Wii Fit: the 30 day test starts today
By Ryan Block 
posted May 9th 2008 1:36PM
posted May 9th 2008 1:36PM
Methodology
- I'll be working with Wii Fit out about 20 game-minutes a day, 7 days a week.
- My program will consist of five minutes each of routines and games from the four fitness categories: strength training, aerobics, yoga, and balance games.
- As a control, I won't be dramatically changing up my eating habits. I'm already a reasonably healthy eater, so any physical changes will be more easily attributable to the Wii Fit regimen.
- I have about a week of travel scheduled this month, so for whatever days I miss on Wii Fit I'll be extending the trial.
- I'll chart my changes in weight, BMI, coordination, etc. and thoughts on the experience in a weekly update for the next five weeks.
Height: 6-feet
Weight: 174.5 pounds
Frame: small-to-medium
BMI according to Wii Fit: 23.65 (upper cusp of normal)
Wii Fit "Body age": 36
Wii Fit goal (you have to set a goal for yourself)
Target weight: 169.5 pounds
Target BMI: 22.96
Target date: 6/12
anyone know the weight limit on the wii fit?
300 pounds
Engadget - making the rest of us scrawny geeks feel better about ourselves since 2003
Tch! 5 pounds? That's nothing, you should get an unknown African bug like me, and lose over 20 pounds, and I'm the same build and height. And after putting some of that weight back on, I'm still only 140pounds!
*disclaimer*
Ian does not actually recommend the use of viruses, vomiting, starvation, or nutrient loss as a means of losing weight. Ian recommends the eating of metabolism promoting foods, and regular exercise, but has never partaken in either himself, but is just naturally a skinny bugger.
*disclaimer*
Good luck on the experiment... My guess is you won't lose ANY weight, but will probably get more toned. And, hey, who knows, more coordinated :)
Just another advice: try to post your stats both in Imperial and Metric. A lot of your readers use metric (I'm European), and I suppose you don't get wth is going on either if I say I'm 1,75 m and weigh 75 kg.
Good luck on convincing Veronica, too.
Go Ryan! Why not post about the period after you've finished, when you gain all the weight (if you loose any that is) again?
Anyways, good luck!
Ryan, before you start, you should really get your body fat percentage tested (a caliper test at your local gym). This is MUCH more important than your BMI or your weight (since you really don't have any weight to lose). As you gain muscle and lose fat, your weight will not drop much even as you get much fitter.
If you are out of shape, you are more likely to be what we call "skinny fat", meaning you are not overweight, you simply have your muscle and fat ratios out of whack a bit for optimal health. Getting your body fat percentage down should be your goal, not weight loss. After all, it is fat you want to lose, not necessarily weight.
And the same goes for V, who (based on the recent Twitters) needs to gain muscle weight.
Can you just go outside, and play football or any other sport. thats more fun than Wii fit and for free.
Yes, because obviously nobody at Nintendo realized that people can just go outside and play sports. Has it still not occurred to you that the Fit does more than make you run around?
5 lbs is nothing to lose over 30 days.. thats like cutting out your coffee... not a realistic benchmark for this... get someone fatter!
but why the picture of moby?
the really scary thing is he looks just like my ex brother in law. He weights about 140 and had a hip replaced at 35; from jumping out of airplanes. Go easy....
Much like the cake, BMI is a lie.
http://flickr.com/photos/77367764@N00/sets/72157602199008819/
Ryan is Hot! (*lick*)
this is exactly why engadget is awesome
did anyone else notice ryan has a really nice pad with fancy carpet?
20 minutes ist far to less, believe me. I use Wii Fit now for 10 days and it's so much fun, you won't stop after 20 minutes.
To see success you'll have to do much more and I think for a longer period. After 4 days I ha 2 pounds more then when I started …
You probably won't see this message but, in addition to using the Wii Fit, you must also eat healthy. It is impossible to lose weight if you eat more calories than you burn.
Right...I obviously should have read...
"As a control, I won't be dramatically changing up my eating habits. I'm already a reasonably healthy eater, so any physical changes will be more easily attributable to the Wii Fit regimen."
...so never mind.
Looks like this guy uses some kind of wii fit brain exerciser too. look at his head. it's massive.
Just for the record:
You know that BMI is complete BS, right?
A company marketing with the BMI clearly just proves that they are selling bullshit to you. It's 200 years old and was never meant for diagnostics.
If you want to lose weight and get healthy: don't do it with the WII.
A video game that can be as healty as good old sport has still to be invented ...
Go Ryan!!! Involve Veronica too!! Lol
Veronica is doing it to, she posted it on her blog.
I don't understand the negativity either, this is a great way to get people who would NEVER do exercise to at least do a little bit.
"7 days a week is an unreasonable goal to set. Especially for someone who's not used to exercise. Don't make the beginner's mistake of thinking that you'll do better/faster if you do 7 days a week. I'd recommend 30 minutes 5 times a week. It gives you roughly the same amount of exercise time, is probably easier to schedule around your life and will also give you better cardio (you're not going to see that much improvement from 5 minutes of cardio)."
This is true ,Jon hit the nail on the head, DON"T make an unreasonable start to this, I realise the main purpose of this is a 30 day test for a product, but to achieve a realistic
Result I suggest 30 minutes 5 times a week, (as Jon said) is much more reality based, just don't stop AFTER 30 days, keep it going bro the results in your life will make it worth while, and yes, I to do the "double carpet".
Ending in time for MGS4, eh, Ryan?
Good Luck. Looking forward to see the results.
20 mins a day won't even earn you a platinum pig!...Think you'll need to aim for an hour to see any real changes.
http://blog.webometrics.org.uk/labels/wii%20fit.html
I think Ryan is a handsome genius, with or without hair, shirt or rug! Of course, I am his Grandma, and we are very proud of you, Ryan. We love you, too, Veronica!
I'd like to see a hair growth game. However a male enlargement game would of greater use to me.
Hi- Firstly, To those moaning that he onlt weighs 175lb SO WHAT the Wii Fit Board is as much about getting fit as it is about losing weight. Its designed with fitness in mind as i think you will find only a small amount of game/ exicises and desinged for weight loss. (For exsample, Jogging or Stepping)
I started using my Wii Fir board when in first came out on the 25th of april (uk) and im on it for at least 2 hours a day.
When i started i was 203lb and now im 190lb. I lost weight because i needed to lose weight to be able to get fitter in the first place so i use it mostly for the aeorbic exicises.
BUT DON'T BE FOOLED!- The only real and true was to lose weight is to do exicise EVERYDAY (ok maybe not 2 hours 30mins will be great) and eatting a cal controled diet. I have about 1200 cals a day and with the exicise i do on the wii im losing about 2lb a week.
I was never an active person before but the will fit games are adictive.
SO COME ON I NO YUO CAN DO IT!
Nice idea to test Wii Fit, but if you want to lose with, 20 min. is not enough. It keeps in shape, but to lose weight you need to do a lot longer then that, and it has to be cardio, and then other stuff like yoga and so on!
The one thing that I worry about is someone pulling something. If someone has never before done yoga or any other physical activity I can only imagine that we'll be hearing of Wii Fit injuries soon.
I didn't preorder Wii Fit like I did for the Wii itself. I'm waiting for some interesting games to come first. Everytime I see the trailer for RR3 with the rabbid eating the balance board I keep hoping that by Xmas I'll be dodging rabbids on my balance board.
Hey so what were the results!!!!
June 12 has come and gone, what happened!!!