Weight Loss through Dance Dance Revolution?

An anonymous reader writes "Looking at the beer gut that's developed over the winter, and the excercise schedule that I haven't kept for more than two days at a time, I realize that I need a new plan. A gym isn't the answer; I can't keep a schedule for working out in my apartment, there's no way I could make it to the gym on any regular basis. I've had multiple people in the last few weeks tell me stories involving weight loss through Dance Dance Revolution, and it sounds like a great idea to me! working out is hard, playing video games is easy, and dancing is fun. But a Google search turned up way too much info, and way too little of it was useful unless I want to spend the next four weeks researching this. Does the Slashdot community have any ideas, suggestions, or personal experience that they cared to relate on any of these topics?" "First, what's the best pad to get? What kind of differences are there between pads? Is it worth spending $100+, or will the cheaper pads do? Second, what software is best to use? Ideally I'd like to have something expandable, which means getting a PC rig rather than a PS2 one. Are there any open source DDR-type programs? How does one acquire songs?"

Comments

"just do it"

[Anonymous Coward]

You don't need a "new plan," you just need to screw your head on straight. Your answer isn't coming up with a "schedule for working out" in your apartment, or even a gym membership. Just go outside, and run. Just go. Don't develop a schedule, don't come up with a "plan." Just get it done. Run as far as you can, then walk, then run some more! You will see results, probably faster than playing DDR. That game is a slight workout, but it doesn't compare to amount of energy burned running three miles.

And before you say, "I can't run three miles," neither could I before this most recent spring break. Since I wasn't leaving town or really doing anything, I decided to take the initiative to run, just to see what happened. It's been about a month, month and a half now and I've lost more than eight pounds. Running that far isn't an insurmountable task like it was before. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't particularly fun, and it certainly wasn't exciting, but it did work. Believe it or not, diet and exercise are the absolute best path towards your goal. And exercise is as simple as making yourself run. Times have never been better for the fast food junkie wanting to diet. You can still munch Jack in the Box, just get a pita or a salad instead of, well, anything else on the menu there. :-) Such competition amongst the fast food companies to be seen as healthy may just be a passing fad, but damn, take advantage of it.

One last recommendation: If you can afford it, invest in a treadmill. Running outside takes more commitment than running indoors. Once I didn't have to leave for a gym, or even go out in the cold, running quickly became a daily thing.

Re:"just do it"

[obeythefist]

I was just about to say something along the same lines.

Of course this will work and it will make anybody fit.

The problem is one of motivation, and this is why both running and DDR will fail. You don't need to play DDR to lose weight, you can run or do any kind of reasonable exercise.

The reason gyms work at all for weight loss is that once someone has paid for something, they feel compelled to use it, which forms a simple but effective motivation.

A treadmill is a good idea because it would take away the percieved "time sacrifice" that running has for many people. And you can do it watching TV.

Re:"just do it"

[obeythefist]

Neither I use english grammar you, insensitive clod!

Re:"just do it"

[Anonymous Coward]

Engrish is not my language, you, insensitive, clod!

Re:"just do it"

[be951]

The problem is one of motivation....

True.

and this is why both running and DDR will fail.

Not necessarily true. If one enjoys DDR (or any other game or sport involving physical activity), exercise becomes recreation rather than work. The key is finding something that motivates you enough to exercise regularly, whether that is making the exercise more enjoyable or getting a kick in the ass from something (someone) else.

The reason gyms work at all for weight loss is that once someone has paid for something, they feel compelled to use it, which forms a simple but effective motivation.

Effective for some people. But many people have plenty of other sources of motivation, and work out in a gym for other reasons (more/better equipment, availability of trainers and/or spotters, etc....)

Re:"just do it"

[princewally]

The reason gyms work at all for weight loss is that once someone has paid for something, they feel compelled to use it, which forms a simple but effective motivation.

I wish this was true. My wife got a gym membership a few years ago. After the first few months, she started going monthly, instead of 2-3 times/week.

We bought a treadmill, and it got used heavily for a month, then mothballed in a closet.

The best exercise program that I've found was teaching my 4 year old to ride a bike. Now, every day that it's not raining, I have to go for a vigorous walk so he can ride his bike. We go less than a mile, but it's daily exercise.

When we started I told him to nag me to take him out every day, no matter what.

Re:"just do it"

[CMiYC]

"The reason gyms work at all for weight loss is that once someone has paid for something, they feel compelled to use it, which forms a simple but effective motivation."

The reason the Gym worked for me is because there are a ton of hot women there. What's even better... most of them are confident about their bodies so they don't care if you look at them.

As the original poster on this thread said, just do it. If you can't commit yourself to a regular schedule for working out now, how is DDR going to make it any different? Keep in mind that if you don't vary your workout, you can only loose so much. You have to remember the human body is a VERY good capacitor. If you take in X amount of calories and burn Y amount over a period of time, it averages what needs to be stored. By varing your workout you disrupt the rate of change which makes it harder for your body to stabilize to 1 particular weight/body fat ratio.

All you need is 30 minutes a day. That's less than 4% of an entire day. Its still less than 6% of the a day where you are awake!

Re:"just do it"

[Uma Thurman]

The only reason that you think the women in the gym don't mind you looking at them is that you are not the most obnoxious creep in the gym.

As long as you are not the most creepy person in the gym, you're safe.

Re:"just do it"

[sartin]

Your answer isn't coming up with a "schedule for working out" in your apartment, or even a gym membership. Just go outside, and run. Just go

Actually for some people, a schedule helps a lot. Knowing the plan creates opportunity for reinforcement; there's the habit of the plan and the guilt of not following it to help.

For some of us, a plan is really required. With a job, a 3 month old, a wife on disability from a difficult delivery, and a 4 year old, pretty much anything I want to do has to either be scheduled or done between midnight and 2 (which is really another way of saying I've scheduled those two hours for personal time/sleep, whichever seems more imporatnt). Thanks to scheduling, I did a 40 mile bicycle ride on Sunday averaging a not overly pathetic 16.4 miles per hour. I managed to do that even though I hadn't been out on my road bike in six months. I scheduled in mountain biking time, some health club time, hikes with the 4 year old (I'm just guessing the occasional need to carry him a mile with 250 foot climb probably helped my endurance a little).

Doesn't matter much what you do, just about any physical activity is better than nothing. A plan might help if your personality or circumstances dictate. The important thing, plan or not, is to get out and be active.

Re:"just do it"

[Ertman]

Great advice, if you want to be a cripple by the time you are 40 years old. Running is possibly the worst thing you could do for your health. Stay at home in front of the PC and you are likely to have a healthier life.

Sure, running will give you great cardio fitness, but at the expense of arthritic ankles and knees.

If you REALLY want to get in shape, and be able to walk past your 50th birthday, take up swimming or cycling.

If you are going to spend the money to get a treadmill, get an elliptical machine instead. The good ones do a pretty good simulation of running uphill, but don't place much stress on the joints.

Re:"just do it"

[Anonymous Coward]

Then you're probably not fat anyway. :P

Re:"just do it"

[kevman42]

Yes, tell this to the runners in my area kicking the 100 mile trail runs.

Or better yet, tell that to the 61 year old who runs the ~6 minute mile for 5ks and 4 milers. I could post more examples, but I think you get the picture.

Re:"just do it"

[tverbeek]

But many people have plenty of other sources of motivation, and work out in a gym for other reasons (more/better equipment, availability of trainers and/or spotters, etc....)

The scenery.

The most fit I've been in my adult life (i.e. since I discovered alcohol) was when I was working at a college, where I had free access to the campus athletic facilities... complete with exercising college students. It's easier to keep your pace when trying to keep up with a nice-looking runner ahead of you on the track, or to squeeze out another 10 reps on the weight machines when there's a pretty young thing doing situps in your line of sight.

Re:"just do it"

[op00to]

What picture? That anecdotal evidence means absolutely nothing?

Re:"just do it"

[kevman42]

Great advice, if you want to be a cripple by the time you are 40 years old.

If you REALLY want to get in shape, and be able to walk past your 50th birthday, take up swimming or cycling.

