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The Spark: The 28-Day Breakthrough Plan for Losing Weight, Getting Fit, and Transforming Your Life
Updated Edition! America’s #1 diet and fitness site, comes The Spark . This groundbreaking book outlines the best of what has worked for millions of members who have lost weight, kept it off, and reached other goals. Driven by positive energy and proven results, The Spark outlines a breakthrough formula that combines nutrition, exercise, goal setting, motivation, and community, which has helped people change their lives beyond the scale. Discover the 27 Secrets of Success—the best action steps, foods, and proven medical advice that have helped tens of thousands of members lose from 2 to 200 pounds. Special tips from people who lost 100 pounds or more—see what these people had in common and what they did and didn’t do to make huge transformations in their lives. A step-by-step 28-day program that brings together the most effective, medically accepted nutrition and fitness practices from SparkPeople experts in an easy-to-follow plan, including flexible mix-and-match meal plans, fully illustrated workout programs, full-color before-and-after success stories, and more! And, new to this edition! Breakthrough survey results have been used to create a Strong Start Guide to help you jumpstart your weight-loss efforts. Based on what tens of thousands of successful SparkPeople members did to lose weight and change their lives, this guide tells you what to do in the first two weeks to make you five times more likely to reach your ultimate weight-loss goal! Whether you want to fit into your “skinny jeans,” improve your health and fitness levels, change your outlook and mood, or reach all new goals, The Spark can help you transform your body and your life. What are you waiting for? Spark your life today!
272 pages, Hardcover
First published December 29, 2009
189 people are currently reading
707 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews
May 25, 2010
I'm a huge fan of sparkpeople.com. I love it. I think the concept and all the hard work that goes into it is wonderful. However, when it comes to the book Chris Downie is NOT a fascinating author. I had to force myself to read the first part. The second and third are OK, but my favorite had to be the appendix.
He's selling a product. He's good at what he does. His tips are general, if not found on the sparkpeople.com site already. You're paying a fortune to have him give you "The Secret: Dieting Do's". I'm not kidding. It's just like the book, "The Secret".
I wish I hadn't paid so much for the book. I wish I had just read the parts where I could learn something. Overall though? I'm glad I read certain parts of it. Just wish I had gotten it from the library and scanned the appendix in a copy machine. That's all.
He's selling a product. He's good at what he does. His tips are general, if not found on the sparkpeople.com site already. You're paying a fortune to have him give you "The Secret: Dieting Do's". I'm not kidding. It's just like the book, "The Secret".
I wish I hadn't paid so much for the book. I wish I had just read the parts where I could learn something. Overall though? I'm glad I read certain parts of it. Just wish I had gotten it from the library and scanned the appendix in a copy machine. That's all.
January 8, 2010
I'm a Spark member and the program works as long as you follow it. It's sensible; eat right and exercise. It's not really a diet so much as a lifestyle.
I bought the book because of all the bonuses I recieved from pre-ordering.
If you join the site all the tools you need are there. For free. It's not neccessary to have the book but I found it helped with motivation and maintenance.
I bought the book because of all the bonuses I recieved from pre-ordering.
If you join the site all the tools you need are there. For free. It's not neccessary to have the book but I found it helped with motivation and maintenance.
May 11, 2010
I've been a member of the sparkpeople.com community for almost two years, but I always found that too many opened windows occured as I navigated through from one tool to another to use the program. Therefore, I wasn't using the site as effectively as I could of and often felt overwhelmed by the amount of information that was there--until this book helped me focus a little more on what I want to get out of the site.
As a result of reading this book, rather than just using the website as a place for goal setting and record-keeping for nutrition and exercise, I can see it now as a place where connections to others really are an important component to being successful at achieving and maintaining a healthier lifestyle. Additionally, instead of merely focusing on weight loss/maintenance, this really is empowering and gives one not only a boost in self-confidence, but also the desire to discover one's own unique gifts and then go out and share them and inspire others.
This book made me want to take action (after reading the first half only--and I discovered there is a separate SP group for those reading and implementing the 28 day plan which may be very useful too).
