I am at it again. I have complained long enough. I bought Wii Fit, signed up for The Daily Plate, (recording everything I eat and how much I exercise) and enlisted an accountability partner. I have twenty pounds to lose after the last couple of years of foregoing my exercise plan and eating pretty much what I wanted. It’s time to pay the piper. Somehow, I take a sick comfort in knowing I’m not alone. According to studies cited in USA Today (March 18, 2009), about two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese, putting them at an increased risk for diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, osteoarthritis, stroke, gallbladder disease, sleep apnea and respiratory problems and even some cancers. “Sick comfort” might be the right words, if all these diseases are related to the weight issue.
I have to admit that the Wii is kind of fun. It compliments you when you do something well, (“You have GREAT balance!”) and it gives you a stamp credit every day that you log in/exercise. It also has lots of words of affirmation (my primary love language) and compliments that spur you on to good habits. For example, it asked me yesterday if I had noticed that Toby’s posture is improving. I answered “no” just because that’s the mood I was in. It said, “Toby is working hard. Sometimes it’s difficult to see if we’re not paying attention. Why don’t you notice today and tell him how good he looks?” (Toby is the avatar that comes with the program. Once I exercised under Toby’s name and he got the credit.) How’s that for a counselor in a box? The other main tool I am using is an online journal with the old-fashioned calorie counting tool. The Daily Plate is the best one I have seen and can sync with your cell phone or iTouch. It is a great portable tool that can tell you at a glance how much water you’ve consumed or if you can afford a cookie or not. I like that approach since before every time I ate that (those) cookie(s), I wrote the day off as failure and got discouraged. It also records your progress and weight loss, as does the Wii.
By the way, the Wii also says things like, “Ooooh. You are overweight!” Oh, well. You have a nice day, too. I’m off to exercise.
a view through annie's eyes 
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