I was asked by someone on twitter today if Wii Fit is worth the price and thought I would write a good detailed post with my thoughts on the subject matter. I can tell you that I don’t know if these methods work for everyone, but I can tell you Wii Fit was an active part in me maintaining a healthy weight, building muscle and toning my body.

Some people would prefer to try and take the easy way out to lose weight and see if a weight loss pill like Phentermine would work for them and help them lose pounds with minimal effort and change of lifestyle. I have not had much success with Appetite suppressants or metabolism enhancers myself since I don’t like using foreign chemicals to achieve something I can do with willpower and training myself mentally and physically.

Wii Fit has some great routines and workouts in that you can use to help you but I will cut past the plug of the product and strictly go down to how I use it and what routine works best for me. I have lost over 50 pounds in 2 years through adjusting my eating habits and adding moderate exercise to my regimen. I work out with Wii Fit at least 4 times a week for 15-25 minute sessions where I can.

Here are the most impact routines:

JackKnife’s – make sure you use a mat or soft surface as this can hurt your back or neck. These really work your abs better than crunches or sit ups alone since you are working the upper and lower parts of your torso. When I first started I could barely do 10, but now I can do the maximum 30 JackKnifes and just feel the burn of my stomach muscles a bit when completed. Sometimes I will do the JackKnife Challenge and push as high as 50 but then my stomach is just aching.

Pushup and Side Plank – These are great because they not only work your biceps, but your shoulder muscles as well. You really feel it in your shoulders and these tone your arms better than almost any other exercise in Wii Fit, again I started only able to do 6 or 10 and now can do the full 20 in a row but I still can barely do more than 30 at max.

Plank – This is harder than you would think, you just lie on the floor with your forearms on the balance board and hold your body rigid. It is easy to hold the pose at first but then gets very hard after 60 or 90 seconds which I can do but with some effort. You feel the burn in your stomach as well as arms when you are done with this exercise.

I combine my routine like this:
To warm up I do the following Yoga Exercises:

Cobra – To stretch my back and shoulders
Bridge – To strech my legs and stomach muscles
Spinal Twist – To stretch my hips and back

I then do the following in a row:

Pushup and Side Plank – 20 reps
JackKnife – 30 reps
Rowing Squat – 45 reps

That is my typical workout routine when I don’t have a lot of time, it takes about 15 to 20 minutes to complete and I have almost a full sweat and full stretched muscles when completed.

I guarantee if you don’t work out that much that you will need to do minimum reps and you may barely get through this whole routine, but set this as your goal.

If I have extra time, I will throw in Rhythm Boxing for another 10 minutes as that is the most cardiovascular workout out of all the Aerobic ones.

So I highly recommend Wii Fit, it will benefit anyone who doesn’t have the will or time to use a gym. It is better than a workout video as you can vary your exercise routine and you get to weigh yourself regularly to keep track of your goals.

-Dragon Blogger

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I have told readers before that at my heaviest almost two years ago I weighed 207 pounds. My wife is a chef and I used to enjoy way to many helpings of her wonderful cuisine, my poor dieting and lack of exercise (Hey, I am typical IT Guy, we work sitting down) allowed me to build up 40 pounds over eight years. Most people it takes some catastrophic incident to cause them to get conviction or lose weight, either a minor heart attack, a loved one leaving them…etc. I had a minor one, I was having upper chest pains for several months causing me to vomit at least once a day. Doctor’s thought an ulcer at first, then acid reflux but nothing worked. I also had slightly elevated cholesterol levels, and more importantly, I knew I was overweight, but refused to do anything about it due to pure laziness honestly.

I thought about all the ways I could lose weight and looked at diet pill reviews, but in the end I decided to change my lifestyle and stick with it. Two years later, I am now 156 pounds and I do have more energy, I feel physically lighter than I did. My acid reflux is not nearly as bad as it was previously, but I still have upper stomach pains once and a while (this now attributed to stress).

My regimen might not work for everyone because it requires you to change your habits and mindset, which is most difficult.

I printed some of this previously, but here is what I did to achieve my weight loss. I will note that I lost an average of 2-3 pounds per month over almost 2 years. This was not dramatic weight loss and it was so slow, that my wife didn’t really notice the weight loss until I showed her before / after photo’s from two years ago. Just like your loved one may not notice how much weight you gain because it is so gradual.

#1 – If you are an over-eater, and eat emotionally like I did, you must have portion control. I used to go to Taco Bell, or Jack In The Box and order 3-4 things on the menu. I would eat until I was gorged, because my body never seemed to tell me I was full until the Tank was 100% capacity. I gradually cut down, going from 4 items to 3 items, then from 3 items to 2 items six months later. I also would get more items that were less calories. If your brain still needs “amount” then trick it out. If you had four items that added up to 1000+ calories, get 4 items that add up to only 600 calories. Cutting calories is very important, but do not cut calories too much. Keep your calories at around 2000 per day.

