It’s not very often when video games are shown in a positive spotlight in today’s mainstream media so when it happens, it’s sure to turn heads. That’s exactly what happened when Taylor LeBaron published his book, with the help of his grandparents, Jack and Mary Branson, Cutting Myself in Half: 150 Pounds Lost One Byte at a Time.
Taylor was 14 years old and almost 300 pounds when he devised a weight loss plan that used strategies from his favorite past time, playing video games. So many of us out there have tried to find that secret that will magically shed unwanted pounds. While there have been fitness games in the past, there have been a mountain of them released when Nintendo released the Wii in 2006 and its fitness focused peripheral, WiiFit, later in 2007. Since then, just about every game developer has tried to release the next best fitness game. Taylor’s program isn’t actually a game at all, well, not for any particular game system. His game, which he calls The Ultimate Fitness Game (UFG), can be played by anyone regardless of age or their love of gaming.
Taylor used the skills he learned playing video games to help devise a simple and extremely effective weight loss plan that allowed him to lose more than half his body weight over the course of 18 months. He’s even been able to keep the weight off and even struggles sometimes with being a little underweight.
As a gamer, he realized that the same skills he used to build up a character or to successfully defeat a boss could be used to help him lose weight. He named junk food as his enemies and fruits, vegetables, and exercise as his allies. He researched every food he put in his mouth and learned about their nutritional values. Foods that were good for him, he ate and foods that were not good for him, he ate in moderation or cut out from his diet completely. Every morning he would convert his daily calories into money and he was only allowed to spend, or eat, what was in his budget.
This diet may not be for everyone but it’s probably one of the best ones out there. It really focuses on the math and the common sense of caloric intake and output. While it can be time consuming, it’s really no different to the countless hours we as gamers may spend on carefully leveling up a character. If we were to take that same time and effort and put it into ourselves, results are guaranteed.
The book is broken up into two parts, the first half chronicles Taylor’s struggles with his weight and how he fought back. The second half is focused on how you, the reader, can incorporate the UFG into your life. He is quite open and honest about the things that he went through as an overweight kid and preteen and it’s inspirational how positive he remained throughout the entire process. The book is very repetitive but it does so to drive the point home. The book is a very easy read and can be read in a day or so. Understandably, it is aimed at kids and teenagers however, adults can follow this plan with ease as well.
Taylor’s story is more than just a positive mark toward video games it is also a powerful story that shows that a little knowledge and will power can go a long way. The true secret to weight loss isn’t in a pill or a fad diet, it lies within yourself to eat less and exercise more and Taylor is living proof of that.
You can check out Taylor’s website http://cuttingmyselfinhalf.com for recipes and more inspiration. You can also find him on Facebook and Twitter. Since the book’s release in January 2010, Taylor was featured on several TV talk shows including Good Morning America and recently was chosen as one of ten teens who would represent Coca-Cola in the 2010 Winter Olympics and carry the Olympic torch. The nominees were judged on their involvement in community service, concern for the environment, and physical fitness. Taylor is an inspiration to no only kids and teens but adults who struggle with weight issues. As he says, “everybody is amazingly amazing in their own way”.
A review copy of the book was provided by the publisher and did not affect the outcome of this review.
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