I want to lose 100 pounds + » Wii Fit

The thing I wanted most for Christmas

Jennifer — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 02:28:56 +0000

I was all excited to share with you a review for something I had on my Christmas list. In fact, it was what I wanted most. Of all the luck… I didn’t get it! I’ll try one more time for my birthday (in April) but after that just buy it myself. I’m worth it.

I wanted a riser for the Wii balance board to use during step aerobics and step routines. It makes the balance board be higher off the floor, providing for a better workout. It can be adjusted from four inches to six inches in height for a varied workout.

Based on the reviews, it looks awesome. One of my favorite activities in Wii Fit is the Advanced Step on the Aerobic menu. And, on the EA Active More Workouts, there are a few different step routines that I really like. I had a few other Wii fitness games on my list that I also did not receive, but I’m sure that with all the games out there, both already owned and those wanted, that I’d have plenty of opportunities to use this cool step platform.

Does anyone else have it, or one like it? I see there are other varieties and name brands, but I kind of liked this one because it had the adjustable height.

a new low and new jeans

Jennifer — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 20:05:28 +0000

And it’s a good thing! Usually when someone says they’ve hit a new low, it’s not so good!

The scale for weekly weigh-in this morning reported 149. I lost the remaining binge pounds from a couple weeks ago and a couple more to finally break the 150 barrier. Of the 120 pounds I wanted to lose, I only have one more. But hey, guess what, now I’m thinking about revising my goal to 140. I’m not sure though. I stepped on the Wii Fit today while I had a little bit of spare time and it told me (again, the nag!) that an ideal weight for me would be 140. Hmm. Whatever.

I don’t exactly know why I want to continue in weight “loss” mode. Do I want to look or feel better, be more toned, meet some standard Nintendo (makers of the Wii system) has for me? Maybe I am worried about how successful I will be in MAINTENANCE mode! Yikes.

I got $10 in Kohls Cash emailed to me over the weekend and I decided to go shopping! I browsed the clearance rack and bought two pair of pants (one jeans and one denim leggings) both in a size 10! My husband bought me size 12 pants for Christmas and I’m already feeling them loosen up — not too loose yet, so I get to enjoy them a while longer, but they’re definitely loose. I’m wearing my new size 10 jeans today and I love the way they look. If they had a straight leg rather than a boot cut, I’d love them even more, but considering the $3.60 price tag (90% off the original $36 price) I’m “dealing with it”, ha ha!

feeling kind of low today

Jennifer — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 14:00:40 +0000

…which is ironic, considering my weight is “high”. I promised myself some time ago that I would never allow myself to yo-yo more than ten pounds. In other words, re-gaining more than ten pounds of weight I had previously lost would be unacceptable and would be a huge trigger for me to stop the insanity and get back on track from whatever had caused me to derail.

Well, I can blame my current problem on a little Valentines Day chocolate or Superbowl parties or any number of things (there was another family birthday party this weekend where I decided to consume 2000 calories more than I should have) including “time of the month” but I’m not going to dwell on that. I have been reminded over and over that my lifestyle change has been a good solid one and that when I falter it is just temporary. Unfortunately, string a few temporary events in a line and it appears habit-forming!

Don’t worry. It is not. It just feels that way, given the scale at weigh-in this morning said 159 pounds! Yikes! That is seven pounds more than it reported last Monday. The few big fluctuations in a row (last few weeks were up and down like crazy) really play games with your mind.

A few good things to remember and keep in mind:

I did formal exercise yesterday for the first time in several weeks and although it was just using Wii Fit, that balance board was able to remind me that I was still “down” from the last time I weighed in using it. That shows progress overall, even if the number on the scale tries to contradict me. What’s more, my little Mii character did report that I am still “Normal” — as I am no longer registering as “overweight” I don’t have to feel so guilty about a few measly pounds on the scale.
I set a new record for the number of hula hoop rotations in a ten minute time period.
There are four more weeks until the next family birthday party, so there shouldn’t be any additional derailments in the short term.
Even though it doesn’t feel like it now and the extended forecast also does not show any warmer weather, I did have one day last week in the mid-40’s and several above freezing, which leads me to believe that I can indeed “make it” through my first Wisconsin winter as a normal-size person and that, God-willing, my body will begin to acclimate to this treachery so that I will not be as miserable next year. Yes, I am looking forward to Spring, this year more than any year I ever have in the past!

