group up into teams and work on beating other competing teams for the most points each week - working towards an agreed upon grand prize at the end.

The points come not just from losing weight, but sleeping well, eating well, exercising, dropping a bad habit and picking up a good habit and *gasp* no snacks except for cucumbers and celery... Each team member combines then averages their point total for the week and at the end of the month the team with the highest point total is the winner. easy right?

Well - November is when I'm going to give it a try with an experienced group of ladies that compete every other month and usually have great success. Can't wait to see how it goes. I do like competitions team and individual.

[MJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

One day a coworker and good friend started telling us about this new diet where you make losing weight a team sport and she thought we should all play. So I went online and bought the book. What a fun idea make weight loss a team sport. The cover of this book says: "Kick your friends' butt while shrinking your own." but this book was not really a diet book it’s more of a healthy lifestyle change. Participates receive points for doing healthy habits and loss points for bad habits. You are accountable to team members and you have a built in support when you have a bad day and your impulse is to go home and eat everything in site. All you need to do is call a team member and have them talk you down off the over eating ledge.

I have read several diet books. I know how to be healthy but I have never put it in to practice. It all seems like a lot of work. After reading this book I thought I can do this, and I jumped feet first onto the band wagon. I have got my family all involved and we are starting the game next week. I have tweaked a few things to better fit my lifestyle and health needs. I don’t follow the diet fully more like I have incorporated the suggestions into eating healthy. I like the 5 meals but 2 of my meals are my Green Drink. I also liked the idea of getting points for getting rid of a bad habit (I choose saying F word) and points for doing a good habit (I choose daily meditation) In addition you get bonus points for losing weight or meeting a fitness goal.

I am not sure if this will work for everyone but I am competitive enough to have it work for me.

[Erin Reilly-Sanders · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book with good ideas and information but it really needs to get that word "diet" out of the title. I know the author discusses this and it likely was a marketer's decision but I hate that word. The book also has lots of cursing but it does make the book feel modern and fresh. Aside from stylistic things, the game sounds good but ended up being too complicated for me to get work people interested in. I also wasn't really sold on the eating plan- yes they were all good rules of thumb and worthwhile learning exercises (why this stuff isn't taught in lasting ways in health classes in schools I still can't understand) but it was too intimidating. The book does a good job of focusing on the social power that can have positive or negative impacts on health and is certainly a super accessible read. Although I never actually played, my mom had some success playing this game with a friend a couple times but then fell back into bad habits because they both gave up. I ended up losing a decent amount of weight using my own more free-form method (small calorie estimated meals, light exercise, no snacking/desserts, lots of water, etc.) combined with a bet at dietbet.com although I do think that I benefited from some of the ideas in this book. Basically, this is one idea, and not a bad one. It might even be well suited to workplace health initiatives/competitions that want to go beyond just counting pounds or percentage lost, especially since men and women lose weight differently and each person loses at different rates given their recent weight fluctuations. But it may or may not be the idea you need, especially since implementing it is harder than just reading the book.

[Rebecca Calvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Want to lose weight and kick your friends butt while doing it? Then this is definitely the book for you! The book is the brain child of Grey's Anatomy writer Krista Vernoff and her trainer Az Ferguson. Krista writes the book, with tips and tidbits from Az as it goes on. For a diet book it is actually quite funny, which makes you want to stick to the diet even more. The gist is that you have habits that you must do every single day (eat 5 small meals a day, exercise for at least 10 minutes, drink a certain amount of water - etc) and you get points for it. You compete against a friend or group of friends every week for a prize (decided by you, but must be big enough that you would not want to lose). At the end of a 4 week period, the team or person that loses must give the winning team/person a prize. This could be gift cards, a nice night out on the town, or whatever you decide on. The diet is not easy though - its very strict about what you can/cannot eat or drink, how much you should eat, when you should eat, and how much you exercise. But the competitiveness of the "game" makes you want to stick with it that much more. It is not a "cure all" type diet that I feel that every one can stick to for the rest of their lives, but it is a great kick start to a new health regimen. I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a fun new way to lose weight and get healthy, or if you just want to read a very funny book about dieting.

[Afton Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished the 4 week Game on Diet with 34 other women and had a blast. It was hard at times, but knowing that I was in it with other women who were going through the same thing gave me the motivation to keep going. And now I feel great! The thing I like about the Game On Diet and this book is that none of the habits we are asked to adopt are extreme. They are all common sense, moderate goals. You can eat carbs and only have to exercise 20 minutes a day to earn your points. Drinking 3 liters of water a day was a challenge, but doable. I feel like this diet made me a better person because of the personal goals I made to add a positive change to my life and get rid of a negative thing. After 4 weeks, I don't feel like I'm "off my diet," I feel like I have a new, livable, healthy lifestyle.