#2 – Start Exercising, and I don’t mean running 5 miles. I seriously am a firm believer in Nintendo’s Wii Fit and even the Wii Sports. I would play the Rhythm Boxing for 30 – 45 minutes a night and pour sweat. I would do just the Jack Knife’s and Push Up and Side Planks, and at first my flabby weak body could barely do six reps, now I can clear the highest reps in every activity with ease. These are very low impact workouts, and are great for really out of shape people. I also bought a weight bench, started with 70 pounds of weights and build up to where you can do 20 reps a couple of times, then increase the weights by 10 each few weeks until you can build back up to 20 reps. Remember building muscle is the key to losing weight. Muscle burns calories at a much higher rate than fat and therefore if you have more muscle you will burn more calories on your down time.

I never restricted what I ate, I ate whatever I wanted and still do. Cheesecake, Chocolate, Fettuccine Alfredo… anything. You just have to balance the game of calories. If I have a big lunch, I will have a small dinner. Example: Today I ate at a Mexican Restaurant for lunch, had 2 Green Corn Tamales with Rice and Chips & Salsa, I probably think it was around 1,000 calories. So for Dinner all I had was a PB & J Sandwich at about 400 calories to compensate.

Before you know it you will become really good estimating calories in dishes and items. Don’t get tricked out by Fast Food either, Have the Big Mac if you want one, they have only 100 more calories than an Asian Chicken Salad. But omit the French Fries which really have the most calories out of everything on the menu.

I would post my before and after pictures, but I am kind of embarrassed so am not so inclined.
I hope my post helps encourage anyone who wants to lose weight a place to start.

Remember, it takes time, commitment and don’t expect instant results. Patience is key and the healthiest way.

-Dragon Blogger

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So I saw a spark opportunity on Social Spark called Loosing Weight-What works for YOU? (should be Losing, typo in the ad actually).  So I thought I would share my opinion and what I have done to lose weight over the last two years.  I had built up a hefty amount of weight over the previous 12 years, gaining over 40 pounds and weighing 207 at my highest, I am only 5′10″.  This was due to being to comfortable with eating too much primarily, I would have seconds, third helpings of food and I do have a “IT Geek” job where I am sitting most of the day.  Combine these factors and your genetics work against you to build up a storage of cellulite.  I decided to get really serious about losing weight around two years ago when I started having digestive problems and stomach pains, I was diagnosed with Acid Reflux, but nothing would help.  (Turns out it was stress, but I didn’t know that at the time).  I am now 2 years later, 57 pounds lighter and a trim 158 – 160 on average.  I have lost an average of 2.5 – 3 pounds per month which is steady and slow weight loss, but extremely healthy rate of loss.  No shocking the liver or kidneys with rapid loss where your body can’t metabolize fast enough.

Here is the tip that I can share, it works for me and it will work for anyone who has the dedication and perservence to stick with it.

1) No Diet – you restrict nothing that you can eat.  Instead you control how much you eat, and kind of balance calories like a scale.  Set a goal for yourself slowly wean yourself back to it.  If you go to Taco Bell and order 4 items, try dropping to 3.  If you go and get Super Size meals, try starting out without super sizing them.  Continue cutting back slowly, until eventually when you order fast food you only order 1 or 2 items, and no combo’s.  Remember, an Asian Chicken Salad at McDonalds has almost the same calories as a Big Mac, it is the French Fries alone that add 100% more calories than a Big Mac.

2) Exercise is key, but you don’t need to do cardio at first.  Weight Lift is THE BEST way to boost your metabolism.  Muscle burns more calories than fat, the more muscle you build the faster your body will metabolize calories.  You can gain muscle quickly with a simple bench and free wights, some dumbbells and simply old fashion Push Ups, Side Planks and Jack Knife’s.

3) Eat smaller portions 5 times per day instead of 3 large meals per day.  If you intake food every 3 hours in smaller amounts, you avoid the crash that comes after lunch, and you keep a steady increase of energy throughout the day.

I did all of this, and I supplemented my work out with Wii Fit, which is exceptional for toning and building endurance.  I recommend doing the Rhythm boxing and work your way up to 10 – 20 minutes at a time.  Do the pushup challenge, Jack Knife Challenge, and Plank which strain your torso muscles very well.

Work out and reduce portions, and try to eat more healthy.  I eat everything as you can imagine, I love steak, hamburgers…etc.  But I eat it all in moderation now, I don’t gorge like I used to.  This is why I am much leaner, and building more muscle.

If you want more tips, and specific recommended food’s that help let me know and I would be happy to share.

So thanks alycatsclaws for creating this Spark Opportunity, check out AlyCat26’s blog here:
http://www.alycatsclaws.com/2008/08/weightloss-what-works-for-you.html

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