Just Dance 2 after kissing Hershey Kisses

Jennifer — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 01:25:45 +0000

I made it through another holiday relatively unscathed and another weekly weigh-in leaves me with the ability to report 158 — no loss or gain. Given the number of Hershey Kisses I kissed, I’ll take that as a victory.

I got Wii Just Dance 2 for Christmas, and I set it to the “Just Sweat” mode. I decided to give myself a challenge and do the 1000 points per day. (Those points can’t equate to calories, so I don’t know exactly how substantially I’m challenging myself, but it amounts to dancing to about five songs I think. I’m not the most graceful creature, but I can see where after you do one of the routines a few times it isn’t so hard to get many of the moves. I even got three stars on a few of them! My daughter caught some of my early attempts on video and she threatens sharing them if I mistreat her.

I’ve also resumed using the Wii Fit. I had used it pretty faithfully earlier in the year but not so much lately. It’s amazing how much easier some of the activities are. I can actually run the long loops without getting tired.

my Wii Fit Age is 34

Jennifer — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 19:06:42 +0000

While working with the Wii Fit Plus, I took the full Body Test, which measures weight, calculates BMI, determines center of balance, and issues little “tests” that along with your actual age helps determine your “Wii Fit Age”. So, as a 40 year old woman, I was delighted to see that the computer thinks I behave younger than I actually am. Sometimes I do feel younger! Getting some weight off has helped. Everyone tells me I look younger too, and I can’t say I disagree. It feels good — to hear it and to feel it.

lose three pounds per week

Jennifer — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 19:37:45 +0000

After last month’s crazy ups and downs, I settled in with a really nice week last week. Last week’s Monday weigh in showed 191 on the scale, and this morning I weighed 188. I had seen 187 momentarily but it didn’t stay for long. Oh well, as Katie says, if the scale showed me 187 once, it means that I’m almost ready to weigh that much!

It was kind of odd (and exhilarating) but the scale went from 191 to 187 one pound at a time for four days in a row. I knew that it was just circumstance and that I was not actually burning that many excessive calories each of those days. But, I do think my deep breating techniques (as coached in the yoga portion of the Wii Fit) and also my attempts at increasing running times (again in Wii Fit) in combination helped me get there.

I am trying new things, and it has been shown that varying your exercise will help increase metabolism and therefore spur weight loss. I know the weight isn’t going to come off three pounds per week all the time, but it sure was nice seeing it this week, especially after last month’s roller coaster. If I can ease back into my one to two pounds per week for the rest of the month, I’ll be very happy.

custom routine in Wii Fit Plus

Jennifer — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 20:27:33 +0000

Well, hello! I just figured out something that I really like, that I didn’t think I’d bother with, on the Wii Fit. As I mentioned in a previous post providing my review of the Wii Fit, I mentioned that although you could create a custom routine, you were limited to only activities in the Strength and Yoga categories. In actuality, my favorite activities in the Wii Fit are in the Aerobic and Balance categories. Naturally!

As it turns out, I did go ahead and try creating a custom routine today, something I had not bothered to do before. Although it was confirmed that I could only add strength and yoga activities, what I DID really like is that the activities flow together very nicely, without the additional time required to display the high scores board after each activity as would happen if you were doing them individually by request on demand.

So, while you are limited to the activities you can put in your custom routine, it is nice that there isn’t as long a pause between activities as there would be if you were choosing them one at a time outside the “routine”.

Nice!

Now, for those that have worked with the custom routine in Wii Fit before, can anyone tell me how to add a higher repetition of an activity to the routine? What happened to me is that it added the smallest repetition for each activity I chose. In the instance that there is an activity that you can choose a varied reps or duration (like leg extensions for example) how do I specify which setting I want in my routine?

