How I lost 60 pounds | Momspective

Nov
18
2008

Wii Fit Review-I lost 60 pounds

Since losing this weight, I have created the Wii  Mommies Community with some friends.  Click on ‘Wii  Mommies‘ to be redirected to that site.  The Wii Mommies exist to encourage and support weight loss for all people using the Nintendo Wii gaming system.  You can read inspirational articles or head to the community to meet other folks just like you trying to get fit for themselves and their loved ones.  Look forward to seeing you there!

How I lost 60 pounds

I used to be a skinny girl.  I loved being a skinny girl.  When I got pregnant with my first I weighed 126 pounds.  Unfortunately, there wasn’t a buffet that could keep me down.  I was a power eater.  I just didn’t get full.  I’d only stop eating when I was sick of chewing the food.

My Life B.K. (Before Kids)

My Life B.K. (Before Kids)

I ended that pregnancy at 178 pounds and was furious with myself.  I just assumed I could eat all I want and it’d just fall right off when I had the baby.  I even nursed him a full year and was excited because I heard nursing is a workout in itself.  Well not for me.  I was starving.  Those extra calories I burned producing milk led me back to the buffet.  I was weak with hunger and because of this, my weight stayed up.

Shoot forward 2 years and I’m gearing up for my second child.  I start this pregnancy at 160 pounds.  I wasn’t too intent on losing the weight since I knew I was planning this pregnancy.  I told myself I’d watch what I ate and exercise daily.  Then I’d deliver and *POOF* – I’d be skinny.

7 months pregnant with Jake

7 months pregnant with Jake

I started off great,  and was really paying attention to my body.  I got my husband to get me a treadmill, swearing I’d walk daily and get in shape.  Wrong.  I was so sick my first trimester I could barely get out of bed.   I lost touch with my friends and neglected my poor toddler.  It was all I could do to get out of bed and drag myself to the couch.  My husband called in to work to take care of Jake when he just couldn’t sit around watching TV anymore.

Once the second trimester came around and I started feeling better, the hunger from the first pregnancy revisited itself.  I won’t go into detail but I came out of it at a whopping 220 pounds.  I couldn’t even look at myself in the mirror.  This time, the motivation was for real.

The ONLY picture I ever allowed taken (205 pounds)

The ONLY picture I ever allowed taken (205 pounds)

I started the South Beach Diet and really got to working out.  I did.  I had a great workout video I loved and had worked for me in the past.  I did this all religiously for a few weeks and didn’t lose a pound.  My knees hurt from the high impact aerobics and I started to lose hope.  Then came the Wii Fit.

I hadn’t ever heard of Nintendo’s Wii Fit.  We already had a Wii and I loved the interaction it provided my family.  Our team bowling was a blast.  One day,  my husband emailed me the link to the Wii Fit and tells me he thinks it would work for me.  I’m not competitive, but with my husband I have to win.  We decide to get it and see who can achieve their goals first.  His to gain and mine to lose.

Let me tell you, the first five minutes I stepped on the Wii Fit balance board , I was motivated.  If any of you are familiar with the Wii, you know that you have the ability to create a likeness of yourself, known as a “Mii.”  I loved my little Mii.  She was tall, Blond and skinny.  Imagine my surprise when I boldly step on the balance board my first day to get my weight and BMI assessment and my skinny little mii starts swelling as the scale charts my weight.  Suddenly I have a chunky Mii and my BMI was way above where it should be.

julie

My husband went straight to the strength training but that all bored me.  I wanted to play games.  I tried out every single game and played them all until I unlocked them in the advanced levels.  Each day I’d log in and get weighed and that scale started to move.  All I was doing was playing games.  I was floored.  Soon, I was so good at these games I thought I’d try the yoga and strength sections.

Now, to this day I still can’t balance without being next to the wall, but eventually I devised my own workout routine and it really worked for me.  My joints weren’t sore and my body started to change.  Over the next few months, I dropped down to 160 pounds!

4 Months After I started Wii Fit, Size 12

4 Months After I started Wii Fit, Size 12 (Singing Karaoke)

I am the last person to think you could actually lose weight playing video games, but I did it.  I live for my Wii Fit.  I brag about my wii Fit and I know I’ve been the cause of at least 5 people I know purchasing the Wii Fit.  When I travel out of town and can’t be with it, I do the exercises from memory or play as a guest on someone else’s.   For the first time in years, I weigh less than my husband.

Finally, I’ve found something that motivates me to work out. Your ‘coach’ in the game will notice if you skip a day and will say something to you about it.  Its a home gym and more.  There’s rhythm boxing, tightrope walking and Yoga.  You’ll know if your Yoga pose it right, because the balance board makes you center yourself and tells you where you need to be.

