Ask HN: Has anyone really lost weight using Kinect?

9 points·sdogruyol··4 comments

Has anyone tried to lost weight using Kinect games like Nike Training e.g ?

Especially I'm really curious about if anyone ever succeeded to achieve significant weight / fat loss following the exercise programs and routines in those games.

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I had some initial hopes. Didn't really get into using Kinect much. I was most excited about the weight loss possibilities of the old Dance Dance Revolution game (back in the old days). I also bought a wiifit back in the day that never got much use.

One idea a friend tried that worked somewhat was playing normal video games while on an exercise bicycle. The two ideas I am currently trying to pursue is walk on a treadmill playing programming lectures and playing squash. The first one is working out really well since my workout room has wifi and the treadmill has a place to hold my iPad.

Not me. I gained weight actually but I think that was due to the proximity to the fridge full of snacks which gave a glucose boost. Untraining this took a couple of weeks. Much better to get outside and go for a run or ride.

I followed their Get Lean program religiously for about 3 months, but I was already a daily runner to begin with so there wasn't much weight to lose. Although, I did get ridiculously toned. The cardio circuits in Nike Training could get downright challenging for a "game" and I followed the program on a schedule of 5-6x/week so the change was quickly noticeable.

I've found it to be a useful way to get some cardio whilst in the office. The Kinect Adventures game and the UFC Trainer were both pretty good.

Exercise is in general a pretty terrible way to lose weight (diet's the thing) but I'm pretty sure I noticed some fitness gains.

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