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Rules, guidelines, and general discussion post
The rules and guidelines are set out in detail in the Game On book, but our customized ones are based on things that have come up while we have been playing. They are subject to change as new issues arise and we are all open to suggestions. If there are any errors, anything you disagree with, any typos, any points you think I just couldn't have made any better, or anything else, please let me know.
Sometimes personal things are posted here, so we ask for a complete confidentiality policy about what folks post and read here.
General Guidelines for our LJ Game On:
*You must read the book to play. You don’t have to own it, but it helps. Some of the veterans may be willing to lend you theirs if you can't find one, don't have the cash right now, or your library doesn't have it. Just ask.
*The main purpose of the game is to develop healthier habits, learn more about food and fitness and your body, and reach your fitness goals.
*Another purpose is to help your friends do the same, and hopefully make some new friends.
*The game is a competition between individuals or teams. If competition is really stressful for you, this might be difficult. We do generally try to be low-key about the competition aspect and everyone should plan to celebrate everyone else's achievements (even if it means they are kicking your arses), but it is still a competition.
*Prizes tend to be fairly small because people are busy and have varying amounts of spare cash. In the past, they have been icons, fic, a small amount to an LJ account. Things like that. It is really more a token than anything, for our purposes. This is one place we have differed from the book where it says, "it should hurt to lose." All it hurts here, really, is your pride.
*Treat everyone how you would like to be treated. There will be disagreements and moments that are challenging, but especially with the oddness that is email and internet communication, lets be respectful and kind to each other.
*The game requires you to follow pretty rigid rules around food, exercise, sleep, and habits. If you have an eating disorder, this may be great for you, it may also be harmful. Only you can decide that, so please consider this carefully.
*Have fun. Play hard. Encourage each other. Welcome!
Rule One
Read the book. There is no rule two without rule one. This is the most important rule. It is really difficult to play without having read the book. If you don’t have it, can’t get it, can’t afford it and your library doesn’t have it, ask and I’ll bet one of the veterans would be willing to lend you theirs.
Teams
There will be a sign up post a few days before each game is to start. Teams will be assigned at least one day before the game starts.
If there are last minute sign-ups (i.e. after team assignments have been made, but before the game actually starts), those people will be added to whichever team has fewer people, if the teams are uneven.
We do not need an equal number of players on each team. A team of two or three can play a team of four or five. If we have even teams, we will go by straight points, if we have uneven teams, we will use an average to determine the outcome.
Scorekeeper
Each team must choose a scorekeeper. The scorekeeper is responsible for collecting and reporting her team’s score to the whole group (via group email or comment to the weekly round-up post) by the end of the day in her time zone the day of weigh-in each week.
Final scores will be reported by the end of the day of final weigh in (in the scorekeeper's time zone). The mod (me) will make a post on the last day requesting that the scores be reported. Any discussion, questions, or disagreements about tabulation of the scores must happen before the scores are reported to the larger group (barring unforeseen circumstances, like computer failure).
Communication
You must be in communication with at least one member of your team or with the whole group at least once a day to earn 5 daily communication points. This can be done via email or a post to this community. Communication (trash talking) with opponents is also highly encouraged.
Playing By Yourself
If you don’t want to join a team, but you would like to play along on your own, that’s fine. Let us know and feel free to ask questions and communicate via the community.
The Honor System
Everyone keeps their own score and reports it to the scorekeeper. We have to trust each other, and we have to judge ourselves against our strictest interpretation of the rules. There will be questions and judgment calls - feel free to ask and we’ll make a group decision if it is something that hasn’t already been covered.
We have a score sheet on an excel spread sheet. I am happy to share it. If you don’t have one, just as one of your team mates who has played before or me and we’ll email it to you.
The Weigh-In
Weigh yourself on the morning you start the game, within 10 minutes of waking. Then, weigh in once a week on the morning of the first day of the new week. Our first day is usually a Wednesday, so weigh yourself on Wednesday mornings.
