The Gutbuster Wrap

A Synopsis

• Go to the original Gutbuster blog

Ever felt like you could stand to drop a few pounds? Me too. So, ten weeks ago, I decided to do something about it, and promptly embarked on a weight loss program consisting solely of video games. The task: to drop 19lb in 10 weeks, going from a "porkbucket" 203lb to a proposed and relatively svelte 184lb using games like Konami's Dance Dance Revolution and Sony's Eyetoy: Kinetic to do it. The result: I lost 24lb, cut my blood pressure, increased my general fitness level, and I'm still going.

But first, a disclaimer: this worked for me, but it might not work for you. Think of it as an anecdote and list of ideas -- I'm no more qualified to dish out workout advice than any other random Joe on the street. Take medical advice before starting an exercise routine. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery while playing DDR. You know the drill.

So here's what I did: 20-30 minute workout sessions, three to five times a week, usually first thing in the morning, for 10 weeks. I'd be lying if I said I got my full quota in each week, but I certainly did most of the time. I kept diet changes to a minimum, not wanting to distort the results -- in fact, I found myself eating a regular, post-workout breakfast where in the past I had made do all morning on coffee and the occasional banana.

In other words, it's pretty much all down to the games. In my final blog entry, I wondered why video games worked for me where treadmills, gym memberships, and running routines all failed; in the end, I think it came down to these games having a far greater skill component than most keep-fit activities. Success or failure in Dance Dance Revolution depends on balance, timing, rhythm, and reactions as well as out-and-out physical stamina, so in a way it's a more rounded experience -- more like a sport than a simple workout.

Question is, can I keep all that weight off? Time will tell. Sustainable lifestyle change is the key to maintaining a healthy weight, and the real test will be whether I've put all that lard back on by Christmas. We'll see, but now that I'm comfy with my weight, I don't intend to let it slip too much. I'll cut back on the workout schedule, sure, but I'm not going to eliminate it altogether. But enough of this; I know you came here looking for flesh, so here it is.

Before and After Pics

Before: Hambeast, run away!

After: Manbeast, COME AND GET IT, GURLS!!

Final Charts

Weight Body Fat Percentage

Here's how the weeks panned out. I don't set much store by the body fat chart, and some readers also questioned the numbers -- apparently the bathroom scales I was using for the readings don't provide a particularly accurate fat percentage measurement. Still, they're here for kicks. For reference, I'm 6-foot even, so I took my body mass index from a decidedly porky 27.5 to an altogether more svelte 24.3 -- comfortably under the nominal 25 threshold where one is considered overweight, but still with some room for improvement. "Great! Now lose another ten pounds," as my doctor told me a week or two ago, and that's what I hope to do.