The Game On! Diet

by Krista Vernoff

  I was so frustrated at first—all of my friends were losing weight, but I wasn’t, and I had the most to lose! Then I did the actual math and figured out that I ate over 10,000 calories one Sunday. ’Cause I’m that kinda guy. Anyway, when I did the math I saw that on my day off, I was undoing every bit of good I was doing during the week. So I adopted a little more moderation on the day off and voilà. Fifteen pounds off and counting…

  —Adam, 38

  Mountain Climbing

  The other thing that players have run into, usually after playing the game two or three times, is a marked slowing down of weight loss. Usually, it happens to people with not a lot of weight left to lose. And it’s what in dieting vernacular is known as hitting a plateau.

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  • • • A Tip from Az • • •

  Every dieter at one time or another will hit the dreaded weight-loss plateau. Your body is simply attempting to protect you by slowing your metabolism down to match the amount of energy you’re consuming, so you won’t waste away. This is why we include the meal off and day off—to boost your calories back up and keep your metabolism burning at its maximum capacity. Unfortunately a meal or day off may not be enough, depending on how long you’ve been dieting. If you’ve hit a plateau, I suggest boosting your calories back up for a couple of days or even a full week to reboot your metabolism. Your weight might just pop up slightly for these few days but your body will be burning at a much higher level.

  Please do not see a plateau as a sign to decrease your portions/calories even more. This is not only dangerous; it’s detrimental to your health and weight-loss goals! If you are playing all out, then the deficit you are on is enough. To cut your food intake back further is a sure way to disaster as you will be depleting your body of vital nutrients it needs. When you’ve hit a plateau, your body has simply adjusted to your new routine, so it is time to change things up. What changes can you make?

  Change your exercise routine. If you usually jog, try swimming, or cycling—anything that will change the way your body is working.

  Add strength training to your weekly exercise routine. Working your muscles will help boost your metabolism.

  Change up your diet. Are you eating the same things every single day? Startle your body by eating different foods and adding or decreasing your protein one day and your carbs the next.

  * * *

  Az put me on a meal plan and I was losing weight and it felt great so I figured why not eat even less and lose even more? And then I lost no weight that week. When Az found out what I’d done, he yelled at me in that cute Australian way he has that makes you feel like he’s mocking and loving you even when he yells. I ate more the next week and, presto, change-o, my weight loss resumed. The moral of this story? Listen to Az. And oh yeah, don’t starve yourself.

  —Cristine, 32

  Blooooooooating

  The fact remains, if you’re playing all out, you’ll almost always lose weight consistently and with relative ease. Still, if you’re playing all out and reading this chapter in desperation, then you should know about the other exceptions we’ve found that may mess with the numbers on your scale (and not in a good way). They are:

  Morning after meal off or day off

  Constipation

  Menstruation

  After a meal off or day off, you are usually carrying some extra water weight because usually, you ate something salty or oily or sugary or you drank alcohol. Your body has an adjustment period when it retains some extra water. Just stay consistent with your game and the scale should be where you want it within a day or two.

  Similarly, and now I’m speaking to the ladies, when you have or are about to have your period, you tend to carry some extra water weight. Nothing to be done about that. Don’t panic. Just notice the increase in weight, keep playing all out, and it will regulate.

  And, finally, when you are constipated, you tend to carry some extra…er…poo weight. Eew. Gross. Can’t believe I just wrote that. But I seriously know people who’ve lost two or three pounds after y’know…in the hospital they call it “evacuating the bowels” but there’s just no good way to say it. Birthing a poo baby?

  That said, DO NOT ABUSE LAXATIVES TO MAKE WEIGHT! This is an integrity issue. If you take a laxative because you want to make your weigh-in, you lose all your points for the week!! Don’t do it. It’s bad for your health and bad for your game. (If you’re tempted, see the section in the back of this chapter about eating disorders and get some help.) Here instead are ten suggestions about how to avoid this problem before it starts or to relieve it naturally…

  * * *

  10 Tips to Avoid or Relieve Constipation

  * * *

  Include more fruits in your daily diet.

  Chew your food thoroughly.

  Eat steamed, fresh vegetables.

  Drink a glass of warm water with lemon juice and a pinch of salt upon waking.

  Avoid eating fried food, frozen food, and food or drinks with preservatives.

  Always go to the bathroom when you have the urge. (Don’t “hold it” for later.)

  Exercise first thing in the morning.

  Stretch your body upon awakening. Specifically, try twisting poses (yoga) to stimulate the bowel.

  Squat for 10 minutes upon awakening. (You can do this watching TV or playing with your baby.)

  When sitting on the toilet, place your feet on a small step stool, which makes everything move a little easier.

  Eating what’s right but feeling all wrong

  Finally, being an alternative medicine girl (my acupuncturist has never sent me for an unnecessary head CT), I feel I must add this: People have food sensitivities. Food sensitivities are not quite allergies—but they can wreak havoc with your body’s ability to function optimally (i.e., your metabolism). Sensitivities to wheat and dairy are very common but there are many others. (I personally do not feel at all well when I eat any animal flesh other than fish.) Since I’m not actually a doctor (as much as the other Grey’s writers and I like to pretend we are), let’s hear from Dr. Leo Galland, who is, quite simply, awesome.