According to the parent poster, if you're a runner, you won't be able to walk past your 50th birthday, since you'll be a cripple after you turn 40. Based on the links I provided, there are apparently those who do not turn into cripples at 40 and continue to walk/run at 50 (quite well, I might add). Thus, "the picture" in question is that the parent post was completely invalid, due to its lack of evidence, which I provided.

Re:"just do it"

[The Clockwork Troll]

Actually, some people are biomechanically more suited to running, some people are less suited.

Everyone has a threshold above which they should not push themselves with impact exercises such as running, for the reasons you mentioned.

The important thing is to listen to your body. If you are in pain when you are running, it means take a break, not try harder.

If you follow this advice you'll do fine.

Re:"just do it"

[Anonymous Coward]

Just go outside, and run.

Oh, I most certainly will! Of course, this city is nothing but businesses and apartment complexes as far as the eye can see and there is no open space and the four lane road is jam-packed with speeders 24x7 and no sidewalks (just ditches) and frequent (weekly) pedestrian accidents just on my stretch outside my apartment alone, but I'll get right out there and look like a fat retard that doesn't belong in public, running up and down the middle of the busy street (though I'll certainly move faster than the gridlocked cars).. or I'll run in the mud-filled ditches beside the road and hope nobody tries to use the shoulder of the road to go around slower cars, running me over in the process.

Yeah... it's just so easy. I mean - we all live out in hickville where we never seen them horseless carriages and the streets are free to roam...

Re:"just do it"

[Anonymous Coward]

If you can't commit yourself to a regular schedule for working out now, how is DDR going to make it any different?

No offense meant, but that's a dumb comment.

That's like saying "if you can't commit yourself to a regular schedule for working out, how is playing softball, rock climbing, mountain biking, hiking going to help?".

The point is that physical activity, regardless, is what is required. It doesn't matter what your form of physical activity is. If you like normal team sports, then that's your workout. If you like DDR that's your workout. If you don't like sports or can't join a sports team or otherwise can't make the arrangements to do those things (or you just aren't much for outdoors) then you maybe use a treadmill and weights or something.

And for the record, gyms don't work. Most people who join a gym don't keep up their attendance and eventually cancel their membership. This happens every year around new years.

Re:"just do it"

[bourne]

Just go outside, and run. Just go. Don't develop a schedule, don't come up with a "plan." Just get it done. Run as far as you can, then walk, then run some more!

Excellent advice - but for those wanting a slight bit more guidance, consider the rec.running beginners FAQ. It can give you a better idea how much to do at first, how to ramp it up, and what to expect. Overdoing it too quickly will send most people back to the couch with soreness and ultimately discourage them.

But I definitely agree, just get up and do it, get into the habit and it'll pay off.

One last recommendation: If you can afford it, invest in a treadmill.

And, a caveat; try running on a treadmill a few times before you spend money on one. There seems to be an even split between runners who swear by treadmills and runners who swear at treadmills. The lack of movement, airflow, and scenery can make them a bit boring; I'd rather run in a snowstorm than run on a treadmill.

Re:"just do it"

[ratsnapple tea]

You live somewhere with ditches instead of sidewalks, where there are no pedestrians because they get mowed down by cars? I got news for you: you don't live in a city.

But you know, you could drive to a park and then go running. Or is that too simple?

Re:"just do it"

[Anonymous Coward]

Ha! That faq is hilarious. The best line:

Vaseline also works well if your nipples get sore.

I'm not joking, look about 40% down the page, just above "Other equipment". Too funny.

Re:"just do it"

[Anonymous Coward]

From the FAQ:

If you find that you get blisters, try out some of the running socks sold by the running stores. Double-layered ones work well. They are more expensive than cheap "sports" socks, but if you have blister problems, then they are well worth it. Another good trick is to apply Vaseline to your feet before running. Vaseline also works well if your nipples get sore.

It's so fortunate you posted that link, as these are two problems I've been having lately. My nipples start to hurt around 2/3 of the way through my run because of my shirt rubbing them raw. I tried taking it off when they got tender, but then my armpits became chaffed. Hopefully the Vaseline thing will work...

BTW, I'm the first poster, and I definately agree with you that one must be in the right state of mind to use a treadmill. They are booooooring. They work, but sometimes cost you your sanity.

Re:"just do it"

[dalmiroy2k]

Nice post, you provided great info. thanks

I used to work out

[metalhed77]

I used to work out, then I stopped out of laziness but kept playing DDR frequently. My legs, abs and a good bit of my torso actually got in BETTER shape as a result. My upper body has declined, but everything else is great. I just started working with a personal trainer and she was amazed how well DDR kept the rest of me in shape. Oh, stop playing if it starts to hurt, good tip :-D.

Nintendo had this 20 years ago

[nocomment]

see?

Re:Nintendo had this 20 years ago

[Metal_Demon]

Yeah but the only game it was really cool for was track and field and to actually do good at the game you had to pound on the thing with your hands. In fact me and my sister usta both beat on the thing at the same time. I don't think professional runners ran fast enough to be good at that.

Re:Nintendo had this 20 years ago

[drinkypoo]

The power pad was retarded. It wouldn't have held up to DDR though so I'm not sure what other games could have been developed to take advantage of it. When I played track and field I mostly rested my weight on the balls of my feet and then moved just my knees so I could pound on the triggers with my heels. I would have gotten a lot more useful exercise, and done a lot less damage to my knees and my heels if I had just gone hiking.

You know, kind of like DDR :P

Re:Nintendo had this 20 years ago

[HoneyBunchesOfGoats]

We actually had a second powerpad game in my house when I was a kid; it was called "Dance Aerobics". My Dad bought it with the idea that it could help get my Mom a little more into games, and also more into shape at the same time (not the greatest of ideas on his part). The game itself was pretty lousy, but it had a little minigame wherein each of the pad's contact points made a different musical note when stepped upon, and you could either make up your own tunes, or challenge the computer by keeping up with its melodies. In retrospect, this seems a lot like DDR; it was much more fun than the primary game.

DDR is not easy

[cloudless.net]

"working out is hard, playing video games is easy"

DDR is not easy! It took me a lot of practicing to pass the first stage. By the way an hour of playing DDR is much more tiring than working out for an hour. However it is fun and even addictive so you'll keep on playing it.

Re:DDR is not easy

[Anonymous Coward]

an hour of playing DDR is much more tiring than working out for an hour

You must not be working out right.

Re:DDR is not easy

[Metal_Demon]

Maybe you aren't playing DDR right...Once you get up to standards songs it's probably more work than running because you are also jumping and what not. Plus you can put wrist or ankle weights on for extra work out.

Re:DDR is not easy

[Anonymous Coward]

wrist or ankle weights - no matter how small - are never a good idea.

Re:DDR is not easy

[Anonymous Coward]

Care to elaborate?

Re:DDR is not easy

[scheme]

Yeah, wrist and/or ankle weights change your weight distribution and puts odd stresses on your joints. They tend to mess up your biomechanics and in the end increase the chances that you'll get some sort of overuse injury.

Re:DDR is not easy

[dododge]

Just as a data point, a typical 2.5 hour DDR session for me is somewhere in the 1500-2000 calorie range (according to the game's counter). It averages out to about 26 calories per song.

I typically just pick a mix, set it on heavy event mode, and play through every song once. Though with the Japanese "Extreme" home version I've had to change that a bit since 100 songs is just too many to do in one shot comfortably.

I do this once or twice a week. I've lost about 50 pounds this way.

Re:DDR is not easy

[Dizzle]

...pretty girl for an hour and it seems

Like what? LIKE WHAT!?

Re:DDR is not easy

[tcr]

err... like a minute?!

Not sure if this will help...

[rusty0101]

A couple of years ago I know that there was a BeOS developer who was working on a DDR application for the PC. I do not know how far he got with that.

What sort of a surface will you be dancing on? Is it someone's celing? Is it carpeted with a nap that will move your pad across the room?

If you are looking for other alternatives, is there some activity you like to do that you can expand on? I dropped about 75 lb over 10 months walking at a shopping mall after work four days a week. If you are like most people you aready have a routine around work, it's often easier to add an activity to wrap up work than it is to get something going before the work day.