I’m fit using the Wii Fit and I’m glad.  I don’t have many photos of myself immediately after pregnancy with either child, which is why I posted me pregnant.  I didn’t want to get in front of the camera.  In fact, the few I posted here I didn’t want taken but was talked into it.  No one has ever been shown these photos, I only put them in to illustrate my progress.

This is more than  a product review, this is simply how I changed my life.  After years of failing workouts and miserable diets, the Wii Fit in combination with a healthy diet gave me the means necessary to achieve my goals.  I don’t even have to use the low carb diet anymore.  I trained myself to control my portions and I’ve never felt healthier.  Like my brother told me- “I fit, you fit, Wii Fit“.

One Year Later and I’m a size six from the use of both EA Sports Active and the Nintendo Wii Fit!  Check mii out!

fit

Related Posts-

The Wii Fit-

My Routine

My Diet Plan

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Written by Julie in: Step 5: Get (and Stay) Fit!

211 Comments »

  • B says:

    Julie is my hero!

    What a Mom, she looks GREAT!

  • Ane Fallarme says:

    You look great Julie, even when you gained weight! :D i have a different dilemma, while most people try to lose weight, I try to gain and keep mine… :D I was really skinny before I got pregnant, so it wasn’t a surprise that I went back to being super skinny after my first child was born, I tried my best to gain weight but I had no such luck, until I got pregnant with my son… my son is now 9 months old, I gained 50 lbs when I was pregnant with him and was able to lose only 10 lbs after 9 months… I’m happy with my body now and I hope to keep it this way…:D

  • Ane Fallarme says:

    btw, i have a couple of tags for you, check it out whenever… :D

  • Ane Fallarme says:

    btw, i think you grabbed my designer’s button, not mine… :D anyway, i’ve fixed my button so you can grab it anytime… :D i’ve grabbed yours as well… :)

  • Great story! I have been hehawing about buying a Wii fit for my family due to the cost, but it seems like it has great potential. Your story helped make my decision.

  • Jen says:

    I have wanted to get one but haven’t been able to justify the expense. You have convinced me that it is worth the expense. Thanks and you look fantastic!

  • Sandy Jenney says:

    I’m excited. I just found a Wii fit yesterday (my husband is giving it to me for Christmas!..hee hee). I lost 47 pounds (50 is my goal) this last year using Jenny Craig…but I have not been routine about my working out. I am hoping my Wii fit will make it fun and I will stick to a work out and tone up. Thanks for the encouragement. My gosh you have pretty legs! I’m jealous! (Something I genetically will never have! Hee hee)

  • Christi says:

    This is wonderful!! I am so impressed! I so want to win a Wii and a Wii Fit, so I can join in on the progress!! Way to go!!

  • Becky says:

    This is really inspiring! We’ve been thinking about getting a Wii for xmas, but I hadn’t thought about the Wii fit. Thanks!

  • Danette says:

    That’s awesome! I gained 70 lbs with my first pg (twins) and about 40 lbs with my youngest. It took about 18 mos to get back to my old weight after my twins, and 3 yrs after my baby… but even though I am pretty much back to my old weight, I’m not exactly back to my old shape. I would love to find something fun to actually work out and get back in shape, I used to do weights but that was years ago (pre-babies) and I don’t have the time or energy for the gym these days. The wii fit sounds like fun and might be just what I need. Thanks for the info! (and you look great, btw!)

  • the Rambler says:

    Well…you look awesome!!

    Isn’t it a great feeling? I too have gone from 211 down 59lbs to a size 8. I have been begging for the Wii Fit and I’m sure I would get a great workout just fighting for play time.. ;) I guess I will have to start working on hubby again to buy me one!

    You have also inspired me to do a before and after…guess I will have to see if I can find any before pics…ugh!

    Come on over and Ramble with me anytime!

    Julie Reply:

    @the Rambler, Oh, amazing! What a wonderful job! Hard as heck, isn’t it? It’s also hard putting those pictures up. I recently found some more of me i didn’t think were taken. I’m saving them for another post though….

  • [...] if you are thinking about buying a Wii Fit, check out this mom’s incredible weight loss success story with it.  I may consider buying one after all. So, how was [...]

  • flora says:

    You look great and its great that the wii fit helped you so much. I was the same way with pregnancy and it was especially bad during breast feeding too…but its good to see that the wii does actualy work since it is on christmas list :)

  • Piera Jolly says:

    What an inspiring story! I needed to hear it…I am battling losing 20 more pounds (I’ve lost 35). It is going so SLOW, but your story reminded me that I need to MOVE! Thank you for sharing your journey!

