Wii Fit

[RationalBiker]

I've been saying for quite some time (years, literally), I need to get back into shape. Pretty much from 25 on I have 'battled' weight on and off, losing the battle in my most recent years.

My wife and I got a Wii a few months back. This is no small task these days if you want to pay retail and not an eBay premium. They still fly off the shelves and fetch up to 150 bucks extra on eBay and other sites. I like some of the games on it, but they never wow'ed me.

Finally, a month ago we got Wii Fit. I played with it the first day to get a feel for it moreso than seriously exercising. It turned out to be quite fun for the most part though some elements of it can be tedious. More importantly however, for me, it works. I've only missed one day since I got it and that was because I worked unexpected OT at work. I use it about 40-60 mins a day and I've lost.... 15 lbs. in the first month. Granted, I've also changed my diet somewhat to help out. Exercise and a good diet... winning combination. I already feel MUCH better!

The Wii Fit has four categories of activity, balance, yoga, aerobics and strength.

Balance - these are all games that require you do controlled shifts of your weight to accomplish objectives. Pretty fun, but difficult to tell if I'm actually gaining anything. This can be very competitive against friends and family members though.

Yoga - I've come to learn that the Wii Fit isn't nearly the best way to do yoga, but it is an introductory method for learning yoga postures. For those unfamiliar, leaving aside claims of 'spiritual benefit', yoga helps develop balance, flexibility, core strength, posture and breathing. The format in which the Wii Fit works has you doing mostly static postures whereas 'real' yoga is typically a series of postures that flow from a moving sequence. This has actually sparked my interest in pursuing real yoga classes. And if I've improved my balance at all, it has probably been as a result of this exercise. Yoga is my favorite part.

Aerobics - Hula Hooping, Stepping, Jogging in Place and Rhythm boxing. I'm not sure I gain ANYTHING at all from the Stepping part, but it does warm you up for the other parts. The Rhythm Boxing on the other hand works quite well for getting the heart going and sweating a bit. Hula Hooping works as well, and jogging is well, jogging.

Strength - There are several exercises focusing on different muscle groups. All and all they are as effective and they would otherwise be without a Wii Fit. No games here. Straight up exercise.

Right now I spend most of my effort on the Yoga and Aerobics aspects.

I can see that over time some aspects of Wii Fit will lose my interest, while others could last quite a while. What makes the Wii Fit interesting overall is the Wii Fit Balance Board. It is quite sensitive to minute shifts in weight and can be quite helpful for helping you be more conscious of your center of balance. It can also help you do some of the exercises more correctly by showing you how your weight is improperly shifted.

The Wii Fit is brutal when it comes to time to weigh in. If you are overweight or obese, it tells you. I'm not sure which BMI system it uses, I think there are different ones, but I know I have a long way to go to get to what it considers the ideal BMI, 22.

This has been well worth the 90 bucks I spent on it. If nothing else, it will be an effective launching point for me to pursue more rigorous activities should it eventually be too light of a workout.

If you are already in top notch shape, you may or may not get anything out of it at all, maybe some fun. If you are in the same boat I am, not as young as you once were, having let yourself go for some time, I think it is an effective and entertaining way to start back down the road towards healthier living.

If anyone has any questions, I'll be more than happy to try to answer them.

Any other Wii Fitters out there?

[JMeganSnow]

Does the balance board have a maximum weight restriction on it? That's been my problem with most exercise equipment . . . they're only rated up to 250 lbs. I weigh 344. I was told that you shouldn't get any exercise equipment unless it's rated to 50 lbs. OVER your current weight, because it will tend to break down otherwise. Helpful.

[JASKN]

Congrats, RBiker!

Does the balance board have a maximum weight restriction on it?

As for a weight restriction, the Wiki page estimates around 660 lbs., despite the packaging itself listing 300-330 lbs.

[athena glaukopis]

West and I are Wii'ers, but I'm opting for a Dance Dance Revolution pad instead of a wii fit. I already do yoga, cardio, pilates and free weights (when I can get my ass out of the apartment, which is where the problem lies), but don't see the wii fit as being the "right fit" for me (no pun intended). I don't know if you've ever played Dance Dance Revolution, but OH MY GOD, i sweat my butt off, even after a few rounds of "beginner" !! If you haven't tried it, I would suggest playing it at any local arcade (if they're an arcade worth their tokens, they'll have one... kids are rabid about this game)... it definitely has a higher activity level than the wii fit, and might be a good one to invest in if you find yourself plateauing with the wii fit.

[Chops]

I've heard that the fit is pretty great for workouts as well. I have a few friends with it and they love it. I've not tried it yet myself.

Athena beat me to the DDR punch. I, too, sweat like a beast playing DDR. My Wii pad for DDR started acting funny (ghost stepping, not reading legit steps) and after doing some research, found a program called StepMania, which is an open-source DDR clone for PC/Mac/Linux. The beauty of that software is that because it's PC software, you can change your song lineup (the Stepmania people also sell a CD and provide free downloads of remixes songs for stepping), and you're not limited to the music provided on the game disc, like you are with DDR.

