Wii Fit for Weight Loss and Toning Body?

I have a friend who got the Wii fit a nd loves it. She lost a lot of weight with it. As with any other excersize, it won't work if you aren't dedicated. But it sounds like you have the motivation, so I would go for it. It's more than just excersize, it's a lot of fun and I believe she said offers advise or charting or something to go along with it.

You might want to try the Wii Active. It does more cardio and weight training with resistance bands. I have one and just love it! I haven't been using it long, so I haven't seen a difference, but I can feel the difference.

Hi there!

If you're already going to the gym 5X a week for 2 hours a day, and you're not in the shape/weight you want to be in, then there is no way you are working out properly.

Your money would be better spent on a few lessons from a personal trainer who will teach you how to properly work out and maximize your existing gym membership. I'm sure that given the time of year your husband will be able to get a good deal on a package from your gym. Good Luck!

hi-
i got the wii 2 years ago and the wii fit last year. i had high hopes and expectations for it, and was a little disappointed with the wii fit. you really don't get that much of a workout except for the pilates. it's fun to play, but it's definetly not enough to feel it the next day. you can however purchase other workout games like from jillian michaels from the biggest loser. i would recommend getting one of these if your looking for an actual workout. one nice feature on the wii fit is that it weighs you and tells you your bmi and keeps track of it for you. my kids use the wii fit and i think it's great for them to get some extra movement in the winter especially. just don't get too high of hopes to drop 20 pounds or something! we do use the wii quite a bit. it is very fun!

I love our Wii, it get's the entire family up and moving around. It may or may not be a good workout but were up and moving around and no sitting our butts being couch potatoes. Great to get that excess energy out in the winter when you can't go outside.

We have one. I'm 35 and have a 2.5 y/o and (prior to right now since I'm PG) I tried using it daily. Its just not a weight loss tool. In fact, it will even tell you that its more about "good posture" etc than any kind of toning or weight loss device. Its fun, it keeps you off the couch, and that can never be bad, but I think this was designed to get kids away from sedentary video games and get them up and moving. Not as an adult work out.

Having said that, there are new discs coming out that may actually be "grown up" targeted. I think there is a "boot camp" one and a full "yoga" one (the yoga included with the Fit is just plain bad) that may be more helpful. But for me, I'll stick with my work out DVDs.

Wii Fit is really fun...but I wouldn't recommend it for weight loss. Sounds like you have a good grasp of doing the right things already. I would say if you want a fun "game" or "activity" your whole family can enjoy - get Wii Fit... If you want a weight loss program, this isn't it.

I do know some people that have lost weight using the Wii Fit. One co-worker of mine claims to have lost 30 lbs using it. I have played it, and it is really fun, it's not the best workout you can get, but I would definately recommend it. But I also agree with the last post that if you are going to the gym 5x a week for 2 hours/day, that should be plenty of exercise to get in shape. But would definately recommend the Wii Fit Plus!

I got Wii Fit last year for Christmas. It does nothing for weight loss. There are other games you can get, I think Jillian Micheals from Biggest Loser has one. Your heartrate just doesn't get up there using the Wii Fit. The games are fun, and it does improve some coordination and a little core strength. I love the yoga. I have never done it before, so it was a nice intro for me.

Hi Cheri,
It's a fun way to help you keep on track and give you exercises to do when you aren't at the health club. We've had one for about a year. Your health club membership will be a helpful addition.
Have fun!
S.
Melaleuca Mom

We got our Wii, with Wii fit and the balance board last Christmas and I lost about 15 pounds in 2 months. If you rely on Wii Fit alone, there's only a couple games that really get the cardio up, and you need to do them over and over again. Once you've used it enough to unlock everything, there's a free step so you can work out while your tv show is on. I bought the step attachment to use with mine. There's also super hula hoop, rhythm boxing and the new Fit Plus has a marching band thing. Fit plus makes things a lot easier because you can set up a routine instead of having to take the time to choose each exercise.
It sounds like you're pretty active already, so you may want to look at some of the other Wii fitness programs out there to get the workout you need. It's great fun for the kids (especially when cooped up inside for winter) and we love ours.

I have the WII fit and the WII cardio. Get the WII Cardio it is amazing! You get a REAL workout!!!!

J.

Cheri,

If you have ever played with a Wii, you will know that it just responds to movement, not the intensity or the precision of the movement. Wii Fit is the same. You can get up and just kind of move around a little bit or you can really work out hard, but the Wii will respond the same. It's good for people who have a hard time getting off the couch at all, but that's not your problem so I wouldn't expect results if I were you.

I think your money would be better spent with a few lessons with a personal trainer. If you go to Lifetime Fitness, they can do metabolic testing for you and customize your workout. I worked out for years at the same pace as you - 5xs per week, 1-2 hour workouts and it ruined my metabolism. Your body adapts when you work out like that and don't know how to do it right. So I was working out hard and long. The heart rate monitor said I was burning 650-850 calories, but in reality my body was only burning 150-200 calories because I had become so efficient at it.

I know it seems logical that if you work out harder and longer and eat less and less, you will lose weight. It is more complicated than that. You have to know at what intensity level you burn fat and when you start to burn carbs. Do anything for too long and you lose your ability to burn at that level. Remember, for thousands of years, people have had to survive with very physically strenuous lifestyles and very limited amounts of food. People are physically designed to adapt and become more efficient for survival.

Good luck,
S.

We have had one for about a year and we love it. I have had more of a maintenance effect with mine but I DO NOT do hard workouts or very regular workouts. My balance is very bad so I get a lot out of the balance exercises.
The main benefit I have with it is that we can all do the activities together, in any weather. My son (3 yrs) and my husband love it too.
As one of the other posts said, what you get out of it really depends on what you put into it.

I would recommend you get Wii Active, or one of the Jillian Michaels games, or even the new Biggest Loser exercise game. Being that you already exercise I think the Wii Fit will be to basic for you, although there are some fun games, and your kids may enjoy playing it too. Good luck!

I have used a Wii; my inlaws actually have one (which is funny...they can barely figure out email). My brother in law plays Wii and basically has figured out how to manipulate the controls so all he has to do is flick his wrist to make it work like a video game. He does not get much of a workout. My sister in law and my husband, who both like to be fit and seize the opportunity where they can, have boxed each other, using their whole bodies, and they really get a workout and work up a sweat. My mother in law uses the Wii Fit regularly and while I don't know if she's lost weight (and if she has, she's had a couple very stressful things going on in her life lately, too), but I DO know she swears she's more toned as a result of using her Wii. We do not have one yet, because, like ANY other program, it only works if you use it--and you can definitely manipulate a Wii so you don't get a workout, but if your intent is to work out, and you can push yourself, of course you can use it as an exercise program.