I am really curious to know if the Wii Fit could actually be used as an exercise tool, or if it is just a device to make parents feel less guilty about abandoning their children in front of the TV.

Luckily, I was able to get a hold of a Wii Fit this week (Thank you ToysRUs.com).  The Balance Board and Wii Fit game has been a new fun toy to play with on my breaks from studying for the Bar.  When you first sign-in to Wii Fit, you select a Mii to represent you and then you begin a body test.  The body test involves getting your height, weight and age, and then having you perform a balance test.  The results produce your “Wii Fit Age” as well as providing you with your BMI and weight.  The scale was accurate, but sadly the Balance Board is not able to calculate your muscle mass.  My dad registered as obese.  Dad is not obese.  He can bench press two of me and his biceps are thicker than my head.  Big he is, but not obese.

I however, measured overweight.  Not a shocker as I know I am heavy for my height.  Wii Fit gives you the option to set BMI/Weight goals after telling you how big you are.  It was a pleasant surprise to see that they recommend you not try and lose too much weight too fast.  Overall, I have found that the Wii Fit provides some really great fitness advice.  Plus, they re-enforce the game aspect by providing you with a FitBank that stores all of your FitCredits.  You earn credits for training.  The more credits you earn, the more games you unlock.

Speaking of training, you have four training options: Yoga, Strength Training, Aerobics and Balance Games.  I will not lie, I love the Balance Games.  I have unlocked them all already.  You are still using your body, although not to the extent you do in the other training areas.  But the four training areas give you a well-rounded approach to fitness.

So will Wii Fit help you lose weight?  I don’t have an answer for you after 4 days of fun.  I can tell you that I have worked up a a sweat more than once.  I have had a sore bottom and sore legs the following day.  I have been down right WORN OUT!  But I will have to get back to you on the weight loss part.

This month, I am going to try and set some more specific goals. Besides the ones I have previously listed for my “always-there” goals, I also want to add my March Goals:

1. Read one motivational book. It seems I have been focusing more on the healthy part of my life than the happy part. This will be a start on taking care of both sides.
2. Reach March Goal Weight. My March Goal Weight is 153. That is a 5 pound weight loss for the month of March; a bit more than 1 pound per week.
3. Exercise outside. I do not like to exercise in the great outdoors. Especially since my outdoors is a pretty seedy neighborhood. I would like to get to a park this month. If nothing else, out into the 40 degree weather I will be experiencing when I head to Tennessee next week for Spring Break/Apartment Hunting.
4. Move Faster. I am right now only able to jog about 3 minutes at a time before having to walk again. I would like to increase that to between 4 & 5 by the end of the month.

Do you have any goals this month?

I realized that I have never actually posted where I have begun on this journey. Technically it started with the new year. While many people make resolutions on January 1st, I normally don’t. That was until I got on the scale. I officially weighed my all-time record life-time high: 173 lbs. Which is a lot for someone who has to strain to keep claiming the half inch when I tell people I am 5′ 2.5″. If I calculate my BMI, I am over 30, which is officially obese. I have never been “obese” and do not like the feeling of having such a label placed on me. Funny thing is, looking at me you would probably never think “obese.” Don’t believe me? Check out my photos in December 2007 on my Flickr account.

That is when I realized that things need to change. I was unhappy being that weight and that size (usually a size 10 in jeans, Large - XL in shirts). Being unhappy and unhealthy, well, the opposite of that is happy and healthy! I can do that. I was healthy in high school when I played volleyball and softball and was a cheerleader. I have always considered myself happy (at least before realizing what my weight was). I knew I could recover that again.

My initial changes were only 2:

1. Exercise
2. Eat Less

So I started working out on most days of the week. Then I began cutting back on the foods I ate. I exercised a total of 43 times between those first two months. I also tried to keep my calorie intake under 2,000 and usually around 1,600 per day.

Now I am happy to say that as of the end of February I am 158 lbs. That puts me into the “overweight” category. And for those math geeks out there, that is a 15 pound weight loss in 2 months. I feel like I am on to something here!

I now question whether or not I should be setting a goal weight. To get to a BMI of 20 I would need to weigh 115 lbs. The last time I weighed that amount was before puberty. I think 120 would be a bit healthier for me. That is only 38 more pounds to go. At the rate I am going, I should be able to do that before the end of the year easily.