P. 6 "Your daily actions and words impact more people than you ever realize." You can help someone else through encouragement, involving them in your goals, and being a positive role model. This will feel incredibly gratifying as well as startling.
p. 18 Long term goals are essential to one's healthy lifestyle game plan because they give you control over the direction your life is headed. The path to getting there is through small, consistent, action-oriented steps as this builds and sustains momentum to achieve those goals.
p. 52 We make choices to rise to the occasion, create small victories, or vegetate and passively pass the time. Even if we choose to take control of our lives, outside forces appear along the way and may make some days more difficult than others. "Our challenge is how we handle them...We have the ability to choose how we respond to life's circumstances-no matter how challenging."
The appendices were helpful tools in this book, but I was glad to see some of those expanded when I joined the group of those who'd read The Spark.
As a result of reading this book, rather than just using the website as a place for goal setting and record-keeping for nutrition and exercise, I can see it now as a place where connections to others really are an important component to being successful at achieving and maintaining a healthier lifestyle. Additionally, instead of merely focusing on weight loss/maintenance, this really is empowering and gives one not only a boost in self-confidence, but also the desire to discover one's own unique gifts and then go out and share them and inspire others.
This book made me want to take action (after reading the first half only--and I discovered there is a separate SP group for those reading and implementing the 28 day plan which may be very useful too).
P. 6 "Your daily actions and words impact more people than you ever realize." You can help someone else through encouragement, involving them in your goals, and being a positive role model. This will feel incredibly gratifying as well as startling.
p. 18 Long term goals are essential to one's healthy lifestyle game plan because they give you control over the direction your life is headed. The path to getting there is through small, consistent, action-oriented steps as this builds and sustains momentum to achieve those goals.
p. 52 We make choices to rise to the occasion, create small victories, or vegetate and passively pass the time. Even if we choose to take control of our lives, outside forces appear along the way and may make some days more difficult than others. "Our challenge is how we handle them...We have the ability to choose how we respond to life's circumstances-no matter how challenging."
The appendices were helpful tools in this book, but I was glad to see some of those expanded when I joined the group of those who'd read The Spark.
February 6, 2011
True or false: People fail to lose weight and keep it off because they don't realize they need to eat healthy food and exercise.
We know that isn't true-- everyone knows about healthy food and exercise. But isn't that the message of most "diet" books? Once you find the right magic foods and the right magic exercise, once you have that secret knowledge not found in any other diet book, then YOU will lose that weight!
If we are willing to be honest, the real reason we are not losing weight is US--- we end up choosing to eat that dessert, to sleep in instead of pounding the pavement, to say to ourselves "this is never going to work."
And that's where The Spark starts: with how we view and live our life and how we can make sustainable positive change. In fact, it doesn't even start talking about what foods to eat until page 84.
Where it starts is with four "cornerstones" of positive living: focus, fitness, fire, and positive force. The author takes a chapter on each of these concepts and lays out how they apply to life in general and a life shift like weight loss in particular.
So, does this work? Does the effort to really understand the principles of positive change make a difference? Well, this book is really just the distillation of a website & online community, [...], which has helped tens of thousands of people make meaningful change. In fact, the center of the book contains short bios and color photos of seventeen people, real people, real people who you can actually contact through the sparkpeople online community, who have used the principles to lose big weight (most of them 100+ pounds) and keep it off and really change their lives.
Yes, the healthy diet and exercise tips are in there, just like in every diet book. But what makes this book different, and special, is that the focus isn't the food, but you: a practical plan to change your outlook and jump-start your motivation so that you can practice a healthy lifestyle and change your life. A very good way to start out the new year, or any time you decide to change for the better.
We know that isn't true-- everyone knows about healthy food and exercise. But isn't that the message of most "diet" books? Once you find the right magic foods and the right magic exercise, once you have that secret knowledge not found in any other diet book, then YOU will lose that weight!
If we are willing to be honest, the real reason we are not losing weight is US--- we end up choosing to eat that dessert, to sleep in instead of pounding the pavement, to say to ourselves "this is never going to work."