Easier does not necesarily mean less effective, though there are people who will point out that you get your best results if you start your day with exercise. They are right, you will. At the same time it is far more important that you do whaterver activity you plan on in a consistent manner.

That, and as best you can, have fun while doing it. If DDR does it for you, great! If it does not, don't give up a bit.

-Rusty

StepMania

[semaj]

StepMania is fantastic, and is open source. The only tricky thing is finding the songs to play on it, there are a few free ones and people have converted a lot of the (copyrighted) Dance Dance Revolution ones, but they're obviously of dubious legality. There are a few IRC channels around where you can download packs of all the songs.

It's a fantastic program, and there's even an Xbox port! Try it, I think you'll be surprised how polished it feels!

I don't have any experience of losing weight with it though - I kind of have the opposite problem. :-)

Re:StepMania

[m8pple]

I use stepmania with a pc and a solid dance mat, mainly for exercise rather than enjoyment. I try to do 40-50 minutes of pretty fast dancing a day, which used to be enough to knacker me out, but these days I have to hold 5kg weights while dancing to get a decent workout.

I wasn't fat to start with, just unfit, but it is most definitely good exercise if you can get fast enough and do lots of songs one after another. Most of the stories on the internet about people losing weight with DDR seems to be from obese people getting down to normal weight, which I guess doesn't require one to get so good at DDR, nor spend much money on arcades/mats.

Whether it is any better than just going out running is debatable; I guess it depends on your personality whether you will find an hours DDR more boring than 40 minutes running, and whether you have enough money to get a decent mat. I've moved on to alternating between DDR and running; running for endurance training, DDR for quick intense sprint type bursts and a better upper body workout (with the weights).

Re:StepMania

[Relic of the Future]

There's also PyDance (written in Python, of course, and is available as a Debian package). It's not quite as polished as StepMania (they're, of course, looking for more help), but it runs a hell of a lot smoother on my PII-350 then bloated StepMania does. And you can d/l every DDR song from DDR:UK (well, all but the 2 newest ones available off xbox-live). (You can get them in groups by mix via bittorrent, or d/l them one at a time as .zips.)

Stepmania

[weenis]

there is a great free windows version called stepmania. http://www.stepmania.com/ you can download premade steps, or make your own to your own songs.

As a DDR player...

[Eneff]

Start out on a local DDR machine. http://www.ddrfreak.com/ has a game locator. Play 20 bucks worth, and see if it's worth investing in.

If it is, get a good, durable pad. DDRFreak will have suggestions. You can get the pads for Playstation or PC.

There are also instructions on building your own, but if you have trouble with the motivation to exercise already, just buy a pad. Don't give yourself excuses.

I don't play DDR.

[ForestGrump]

Howewver, what I can tell you is:
1. change your diet. veggies and veggies. Eat healthy, no more double bacon cheeseburger 3 times a day. No more soda. Instead, always have a liter of water on you. Sit down, have a meal, leave. Don't dibble dabble at the table with food infront of you. It will only make you eat more.

2. start moving. If your thinking, pace. Sure you may seem like a nervous wreak to your boss, but atleast your going to look sexy doing it (some day that is).

3. Remember. Energy in > Energy out = weight gain
Energy out > energy in = weight loss.

Laslty. If you feel the urge to swallow something, swallow water.

-Grump

Re:I don't play DDR.

[BladeMelbourne]

Very insightful.

I would like to add:

1. Consume at least 2 litres of water per day. If you exercise during that day, drink an extra 1-2 litres. If it is a hot day - drink an extra 1-2 litres. Water helps keeps the brain 'on task', it flushes impurities from your body, it's energy content is negligible and it is cheap. Remember - if you are feeling thirsty - you are already starting to dehydrate.

2. Consume no more than 20 grams of fat (not FAT32) per day. Even if you rarely exercise (like me) - you will loose weight (like me). Nutritional info can be found on product packaging - keep a daily tally - but dont be obsessive. Do not consume excess carbohydrates - the body can convert this to fat. Oh, and once a week, reward yourself with a decent unhealthy meal.

3. Ensure you get all the protein, vitamins, minerals, etc that your body needs. Dont forget calcium. Dont forget fibre - your bowels will thank you with regularity. If you dont think you are getting everything - take multivitamins. No point looking lean if your body is unhealthy, your bones weak, your intestines full of toxins, etc.

4. Try not to eat large meals close to bed-time - the body will not metabolise the energy content from the food and store it as fat. If you are really keen, have 5 (healthy) snacks during the day instead of 3 meals.

5. Limit alcohol consumption to one occasion per week - but get blotto if you feel the need.

6. If you are out on the street - try not to carry cash - it will be harder to get junk food.

Re:I don't play DDR.

[Dahan]

3. Remember. Energy in > Energy out = weight gain
Energy out > energy in = weight loss.

Yup, remember that E=mc^2, so if you want to drop a kilogram, you only have to have a net energy expenditure of about 9E16 joules... no problem!

Re:I don't play DDR.

[Anonymous Coward]

Sadly, #6 is losing its truth. Jack in the box now accepts credit card.

Re:I don't play DDR.

[hankwang]

Water helps keeps the brain 'on task', it flushes impurities from your body

Myth. There is no scientific evidence supporting

• that humans need to drink large amounts of water
• that the thirst response of your body has a fundamental misadjustment. (An exception may be extremely intensive sporting, but not normal day-to-day life)
• that impurities are flushed from the body more effectively if you drink more. That is not how the kidneys work.

Drink water or products with a large water content when you feel thirsty. Excessive water intake can lead to loss of minerals.

Consume no more than 20 grams of fat (not FAT32) per day

This is a modern belief, especially prevalent in the USA, which is quite disputable. All experts agree in any case that saturated fats and trans-unsaturated fats are unhealthy. However, cis-unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (roughly the ones that are liquid at room temperature) are not unhealthy per se. Fats are digested much more slowly than carbohydrates, which makes you feel saturated for a longer time after a meal.

Limit alcohol consumption to one occasion per week.

Moderate intake of alcohol has been proven to have a positive effect on heart and blood vessels. The negative effects of alcohol on the liver start only at higher intakes. Moderate here means up to 2 standard glasses (e.g. 100 ml wine or 250 ml beer) per day for males and 1 for females. Essential here is that there is a small amount of alcohol in the body most of the time, so spread out the alcohol intake as much as possible over the days. If you drink red wine, you'll get the additional benefits of the flavonoid anti-oxidants as well.

Of course, it's true that alcohol carries a lot of calories.

Re:I don't play DDR.

[Anonymous Coward]

Consume no more than 20 grams of fat (not FAT32) per day

If you can keep track of stuff then you should figure out your total calories per day first. After that set macronutrients by percentage. For example, 30/30/40 percent(by calorie, not weight) for protein/fat/carbohydrate is "zone" diet range but there is plenty of room for modification here depending on how you feel. Dropping fat intake below 20 or 15 percent is probably not good though. Fat should come from fish, nuts, avocado, olive oil, and other so-called "good fats". Carbs should come from high fiber sources as much as possible to keep things moving. Eat a variety of foods.
If you can't or don't want to keep track of every calorie, just make food choices while trying to approximate the above. For example, eat a sandwich with whole grain bread(4g fiber per slice) instead of white bread(0g fiber per slice). If you want a hamburger, make it out of beef that has 10% fat instead beef with 20% fat, or use ostrich or some other lean meat and get the fat from a handful of almonds.

Try not to eat large meals close to bed-time - the body will not metabolise the energy content from the food and store it as fat.

First of all, you probably shouldn't really eat large meals at any time. That said, it is a myth that calories you eat before bed get stored as fat. There are numerous studies which indicate that the time of day that you consume calories has little impact on fat loss or gain overall. It is total calories and the overall macronutrient breakdown which counts most. Also, your body continues to function while you are asleep, and to burn calories. It does not all of a sudden start converting everything into fat just becuase you are sleeping.

Re:I don't play DDR.

[be951]

Most of your comments are dead on. However:

That said, it is a myth that calories you eat before bed get stored as fat. There are numerous studies which indicate that the time of day that you consume calories has little impact on fat loss or gain overall.