You can weigh yourself every day if you like to track your progress that way, but you do not have to. DO NOT weigh yourself more than once a day. You lose a point for each additional time you step on the scale - the point is that the scale is a tool, not something about which to obsess.
Each week, you must lose 1 percent of your body weight to earn 20 percent of your points scored for the week.
Note: If weight loss is not a goal, you can set yourself a fitness goal instead.
The period pass
This one has actually come up every game -- hardly surprising. If you have your period, or are about to get your period, on the day of a weigh-in, and are therefore retaining 12 pounds of water weight, you may ask your opponents and teammates for a pass for the week's weight and your final score. You must let the other players know you are taking the pass before the final scores are tabulated (i.e., by when you report to your team’s scorekeeper at the latest).
Here’s the catch: you must make the equivalent of your weight goal for that week and the following week at the following weeks’ weigh-in. Was that clear as mud? Let me try again. Let’s say your goal for week 2 is 150 pounds. You take the period pass for week 2. If you had made it (which you didn’t, because of the 12 pounds of water weight), your goal for week 3 would be 148.5. At weigh-in on week 3, you must weigh 148.5 to get the 20% bonus for both weeks. If you don’t make goal for week 3, you don’t get the 20% of points for either week.
If you are in this situation at final weigh-in, you can ask your team and opponents for a couple of extra days to see if the water weight clears out. Like with the mid-game period pass, you must let the other players that you plan to do this before final scores are submitted to the group.
Food
Eat five small meals a day. Each meal should include a combination of lean protein, healthy fats, carbohydrates like whole grains and fruit from the from the F.Y.T. foods list. Two of your meals must include a minimum of two fistfuls of vegetables, but you can have any amount of vegetables at all of your meals if you want. If you don’t eat the veggies at two of your meals, you lose those meal points.
Meals must be no fewer than two and no more than four hours apart.
Meals must contain none of the F.L.A.B.B. foods. Each fully sanctioned meal is worth 6 points for a total of 30 possible meal points a day.
An exception: Each day, in addition to your five meals, you may consume up to 100 calories of whatever you want (including the F.L.A.B.B. foods on the list, but no including alcohol, soda, or diet soda). If you eat the F.L.A.B.B. foods at any other time (other than your day off or meal off), you either lose those meal points if it is at a meal, or get a snacking penalty if it is between meals.
Between meals, you may snack on cucumbers and celery without penalty. If you eat anything between meals besides cucumbers and celery, you must deduct a 10-point snacking penalty.
Exercise
You must exercise (any kind of exercise that makes your breathing speed up) for a minimum of 20 minutes a day, six days a week, to earn 20 points a day. You may do a seventh day of exercise or more than 20 minutes a day, but you will not earn extra points.
If you are ill during the game, you may replace the vigorous exercise with gentle stretching, walking, gentle yoga - whatever you can do without harming yourself, but that still gets your body moving.
Water
Drink a minimum of 3 liters (about 100 ounces or 12.5 cups) of water a day for a total of 10 points each day. You can drink more than that, but you won’t get more points.
As with everything else, you get a day off from this rule. It does not have to be the same day off as your day off from the food plan or your day off from exercise.
Sleep
To earn 15 sleep points, you must be in bed with the lights out a minimum of seven hours before you know you have to wake up.
If you suffer from severe insomnia-severe enough that you have been to see at least one doctor or specialist about your inability to fall asleep or stay asleep-then you can earn your 15 sleep points each day by practicing at least three of the sidebar suggestions from the National Sleep Foundation each night or by practicing the bedtime yoga routine described at the end of Chapter 11 in the book.
This rule is about setting aside time to rest. You are not penalized for having small children, sick pets, or loud, annoying neighbors. If something wakes you in the middle of the night, you can still earn your points by making an effort to get back to sleep. If you just say, “oh well, there’s only two hours until my alarm anyway, forget it,” then you do not earn your sleep points for that night.
Habits
You earn 10 points a day by eliminating an unhealthy habit and 10 points a day by practicing a new healthy habit. You must with your habit choices for the entire game. We have decided that you do not have to share your habit choices in case you would like to make it something personal, like, say, oh, consumption of porn on the internet. Sharing is, however, encouraged and can be fun if you feel comfortable doing so.