And that's where The Spark starts: with how we view and live our life and how we can make sustainable positive change. In fact, it doesn't even start talking about what foods to eat until page 84.
Where it starts is with four "cornerstones" of positive living: focus, fitness, fire, and positive force. The author takes a chapter on each of these concepts and lays out how they apply to life in general and a life shift like weight loss in particular.
So, does this work? Does the effort to really understand the principles of positive change make a difference? Well, this book is really just the distillation of a website & online community, [...], which has helped tens of thousands of people make meaningful change. In fact, the center of the book contains short bios and color photos of seventeen people, real people, real people who you can actually contact through the sparkpeople online community, who have used the principles to lose big weight (most of them 100+ pounds) and keep it off and really change their lives.
Yes, the healthy diet and exercise tips are in there, just like in every diet book. But what makes this book different, and special, is that the focus isn't the food, but you: a practical plan to change your outlook and jump-start your motivation so that you can practice a healthy lifestyle and change your life. A very good way to start out the new year, or any time you decide to change for the better.
Read
January 7, 2010Loved it am on the site lost 54 pounds to date.
December 30, 2012
The Spark was written by past Proctor and Gamble executive Chris Downey. This book and the author is from my hometown. He started Spark People.com and wrote this book. He created the site to help people lose weight and change their lives. Not only lose weight but he developed a way to create goals and follow through. This book I read everyday believe it or not. It has helped me tremendiously.
I know I am raving about the book. The book takes you step by step to making the internal changes you need to make to change your life if you want to lose weight, get out of debt whatever you want to do. The book is geared toward weight loss and becoming healthy, but the principles, and the ideals can apply to many things.
I think this book was a good investment. In my opinion Spark People has helped many people become healthy in mind, body and soul. The book takes you in the journey then gives you the tools to jump off whether you use the Spark People site or not. Excellent book
.
Thank you Chris.
I know I am raving about the book. The book takes you step by step to making the internal changes you need to make to change your life if you want to lose weight, get out of debt whatever you want to do. The book is geared toward weight loss and becoming healthy, but the principles, and the ideals can apply to many things.
I think this book was a good investment. In my opinion Spark People has helped many people become healthy in mind, body and soul. The book takes you in the journey then gives you the tools to jump off whether you use the Spark People site or not. Excellent book
.
Thank you Chris.
February 24, 2011
So I never read "diet" books. Never. Ever. However, I am a fan of the Sparkpeople website and really wanted to hear what the CEO and President, Chris Downie, had to say. I must say I was pleasantly surprised. Although there was some diet and exercise advice in the book, it's really only 20% of the book and only really comes up at the end. Instead, Downie focuses his efforts on how to stay motivated in your weight loss journey and how to funnel the self-confidence and motivation from that weight loss into other aspects and goals in your life. A lot of positive speak for the pessimists out there but I really enjoyed it. It gave me a lot to think about and I may even incorporate some of his tips from the book into my daily life. Motivation is a factor I think most "dieters" struggle with and he gives a fresh perspective.
March 23, 2021
This was a second reading after several years. I used to be active on SparkPeople and even attended one of their big conferences in San Diego, but then I got away from SparkPeople and from trying to live a healthier lifestyle. And so the weight came back, and the stress of 2020 led me to gain even more weight. I decided to read this to try to get my "spark" for the healthy lifestyle back. It's almost worked. I'm just having trouble getting motivated, and this book didn't quite do it for me this time. There are good ideas in it and inspiring stories. The appendixes are useful. I just need to keep working on my attitude.
February 15, 2012
What I liked best about The Spark was that it utilized “crisscrosses”—the observation that many of us have made that getting one thing “right” (eating or exercise or decluttering) often carries over to improvement in other areas. So, The Spark asks us to work on generating small successes in different areas and to set goals that help make these crisscrosses work for us by effecting all areas of our lives.
July 5, 2011
Quick read. It is not a diet book but a self help book about motivation and goal setting. What I learned from this book (most of which I already knew). 1. have short term, medium and long term goals, 2. set up rewards for yourself for motivation along the way. 3. start small with goals that you can easily accomplish and then build from there. 4. there is nothing that you cannot do if you start small and build.