I recently read something that contradicts the above. IIRC, it was a clinical study in which identical diets were fed to the subjects in a single meal per day either in the morning, at midday or in the evening. The morning group lost weight, the evening group gained, and the midday group maintained their weight. This was reported in a fitness magazine, but I couldn't find a reference online.

Re:I don't play DDR.

[nelsonal]

I'd add consume whole wheat flour (it's a bit more expensive, and the taste is different, buy most people end up prefering it to wonder). However, you will have to become accustomed to reading labels (they have to call it whole wheat flour in the ingredient list but a bunch of bread is died brown and sold as wheat or multi-grain bread that isn't whole wheat. Also I've always prefered anaerobic excercise to aerobic, so I'd add to get a pair of barbells to your apartment excercise collection. Then before bed, do some (3 sets of 8-10 is a good start) curls, a tricep lift (bench press, military press) some squats (you'll have to go very slow or invest in another set of weights). Once they get easy invest in some weightier barbells. You'll build muscle which makes you look better, feel stronger, and I believe it helps to burn more calories the rest of the day (not much but a bit). At least for me, while buring calories is important I don't notice the same progression as quickly and having some visible improvement makes it easier to stick with the program.

Re:I don't play DDR.

[be951]

Howewver[sic], what I can tell you is: 1. change your diet.

What do you know about the OP's diet? The only thing I saw mentioned was beer. Hmmm. I'll look again... nope, nothing about "double bacon cheeseburgers 3 times a day" nor anything about soda.

Your advice isn't bad. But it is unfortunate that you couldn't offer it without the "I'm so much smarter than you, fatass" attitude.

Re:I don't play DDR.

[BoomerSooner]

This study was done in the 80's as well. They used to show it in Health class in middle school. You remember the same sorry ass class that forced you to watch a child birth on video. That probably is one of the biggest turn offs I've ever seen.

Re:I don't play DDR.

[Prior Restraint]

The Wendy's burger King, McDonald's, and Arby's in my neighborhood all accept debit and/or credit cards. So, yeah: leaving cash at home doesn't accomplish much.

Re:I don't play DDR.

[drinkypoo]

All experts agree in any case that saturated fats and trans-unsaturated fats are unhealthy.

The problem with making blanket statements is that they are nearly always false. Whether or not it's true, whether or not you think Taubes has an agenda, not everyone believes that it particularly matters what kind of fat you take in.

From the article I linked:

But it gets even weirder than that. Foods considered more or less deadly under the low-fat dogma turn out to be comparatively benign if you actually look at their fat content. More than two-thirds of the fat in a porterhouse steak, for instance, will definitively improve your cholesterol profile (at least in comparison with the baked potato next to it); it's true that the remainder will raise your L.D.L., the bad stuff, but it will also boost your H.D.L. The same is true for lard. If you work out the numbers, you come to the surreal conclusion that you can eat lard straight from the can and conceivably reduce your risk of heart disease.

The real issue is that you have to eat appropriately for your activity, and one thing that dieticians DO agree upon is that we are eating too many processed carbohydrates and too many carbs in general as a nation.

Cut out saturated fats if you must, but mostly you should consider that if you're not burning what you take in, you're going to get fatter. Also you should realize that the more highly processed carbohydrates are (or the simpler they are, some of them start that way, like sugars) the faster they will metabolize and if you're not burning them as fast as they're converted they're probably going to be stored as fat.

Some alcohol carries a lot of calories, some doesn't. Scotch, vodka, gin, and similar alcohols have nearly no sugar in them, it's all been converted to alcohol. HOWEVER, your body turns to alcohol first so you are not burning fat or even carbohydrates you've taken in while there is alcohol in your system.

Re:I don't play DDR.

[drinkypoo]

The simple fact is that you don't burn as many calories while you sleep as when you are awake, especially if you are awake and active, unless maybe you're cold all night - but then you won't sleep well, which doesn't seem like a very good tradeoff.

Unburned carbohydrates are stored (in part - some goes to waste) as fat. So if you eat a bunch of carbs and hit the hay, you're going to plump up.

Unless you are in ketosis, fat you have consumed and not burned will (again, in part) be stored as fat.

It's best to eat early and then go do something physical a little while afterwards (walk, ride, fuck, whatever) to burn some of that stuff off. A walk before bed is a good idea, it also aids in digestion. Unless you live in the ghetto, go shake a leg! Sitting on your ass is one thing that we know does not lead to weight loss. Well, I did lose 90lb primarily while sitting on my ass, due to the atkins diet. In nine months! But some people don't react well to that particular type of food intake.

Re:I don't play DDR.

[Urox]

The negative effects of alcohol on the liver start only at higher intakes. Moderate here means up to 2 standard glasses (e.g. 100 ml wine or 250 ml beer) per day for males and 1 for females.

Your statement is false. I currently have my liver monitored for abnormal behavior due to the drugs a doctor has me on which can possibly damage it. So far, the drug has not done anything noticeable to my liver in the past two years. However, drinking alcohol has directly caused my liver levels to spike. How do I know this? I never drank alcohol before under a year ago. It took abstaining two months from alcohol to lower the levels down to what they were again.

Excessive water intake can lead to loss of minerals.

I have never seen a report on this about "loss of minerals". Water *is* good to drink. The kidneys filter out that which is in the blood. If you take drugs which are carried by the blood, you will pee them out. Ask anyone who's taken sulfa drugs. Too much water will lead to a state much like inebriation, not mineral loss. See here.

Re:I don't play DDR.

[TheRealMindChild]

Boy, dont you just sound like a Weight Watchers instructor.

Before you get the opinion I am some sort of fat monkey, rest assured, I am in fantastic shape.

With that, there are LOADS of people ... MULTITUDES of people, where changing their diet alone WILL NOT WORK for weight loss. They might not GAIN so much weight, but excersize ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS will beat out a diet. Hands down. A diet should be supplimental to your excersize ordeal.

Mostly related, the water all of the time approach is actually a cause of a lot of people quitting such things. Esecially women, that water goes somewhere... and weights a lot. Someone a bit nieve will only look at the scale, and not be happy with the constant need to urinate, with the added bloat. Soda is NOT bad for you in moderation. As a matter of fact, during/after excersize is a GREAT time to have a soda. Your body is out of carbs, and it needs some. If you are terribly lazy, then the body will take your muscle AS WELL as fat along with it, if it has to rely on body material for energy. Until those muscles are solid, you DO NOT want to deprive your body of things... muscles are whats going to help burn that lazy fat while you are doing nothing

Re:I don't play DDR.

[TheRealMindChild]

This reminds me of a Married with Childeren episode, where Peg gets a Personal Trainer. Only after a couple of days, the trainer is sitting on the couch, smoking and eating bon-bons with Peg.... then he dies.

Al points out that he was a well maintained machine, so when he started taking in things such as this full on, when he never has, his body shocked. Same is most likely true for you.

Re:I don't play DDR.

[linzeal]

1) For snacks eat popcorn and other high volume low calorie foods like hard candies, the kettle corn varities are especially good for this. Do NOT buy the low fat versions they are terrible, and do not buy anything with butter or caramel in the title. Hard candy is like 20-40 calaries per peice as long as you stick to the fruit ones and do not buy the chocolate ones which can soar to 100 calories. Suck them, don't chew them learn to savor thing instead of shoveling grub into the 'food hole'.

Paceing is one of my favorite things to do and I have actually arranged my apartment so that I can walk from room to room in a psuedo infinity sign so I do not have to stop and turn.

3. Stop drinking all alchohol, if you need your blood thinned for your heart take ginkgo or aspirin. Alchohol impairs judgment including what you eat. I figured when I was drinking at bars every night I would consume about 1000 calories in drinks and 2000 calories in food.

Try tea, I like water as much as the next guy but the whole ritual and varities to tea will keep you interested.

Try Detox to get you started but do NOT overdo detox or you can damage your kidneys. Follow instructions by someone who has done it before and check up to see reviews before you start any program.

Re:I don't play DDR.

[merdark]

Your statement is false. I currently have my liver monitored for abnormal behavior due to the drugs a doctor has me on which can possibly damage it.