  • go you for inspiring weight loss (and new bloggers) thanks for your help in helping me avoid a complete faux pas with my first blog party. you’ve been tagged!

    http://foodwithkidappeal.blogspot.com/2008/12/tag-im-it-7-strange-things-about-me.html

  • Hi, hope this comment gets through I’m still pretty new to this whole blogging thing.
    interesting post! I stumbled on your blog while
    searching for other people’s weight loss stories. I’ve actually just started blogging about
    my weight loss calculator – I lost over 30 pounds in a month
    with a diet I developed!

    I would really appreciate it if you could stop by my weight loss blog and tell me what you think.
    Warmest wishes,
    -Joan

  • Jessie says:

    You look AWESOME!!
    I just did a search for “weight lost with Wii”

    I have 2 babies, 16 months and 6 months. I wore a size 2 jeans throughout both pregnancies but I am now in an unknown size but 20 lbs heavier than I started. My 6 month old came 2 months early and after 3 weeks laying in the hospital in ante-partum ward I developed an addiction to peanutbutter M&Ms :)

    DH got me a 3 year gym membership 4 months ago – used 2x

    This is what I want for christmas now!! :)
    Thanks for the hope!!

  • Helene says:

    What an inspirational post! The important thing is to find an activity that you can have fun with for weight loss and fitness. Thanks for your contribution to my Take Charge of Your Health Care Carnival.

  • [...] the first-day of Christmas, Julie Maloney gave to me, "How I Lost Sixty Pounds", posted at The Cool Mom [...]

  • Wow!! Congratulations, that’s an awesome accomplishment. I gained 70lbs. with my first pregnancy. I thought it would all come off in labor, what was I thinking? I learned something from that and was able to keep weight gain to 30-35 each of the next 3 pregnancies. I am now back to my pre-baby weight 4 years and counting.

    Happy Holidays!
    Kitty

  • Amanda says:

    how awesome! I am starting a Wii Fit challenge. I’d love to join the Wii Fit Mommies

  • Farrah says:

    That is so cool Julie! Since Christmas I’ve been boxing on my wii every morning since I don’t have the wii fit but it’s definitely on my list of things to buy. :-)

  • DCRose says:

    Hi there! You go girl!!!! I don’t know if you are still reading the comments to this post, but I had to comment.I am so proud of your accomplishment. I know how hard it is to lose that much weight. I am one of the heavy people of the world trying so hard to do it. I never give up, but like you I have not found the right combo for me. Petra suggested I read your article and both of us are going for the FitWii. I love you girl!
    Rosie

    Julie Reply:

    @DCRose, I read the comments to every post and this one in particular means the most to me. It changed my life and I hope to inspire others to do the same, thanks so much for your kind words!

  • [...] first read about it on Cool Mom Guide when she talked about how she lost 60 pounds by using the Wii Fit.  When my Dad told me he had bought the Wii Fit, I couldn’t wait to give it a go.  Needless [...]

  • Congratulations, you’re story is inspiring me to get back on that Wii fit, I quit over the holidays but will get back on and work it..
    I also drink slimming shakes, and take a fat burner which helps to accelerate the weightloss, I lost 20 lbs thanks to WiiFit and the shakes.

  • KendraB1223 says:

    You look great!! It’s stories like yours that just keeps me going! I hope I have as much success as you did!!
    Here is my wii fit story :)
    Right before I got pregnant with my son I had lost 45 pounds (it was not a healthy way… I walked a mile a day and only ate about 700 calories a day with only 100 being from fat). My son was not planned as I would’ve never put that much work into losing weight just to get pregnant a month after lol. I got down to 159 (which was amazing for me. I weighed 195 when I started trying to lose weight). I didn;t even get to enjoy being smaller because as soon as I got pregnant I used it as an excuse to eat. I weighed 221 when I delivered. I lost weight quick after having my son, but then gained it all back. I’ve been hanging out at 200 lbs for about 2 years now.
    I got a wii fit and on Dec 22nd (day before my sons 3rd birthday) I tried it for the first time. I didn;t change my eating habits at first because I didn’t want to over do it for myself.
    For the last week and a half I have also changed my eating, along with doing my wii fit for a minimum of 40 min a day, but usually closer to an hour. Since I first stepped on my wii I have lost 9 pounds! I havne’t been able to shed ANY weight in such a long time. My goal is to be down to 159 by the summer. I actually LOVE doing my fit and feel wrong about even *thinking* of skipping a day! I have went back to a low calorie/fat diet, but not as bad as I was before. I KNOW the wii fit is going to be that tool that just helps me acheive my goals and after reading your post, it just confirms my thoughts! Thanks for posting!

    Julie Reply:

    @KendraB1223, Oh, what a great comment! You’re in inspiration to everyone, congrats and I hope to see you in the forum!

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