The habit cannot be something directly related to another rule, or something for which you already earn points in the game - like, you can’t say your good habit is drinking three liters of water a day.
Each time you change your habit choices, you lose 50 points, so choose carefully!
You get a day off from this rule too-but be smart about it. If you are quitting smoking or something similar, don’t take a day off or you’ll destroy your progress.
Alcohol, Coffee, and Soda
-Alcohol-
No alcohol is to be consumed while you are playing the game except on the day off. You may also have one portion during the meal off.
The Penalty: If you consume alcohol at unsanctioned times, you lose 25 points per portion. A portion is up to 12 ounces of beer, 6 ounces of wine, or 1.5. ounces of hard liquor.
The Escalation: If you don’t make weight on any given week, you lose the privilege of alcohol on your day off for the duration of the game.
-Coffee-
You can have your coffee. You just can’t have your frothy coffee drinks, and if you must put milk or soy milk or creamer in your coffee, you should have it at a meal and count it as your carb. The same goes for allowable sweeteners - honey, agave, real maple syrup.
-Soda-
Soda is not F.Y.T. foods. Each soda you consume carries a 10-point snacking penalty.
Soda (yes, diet too) may be consumed without penalty on your day off and meal off. But, if your goal is long-term healthy habits, we urge you to skip them altogether.
OMG WHEN can I have Pizza??? Or: Meal off and day off
Each week, each player gets one meal off in addition to one day off. The meal off and day off may be taken at any time during a given week. They may not be saved and carried over into later weeks. Your day off includes a respite from all the rules. This respite may be spread throughout the week (i.e., Monday can be your water day off, Wednesday can be your exercise day off, and Saturday can be your food day off, etc. Or you can take one whole day off from everything). The meal off is an hour and a half when you can eat whatever you want and have one portion of alcohol.
Remember that if you go overboard on your days and meals off, you will not be likely to make your weight goal for the week.
Good luck! Game ON!
The rules and guidelines are set out in detail in the Game On book, but our customized ones are based on things that have come up while we have been playing. They are subject to change as new issues arise and we are all open to suggestions. If there are any errors, anything you disagree with, any typos, any points you think I just couldn't have made any better, or anything else, please let me know.
Sometimes personal things are posted here, so we ask for a complete confidentiality policy about what folks post and read here.
General Guidelines for our LJ Game On:
*You must read the book to play. You don’t have to own it, but it helps. Some of the veterans may be willing to lend you theirs if you can't find one, don't have the cash right now, or your library doesn't have it. Just ask.
*The main purpose of the game is to develop healthier habits, learn more about food and fitness and your body, and reach your fitness goals.
*Another purpose is to help your friends do the same, and hopefully make some new friends.
*The game is a competition between individuals or teams. If competition is really stressful for you, this might be difficult. We do generally try to be low-key about the competition aspect and everyone should plan to celebrate everyone else's achievements (even if it means they are kicking your arses), but it is still a competition.
*Prizes tend to be fairly small because people are busy and have varying amounts of spare cash. In the past, they have been icons, fic, a small amount to an LJ account. Things like that. It is really more a token than anything, for our purposes. This is one place we have differed from the book where it says, "it should hurt to lose." All it hurts here, really, is your pride.
*Treat everyone how you would like to be treated. There will be disagreements and moments that are challenging, but especially with the oddness that is email and internet communication, lets be respectful and kind to each other.
*The game requires you to follow pretty rigid rules around food, exercise, sleep, and habits. If you have an eating disorder, this may be great for you, it may also be harmful. Only you can decide that, so please consider this carefully.
*Have fun. Play hard. Encourage each other. Welcome!
Rule One
Read the book. There is no rule two without rule one. This is the most important rule. It is really difficult to play without having read the book. If you don’t have it, can’t get it, can’t afford it and your library doesn’t have it, ask and I’ll bet one of the veterans would be willing to lend you theirs.