One exception does not make his statement false. You didn't tell us how much you're drinking or what your medical condition is. If you are taking drugs that affect can affect the liver, chances are your illness may be liver related. Also, I think I'd rather trust the many scientific studies involving multiple people rather than your personal opinion involving just you. You cannot make any conclusions with a sample of one. Maybe you just can't handle alcohol.

I have never seen a report on this about "loss of minerals"

If you look at that link you brazenly posted, you'd see at the bottem it mentions losing salt and possasium. Those, my freind, are minerals.

Re:I don't play DDR.

[sharkey]

Your statement is false. I currently have my liver monitored for abnormal behavior due to the drugs a doctor has me on which can possibly damage it. So far, the drug has not done anything noticeable to my liver in the past two years. However, drinking alcohol has directly caused my liver levels to spike. How do I know this? I never drank alcohol before under a year ago. It took abstaining two months from alcohol to lower the levels down to what they were again.

You have been on a drug that may affect your liver for two years. After having been on said drug for, you began to drink alcohol, following which you began to notice spikes in your "liver levels". Your conclusion: I mixed a prescription drug that can affect my liver with alcohol, causing issues with my liver. Therefore, your statement about alcohol consumption which does not mention mixing alcohol with other substances must be false.

Does the drug you are taking have a warning on the side concerning alcoholic beverages?

Re:I don't play DDR.

[cujo_1111]

Seeing your own child being born is an amazing thing though.

Seeing some anonymous woman with out of control pubic hair pushing out a little purple/pink alien is a turn off...

Re:I don't play DDR.

[ForestGrump]

well, in the last year i've lost 40 pounds. I think i have some expierence on the topic.

Re:I don't play DDR.

[Anonymous Coward]

Accutane, eh?

Re:I don't play DDR.

[Anonymous Coward]

1 lb = 3500 calories

Re:I don't play DDR.

[Urox]

The medical condition is Hyperthyroidism. The poster's statement was:

Moderate intake of alcohol has been proven to have a positive effect on heart and blood vessels. The negative effects of alcohol on the liver start only at higher intakes. Moderate here means up to 2 standard glasses (e.g. 100 ml wine or 250 ml beer) per day for males and 1 for females

So one exception does make the statement false. My consumption of alcohol is at greatest one glass twice a WEEK. My doctor has said that the liver test are indicative of alcohol use. My endocrinologist has also stated explicitly that damage from the drug is irreversible. Thus I don't think it could be damage from the drug.

I understand trusting multiple scientific studies, but I have yet to see a link to one. ;)

When I think of minerals, I think of iron, zinc, and things other than salts. Minerals is a very broad term. I feel like salts is a more specific term.

Re:I don't play DDR.

[Urox]

The drug does have a warning for alcohol, but the drug has a half-life of one hour. After about five hours, the drug is near completely out of my system. I discussed alcohol consumption with my endocrinologist and he didn't have any negative comments other than to ask why I started consuming (my palate changed to start liking it)and what was my rate (no more than two glasses a week at the top end).

The prescription drug I am on (PTU) I have been told (by my doctor) causes irreversible damage. Considering my damage has been reversed by abstaining from alcohol, this leads me to believe that it was not due to the drug.

Re:I don't play DDR.

[merdark]

I understand trusting multiple scientific studies, but I have yet to see a link to one. ;)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cm d= Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=1505547 5

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cm d= Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=1504212 8

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cm d= Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=1465264 0

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cm d= Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=1503622 5

To be fair though, alcohol also has negative health effects in addition to the positive effects. I personally find that even one drink the night before a workout has a noticable impact.

The orignal poster was likely referring to significant negative effects of alcohol. Most people can drink 2 standard glasses without having long term ill effects. You always have to take statements in context, otherwise EVERY statement people make is false.

When I think of minerals, I think of iron, zinc, and things other than salts. Minerals is a very broad term. I feel like salts is a more specific term.

Salts and potassium are more specific yes, but they are both still minerals. Iron and zinc are also more specific, and are both part of the metal subgroup of minerals. None the less, minerals is a nice way to avoid specifically listing both salt and potassium (and possibly other things that the linked article didn't mention).

Re:I don't play DDR.

[merdark]

Links didn't work, oops. I really must start using preview more: first second third fourth

Re:I don't play DDR.

[Urox]

Thanks for the links.
The first says that more study is needed.
The second says that it benefits older men the most (neither of those descriptors fits me)
The third study was done on men only (grr. that's one of my pet peeves that more studies are done on men than women).
The fourth study says I'll get an increase in my systolic blood pressure.. (not what I'm aiming for :) ) and that other effects were minimal

This is, however, only from reading the abstracts.

Re:I don't play DDR.

[sharkey]

Well, my point about an errant conclusion due to drug interaction in your case is no longer valid.

Re:I don't play DDR.

[merdark]

Yup, they pretty much don't have any clue why alcohol is benificial to heart disease. From the abstracts most of the standard indicators are unaffected by drinking. I included the fourth one to be balanced. :) Obviously alcohol has negative effects.

An interesting question would be, do you need to drink throughout your life to get the benifits when you are old? Or only when you are old? If they can isolate what is causing the good effects they might also be able to make a drug that has those effects minus the negative effects of alcohol.

More study *is* needed. :) But oddly there is a real benifit from drinking, and some (many) real negatives. Maybe the good stuff isn't worth the risk, but hell, I like drinking. ;)

The Hacker's Diet free, online book & spreadsh

[ivi]

It's been around for a while, but may be worth
a fresh mention:

www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/www/hackdiet.html

Exercise AND Diet

[bakes]

Together a good exercise program AND a good diet will help you lose weight. Playing DDR for 30-60 mins per day is a good start, but only half the battle.

BTW, when I say diet I mean eating PROPERLY, not necessarily eating less. Just eating less doesn't help that much if it's still all junk.

The best way to go is to get up an hour earlier than you do now and exercise first thing in the morning, rather than trying to squeeze it in at night when you are tired and really don't feel like it. You might find you are a little tired (especially mid-afternoon) for the first few days, but once you are used to it it's a great way to get the blood pumping and get you started for the day.

After a while your body will become accustomed to your exercise pattern, and your weight loss might plateau. If this happens you should look at occasionally doing something different, such as swimming, cycling, running, or a sport like ultimate.

Worked for me.

[c_wraith]

I'm down about 50 lbs from my heaviest, about 30 of which I can attribute almost directly to DDR.

Arcade play beats home play, for the most part. Home pads that are actually good quality run several hundred dollars. And if you find an arcade community you like, the social aspects are a lot of fun too.

The key is to have fun. As long as you manage that, everything else will be easy.

First, you need a rig...

[jaybird144]

All right, first off, I would like to say that I have lost weight by playing DDR - not much, mind you, but some. Enough for me. (I do other things too, but primarily DDR.) As far as equipment goes, it sounds like what you are looking for is very similar to my own setup. I use an open-source DDR emulator called Stepmania that runs under Windows, Linux and Mac OSX. (Note, I run it under Windows, personally, and cannot vouch for how well the other versions work.) I use a pair of pads that I bought off eBay for about $40 (similar to these), which I like a lot better than the really thin ones that tend to be more common. Finally, I have an adapter to hook the Playstation gamepads to my PC through USB. As for songs, there are several places around the Net to find them...I'm sure someone else will mention them, but just know that it's illegal to have them unless you own a copy of them (which sometimes means having a machine). As such, I'll leave that as an exercise for you to find, if you so wish.

Re:First, you need a rig...

[spectral]

The biggest thing to worry about is whether the adapter works properly. Some register the dpad buttons as an axis, and thus you can't do jumps properly. The stepmania page has links to adapters that work and don't work.

The OS X version on my friend's powerbook runs about as well as the windows version does on my computer. The linux one seems to stutter a bit more, I don't know why, but I'm working on it.

I play on ignition pads when I'm at my friend's house, but prefer the arcade pad feel. When I can't do either, I just practice rhythm using the keyboard. Even that's fun, I don't know why.

I don't need to lose weight though, I just play it because it's fun. And because the girls seem to like it. ;)

Re:First, you need a rig...

[m8pple]

You can auto-generate your own steps using Dancing Monkeys and mp3s of your own songs, if you're willing to spend a little time messing about (and a fair amount of cpu time). They work with Stepmania (is what I use).

