I'm Fat, My Wii Told Me

Is it just me, or did Thanksgiving totally sneak up on us this year?

I guess that's probably just a by-product of a hectic lifestyle. I remember when I was a kid, it seemed like Christmas would never get here. Now I'm amazed that it's already Christmas time again! It doesn't seem that long ago that I was boxing up the Christmas tree and all the decorations. Where does all the time go?

As far as that hectic lifestyle goes, things are getting better. All the juggling of work and school schedules is still there, as well as all the other stresses of life, but the end of the day wind down is really helping. It's good to be able to step back, take a breath, and know that the day is finally over and done with.

Another thing that is helping is exercise. I'm still getting into the swing of things, but what I've done so far has been fun. I never thought I'd say that, but yes, exercising can be fun. I dusted off the old Wii Balance Board, put some batteries in it and loaded up Wii Fit Plus. I created my character and went through all the initial configurations. Then came the fun part -- stepping onto the Balance Board for the weigh-in.

Please understand -- I know that I'm fat. I'm not delusional that I think I've got just a few pounds to get off. And people think they can make little jokes or comments to me about it because, after all, fat people are supposed to be jolly. I can joke about my weight; I'm not all sensitive about it and stuff.

But when I stepped on that Balance Board and the arrow started to climb, my little Mii character (whom I've fashioned to look like Elvis, by the way) starts to freak out. My arrow stops at the top of the BMI scale, and the Wii says, "That's obese!" while Elvis suddenly has a pooch around his middle and he's staring at it like, "Where did this come from?" (You should say that last sentence in your best Elvis voice. That's what I do.)

"Obese" is such an ugly word. So is "fat," but it doesn't bother me as much. I'm not upset with the Wii -- it's just telling the truth. But I just wish it wasn't so frank about it. And then later, while doing some of the Wii Fit activities, it has me step on the board again, and it says "Oh!" like it's surprised or hurt! Come on, really?

Instantly, there's another goal. Get to a point where the Wii Fit doesn't pronounce me as obese. I'll show you, you stupid little piece of plastic.

I got through all the introduction stuff and started in on the aerobic portion of the game. The first thing on the menu is hula hooping. Do you know how stupid I look trying to twirl an imaginary hula hoop? I guess I'm glad everyone is already in bed. I wouldn't want an audience during this part. But I did it anyway, and it didn't take long to work up a sweat. I'm probably not burning as many calories as I would if I went out for a run, but at least I'm doing something, right?

I went through the other aerobic exercises and clocked in 30 minutes doing those. I then went to the strength training exercises and did some of those for about 15 minutes. Some of those were actually hard. I think this Wii Fit game could be pretty good if I keep up with it and add new activities to it every time.

Last night I did something different. I put in an exercise DVD, Jillian Michaels' "30 Day Shred." I'd heard good things about it, and I remembered that we'd bought it some time ago. Plus, I figured it'd be good to mix up the Wii Fit with something a little different.

Wow. She doesn't mess around, does she? The exercise program is broken up into three different workouts that you do for 10 days each. Day one of workout one was killer. I can't imagine what the third workout would be like. I think I may alternate the DVD with the Wii Fit from night to night, just so I'm not doing the same things every night.

Any results? I'm glad you asked. I weighed in today and lost three pounds! With my small gain from last week, that puts me 2.6 pounds into my goal of 10 pounds this month. It's going to be tough to pull this one out. The old me would see this as impossible, but the new me sees this only as a challenge. And even if I don't quite make it, I'm still making progress toward my ultimate goal.

Tonight is our annual Thanksgiving feast at church. And I'm not kidding when I say "feast." It's amazing, really. For a bunch of good Christian folk, they can really make some truly sinful desserts. My goal tonight will be to get some turkey; load up on vegetables; and totally stay away from the breads, dressings, and desserts. I'm pretty locked in right now, so I'm actually pretty pumped for the opportunity to overcome this temptation.

Besides, I don't want Elvis to be mad at me when I step on the Balance Board tonight.

More on Tipping the Scales:
Eating Healthy is Harder Than I Thought
The Art of Self-Control
Losing Weight Under Stress

After decades of dieting only to gain it back, two That's Fit readers have decided to finally rethink their relationship with food and exercise over the next year to move toward a lifetime of fulfilling, healthy living. Come by every week as Ashley and Lee share their successes and challenges as they tip the scale.