WiiFitDiet: Losing Weight with Wii Fit

The self-proclaimed “Diary of a Fat Woman” gets off to a great start with some before photos and diet goals. She’s starting off with a BMI of 34.18, the result of a 5′10″ frame and 238.8 lbs. The new mom is aiming for at least 30 minutes of Wii Fit aerobics per day with a diet of 1700 calories. Due to breastfeeding, this is about 500 calories higher than one might expect if she was only feeding herself.
Trying to get back in shape after pregnancy is something many can relate to, and I look forward to checking back in on the progress of this new mom!

In order to count calories, she’s using a free online tool–

I do my calorie counting at calorie count plus, which is a part of about.com. And it’s free! I find that calorie counting helps me a lot in managing what I eat throughout the day. Otherwise I tend to munch on chips and cookies and bad things and eat too much for dinner or lunch, etc. So check it out! It’s at http://caloriecount.about.com.

Link

Having trouble with a Wii Fit event? Want to improve your best scores? We’ve got you covered. Check out the Wii Fit FAQ and strategy guide, with some fairly impressive high scores to beat as well.

Also, believe it or not there are some cheat codes (!) for the game–ok, not really, they’re just unlockables. You’re still gonna exercise–sorry.

The folks at Good Morning America take Wii Fit for a spin–literally–with a round of multiplayer hula hoop.
Read the rest of this entry →

So, what about the other game that uses the balance board? According to GameRankings, it’s settling into a 68% average from all media outlets. IGN gives it a 6/10:

We Ski put itself in a great position for the launch of Wii Fit, but it’s unfortunate that the core game doesn’t support the well-executed balance board integration with stronger core gameplay. The experience is slow, the mountain is small, and the game bombards users with text pop-ups and the need to constantly slow down and chat with other resort patrons in order to initiate short-lived challenges and races.

1UP had a different opinion, blessing it with a generous 95/100: Read the rest of this entry →

No, not the aristocrats.

The Dallas Morning News shows how interfamily competition while playing Wii Fit–with its built in scoring mechanism and leaderboards–can actually encourage the entire family to exercise more.

I think of Wii Fit as more of a game than a workout. It’s entertaining and gets you off the couch, no matter your fitness level. In our family, the competitive juices definitely are flowing.

Any time one of us overtakes Adam’s top spot, he considers it a personal challenge to regain top billing, no matter how many times it takes. (I wish he’d approach his schoolwork with the same intensity!)

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A self proclaimed “formerly fit geek” over at Gizmodo reviews Wii Fit–overall he seems to be impressed.

So what’s it good for? In fitness, no machine can ever replace the drive to be healthy. Not Bowflex, not Thighmaster, and not Wii Fit. The real difference here is that Wii Fit builds fitness consciousness, reminding us of our body’s state of being, chiding us for bad habits while encouraging the good. And this is while building up the basic fitness necessary to start doing high intensity workouts or sports. It makes exercise feel like a video game, and we all know we can have fun playing those for hours.

So perhaps Wii Fit won’t be a hardcore workout–be it can shame you into getting in the habit of getting exercise. And to some, that’s the hardest part.

Link

Irritated that Wii Fit insists on talking back to you all the time, telling you you’re out of shape or worse? This video takes it a step further, supposing that it might even start talking bad about your girlfriend. Hilarious, if tawdry, results ensue. NSFWish. Read the rest of this entry →

Looks like Wii Fit is hard to find!

This morning, Circuit City’s website received a shipment of Wii Fit.  Within an hour, the stock had sold out.  Target and Wal-Mart are both sold out nationwide.  Looks like it’s the hot item of the season!  I’ve noticed that Amazon occasionally has it in stock, though.

Let’s be honest–playing Wii Fit daily will go a long way towards making you more healthy, but it won’t help you lose weight if you’re following it up with a double cheeseburger.  There are so many fad diets around that it’s tough to choose the best.

Why not go with the most trusted name in reviews–Consumer Reports?  They have never accepted advertising and use scientific methodologies, so they aren’t swayed by what is “in” this season.  Their review of diet plans found that the top three were:

1. The Best Life Diet by Bob Green
2. Eat, Drink and Weigh Less by Mollie Katzen and Walter Willett, M.D.
3. You: On a Diet by Mehmet C. Oz and Michael F. Roizen

Consumer Reports noted that:

All the books offered fairly healthful menus. But when our panelists evaluated the nutrition advice, they found noticeable differences in the restrictiveness of various books. They also found variations in the quality of exercise information and the explanations of the science and nutrition behind the plans.

Link to Consumer Reports Article

Buy The Best Life Diet from Amazon

Wii Fit is fairly low-stress, and Reuters reports that it is being using to rehabilitate injured athletes.  What a great use for the balance board–after an injury it’s tough to find the inspiration to get back on track, and it’s proving it can do just that.

We are looking to incorporate Wii Fit into the athletic training room as far as rehabilitation, for example, on post-operative knees and ankles,” Professor Stanley-Green told Reuters Health.

PC World has the Reuters article.