It only works well on songs with a regular beat (about one in three songs I run it on provides a decent set of steps), but it at leasts lets you dance to something other than pop/trance and anime theme songs (not that I particularly dislike those genres, but they can get rather monotonous). For example, I've got fairly decent auto-generated steps for a bunch of Ministry, KMFDM and Gravity Kills songs. I also use it to generate very long songs (3-4 minutes) for exercise (I had to tweak the source code for that though).

Only downside is that the steps tend to be rather simplistic, but that means they are great for dancing at 2x speed for better exercise.

Re:First, you need a rig...

[jaybird144]

The adapter I posted a link to is one that I found linked to from Stepmania's site a long time ago...it has worked wonderfully for me for over a year now..

Re:First, you need a rig...

[CMECC]

After my kids got hooked on DDR at a Nickel-Nickel arcade, I called Red Octane who makes one of the best DDR dance pads available. They were very helpful. I bought a bundle with Konami's DDR MAX 2 and Red Octane's Ignition 2.0 Pad. The dance pad has sensors over the entire area, and doesn't slip on the floor (the cheap mats do slip & wear out quickly). Konami makes DDR games for PlayStation 1, PlayStation 2, XBox, & PC. There is a USB adapter available (about $15 US) to connect the dance pad to play the PC version. The game comes with several levels, probably 100 songs, & can be enjoyed by beginners and up. The game also also has a training mode to teach technique, and a workout mode. Konami is releasing version 3 of DDR Max this fall.

Re:First, you need a rig...

[Anonymous Coward]

Does anyone have information regarding parallel port adapters for hooking up DDR pads to play Stepmania? I've downloaded the NTPAD program and it seems to be recognized by the controller settings and the pad lights up when it's hooked up but I can't figure out how to get it to actually get it to work on Stepmania.

Gabber...

[Anonymous Coward]

Go out, get drunk, end up in some place that plays gabber music. Dance all night. That IS workout...

worked great for me

[oskillator]

... until I moved into a second-floor apartment. So don't do that. Also don't get the hard pads; my RedOctane Metal lasted about three months, just long enough for the warranty to expire.

Idea

[skinfitz]

...a Google search turned up way too much info, and way too little of it was useful unless I want to spend the next four weeks researching this. Does the Slashdot community have any ideas, suggestions, or personal experience that they cared to relate on any of these topics?

Learn how to use Google's "-" operator?

Dance Dance (revolution?)

[acceber]

I am an exercise freak. There is nothing better than getting out and playing sport or doing some form of exercise, because for me it's an adrenaline rush.

Having said that, I don't exercise if it's boring. I cannot stand walking for long periods of time unless I have music or company with me. Obviously, exercise is hard work, and because exercise is fundamentally the most effective way of losing weight combined with sensible eating, trimming down to that size 8 or whatever is hard work too.

I don't do DDR becuase yes, it is harder than it looks and I feel stupid everytime I try. My friend has a DDR mat which she connects to her PC and she has a go at that but it's painstaking work to set it up, put the disc in and wait for it to load. Going out to the city to Intensity or Playtime is just too embarrassing because I'm terrible at it.

I dance, choreograph dance, do competition aerobics and play all sorts of team sports because it is just that much more fun and it's never monotonous and repetitive (no I'm not gay, I'm a girl - sorry but that stereotype exists, sadly). Unlike DDR, which I get bored of after about ten minutes, sport and dancing to music without jumping around on a crazy mat is a lot more appealing. Sure, DDR can improve your co-ordination skills and make you sweat a bit but that's about it in my opinion. You can achieve better co-ordination skills in playing sport as well as dancing and aerobics not to mention the benefits of flexibility, improved cardio-vascular system, creativity and social skills.

Of course, it's ultimately up to the individual. I understand that what is fun to me, isn't necessarily fun to everybody else, as there are other factors to account for such as fitness level, personal interests and expenses etc. There are so many ways to exercise it's not funny, so experimenting with different methods will surely find the right one for you.

By the way, try Capoeira - Brazilian martial arts which combines self-defence and dance!

Re:Dance Dance (revolution?)

[Anonymous Coward]

However, for those of us who are employed and work 60 hours a week and never leave the office (or home office) and don't have time to pull ourselves away from work to go look like an idiot on the dancefloor at some meat market with a bunch of STD-infested losers or drive to the gym or go climb a mountain or learn some complicated crap - getting a treadmill and some weights in your home and sticking to a routine is the only option.

Not everyone is able to put their work down at 5pm and go have an active type of life.

Re:Dance Dance (revolution?)

[acceber]

Of course, that's why I mentioned the various factors which need to be taken into account. A home gym with a treadmill and weights is excellent - provided that the motivation is there.

I guess it's a matter of priorities in allocating time to exercise. Without health you don't have work, without work you don't have health.

Re:Dance Dance (revolution?)

[davez0r]

i'm inclined to agree. i weighed myself on friday when i got home from work, and then again last night (monday). i lost five pounds. what happened in between? about five hours of soccer in 80+ degree heat.

it was hot.

but yea that being said, DDR is great! it's also something my girlfriend and i can do together.

Re:Dance Dance (revolution?)

[gclef]

By the way, try Capoeira - Brazilian martial arts which combines self-defence and dance!

You know, there's a Capoeira school near me, and each time I see them practice, it just looks like they're pointing their butts at each other. They come out into the ring, turn around, and look between their legs at the other person, then dance around a bit. It really looks like a hugely exaggerated version of "da butt."

I'm sure there's got to be more to it than that, but I've seen 3 or 4 of their demos, and they do the same thing each time. Is this normal Capoeira, or are these folks just...weird?

Re:Dance Dance (revolution?)

[Anonymous Coward]

a female on slashdot! oh she's fat, that's to be expected.

Re:Dance Dance (revolution?)

[glaHHg]

yeah dude, it's called dehydration.

Re:Dance Dance (revolution?)

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah but some fat chicks can be kinda hot. I wonder if she's interested in a fuck? Great exercise, I hear.

Re:Dance Dance (revolution?)

[Anonymous Coward]

Fat? Lol. I don't exercise to lose weight, I definitely don't need to. I exercise to have fun.

Re:Dance Dance (revolution?)

[Anonymous Coward]

If you think that all DDR will do is make you "sweat a bit," then you've obviously never watched people playing difficult songs(say 7+ difficulty).

More sensible solution.

[Anonymous Coward]

I'd suggest buying a decent treadmill and putting it in your home office. If you have your computer monitor, the radio and a television within view you can entertain yourself with music, television news or repeats of The Daily Show or watch videos on your PC. Or, what I've been doing - listen to books on tape and only listen to them while working out.

The goal is to have the willpower to stick with it and not make excuses for avoiding it one or two days, which will lead to more days, which will lead to weeks at a time without working out.

I've also taken to hopping on the treadmill and putting my telephone on speakerphone during staff conference calls (I telecommute). It's difficult to focus on other things while you're engaged in a conference call anyway and listening to management so you might as well fill that time.

Re:More sensible solution.

[nothingtodo]

Buying an exercise machine with the promise to use it sounds good, but go to a secondhand store and look all all the exercise machines given away. People buy them with the best of intentions, but never uphold their committments.

Try something fun and sociable

[CompVisGuy]

Try and find a form of exercise that you enjoy and which also has a sociable element.

I do Taekwondo twice a week. It's easy to keep going regularly because:

1. The classes are fun, so I look forward to going.
2. The people are very friendly, and TKD is usually very inclusive (ages, sexes etc.). This social aspect helps you keep going.
3. There are regular gradings (when you test for a new belt), usually every three months, so there is regular positive reinforcement.
4. Not only do you learn an effective form of self-defence, lose weight, gain strength, flexibility and self-confidence, but you will get regular opportunities to put your day-to-day worries to one side -- if you have a stressful job, this is very rewarding.

I'm not saying TKD if the way for you, but the above qualities make it a good way to get and stay fit, without dropping out.

Re:Try something fun and sociable

[clutch110]

I completely agree with the parent. I do Tae Kwon Do twice a week and find it very enjoyable. I usually go to the family class with my son because they set it up to run excersizes you can do with your child, or with the rest of the adults in the class.