  * * *

  A word from Dr. Leo Galland

  Food sensitivities have an important impact on weight loss and on overall health. About half the population has them. Although food sensitivity takes many forms, most are related to the protein content of specific foods. Some people thrive on a high protein intake. They need meat and perhaps dairy. I call them hunter/herder types. Others thrive on a vegetarian, plant-based diet, with little or no animal protein. Still others are intolerant of a specific food protein, such as the casein in milk or the gluten in wheat. At least 2 million Americans are gluten intolerant. There are no perfect lab tests for food sensitivity. Once you’ve eliminated sugar and junk foods, which nobody thrives on, you can usually determine your food sensitivities by observing how you feel after different types of meals. Do you have fatigue, headaches, bloating, aches and pains? Do you feel swollen and heavy? Do these symptoms come and go? When are they worst? Early in the morning…think about what you ate last night. In mid-afternoon…what did you eat for lunch? If you eat a steak, do you feel energetic and strong or sleepy and fuzzy-headed? If you eat only salad, do you feel refreshed and light or shaky and weak? Does a hearty whole grain bread leave you feeling satisfied or bloated? Answering these questions can not only help you feel your best, it can help you achieve your optimal weight. Whenever I see a patient who can’t lose weight on a healthy diet, I look for food sensitivities. Ninety percent of the time, identifying them allows for weight loss to proceed as expected.

  Leo Galland, MD, author of The Fat Resistance Diet www.fatresistancediet.com

  * * *

  It comes back to this: Pay attention to your body. Notice how you feel and then try eliminating the foods that make you feel like crap and see if that act alone doesn’t increase your metabolism and speed up your weight loss.

  And, of course, before embarking on this game, you should’v
e gone to your doctor to confirm that you are in good health. There are a variety of health conditions—from heart problems to thyroid problems to kidney problems to gland problems—that can interfere with your body’s ability to shed weight. If you feel like you’re doing everything right and nothing is working, get a thorough checkup!

  The final thing I want to say here is that if you don’t lose weight one week, it’s not the end of the world. This game/diet/lifestyle change is meant to be both healthy and fun. Even if you didn’t make weight, your health has no doubt improved if you are playing this game all out. And hopefully, you’re having fun while improving your health, which is huge! I’m not saying your weight loss isn’t important. I’m just asking you to look for what you can change to improve that aspect of your game while still giving yourself credit for your hard work. I’m asking you to please not beat yourself up. Brain tumors and aneurysms and needing half your brain removed, that’s serious and scary. While I did not enjoy the few hours I had to ponder those possibilities in my life last week, I am grateful for the perspective those hours gave me when I got on the scale at the end of the week and the numbers were up. So let’s get you some perspective right now.

  GET A PEN!

  Write down ten things in your life for which you are truly grateful. If you’re really feeling low, start with the basics like “My functioning limbs” and work your way up to “My family loves me.” The exercise will give you perspective without an unnecessary CAT scan of your brain. Come on. Really, really. Get a pen. Riiiiiiiiiight…NOW!

  A Word About Eating Disorders

  This country has an epidemic of eating disorders. There is a part of me that is reticent to attach my voice to a “diet” of any sort because I have so many friends—men and women—who have suffered greatly from the psychological effects of living in a society that puts such a high premium on skinniness. Not even beauty. Beauty’s its own thing. Beauty is subjective. Skinniness is just skinniness. Even if you think that some of these too-skinny celebrities look pretty gross and like a bag of bones, as long as People magazine puts them on the cover in couture and holds them up as an ideal, we are all affected.

  That said, I play this game because it helps me feel better. It helps me feel more emotionally balanced, more physically able, and more capable of taking control of my own health. If it’s doing the opposite for you, stop playing and consider seeking help. If you have a history of eating disorders, or a current problem with an eating disorder, I have tremendous compassion for your struggle and I hope you seek treatment and I wish you health. Google the words “eating disorder help” and you will find many programs and resources to help you.

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  A word from eating disorder specialist Michella Fiordaliso Eating Disorder Warning Signs

  In an image-crazed society it’s virtually impossible to never think about your weight or diet. However, there is a place where normal preoccupation can become an unhealthy obsession. Do you…

  Feel paranoid about eating?

  Sneak or hide food?

  Eat in secret?

  Have constant thoughts about food?

  Have body dysmorphic syndrome—a perception of your body that isn’t accurate? For example, seeing yourself as fat even though the scale doesn’t indicate that.

  Feel anxious or depressed about your relationship to food or conversely use food to manage anxiety and depression?

  Purge: use laxatives or vomit?

  Have two sets of eating habits (one for in public and one for in private)?

  Exercise excessively?

  Binge eat?

  Resort to extreme measures (double up on workouts, starve yourself, purge)?

  Talk about food and weight all the time?

  Weigh yourself multiple times a day?

  Eat the same foods every day?