Teams
There will be a sign up post a few days before each game is to start. Teams will be assigned at least one day before the game starts.
If there are last minute sign-ups (i.e. after team assignments have been made, but before the game actually starts), those people will be added to whichever team has fewer people, if the teams are uneven.
We do not need an equal number of players on each team. A team of two or three can play a team of four or five. If we have even teams, we will go by straight points, if we have uneven teams, we will use an average to determine the outcome.
Scorekeeper
Each team must choose a scorekeeper. The scorekeeper is responsible for collecting and reporting her team’s score to the whole group (via group email or comment to the weekly round-up post) by the end of the day in her time zone the day of weigh-in each week.
Final scores will be reported by the end of the day of final weigh in (in the scorekeeper's time zone). The mod (me) will make a post on the last day requesting that the scores be reported. Any discussion, questions, or disagreements about tabulation of the scores must happen before the scores are reported to the larger group (barring unforeseen circumstances, like computer failure).
Communication
You must be in communication with at least one member of your team or with the whole group at least once a day to earn 5 daily communication points. This can be done via email or a post to this community. Communication (trash talking) with opponents is also highly encouraged.
Playing By Yourself
If you don’t want to join a team, but you would like to play along on your own, that’s fine. Let us know and feel free to ask questions and communicate via the community.
The Honor System
Everyone keeps their own score and reports it to the scorekeeper. We have to trust each other, and we have to judge ourselves against our strictest interpretation of the rules. There will be questions and judgment calls - feel free to ask and we’ll make a group decision if it is something that hasn’t already been covered.
We have a score sheet on an excel spread sheet. I am happy to share it. If you don’t have one, just as one of your team mates who has played before or me and we’ll email it to you.
The Weigh-In
Weigh yourself on the morning you start the game, within 10 minutes of waking. Then, weigh in once a week on the morning of the first day of the new week. Our first day is usually a Wednesday, so weigh yourself on Wednesday mornings.
You can weigh yourself every day if you like to track your progress that way, but you do not have to. DO NOT weigh yourself more than once a day. You lose a point for each additional time you step on the scale - the point is that the scale is a tool, not something about which to obsess.
Each week, you must lose 1 percent of your body weight to earn 20 percent of your points scored for the week.
Note: If weight loss is not a goal, you can set yourself a fitness goal instead.
The period pass
This one has actually come up every game -- hardly surprising. If you have your period, or are about to get your period, on the day of a weigh-in, and are therefore retaining 12 pounds of water weight, you may ask your opponents and teammates for a pass for the week's weight and your final score. You must let the other players know you are taking the pass before the final scores are tabulated (i.e., by when you report to your team’s scorekeeper at the latest).
Here’s the catch: you must make the equivalent of your weight goal for that week and the following week at the following weeks’ weigh-in. Was that clear as mud? Let me try again. Let’s say your goal for week 2 is 150 pounds. You take the period pass for week 2. If you had made it (which you didn’t, because of the 12 pounds of water weight), your goal for week 3 would be 148.5. At weigh-in on week 3, you must weigh 148.5 to get the 20% bonus for both weeks. If you don’t make goal for week 3, you don’t get the 20% of points for either week.
If you are in this situation at final weigh-in, you can ask your team and opponents for a couple of extra days to see if the water weight clears out. Like with the mid-game period pass, you must let the other players that you plan to do this before final scores are submitted to the group.
Food
Eat five small meals a day. Each meal should include a combination of lean protein, healthy fats, carbohydrates like whole grains and fruit from the from the F.Y.T. foods list. Two of your meals must include a minimum of two fistfuls of vegetables, but you can have any amount of vegetables at all of your meals if you want. If you don’t eat the veggies at two of your meals, you lose those meal points.
Meals must be no fewer than two and no more than four hours apart.
Meals must contain none of the F.L.A.B.B. foods. Each fully sanctioned meal is worth 6 points for a total of 30 possible meal points a day.