Want to read
December 29, 2017This book was on special. I seem to be waiting for a month with 28 days to start it, or winter. Whichever comes first I should think. Would the definition of irony be "waiting for the spark to start the Spark?". That sounds like a good book idea. Where are my flint and tinder?
Read
January 30, 201028 day Breakthough plan for Losing Weight, Getting Fit and Transforming Your Life
June 25, 2020
As the full title says, this is more than just a diet-health book. It is a book written by a man who set a simple daily goal (10 minutes of exercise every morning) and was able to motivate himself to not break "his streak". He discovered that the longer the streak lasted, the more driven he became to keep it. As his colleagues and friends watched him continue his streak, they too became inspired to set their own goals and build their own "streaks". He soon realized that he had become "the spark" that they needed and that they, in turn, could "spark" others .... and so on and so on .... and "SparkPeople" was born. This book is a 28-day challenge to begin your own personal goal setting using the four F's (Focus, Fitness, Fire, and positive Force). The book is full of information, ideas and tips to help you set and achieve your goals. As a bonus, you have free access to their website to continue your journey long after you've finished the book. A large part of the whole experience is the ability to interact with other "sparkpeople" through the website and/or app. I only give the book a 4star because I'm not sure if the true success of the program can be achieved without the tools on the website/app. I was able to lose 7 pounds in the 4 weeks of this program and continue to use the app to further pursue my new healthy eating and lifestyle goals.
January 6, 2020
Decent (yet repetitive) advice
Start slow, don't beat yourself up over setbacks, let little victories count just as much as the big ones. You've heard all of this before, and you'll hear it again here.
The book starts out motivational enough, but it's a 4 week guide to the SparkPeople program, so it's not really meant to be read all at once. Keep a notebook nearby to jot down your goals, and plan to revisit the book often if you want to follow the suggestions on their timeline.
Start slow, don't beat yourself up over setbacks, let little victories count just as much as the big ones. You've heard all of this before, and you'll hear it again here.
The book starts out motivational enough, but it's a 4 week guide to the SparkPeople program, so it's not really meant to be read all at once. Keep a notebook nearby to jot down your goals, and plan to revisit the book often if you want to follow the suggestions on their timeline.
November 18, 2024
Unfortunately, I left this book sitting on my shelf for 15 years before reading, and the website being defunct now does make the book quite dated. But there is still a ton of information you can gain from reading The Spark and just skim over those parts telling you to join their online community.
I am obsessed with Goodreads letting me know that I initially started reading this book on September 26, 2011. So it has taken me 4,801 days to read this book.
I am obsessed with Goodreads letting me know that I initially started reading this book on September 26, 2011. So it has taken me 4,801 days to read this book.
August 12, 2024
50% informational, 50% accolades
This book was a decent read. I got it on discount and I honestly would not pay full price for it. It's a good read for inspiration, but most of the information can be found on the website for free. Also, nothing new is really being brought to the table. As a practically free book looking for some motivation, sure. Otherwise, it's not really worth buying. Oh! Also...it's a little dated and you can tell.
This book was a decent read. I got it on discount and I honestly would not pay full price for it. It's a good read for inspiration, but most of the information can be found on the website for free. Also, nothing new is really being brought to the table. As a practically free book looking for some motivation, sure. Otherwise, it's not really worth buying. Oh! Also...it's a little dated and you can tell.
March 13, 2018
Just Join SparkPeople
This is a great starter book which puts the elements of SparkPeople in place. This isn't a diet book. This is a goal-setting book for a healthier you: all of you; not just your weight.
This is a great starter book which puts the elements of SparkPeople in place. This isn't a diet book. This is a goal-setting book for a healthier you: all of you; not just your weight.
November 6, 2022
A book with clear direction on setting goals, staying active, eating healthier, and reaching your goals. Focusing on a different area each week for four weeks "The Spark" will help you set goals and reach them but helping you do daily tasks that offer great results with out making it overwhelming.
