Wii Fit Project

I was working late and was heading to bed when I got AJ’s comment about picking up Wii Fit at Blockbuster at 12:01 in the previous post.  I went to bed and laid there for a few minutes before deciding to get up and head over to my least favorite store… Wal-Mart.

I generally try to avoid shopping at Wal-Mart, but I figured since almost all stores would be crawling with people looking for Wii Fit tomorrow, I’d better go while the getting’s good.

The Wal-Mart near me had gotten in 36 copies and had already sold 10 in the hour that it was on the shelf.

I’ve got my Wii Fit. I’m not doing anything with it tonight.  I’m tired.  We start tomorrow.

I woke up excited thinking that today’s the day that I march to the store to pick up Wii Fit.  A quick check of big box retail web sites showed that it doesn’t come out until tomorrow.

What’s that about?  It’s been my experience that all CDs, DVDs, and video games hit retail shelves on Tuesdays.  Why is Wii Fit coming out on a Wednesday?

And, the second side of the issue…  I didn’t pre-order a copy, and from the gadget blog buzz I’ve been reading, the subject matter of this blog may quickly change from “Can I lose 40 pounds with Wii Fit?” to “Can I get a copy of Wii Fit without camping out overnight at Best Buy?”

Hopefully I’ll have decent luck tomorrow and I’ll get a copy so the experiment doesn’t get delayed.  I’ll keep you updated.

I hate that there has to be such a lull in the action here while we all wait for Wii Fit to hit the shelves.  Last week I contacted Nintendo PR to make them aware of my experiment and this site but have yet to hear anything back.  I’d like to get my hands on an advance copy of Wii Fit so that we can get this ball rolling, so if any of you out there have a direct contact at Nintendo that you think might be able to help, please contact me directly at press AT wiifitproject DOT com.

Remember, I’m doing this for all of you!  Well, actually I’m doing it for the benefit of my own health and well-being, but I’m parading it out here for your entertainment and/or inspiration, so if we can get this going, let’s do it!

Hello, and welcome to the Wii Fit Project.

My name is Jeremy Fuksa.  I’m a 35 year old interactive designer in Kansas City, MO.  I’ve started this site to chronicle an experiment I’m about to embark on.

I am going to see how well exercise with the Wii Fit will help shed pounds and benefit my health.

I am roughly 40 pounds overweight. My eating habits are not what most would consider poor.  I stay away from fast food as much as possible and try to make the best nutritional choices for myself everywhere that I can.

One year and four months ago I underwent triple coronary bypass surgery.  Long story short, genetics were not kind to my heart.  I am now in good cardiovascular health and my cardiologist suggests vigorous cardiovascular exercise.  I was very good about getting that exercise until winter came and I put 20 pounds back on.  Spring is here, and it’s time to get those pounds back off as well as continue to lose more weight so that I can achieve my ideal weight of 230 pounds.  I figured that Wii Fit would be a fun way to do that.

Now that you know the back story to my fitness needs, I’ll tell you about how I intend to conduct this experiment.

Once I obtain a copy of Wii Fit, I will be using it every evening for a minimum of 30 minutes and a maximum of 60 minutes.  I will do this for a minimum of 60 days.

I will track my progress via Wii Fit and will show screenshot results as well as photos and video of my progress.  I will be keeping track of the following metrics:

• Weight
• Body Mass Index (BMI)
• Blood pressure and heart rate while resting
• Overall well-being
• Notes on how my life is affected from day to day (i.e. not winded when climbing 4 flights of stairs, etc.)

I will keep track of any extra activity (i.e. walking 6 blocks for lunch) in the Wii Fit activity log.

I will not increasing my level of activity outside of Wii Fit and I will not alter my diet any more than I already have in the past month (spring always makes me want to start eating better).

I’m also trying to devise a way to bring other people who want to attempt this experiment together so that we can share in each other’s progress.  More on that as I figure out what specifically I want to do.

As the US release date of Wii Fit (May 21st) approaches, I will have more specifics on all of this and more.

I’ve gotten in touch with Nintendo PR to see if there’s any support I can get from them.  An advance copy of Wii Fit would be ideal so that I might start the project as soon as possible.  Any other third parties that can help in this endeavor are also encouraged to contact me directly at press@wiifitproject.com.

I hope you’ll join me in my journey, and I look forward to losing weight with Wii Fit!