Re:Try something fun and sociable

[Hast]

Those are pretty much true for any other form of martial art/sport too. So if TKD puts up too much of a challenge with high kicks go for a style with less kicks. I've tried a couple of different MA's by now and I really like the idea that you practice with the same people each time as compared to the gym where you typically don't learn to know new people.

One thing though. Check the teacher to make sure he/she is ok in the head. There are quite a lot of "McDojos" out there which are more interested in getting students (and cash) than teaching. Also keep in mind that as soon as a teacher begins comparing their own style with other styles they are typically blowing things out their rectum. Those that spend a lot time on pointing out how much better their (your MAs) way is than any other MA are typically not worth the time and effort. Might as well go to a place with a bit humbler attitude.

workout tips

[lanswitch]

Sell the car, and go cycling instead.
Always walk when the distance is less than 500 meters (or 1000 or so)
Use the stairs if you only need to go up or down 2 or three floors.
Do all your shopping yourself, and carry it home.
Sell the electric lawnmower and get the old-fashioned model.

My point: try to make everyday events and chores into exercises.

Re:workout tips

[Anonymous Coward]

There are electric lawnmowers?? Hw are they different to the 'old fashioned' ones?
I have one that requires a violent pull of the cord to start the engine, and needs petrol to start the motor. Is that the old fashioned one?

Re:workout tips

[Prior Restraint]

Half of your suggestions are useless when the weather refuses to cooperate. As much as I want to avoid the hassle of automobile ownership, I will not ride a bicycle to a job interview.[*] Nothing says, "Don't call us, we'll call you," like being drenched in either sweat or rain.

I will, however, agree with the staircase suggestion. I cannot count the number of times I've seen someone take an elevator up--or worse, down--one floor. I prefer to take stairs on every occasion that it's feasible.

[*]Please don't suggest public transportation. As a poor college student, I rode the bus everywhere. I can still remember the time this guy went off on the bus driver because he was half an hour late for his job interview. The reason? Someone in a wheelchair both boarded and exited the bus before picking up our luckless friend, and that tends to put them a little behind schedule.

pydance

[Sailor Coruscant]

pydance is another open source DDR clone, with support for all sorts of different mats and dance games.

They also have a good faq with information on what mats to buy, and how to convert a soft mat into a proper hard mat.

Stop procrasti-planning and Start Sweating.

[Grabble]

In true Slashdot style, I'm going to presumptively answer a request you didn't ask: "Help me lose weight."

Also, you're doing what I used to do, so I'm going to be harsh. Very.

YOU'RE PROCRASTIPLANNING!


Close your browser.
Now.
Do ANYTHING that works up a steady sweat for 30 minutes.
Then do it again tomorrow.


Unless you've exercised in the last 72 hours, researching "the best pad to get" (oh my god) is bullshit, and I think you know it. STFU and sweat. Now. Go on, scram. Posting questions to slashdot about exercise is like the salesman who optimizes his contact management software instead of picking up the damn phone.

Trust me. I know how good it feels to plan out the good things you're going to do. That way, you're not really procrastinating. No, no. You're preparing. The project is underway.

No, it's not. "Research" isn't "doing".

If your question to Ask Slashdot is anything other than delusion and procrastination, you will be sweating each of the next five days, whether or not you've (again, oh my god) found an "open source DDR-type program".

About what to eat...

There's a lot of confusion about how to eat to lose weight. Here's the nutshell.
Remember the 3 Cs...

1) Calories: Daily, Eat 15 calories for every pound you weigh. But subtract 5% so you lose weight without slowing your metabolism.

2) Clock: Spread your daily caloric intake over 5 or 6 meals, evenly spaced thru the day.

3) Components: Every meal should have calories evenly distributed between carbs/protein/fat.

Not easy, not simple, but straightfoward and effective.

Result: Your body has a steady supply of just-in-time fuel. This discourages fat storage, big time. It also prevents energy spikes and crashes, big time. The 5% deficit is pulled from the fat stored while you were procrastiplanning.

Am I a bodybuilder? No. Am I shredded? No. Am I a trainer? No. Was I a contract programmer for someone who was? Yeah.


(Attention detail-mongers and nitpickers: Shhh! Go do something useful! These are generalities!)

Godspeed, anonymous sweating guy. Stop planning and start sweating.


P.S. Feel free to curse that asshole Grabble all the while. Just as long as you're sweating.

Re:Stop procrasti-planning and Start Sweating.

[1iar_parad0x]

You know, if he closes his browser he won't be able to actually read your message. :)

Re:Stop procrasti-planning and Start Sweating.

[Grabble]

Sweet Jesus, let it be.

Re:Stop procrasti-planning and Start Sweating.

[Grabble]

...meaning, I hope you're right and I hope he does.

Re:Stop procrasti-planning and Start Sweating.

[tongue]

mod parent up. the question is just plain stupid. making serious changes in one's appearances often takes serious changes in ones lifestyle. that means taking whatever is in the way of the gym and making it less of a priority than the gym, along with modifications in your diet. you don't have to start out going five days a week or anything--just shoot for twice a week, say mondays and thursdays. after a month or so go to MWF, then give yourself another month or two of that, then shoot for MTThF. A trainer will really help you stay on track as well--if you've never worked out seriously before I highly recommend it.

until you're ready to do that, anything you do towards losing weight is a waste of money.

Re:Stop procrasti-planning and Start Sweating.

[duggy_92127]

Grabble is correct in all respoects, including his attitude. Particularly: it doesn't matter, at all, WHAT you do, as long as you're sweating. In one sense, you're on track: you've possibly identified something fun (DDR) that should get you moving, so on that note, follow through and get a pad and start.

But on the other side, you ARE looking for a "quick way out". Going to the gym only sucks because what you've been doing there is not fun. My gym has racquetball courts, which I randomly tried one day and BY GOD, how much fun was THAT?? I'm in there 1-2 times a week now, and sweatin' all over the place.

Or get a sub-$100 hybrid bike from Target and start riding around. It's insanely easy to spend 2-3 hours on a bike, especially once you find the "good trails" which, I assure you, are VERY close to your house. That's hundreds of calories burned and hours of healthy elevated heartrate with no perceived effort, because it's just fun to ride around.

Personally, I do the above, and I also took up swimming about six months ago. Talk about low-impact but all-body workout! I've had pulled muscles from other activities, but didn't feel any pain at all while swimming; but for such a low-impact activity, it sure does work EVERYTHING. Strong legs, strong arms and back, abs... and once you get into a rhythm, your mind can wander and you think about what you like, and suddenly you're finishing up a mile. An hour of swimming is great all-around exercise.

In addition, Grabble's comments on food intake are spot-on. Stop eating "meals", and start eating smaller, balanced "mini-meals" throughout the day, snacks, almost. Almost immediately, you'll start being less hungry, and you'll be amazed at how LITTLE food you need to remain not hungry. In fact, once you do that, you'll have to be careful not to eat too LITTLE, because that can slow the metabolism. If you're very overweight, I'd cut the intake by more that 5% off of weight*15 calories, at least at the beginning.

My personal success story? On Thanksgiving of last year, 2003, I was 250lbs and just decided, forget it, I'm going to change this. I picked swimming, and jumped in a pool and taught myself to swim laps. I did that every day for four months, while also adjusting my eating, as per the above. In the last two months, I've eased off the swimming a little and added the cycling, and recently the racquetball, and some weight lifting for tone.

The result? I'm just about to break the 200lb barrier, and if I do say do myself, I'm looking great. Strong shoulders and back from swimming, and legs from that and cycling; chest and even abs are firm and VISIBLE, which is a new thing. It's absolutely amazing, and I wasn't out there killing myself every day, we're talking 30-45min in a pool, just getting the heartrate up. That's all it takes.