  Take stimulants (including overconsuming caffeinated beverages)?

  Always find yourself on a diet even since you were a child?

  Feel like there are two separate people in you (one who wants to eat well and one who tells you to forget about it and eat what you want)?

  If you find yourself experiencing any of the traits above, consider seeking therapy or a support group to understand your relationship to food and how to have greater peace of mind around eating.

  Michelle Fiordaliso, MSW, Clinical Director, Shrink Yourself www.shrinkyourself.com

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  Frequently Asked Questions

  Q:

  What if I have my period on weigh-in day and I KNOW I would’ve made weight if I didn’t?

  A:

  Women get a once-a-game period pass. Which means you don’t have to make weight the week you have your period—but you do have to make weight for both weeks the following week. And what I mean by that is, if you weigh 150 and your goal weight for the week is 148.5 and you have your period and don’t make your goal, you get a pass. BUT the next week, you must weigh in at 147—which means you actually did lose the weight the week of your period even though the scale didn’t reflect it and you also lost your weight this week. Otherwise, you don’t get your bonus points for the week of your period.

  Q:

  Yeah, but what if I have my period the last week of the game?

  A:

  Ideally, you shouldn’t time your game this way. But if you must, then you can ask your team and opponents for a few extra days at the end before final scores are calculated. If the game is tight, whether or not you make your bonus will make a difference, so in the interest of good sportsmanship (sportswomanship?) they should give you the extra time.

  Q:

  I’m a guy—is there some equivalent of a “period pass” for me?

  A:

  Shut up and be grateful that you don’t hemorrhage from your penis once a month. Ass.

  Q:

  My husband is not playing the game and he keeps bringing home high-calorie food like pizza and fast food. I’ve asked him not to, but he just says he can do whatever he wants. I think he’s jealous of my new body. I don’t want to cause a fight, but don’t know how to handle this.

  A:

  Sadly, your husband is right. He isn’t supportive. He isn’t maybe the best husband in the world when it comes to your diet. But he’s right. He can do whatever he wants. And so can you. You can’t control his choices—but you can control yours. And you can choose compassion. Maybe he’s feeling threatened by your new body, by your new lifestyle, by your new you. Maybe he was comfortable and happy with the old you, even if you weren’t. And maybe he doesn’t know how to communicate any of this. So I would suggest that even though your impulse is to smack him upside the head, maybe try the opposite and tell him you love him a lot. Tell him frequently and lovingly and passionately. Instigate a tickle match. Instigate sex. Also? Leave the house when the pizza arrives. And if you can’t leave the house, at least leave the room. Go and do something healthier than sitting around smelling pizza and resenting him. Don’t spend your precious energy trying to change him. Just love him, and keep changing you. Eventually, he may just decide to join you.

  Q:

  I have a group of friends who are all overweight. We used to do lots of eating outings together, but now that I’m playing the game, things have changed. They don’t want to play and it seems like the more weight I lose the less they want to do with me. I don’t want to lose these friendships. What should I do?

  A:

  Friendships change and fall away for a thousand reasons. You are prioritizing your health! If your friends can’t support that, you have to ask if these are really healthy friendships that you want to hold on to. If they are, then maybe you just need to reach out. Pick your favorite friend and say, “Sally! I miss you! And I’m playing this game so I can’t do our old restaurant thing. Wanna just come over for a cup of tea and catch up?” Maybe she does. And if she doesn’t, you’ve learned something. Most of my close friends have been my close friends for nearly twenty years. But a couple of friends have fallen away
in recent years and when that happens it makes me really sad. And that’s when my therapist has had to remind me that there is a difference between best friends and old friends. If these are truly your best friends, they will support you in your journey to improve your health.

  Q:

  I SWEAR I am playing all out! I SWEAR I am doing everything you say to do!! But I am not losing weight!!! Heeeeelp!!!!!

  A:

  Okay, I can help. The help goes like this: Try counting calories, because if you are doing everything right, then something in what or how much you’re eating is wrong. So go to our Web site, www.thegameondiet.com, and enter your weight and height and age. The site will then do a little math for you and tell you tell you how many calories you should be eating to lose weight if you are doing the HIIT exercise three times a week and 20 minutes of moderate exercise another three times a week. On our Web site, you will also find a source to help you count calories. Do it VIGILANTLY for a week. Pay attention to exactly what and how much you can eat to stay under this number and I will be stunned if you don’t lose weight! Full disclosure: I count calories! Why? Because my food sensitivities make it hard for me to consistently eat all the lean protein we recommend. And it’s the lean protein that really helps keep the calorie count down. So in the beginning, I played the way we are recommending you play. But after a while, when I got tired of all that protein, I started to count calories. Counting calories, while it sounds very eighties and Richard-Simmons-in-a-unitard, is actually the best way to have all the information. Because the rule is this: If you burn more energy than you consume, you will lose weight. And counting calories lets you know exactly how much energy you’re consuming! You don’t have to do it forever, just try it for a week or two—see if it doesn’t change what/how much you eat and kick your weight loss into high gear!