July 16, 2017
This book was great! I use the Sparkpeople website and this was a great addition to the website!
May 20, 2022
This book read like an infomercial.
June 29, 2023
Really enjoyed - lots of great information! No I need to just start using the information! I read it over a long period of time so I could absorb it all.
July 17, 2011
I liked the basic ideas behind this book. It not just about losing weight, or getting fit, it's about the little steps you can take to change your future. We don't always think about changing our future- and if we do, it's in some huge and glorious way and with goal so strict and overwhelming that we are not surprised that we don't succeed. In fact, on some level, that proves we were not meant to.
But small steps. We can do this. One day- just drink 8 glasses of water for one day.Then for two. Then three. Opps- couldn't do three. But it wasn't so horrible that I crashed because it was a small step- I did two- I can try again for three. And that's how the plan works- little goals- small steps- that add up to big changes in your life.
There is also a website and whole social network that you can join if you like. You don't have to- but finding people to help support you to reach your goals IS important. Many self help types will tell you that- I've never seen one offer you a way to help you find support. I'm dabbling with the website. I'm enjoying it as well.
Bottom line- has this book helped me look at the world a little differently. Did I find some advice that will help me with my weight lose and life goals? YES. And I'm a hard sell when It comes to this sort of thing.
If you're ready- this book, and this program can help you achieve your goals. If you're not ready, nothing will get you there,
But small steps. We can do this. One day- just drink 8 glasses of water for one day.Then for two. Then three. Opps- couldn't do three. But it wasn't so horrible that I crashed because it was a small step- I did two- I can try again for three. And that's how the plan works- little goals- small steps- that add up to big changes in your life.
There is also a website and whole social network that you can join if you like. You don't have to- but finding people to help support you to reach your goals IS important. Many self help types will tell you that- I've never seen one offer you a way to help you find support. I'm dabbling with the website. I'm enjoying it as well.
Bottom line- has this book helped me look at the world a little differently. Did I find some advice that will help me with my weight lose and life goals? YES. And I'm a hard sell when It comes to this sort of thing.
If you're ready- this book, and this program can help you achieve your goals. If you're not ready, nothing will get you there,
May 18, 2012
Review: The Spark Review The Spark by Chris Downie This book focuses on becoming healthy and changing your life for the positive. There are 4 Cornerstones: Focus, Fitness, Fire and Positive Force. The book describes the Spark Diet and Lifestyle changes. A good book to read, not only to lose weight but to make a good change in your life. The author uses many people as a positive influence as well as his mother, wife, brother and especially his two young boys. It describes the SparkPeople web site and the purpose of the site. For people who are members of SparkPeople, it is a good refresher And for one unfamiliar to SparkPeople, it is a free site for you to join. There are "teams" to join and there are teams for almost anyone; if you do not find a team to meet your needs, you make create one. SparkPeople.com. Goals, action steps, consistency, positive steps, rewards to yourself, balanced diet, breakthroughs, stress, motivation, exercise, healthily lifestyle, sleep, journaling, focus, workouts, success and lifestyle are some key words I wrote as I read this book. Chris Downie does a good job and he proves you can do it.
February 11, 2017
Sparkpeople.com in book form. A little more concise but, obviously, not interactive.
May 9, 2011
I recently signed up for SparkPeople.com as a way to keep myself accountable for eating right and exercising, and I discovered that there was a book written by the website’s creator, Chris Downie. This excellent resource details an effective approach to getting fit which includes goal-setting, nutrition, exercise, motivation, and community. It really emphasizes the lifestyle change that takes place when you truly commit to being healthy. I like that it encourages you to set small goals and build on them as time goes on. Small victories motivate you to work toward larger goals, and the support of the online community also helps fuel your success.
Most of the information in the book is available online for free at SparkPeople.com, but the book is a great introduction to the basics of what SparkPeople is and why it works for so many people. Whether you have a lot of weight to lose or you just want to improve your overall health, The Spark is a great resource for helping you get started.
Most of the information in the book is available online for free at SparkPeople.com, but the book is a great introduction to the basics of what SparkPeople is and why it works for so many people. Whether you have a lot of weight to lose or you just want to improve your overall health, The Spark is a great resource for helping you get started.
