It's official--Wii use can cause weight loss

A Nintendo Wii video gamer spurns online calorie counters and whips out his Wiimote to lose nine pounds--and a little fame--in six weeks.

The story "It's official--Wii use can cause weight loss" published January 20, 2007 at 12:05 PM is no longer available on CNET News.

Content from Reuters expires after 30 days.

[Dr. B]

Wow...

I'm sure parents will love this news (in more ways than one).

On the one hand, their kids will be healthier by playing Wii Sports.
On the other, it gives them a legitamate excuse to play, and it'll
give them less of a reason to go outside.

[Gnome_kc]

Just What I Needed.......

The good news:

1) This will increase the Wife Acceptance Factor for yet another piece of gear. "Look dear, I can see my toes (and other things) again!"

2) I don't have to give up my staple diet of Bacon Double Cheeseburgers.

3) A legit justification for wii virtual wifebeating...but we won't mention that to her right now.

The Bad News:

1) I got to play wiitennis, golf, etc.

2) The increased product demand, preventing the usual price wars that I was stalling for.

c|net: I don't know whether to slap you or kiss you!

[Mendz]

Finally...

...a game console that gets you out of the couch. It's like owning an arcade at home! Read more of my thoughs at <a class="jive-link-external" href="http://etmendz.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!1A81F2FEB7C8E062!181.entry" target="_newWindow">http://etmendz.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!1A81F2FEB7C8E062!181.entry</a>.

[hunter_jc]

BS

This is complete BS. Lossing weight has more to do with what you
eat than what you game you play. The amount of exercise you
need to burn off the calorie you stored is so long that swinging a
remote control around won't help any weight loss. This is
straightly a gimmick.

[cameronjpu]

Your post was a joke, right?

Surely you don't believe that losing weight has more to do with what you eat than how much you exercise?

Go take a look at a pro cyclist's diet and see if they are counting calories to keep their slim figure.

[MarkyAndy]

Looks like someone doesn't own a Wii yet...

Hmmm, I'm thinking that people who posts this kind of comment like hunter_jc did probably never played a game of boxing or tennis on the Wii yet and are basically just good ol' green eyed monsters. Better yet, he's probably commenting about something he has never experienced before. Look before you leap!

[qwiji]

Yeah, 30 minutes a day is all it takes

If you are not changing your diet, not eating any more, or less, but you add _any_ activity, where do you think you will get the calories? Magic? If a person was holding his weight steady, at 190lbs... and not gaining any weight. Then just a little extra activity would help him loose weight over the course of two months.

Lets go ahead and make a simple assumption. Let's say standing on your feet swinging around a remote burns as much energy as, say, walking. In that case, 30 minutes a day is absolutely enough to loose weight.

Most fat burning exersise programs recommend 30-45 minutes a day, of a lightly elevated heart rate (120-150bpm depending on age). Remember, he said he lost 9lbs over 6 weeks. That doesn't require extreme activity.

[Dachi]

Exercise

If you are an Olympic athlete that trains 2 hours a day, the addition of playing a wii for 30 minutes a day isn't likely to make much difference.

If you are a couch potato with a sedentary lifestyle on the other hand, you would be shocked at how much of a difference ~30 minutes/day of wii boxing will actually make.

[ddesy]

So....

So there isn't anybody out there loosing weight without changing their diet? Now that's BS!

[ackmondual]

It's not that black & white

True, just exercising alone isn't necessarily enough to bring on weight loss, but there are other factors. If one is exceeding his allotment of high fatty foods, sugared foods, and not getting enough nutrition in their diets, it would take ALOT of exercise to either make a meaningful difference or just put a dent in the right direction. Lifestyle change is a must in this case.

However, the article did not indicate this was his case. It seems his diet was OK. He just wasn't active enough. While this guy probably won't have washboard abs nor compete in the Olympics, studies show that twenty minutes a day of cardio-activity a day is enough to get your heart rate up will add up significantly to overall better health. Suggestions have included taking a 15minute walking break while at work, parking further away so the extra steps you take add up, or even in the case of a WoW player who strapped his PC, kb+mouse onto his cycling machine so he can bike while killing trolls or whatever. If you need this activity, may as well have fun playing a Wii

[technewsjunkie]

I'm not a gamer, but this "participation" remote may change that

I think they have really broken new ground with this kind of
physically engaging game controller. It's more attractive than the
"couch potato" standard.

I generally like physically active pastimes and this changes
computer games in a big way (as far as I know, not being a gamer).
I look forward to the new games this will enable.

[darkane]

Are oh eph elle

'Tipping the scales at 181lbs'? What in the crap is that? Unless the guy is 4 foot 6 inches, 181lbs is pretty damn normal. And he looks pretty damn normal in the photos. This is the reason why little girls shove fingers down their throats to make themselves feel pretty, thanks to idiotic reporters like this who think that 181lbs is a major social issue that needs to be dealt with.

I have an idea. Let's spend less time giving a sh-- about 9lbs, and more time curing cancer.

Oh, and by the way. You know what else can "OFFICIALLY" cause weight loss? "OFFICIALLY" getting off your a-- and doing something that doesn't involve eating. Is this really some big secret?

[Dachi]

On BMI

I agree with your point that 181 lbs is hardly over weight for a male.

People blame the fashion industry for portraying a stereotype that people need to be rail thin to be accepted, but even the government sanctioned BMI standards mean a 5' 11" male heavier than 179 lbs is over weight.


Here are the official standards:

# Underweight = &lt;18.5
# Normal weight = 18.5-24.9
# Overweight = 25-29.9
# Obesity = BMI of 30 or greate

You can calculate your BMI here: <a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/" target="_newWindow">http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/</a>
Or here: <a class="jive-link-external" href="http://bmiscale.com/" target="_newWindow">http://bmiscale.com/</a>

And yes, the concept of exercise is not new, but the idea of exercise being fun might be.

[cnote100]

It's true

I've been going to the gym to work out my arms. When i go i get my bis and tris in real hard. the next day im sore in those areas. i spend about and hour in the gym. one day i was playin wii boxing and after about 30 min my bis got sore. i was shocked bc it felt like my workout. i wont replace it w/ the gym but if im low on gas or jus lazy that day, ill jus have to turn on my wii.

[Impreza WRX]

LOL

That's funny! Guess I got to get me a Wiiiiiiiii!!!

[Sram]

This going to change the face of gaming

All these years of idling in front of the screen is going to change !! hurra!

[ackmondual]

better than nothing

many kids today are obese or getting there b/c they play OTHER vid games and NOT going outside anyways

[ackmondual]

better than nothing

many kids today are obese or getting there b/c they play OTHER vid games which arne't getting them active enough and NOT going outside anyways.

[ackmondual]

It's not that black & white

True, just exercising alone isn't necessarily enough to bring on weight loss, but there are other factors. If one is exceeding his allotment of high fatty foods, sugared foods, and not getting enough nutrition in their diets, it would take ALOT of exercise to either make a meaningful difference or just put a dent in the right direction. Lifestyle change is a must in this case.

However, the article did not indicate this was his case. It seems his diet was OK. He just wasn't active enough. While this guy probably won't have washboard abs nor compete in the Olympics, studies show that twenty minutes a day of cardio-activity a day is enough to get your heart rate up will add up significantly to overall better health. Suggestions have included taking a 15minute walking break while at work, parking further away so the extra steps you take add up, or even in the case of a WoW player who strapped his PC, kb+mouse onto his cycling machine so he can bike while killing trolls or whatever. If you need this activity, may as well have fun playing a Wii