The language in the book is very conversational and easy to read; hilarious in places. You feel like you're getting advice from a best girlfriend. Unfortunately, there is swearing, which was not necessary and does not add to the book's credibility at all. I didn't take the time to count every swear word. I just skimmed past them to get the meaning of what the author was trying to say. But if swearing offends you, maybe you should just have someone summarize the high points for you.

[Krischelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't exactly evangelize for this book because it caused some strife between me and my husband (he says it's written by an extrovert for extroverts and I agree that it encouraged many emotional intrusions!), nor can I say it's THE diet. That said, it really worked for me and I have continued to live by the rules with a little bit of extra forgiveness and leeway--to my extreme benefit! No diet is perfect and there are scientific and personal arguments to be made for so many different diets. This works because it's a full system and not just about what you put in your mouth. Crossfit-paleo/primal/zone could be considered to work for the same reason.

This happened to work for me because it came at the right time and place--I was looking for a system because I was so overwhelmed by all the information I had about specific foods that I couldn't cobble together a single meal let alone a whole meal plan for a day (or week or month!). I also had been craving more social time because of spending too much time at work. Bingo! Perfect solution. It's also very funny to read (unless you are an introvert, in which case it can be very annoying).

Be-all, end-all diet book of the century? Not so much. Very effective system for many people and enjoyable to read? Most definitely. I highly recommend it for some of you out there! Just not everybody. ;)

[Joanna Karaplis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've finished three weeks on the Game On diet and have lost around 5 pounds. I wasn't overweight to start with--had just been overindulging in junk food for a while--so that's a perfect rate of sustainable weight loss for me.

There's nothing fancy or faddish here: just eat 5 small meals per day (each one must have certain proportions of protein, healthy fat, carbs; at least two must have veggies), drink lots of water or herbal tea, get 7 hours of sleep or more, exercise for 20 mins/day, and stay away from junk food, highly processed food, sugar, soft drinks (yes, even diet ones), and alcohol.

The "Game On!" part is about using competition to motivate yourself: the book is structured around playing in teams. (I played one-on-one with a friend but would have preferred a team.) You get points for healthy habits and lose points for bad habits, and the team with the most points wins (so it's not based on who loses the most weight). Since you generally play for about 4 weeks and have to make most of your own meals, it forces you to take a more active role in your daily diet.

I would have preferred more recipes (there are barely any and they're not all that good, either), but other than that it was effective and easy to read and follow.

[Chasley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't really care for this book. Although the base of this diet is really good their is allot of contradictory information in the book. Their is allot of rules and some of the rules can be interpreted in different ways. I wish they would have made a little cheat sheet with all the rules, what foods you can eat and which ones you can't. I didn't like the fact that they are quick to say your an alcoholic or have a food addiction problem. The recipes in this book leave allot to be desired, I've found much better recipes in Jillian Michael's diet book.


That being said, I'm participating in this game right now and the diet is really working for me so far. The food part of this diet, isn't probably going to be something you will want to carry on for the rest of your life. It takes allot of preparation and planning. Their isn't much options for quick snacks because every meal has to have protein, carbs and a good fat in it. You can't just get away with eating a hard boiled egg, protein bar or an apple.

[Josette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is meant as a short-term diet, but it offers health advice that readers can use in their everyday lives, even after ending the 4-week diet. The draw of this diet is that it's fun. It doesn't feel like work if you make it a game. Yeah, well, since my coworkers and I didn't play the way we were supposed to, it actually did feel more like work than I'm guessing the authors intended.

Besides being a weigh-loss method, the book is informative and includes information about eating better/healthier all the time. I recommend it for anyone confused with all the other diets out there, or those who think they're eating healthy but can't figure out why they're not either losing weight or feeling healthy. Probably the food you're eating isn't as healthy as you think it is. Written by the head writer of the TV show "Gray's Anatomy," the book is funny, approachable, and a quick read.

[Owlboyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Game On! Diet is not a diet. It's a bold new approach to fitness that turns the latest, smartest, most successful health science into a fun, fierce, and exhilarating game. Developed by Az Ferguson, to help Grey's Anatomy writer Krista Vernoff shed forty pounds of postpregnancy weight, it is the ideal program for busy people who should be working out but have a thousand good excuses not to. Az keeps you motivated and Krista keeps you laughing as they show you how to organize opposing teams, set goals, and compete to earn points for daily exercise, healthy meal plans, and positive lifestyle changes. With The Game On! Diet , the process of losing weight, for the first time ever, is actually fun. After all, what's better than a bikini body . . . and bragging rights? Get out there and lose . . . to win! Game on!

Great read! Fun and Funny. Can't wait to get started.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so inspired to change my life to be more healthy after reading this book! I feel determined to develop better habits. The author has crude language at times, but I found her style of writing to be hilarious! It was such an easy read. A lot of people play the game without reading the book, which is very possible. I'm glad I read the book because now I have more buy-in and I feel like I know the theory behind everything. At times, the author would read my mind. For example, she was describing this whole,yoga/meditation thing. As I read it, I was thinking "this is a little hippie dippy for me." Then the following sentence was, "you may be thinking this is a little woo woo.." Too funny! I can't wait to see how it goes :) wish me luck, I have a long road ahead!

[Jedishampoo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had never read a diet book before this one, and I'm glad this was the one I read-- it's well-organized, speaks to real people, is full of humor and seriousness alike, and is actually inspirational. I think I liked the humor because the author writes like me, heh. (And like other reviewers note, there's plenty of naughty language-- but I talk the same way, so I was not offended in the slightest.)

The diet has gone very well for me, too, and the authors' insistence on whole foods and plenty of water and lack of chemicals has actually made me feel healthier-- I'd have never suspected until now. I recommend highly.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was challenged to this diet by a friend of mine, so I signed up with her abbreviated rules. I am really enjoying the diet - it's basically a lifestyle change, where you teach yourself how to eat correctly and change habits that stand in the way of that. And, since it's a team effort, you have a support system and a reason to keep going on the down days.
So I bought the book and read it. Can't really recommend it, since the language is HORRIBLE, but the book was hilarious. So if you can look past the f-bomb and many other expletives, it's a funny read. I doubt I'll read it again, though I've bookmarked the pages I need for the diet. Game on!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received the book in the mail on Saturday night at 6 p.m. I finished Sunday by 3 p.m. It's a very easy read from a great writer. It wasn't terribly formal, which was refreshing. However, I didn't really appreciate the swearing in it and did not think it was necessary whatsoever. My favorite thing about this diet program is the encouragement to change a bad habit and work on a good one. I start the Game with a group of girls tomorrow, and I feel much more prepared now that I have read this book and really understand how the game works!

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! It gives you a fun way to develop a healthy lifestyle. I am in the midst of playing the game with my daughter, her boyfriend and 10 of her co-workers.

The book starts with a quick summary of the rules of the game. You can stop there or read on to learn more about the research that each rule is based on.

The author is a writer for Grey's Anatomy and has an earthy style. If you have an aversion to swearing you won't like this book. I found her style engaging and hilarious while still imparting good information about living a healthy life.

[Mary Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm starting this game in a few days--we'll see how it goes. Seems pretty restrictive diet-wise but I like that it encourages making new, healthy habits and breaking old, unhealthy ones.

Edited post-game: This game has completely overhauled my diet and, really, my life. I feel like I've gained control over what and how I eat and it was much easier than I'd thought. Also playing with equally committed, high-integrity friends has made all the difference too. We made a FB group to communicate daily. Awesome.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book it was just what I needed and it's not just a diet it's got so much more. I immediately went online and signed up for a competition. It's not just about losing weight you score points for a whole lot of things, drinking water, exercise, doing a new good habit, breaking an old one etc.. I would not recommend getting this on your Kindle you need to reference back and the chapters aren't labelled I finally just went and ordered the book because my Kindle wasn't cutting it for this. Good book, good idea, come play with me,lets see who wins.

[Mindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't actually tried this diet yet (starting in January) so this rating is only for the book, not necessarily how good of diet this is. I laughed my head off reading this book. My husband kept wanting to know what on earth I was laughing at. Minus the author's strange fondness for the F weird (especially in a diet book of all things), I loved her writing style and felt like she was a kindred spirit. So entertaining! Now if I actually lose weight....

[Darcy]

So this is my friend Krista's book! She wrote a popular book! I'll bet it even has quotes from other friends of mind in it! Woo-hoo!

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a fun read, but felt that it didn't offer anything new in the diet realm. It's based on a team of people dieting as a whole. Enjoyed it...didn't see how it would apply to my life.