By the way, I’m getting better at the strength exercises and yoga poses. As a result, I’m liking them more.

exercise successes

Jennifer — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 04:43:03 +0000

As some of you that read regularly might already know, I’ve always had an easier time with the half of my mission regarding “eating less” and a more difficult time with the “exercising more” part of my plan. Whether it’s boredom, difficulty coming by or making the time, or general fatigue, I tend to change my excuse on a daily basis. Fortunately, I’ve been able to lose weight anyway. However, it really has always been a goal of mine to exercise more and I’m happy to report that four out of the last five days have included exercise above and beyond chasing my two year old around the yard.

The Wii Fit has been my friend, and I have concentrated on doing more than just the fun balance games. I have spent considerable time doing the strength training and yoga exercises. I’ve even broken the record set by my nimble 11 year old daughter on a couple of those yoga poses. Ha!

My center of balance and posture and core strength are sure to improve!

a Mothers Day gift to help me

Jennifer — Tue, 11 May 2010 06:06:23 +0000

Ever since I borrowed a neighbor’s Wii Fit last September, I had secretly (or perhaps sometimes not so secretly) wanted to get one for myself. But, considering it was $100 and I had spent that much and more money on other products that were supposed to facilitate weight loss, I had a hard time justifying it…. what if I didn’t stick with it? What if I didn’t make the time to use it? What if I played the games but didn’t really use it for more than its entertainment value?

Well, over the course of the last couple weeks, I had the opportunity to borrow it again, this time the Wii Fit Plus. I was curious to see what new features had been added since I last tried the game eight months ago.

When my daughter asked me what I hoped to get for a Mothers Day gift, I told her that I would like to receive a Wii Fit Plus. She must have put that bug in my husband’s ear, because that is what he got!

I am now the proud owner of a Wii Fit Plus, and I am liking the fact that it is telling me that I am “almost” out of the Obese category and getting ready to approach the Overweight population. (It’s ironic how I’m happy about that fact!)

end of the month success

Jennifer — Sat, 01 May 2010 03:21:29 +0000

I’m two months in a row for meeting my monthly goals! At the end of March, I said I wanted to lose five pounds in April. I knew that with two family birthdays (including mine) and Easter chocolate temptations, it would be difficult to lose much more than that. Well, in April I lost six!

The scale this morning read 200 even. The number was so good to see. I know that with the next pound I lose, I will be under the 200 mark for the first time in nearly 20 years. It is going to feel so good!

Also this month I passed the 2/3 of my overall goal. Having lost 68 pounds since I started in August, I am more than two-thirds of the way to losing 100 pounds.

I must admit that counting my calories and logging my food is probably a large factor in my success over the last couple of months. What has been working well for me are three meals and two snacks… a 200 calorie breakfast, a 400 calorie lunch, a 500 calorie dinner and two 100 calorie snacks (give or take a little here and there obviously, as I can’t make it that precise every time!) Following those rough guidelines, that brings me in at 1300 calories per day.

I didn’t mention it before, but I have been using the Wii Fit Plus for a little over a week now. My sister and I traded Wii games for a two+ week period ending Mothers Day. She is trying out my Wii Active and I get to use the Wii Fit. I love the step aerobics on the Wii Fit! That is my favorite activity, but I’m also trying to use the Yoga, Strength and Balance parts of it too, because every time I do a Body Test, it tells me that my center of balance is a little to the right and I need to gain strength in my right/left sides evenly to have better posture and balance. (I did know this already, but it has been helpful to be reminded of it. Incidentally, the Wii Fit Age that it comes up with for me is 41, so since I am actually 40, I thought that was pretty good!)

A couple other things that the Wii Fit is telling me are:

Pretty soon my BMI will be under 30!
An ideal weight for me would be 140. (I guess rather than the additional 20 I said I would like to lose after the 100, I should be considering an additional 28. But, believe me, if I just get to the 100, I will be so happy.)

So, since it is at the end of the month, I have to come up with a goal for May. I’d like to make the goal for May be six pounds. That would put me at 194 by the end of May. I am choosing a slightly higher goal for May for these reasons:

There aren’t as many birthday dinners or other celebrations that would get me off track, so sticking to the plan should be easier.
With warmer weather, I can be outside more and vary my exercise more easily — gardening, playing with the kids, walking the dog, etc.
With 31 days in the month, that’s an extra day available to accomplish the goal!
Getting below 200 in the coming days will be so inspiring that I will have positive mental energy helping to propel me.