In any case, congrats on your weight loss, RB!

Brief Followup Edit: One of my problems with the DDR Wii pad was how thin it was. My feet were taking a serious toll from playing DDR on hardwood floor with that unpadded Wii mat. There are lots of aftermarket DDR pads available for every system and PC, which can be gotten on eBay for quite cheap, and they actually have some foam pads in them to absorb some of the blow to the feet.

Edited June 25, 2008 by Chops

[RationalBiker]

Does the balance board have a maximum weight restriction on it? That's been my problem with most exercise equipment . . . they're only rated up to 250 lbs. I weigh 344. I was told that you shouldn't get any exercise equipment unless it's rated to 50 lbs. OVER your current weight, because it will tend to break down otherwise. Helpful.

350 lbs. is the one I've most commonly heard.

I don't know if you've ever played Dance Dance Revolution, but OH MY GOD, i sweat my butt off, even after a few rounds of "beginner" !!

Actually, I have been considering it over the last week. I probably will get it.

[Benpercent]

In what way is the weighing-in "brutal"? I've heard of some news stories speaking of how the Wii Fit "destroys kids' self-esteem."

As for myself, I've quit keeping up with video games (only sticking with the ones I already have, such as Banjo Kazooie or Bubble Bobble), so I won't be playing Wii Anything anytime soon.

[JASKN]

As for myself, I've quit keeping up with video games.

Ben, blasphemous! Seriously, though, some of the Wii games are hella fun, and you don't even need to join a cult (Halo, Warcraft, Call of Duty) to enjoy them. Mario Galaxy is the best Mario ever! And Mario Kart gives you a wheel to steer with.

[RationalBiker]

In what way is the weighing-in "brutal"? I've heard of some news stories speaking of how the Wii Fit "destroys kids' self-esteem."

A vertical BMI meter starts at zero and proceeds up through the various weight descriptions (thin, normal, overweight and obese) with a noise increasing in pitch as it goes up. If you are obese, it tells you you are obese. "Brutal" is perhaps a strong description, and I certainly see no reason why someone's self-esteem should be destroyed, but it tells it like it is. At times it will also tell you what your "ideal weight" is based on a 22 BMI. It can see very daunting to think about losing 100 lbs., as is my case should I want to reach a BMI of 22. I'm going for it though.

If that little girl really wanted to be 'damaged', she should have had my son sitting there watching like I did when I first weighed in. As my meter went to the very top of obese, my son loudly (but kiddingly) exclaimed "WHOA!!!" I am just to the point now where it will start decreasing through the obese range. I'm heavy, for now that is, no doubt about it. However, it is amazing how much the loss of 16 lbs. has made me feel better. The improved cardio and flexibility is simply great. And now that I'm eating less food, healthier food, less frequently eating is so much more of an enjoyable experience for me. I savor each bite.

My personal opinion based on my experience is that the Wii board itself is a pretty durable little device. I wouldn't jump on it, but using it as directed it seems very stable, well built and offers acceptable grip for some of the postures involved in yoga.

It certainly isn't for everyone, but it help me get myself motivated which is something I've needed for a long time. I've told people that in six months I'm going to get a t-shirt made up that says "Body by Wii" or "Body by Wii Fit". I expect that to be good advertisement for the Wii Fit.

[RationalBiker]

Ben, blasphemous! Seriously, though, some of the Wii games are hella fun, and you don't even need to join a cult (Halo, Warcraft, Call of Duty) to enjoy them. Mario Galaxy is the best Mario ever! And Mario Kart gives you a wheel to steer with.

I don't have Galaxy, but Kart is fun. I find myself more attached to my 360 when it comes to the games though. Battlefield: Bad Company has turned out to be quite fun multiplayer. With 90% of the environment being destructable, there's stuff falling and flying all over the place during firefights and tank battles.

I'm really looking forward to seeing what other applications are developed for the balance board. Wii Ski is not a great showing, but it can be a little fun. My imagination suggests that they can do quite a bit more with it though.

[Chops]

My personal opinion based on my experience is that the Wii board itself is a pretty durable little device.

If anything, Nintendo products are notoriously durable. The Gameboy is easily one of the most durable consumer electronics in history. Many a Gameboy have survived housefires to have melted buttons and faceplates, only to still turn on and be completely playable.

[RationalBiker]

Just a small update... -28 pounds now after 66 days. I've cut back on the Wii to just balance and yoga exercises. For aerobics I do Dance Dance Revolution Universe 2 on the 360. Wooot!!!!

[athena glaukopis]

You go, Rational Biker!! WOOT!

[eriatarka]

Just a small update... -28 pounds now after 66 days. I've cut back on the Wii to just balance and yoga exercises. For aerobics I do Dance Dance Revolution Universe 2 on the 360. Wooot!!!!

Congratultions but beware of losing weight a bit too fast. Conventional wisdom is that if you lose more than 2 pounds per week then some of it is likely to be muscle in addition to fat. Also if you arent doing resistance trianing (ie weightlifting) then again youre likely to be losing muscle as well as fat.