An exception: Each day, in addition to your five meals, you may consume up to 100 calories of whatever you want (including the F.L.A.B.B. foods on the list, but no including alcohol, soda, or diet soda). If you eat the F.L.A.B.B. foods at any other time (other than your day off or meal off), you either lose those meal points if it is at a meal, or get a snacking penalty if it is between meals.
Between meals, you may snack on cucumbers and celery without penalty. If you eat anything between meals besides cucumbers and celery, you must deduct a 10-point snacking penalty.
Exercise
You must exercise (any kind of exercise that makes your breathing speed up) for a minimum of 20 minutes a day, six days a week, to earn 20 points a day. You may do a seventh day of exercise or more than 20 minutes a day, but you will not earn extra points.
If you are ill during the game, you may replace the vigorous exercise with gentle stretching, walking, gentle yoga - whatever you can do without harming yourself, but that still gets your body moving.
Water
Drink a minimum of 3 liters (about 100 ounces or 12.5 cups) of water a day for a total of 10 points each day. You can drink more than that, but you won’t get more points.
As with everything else, you get a day off from this rule. It does not have to be the same day off as your day off from the food plan or your day off from exercise.
Sleep
To earn 15 sleep points, you must be in bed with the lights out a minimum of seven hours before you know you have to wake up.
If you suffer from severe insomnia-severe enough that you have been to see at least one doctor or specialist about your inability to fall asleep or stay asleep-then you can earn your 15 sleep points each day by practicing at least three of the sidebar suggestions from the National Sleep Foundation each night or by practicing the bedtime yoga routine described at the end of Chapter 11 in the book.
This rule is about setting aside time to rest. You are not penalized for having small children, sick pets, or loud, annoying neighbors. If something wakes you in the middle of the night, you can still earn your points by making an effort to get back to sleep. If you just say, “oh well, there’s only two hours until my alarm anyway, forget it,” then you do not earn your sleep points for that night.
Habits
You earn 10 points a day by eliminating an unhealthy habit and 10 points a day by practicing a new healthy habit. You must with your habit choices for the entire game. We have decided that you do not have to share your habit choices in case you would like to make it something personal, like, say, oh, consumption of porn on the internet. Sharing is, however, encouraged and can be fun if you feel comfortable doing so.
The habit cannot be something directly related to another rule, or something for which you already earn points in the game - like, you can’t say your good habit is drinking three liters of water a day.
Each time you change your habit choices, you lose 50 points, so choose carefully!
You get a day off from this rule too-but be smart about it. If you are quitting smoking or something similar, don’t take a day off or you’ll destroy your progress.
Alcohol, Coffee, and Soda
-Alcohol-
No alcohol is to be consumed while you are playing the game except on the day off. You may also have one portion during the meal off.
The Penalty: If you consume alcohol at unsanctioned times, you lose 25 points per portion. A portion is up to 12 ounces of beer, 6 ounces of wine, or 1.5. ounces of hard liquor.
The Escalation: If you don’t make weight on any given week, you lose the privilege of alcohol on your day off for the duration of the game.
-Coffee-
You can have your coffee. You just can’t have your frothy coffee drinks, and if you must put milk or soy milk or creamer in your coffee, you should have it at a meal and count it as your carb. The same goes for allowable sweeteners - honey, agave, real maple syrup.
-Soda-
Soda is not F.Y.T. foods. Each soda you consume carries a 10-point snacking penalty.
Soda (yes, diet too) may be consumed without penalty on your day off and meal off. But, if your goal is long-term healthy habits, we urge you to skip them altogether.
OMG WHEN can I have Pizza??? Or: Meal off and day off
Each week, each player gets one meal off in addition to one day off. The meal off and day off may be taken at any time during a given week. They may not be saved and carried over into later weeks. Your day off includes a respite from all the rules. This respite may be spread throughout the week (i.e., Monday can be your water day off, Wednesday can be your exercise day off, and Saturday can be your food day off, etc. Or you can take one whole day off from everything). The meal off is an hour and a half when you can eat whatever you want and have one portion of alcohol.
Remember that if you go overboard on your days and meals off, you will not be likely to make your weight goal for the week.
Good luck! Game ON!