July 24, 2011
I am giving this book 5 stars to boost it's average rating. I would really only give it 2.5 or 3 maybe. Just to me personally, it wasn't very interestingly written. I have used Sparkpeople.com on and off since 2007 and IT WORKS if you really do it right. This book is only really half weight loss tool, and is overall more of a motivational or inspirational thing meant to make you change your whole life. I highly recommend using sparkpeople to anyone I know who wants to lose weight the right way. But the book just wasn't that great. Chris Downie is probably a great guy, and I thank him heartily for creating the website, but his personal story was not that inspiring to me personally. The book didn't have any new information, and the weight loss goals and things are identical to what you find on the website. If you haven't used sparkpeople.com before it will be new to you and might be worth reading in order to fully digest the information. I'm glad the book exists if it gets the word out to more people about the website however, but the website is the real deal.
December 29, 2020
The games are why I liked this book, and give it five stars as a review. What is unique about Sparkpeople is the game activity mixed with a sense of community. There is even a section under the chat forum called “games” that I used to get my 120 thousand Sparkpoints I have today. Sparkpeople uses gaming theory heavily in that it has Sparkpoints as part of a game. On page 12 it says the following quote: “One of our favorite things is a system called Sparkpoints.” A way of making all types of goals enjoyable and fun.” So often video games in modern day use the entertainment and thrill of winning points to lure you into sitting still for long hours. You do NOTHING but watch a screen, and twitch your fingers with eyes glued to a screen when you play a normal video game! Yet Sparkpeople gives you points for tracking food, points for step tracker steps, and here is the most important point in that you get points for reacting to other people doing fitness activities. This creates a sense of teamwork and group activity to a goal. Trainers in groups help people meet goals long-term.
April 14, 2012
This is a good book with good advice. I had been a member on SparkPeople for several years before reading this book. This book is good because it condenses and lays out the system, but some of the tools and methods are harder to follow without the website. In particular, the keeping track of your food/activities and the exercise explanations.
I am not a fan of how Chris Downie decided to layout the book. I felt like he needed to integrate the Cornerstones with the actual 28 day plan. This is not a design flaw, but a design preference. I also felt like he was concluding the program too fast. Most people are at it much longer than 4 weeks. Don't put a time limit on stage 3. Spreading the Spark is great to hear about in week 4, but I am not ready to deal with transitioning to maintenance in week 4.
I am not a fan of how Chris Downie decided to layout the book. I felt like he needed to integrate the Cornerstones with the actual 28 day plan. This is not a design flaw, but a design preference. I also felt like he was concluding the program too fast. Most people are at it much longer than 4 weeks. Don't put a time limit on stage 3. Spreading the Spark is great to hear about in week 4, but I am not ready to deal with transitioning to maintenance in week 4.
July 7, 2010
Hmm, how to rate/review this. I liked it a lot for bringing together all of the SparkPeople principles in one place, and it is the first "diet" book to read more like a healthy lifestyle book (with the possible exception of You: On A Diet). There's a lot of great stuff in there about motivating yourself to change, making meaningful changes, and changing more than just your physical appearance. However, I feel that squishing all of these changes into 28 days is unrealistic - which goes against ALL the tenets of SparkPeople. SP emphasizes realistic expectations, changing slowly so that changes stick, and setting yourself up for success. But I guess you have to sell books somehow... No one wants to buy "The Spark: The 2-Year Plan."
March 4, 2010
As diet/fitness books go, this one is quite good. It offers a balancing mix of inspiration and realistic strategies that can be incorporated into a longterm, healthy lifestyle change. There are times when the book feels like a pitch for the SparkPeople.com website, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. There are lots of great resources available on the site to reinforce the information in the book. In fact, I don't think there's any new information in the book that couldn't be found on the website, but the book does a fabulous job packaging all of the information in a coherent, motivating, and practical way. I would definitely recommend this book as an introduction to the SparkPeople program or as a motivating companion reference book for those already using the site.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews