weightloss
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Be fit with BeFit for Mac
In case you're wondering why I've been writing about exercise and food applications lately, it's because I'm trying to lose a few pounds, OK? When I saw the press release for BeFit from Jon Brown Designs today, I jumped (well, would you believe moved slowly?) at the chance to post about this app.BeFit works like most food tracking applications in that it lets you count exactly how many calories you're taking in. If you take in fewer calories than you expend, then you'll lose weight over time. BeFit includes over 7,000 foods from the FDA/USDA food database. Spotlight search is built into the application to make it easy to search for foods, and when you find them they're displayed with a full Nutrition Facts panel like those on food packages.You can create a huge number of individual tracking lists, rename them, and sort them. If you're just looking for certain nutrients to track (e.g., carbs or saturated fats), you can hide other nutrients, then get a running total for those items you're interested in.BeFit 1.0 is US$15.95 and existing customers of Jon Brown Designs get a 50% discount. All purchasers of BeFit 1.0 receive free upgrades through version 3.0. There's a demo available from the BeFit website.
Science community tackles Wii weight loss claims
Studies into how effective the Wii is for shedding pounds are not new. Earlier this year, one gamer committed himself to a six-week regime of playing Wii Sports for thirty minutes a day, and came out nine pounds lighter. Not only that, but you should spend a day here at the Wii Fanboy offices -- it's all well-oiled, rippling biceps, bulging pectorals, and washboard stomachs. Sort of.Anyway, the scientific community has finally followed suit, with two UK-based researchers testing exactly how much of a workout Wii users are getting, compared to Xbox 360 gamers. Using teenagers as their subjects, the pair discovered that playing on the Wii burnt off an extra 60 calories per hour than gaming on the Xbox 360. Their conclusion? That while the Wii certainly helps with weight loss, it probably isn't an ideal substitute for regular exercise, cruelly scuppering our plans to work off post-holiday season pounds with some lengthy Wii Tennis sessions. Their findings were published in the British Medical Journal, no less. Admittedly, these results tell us little that we didn't already know, thanks to the experiment we mentioned in the first paragraph. But now that the same process has been carried out by the white coats, rather than Some Dude on the internet, some may claim it has an extra layer of credibility.[Via BBC]
MIT builds robotic weight loss coach
In an attempt to understand how humans react to having a robotic weight loss coach in their home versus simply using the software that the machine is loaded with, the imaginative folks at MIT have constructed a sociable robot that wants to see you reach your ideal weight. The robot uses internal cameras and face-tracking software to maintain eye contact with you while you attempt to fib about exactly how much exercise you've had, and the external touchscreen allows you to input data such as food / calorie consumption and duration of exercise. The creature is slated to hit the homes of select Bostonians as the designers begin to test its long-term effectiveness, but those looking for a glimpse of it in action should check out the video provided in the read link.[Via TechDigest]
Satiety's transoral TOGa stomach stapling procedure
Satiety, Inc. has finally found the funding it needs to push forward with a radical new approach to assisting the obese, as it has rounded up $30 million in financing from a number of venture capitalists who dug the idea. Essentially, the TOGa procedure is a "completely transoral process designed to achieve similar weight loss to restrictive surgeries," and it also claims to be less invasive, require less recovery time, and should create a "dramatically reduced amount of complications." In this system, the physician would "introduce a stapling device transorally and create a restrictive pouch at the entry of the stomach," and moreover, it's considered "non-surgical" in nature, endoscopic, and can be performed by properly trained bariatric surgeons, general endoscopic surgeons, and gastroenterologists. Currently, the firm is moving forward with plans to get the procedure approved by the FDA, and while there's no telling how long such a convoluted process will take, stomach stapling could see an entirely different approach in the years to come if this proves effective.[Via CNET]
It's fun to Wii at the YMCA
Still trying to find a Wii? Get in touch with your local YMCA. Nintendo recently donated Wii party packs to YMCA chapters around the country for the upcoming Healthy Kids Day. The event celebrates "making fitness fun" and could finally live up to that promise with remote-waggling wackiness.This isn't the first time Wii games have been used to promote exercise. One blogger lost nine pounds in a month on a Wii Sports routine and subsequently appeared on NBC news. Now Wii Sports weight loss needs a mascot. Somebody give John Madden a call. Slim-Fast is so 1985.