[Chops]

Congratultions but beware of losing weight a bit too fast. Conventional wisdom is that if you lose more than 2 pounds per week then some of it is likely to be muscle in addition to fat. Also if you arent doing resistance trianing (ie weightlifting) then again youre likely to be losing muscle as well as fat.

Unless, however, you are more than just "overweight." RB had said that he wishes to lose about 100 pounds total, which would likely put him (starting) around 260-280 pounds. With 100 pounds of fat to lose, I imagine that losing 3 pounds per week in the early stages (as he is) is reasonable. But it is important to monitor your body-fat percentage, which is a much more useful a metric than BMI.

I would like to reinforce eriatarka's concern, however, that resistance training is important to maintaining muscle (which itself is important to keeping one's metabolism up).

Edited July 26, 2008 by Chops

[RationalBiker]

Congratultions but beware of losing weight a bit too fast.

Thanks. I was aware of that and the Wii Fit advises about that as well.

I've had LOTS of weight to lose from the beginning. I started at 259 (according to the Wii). I had to lose weight just to get to obese.

I don't think I've lost any muscle tissue. I very occasionally do push ups and I can do more now than before. I can do more crunches now. I can run significantly further. (DDR helps to increase lower leg strength to a small degree as well as toning the legs and increasing their endurance - which I can't see as a result of lost muscle tissue) All this while significantly increasing my cardiovascular capability and flexibility. I feel TONS better as well.

My general plan has been to concentrate on losing weight first, then develop muscular capacity afterwards. I believe this will likely be better for my joints which have also suffered from a long period of minimal use on a very heavy body. I'm being very cautious of injuring myself and further delaying efforts to shed weight.

Largely, I'm "listening" to my body and my energy level in terms whether or not I'm overdoing it, eating too much or not enough, etc. etc. And I drink a lot more water now.

[RationalBiker]

I would like to reinforce eriatarka's concern, however, that resistance training is important to maintaining muscle (which itself is important to keeping one's metabolism up).

I have done some, minimally, but for reasons listed above, my focus right now is aerobic and flexibility.

It might tough for some to imagine (not necessarily you per se) how stressful it is on the body to be inactive for a long time and be massively obese (at 44 years of age no less). I had difficulty bending over to tie my shoes and still be able to breath normally. I couldn't quite touch my toes from standing bend. Now I can nearly put my hands flat on the floor in front of me and still breathe easily. I figure if I take the weight off (primarily) first, my joints will still improve in conditioning over time as well and will be more prepared for resistance training after I'm at a more comfortable (less physically stressing) weight level.

You go, Rational Biker!! WOOT!

Thanks!!! I feel much better!!!

[JASKN]

RationalB, I think you are doing everything right (you mentioned your diet earlier, too). You're having fun while revamping your entire health lifestyle. Congratulations, and good luck!

[RationalBiker]

I'm down 45 lbs. now, 5 months after starting. -9 lbs. a month isn't too bad.

[JASKN]

Congratulations! I hope you realize that you are doubly successful, both by the weight you have lost and that you have kept at your health so consistently for so long.

[eriatarka]

Thats awesome, congrats.

Got before/after pics? Or arent you comfy posting them yet.

[RationalBiker]

Thats awesome, congrats.

Got before/after pics? Or arent you comfy posting them yet.

Thanks! I'll see if I can get a couple contrasting pictures.

[khaight]

I'm down 45 lbs. now, 5 months after starting. -9 lbs. a month isn't too bad.

A few years ago I set out to lose a good chunk of weight. (I did it the old-fashioned way -- eat less, exercise more, with a gym membership.) I knocked off 80 pounds over an 11-month period, averaging 1.7 pounds a week, bottoming out at about 165. I've held my weight essentially stable between 168 and 172 pounds since then.

This is actually one of the things I'm proudest of doing in my life to date. It's absolutely worth it. Keep going.

[skap35]

In what way is the weighing-in "brutal"? I've heard of some news stories speaking of how the Wii Fit "destroys kids' self-esteem."

I had a bad (but very funny) experience with the weigh in. The problem with the Wii Fit is that it doesn't account for BMI very well. I weight 210, but it's all muscle. When I weighed in, it basically assumed I was very overweight for my height. The little character that represents my account blew up into a big balloon. My wife has been making fun of me ever since.

When setting your weight loss goals, it wouldn't even let me set my goal to within the "healthy" weight category either. (That's more of a safety feature though, so you don't lose too much weight too quickly.)

For me it was just funny, but I can see how that goofy little character could hurt people's feelings if you're self concious about your weight. It does have a password feature so you can lock your account though. So you can still have some privacy from other family members seeing your weight.

[Mammon]

I had a bad (but very funny) experience with the weigh in. The problem with the Wii Fit is that it doesn't account for BMI very well. I weight 210, but it's all muscle. When I weighed in, it basically assumed I was very overweight for my height. The little character that represents my account blew up into a big balloon. My wife has been making fun of me ever since.

I had a friend who said it did the same thing and said "You're obese!" and it pissed him off. Not like, seriously, he still laughs about it. But, it's like "Geez, fuck you too Wii!"