Motivatrix's MX9 Workout Master replaces aging stationary bike
Dance Dance Revolution has certainly helped pave the way for the health-conscious set to exercise whilst gaming, and even the Wii has sparked an outbreak of get-fit kids who endure hours of Wii Sports just to melt off those pounds, and now Motivatrix is hoping to get its exercise / gaming machine hybrid into your fitness room in place of that not-so-thrilling elliptical. The MX9 Workout Master mimics existing DDR systems in design, but it manages to feature a number of internal games inside to keep your workout sessions fresh. Additionally, the machine not only recognizes fancy footwork, but built-in sensors can understand arm flailing as well, and you can even "jam out to your own music" while breakin' a sweat. Most interesting, however, is the fact that its also an internet-enabled machine, meaning that exercise freaks across the land can compete against one another, giving even the least motivated individuals something to work for. No timetable was noted as to when we'd see these things hitting sporting goods sections, but until we get a crack at "Calorie Killer," we'll just stick with Simmer Down Sprinter.[Via CNET]
The Slim Machine melts away a dress size in 60 minutes
When it comes to shedding pounds, we've seen everything from doing it the Nike+iPod way, the Dance Dance Revolution way, and even the Wii way, but the big downer on all of those methods is they actually require hustle to yield results. Sousan Allami, owner of Sousan's Body & Skin Care Center in Houston, Texas, has what appears to be a miracle-working machine that can literally melt off a few pounds in just 60 non-grueling minutes. The Slim Machine subjects an individual to "powerful massaging suction over problem areas," followed by you getting all wrapped up in strange oils and gauze and laying in the cell for an hour. The machine utilizes "hydro fusion" to reportedly burn away around 2,000 calories per hour without putting the person in any sort of discomfort, and a tester was actually able to fit a bit better into her garb after taking a one hour ride in the weight dropping gizmo. Still, a local nutritionist noted that all the machine is doing is ridding your body of water weight, which will most likely return within 24 hours, but if you're desperate to fit into that tux or dress and only have an hour to spare, $150 can now buy your way in.[Via Spluch]
Wii Weights could spark legions of Wii athletes
Sure, we know there's swarms of you out there who'd take a few hours in The Slim Machine instead of being forced to run around your block or pump some iron, but here's a relatively fair compromise. The Wii Weights prototype is nothing more than your average strap-on wrist weight coated in white and stamped with that (likely trademarked) Wii logo, but let's face it, if you've got to burn the calories, you're better off doing so whilst playing Wii Sports. Ideally, the weights would range from one to four pounds, and should do some serious sculpting on your array of arm muscles if you make it a habit to game with these on. So if shedding nine pounds over the holidays training as a Wii athlete just wasn't encouragement enough for you to participate, just imagine the additional pounds that'll vanish (and the muscles that'll surface) when adding these bad boys into the mix.[Via Crave]
Wii Sports Experiment sheds nine pounds
While some folks are struggling just to stay out of the hospital when getting too amped up playing their Wii, Mickey DeLorenzo, a 25-year-old living in Philadelphia, decided to meld exercise and gaming together and further substantiate the most obvious research study of the year. His Wii Sports Experiment started in December of last year and ran for six whole weeks, and while he sought to keep his eating habits constant, he devoted 30 minutes per day to Wii Sports and monitored his weight, BMI, calories burned per session, body fat percentage, heart rate, and physical soreness. Mickey started out at 182 pounds, and after a month and a half of Wii workouts, whittled his weight down to 172 pounds, which he found quite amazing considering that this was the first substantial loss he had attained in over two years, and he never even cut back on the Eat 'N Park cookies (or similar). Moreover, according to The American Council on Exercise, he went from the "acceptable" category to the "fitness" category, and seemed to gain a huge boost of self-esteem in the process. So if the Subway diet just doesn't mesh with your taste buds, and you're desperate to find an excuse to game it up instead of going for a jog, be sure to hit the read link for all the encouragement you'd ever need, and click on through for a bit of footage from the entire process.[Via SMH]
Wii workouts really do work it out
Six weeks ago, the big cheese over at WiiNintendo.net decided to embark on an experiment in becoming a smaller cheese via the playing of Wii Sports. No other changes -- no altering his (holiday) diet, no sneaky extra exercise, just his trusty Wiimote and nunchuk, a dream, and a lot of heart. Oh, and sometimes his lady.Dramatics aside (the Rocky-inspired picture brings it out), the results of the experiment are in and things are looking good for gamers who like to get in the game with the pack-in. Tennis and boxing are big calorie burners, and playing 30 minutes of Wii Sports per day resulted in a loss of nine pounds, 2% body fat, and a visible reduction in body size. Everything is outlined fully, and there's even a snappy video or two to break the monotony of stats. We would have liked to see a food log along with the experiment; after all, one might subconsciously eat less during such a test, or better yet, begin to eat less as normal day-to-day activity increases. But this is unlikely to be the last such experiment we'll see, so maybe next time. In the meantime, shouldn't you be rocking out with some tennis?[Thanks, Josh!]