Losing weight and toning up doesn't have to be a painful chore; just pick something remotely fun and start doing it every day, ever for a tiny amount of time. DDR, just buy a pad and start up. Get a bike and ride around. Jump in a pool and "swim laps", even if you suck at it. Tennis and racquetball are great fun, even alone against a wall. Get the heartrate up doing something fun, ANYTHING fun, and keep at it; since it's FUN, it won't be a chore, right? :)

Best of luck to you. Feel free to contact me, anybody, if you like, to talk about this topic. I'm pretty passionate about it, since I've lost 20% of my body weight in six months and just feel great! :)

Doug

Re:Stop procrasti-planning and Start Sweating.

[The Fun Guy]

Trust me. I know how good it feels to plan out the good things you're going to do. That way, you're not really procrastinating. No, no. You're preparing. The project is underway.

Nicely put. Physically getting started is the hardest part of exercis. Well, no, continuing your chosen form of exercise for a second day when your flabby body is sore after the first day is *really* the hardest part. Nike's tag line is annoying but correct... just do it. Stop planning out how you're *going* to do it, and just do it. Or, if you like, keep planning the ideal approach, but start doing something while you continue to plan (and plan and plan).

I'll toss in a plug for the Hacker's Diet , too. Good exercise plan, good diet. I've lost 18 pounds so far, and I've gone from being doughy and pudgy to more toned and muscular. YMMV, but the important thing is to actually get up off your ass and do someting.

Re:Stop procrasti-planning and Start Sweating.

[TheCarp]

I wanna second the bike thing. I just rode a bike for the first time in 8 years and I had totally forgotten how much I used to love it. I supose I hadn't totally forgotten, I have been riding a motorcycle around for 3 years now but, still...
self propelled vehicles are nice.

I want to lose weight, and I realised, I live close enough to work to bike, why not save the wear and tear on the motor vehicles, and just bike in every day.
So I grabbed an old bike my sister isn't using, got it ready to go (still need to adjust the derailers but it works as is)

I think next time my sister and I ride, I will take the bike with the back seat for her kid, that way I can get the extra extrcise.

The one problem is bad weather. I suppose I could put on my motorcycle raingear (a downpour never stopped me from riding that bike), but when you are peddling, extra gear sucks!

And of course nature has conspired to keep me off the new way into work for the past few days... when will the sun come out again?

-Steve

Re:Stop procrasti-planning and Start Sweating.

[be951]

Sounds to me like he's been there, done that; and quit after a couple days each time. You make a good point in that overplanning is a way of stalling. But starting with the right tools (bike, treadmill, weight machine, or in this can DDR gear) can also be the difference between sticking with an exercise program vs. adding it to the list of things that didn't work.

Do you really think you (and all the rest here) berating this guy is going to motivate him? He will find his own motivation, or he won't. I've heard many stories about what motivated people to get in better shape, and I can't recall a single one of them that involved "some guy on a message board told me off".

Re:Stop procrasti-planning and Start Sweating.

[Anonymous Coward]

Grabble,
I agree with you, and I am NOT in shape (and in fact, am probably in worse shape than 90% of the folks here)

Let me tell a quick story to all the folks here - and to myself to try and get myself motivated.

Back about 8-9 years ago, I saw a picture of myself, and I really really didn't like what I saw - the picture did not match the mental body image. I started to diet (I was heavy enough that I had to start with some diet). I guess I lost, oh, 40 lbs or so. I then started working with some folks who went to the gym at lunch, and the said "come on" one day. I went, and I felt good - the gym was NICE etc. I joined, and became a REAL gym rat - 1-2 hours a day 6 days/week (and sometimes twice a day) - within a year, I was down another 110 lbs (yes folks, I dropped 150 lbs and was still slightly overweight - could have stood to lose another 10-15 lbs)(heck the gym was on the walk from the train to work -so it was easy - BTW That gym was destroyed on 9/11)

Then I changed jobs (twice) my first child was born, I had surgery, and in general, I stopped going to the gym, and eating right, due to a lack of TIME - having to get home early to watch the kids, etc

Guess what happened? Yep - I put all that weight back on.

Right now, I'm trying to lose enough to start working out again - I still have the child care problem (can't work out after work - I'll have to go before like I used to - hit the gym at 6:00am post commute - I got up at 4:20am)

So folks - it can be done, BUT you have to be commited to it - if you stop, you will backslide

Re:Stop procrasti-planning and Start Sweating.

[Grabble]

I dunno if you'll ever read this, but here's hoping.

This is long-shot, but here goes... You could be prone to "overmotivation". You went to the gym and BAM!, you enjoyed it so much, you probably got out-of-balance ("gym rat") and other areas of your life suffered.

So doesn't it make sense that you your mind "doesn't let you" get any momentum at the gym -- perhaps to protect your life (your body/surgery, your career, your child) from your own overmotivation?

Again, it's just a thought. It's a pattern I've seen in myself and my geeky/visionary friends.

The most powerful hack I did to my own gym schedule was to LIMIT how long and how often I was there. The idea is this: if I KNOW that I'm not gonna let myself get sucked in, then it's "safe" to go to the gym. That trick alone worked wonders for my fitness.

Although I've talked about the "gym" a lot, it's just an example of what I'm trying to convey. As you know, it ain't the gym that sheds the fat. It's the a) regular sweat and b) non-volatile fuel supply (6 mini-meals a day).

Re:Stop procrasti-planning and Start Sweating.

[Anonymous Coward]

Yep - I read it. It was 5 days because it was the perfect time for me. When I worked that job, it was easy to get up 20 minutes early, NOT shower, commute, get to the subway station in the WTC, go into the gym (just as they opened) and do my 60 - 75 minutes, hit the showers, and be at my desk before 8:00am. If I was feeling bored at lunch, or one of my friends wanted company, I went. It really didn't effect my available time, except I started work 30 minutes later than I do now. The kids eliminated the ability to stay that 30 minutes later, but that is now changing as the get older. My parents (now in their 80s) no longer use their treadmill - I think I'll go get it this weekend, and start

Re:Stop procrasti-planning and Start Sweating.

[Anonymous Coward]

2) Clock: Spread your daily caloric intake over 5 or 6 meals, evenly spaced thru the day.

Sorry, but this doesn't work.

Employed people are busy. I work for a living. When I'm not working for a living, I'm working for my hobby (and potential future-living if all goes well). I'm lucky to have one full meal per day much less six meals a day. Presuming they should not be quick-microwaved-burrito meals and should be something along the lines of something home made, you are talking 1.5 to 3 hours a day just putting six meals together without taking into consideration the time to consume those meals.

I have finally given up and solved the problem by stocking up on diabetic shakes from Ensure that are meant to have few carbs and sugars and otherwise be well balanced. They taste like shit, but at least I'm not starving all day and I don't have to interrupt my work every two hours to feed my face. I still have a real meal every day or two for lunch or dinner but I eat three meals a day and four to five out of every six meals are diabetic shakes (no, I'm not diabetic but i'm probably fat enough that I coudl become so).

It's all fine to worry about what you're consuming and how often if you're a lazy body who sits around watchign TV all day but I'm in the office 16 hours a day. Eating more than once is the least of my concerns.

Re:Stop procrasti-planning and Start Sweating.

[Anonymous Coward]

1) Calories: Daily, Eat 15 calories for every pound you weigh. But subtract 5% so you lose weight without slowing your metabolism.

Um... I really think that's a bad formula.

If you are 200lbs, you should NOT be consuming 15 calories per pound (minus 5 percent). That comes out to 2850. How are you going to lose weighg consuming 350 to 850 calories *more* than the RDA?

Further, if you're my size (550) you are definitely not going to lose weight by consuming 7,125 calories per day. I don't care how hard you work out that just isn't going to happen. Christ, I couldn't consume 7k if you held a gun to my head. On a really bad day, I can manage 3,000 calories but that's at the point where I'm about to burst.

Getting a work out - even if it's only walking on a treadmill for 15 to 30 minutes a day is a good start. Do more as you are able. And cutting out all of the soda (including diet) and substituting it with sugar-free tea (use splenda sweetener if you must) and water will help a lot. And cut out breads. Make yourself a hamburger patty but leave out the bun. Don't eat pasta. Don't eat a lot of potatoes or corn. Don't eat oatmeal. Don't eat potato chips or other processed foods. You'll be surprised what a difference it will make.

Re:Stop procrasti-planning and Start Sweating.

[Anonymous Coward]

Yup. I was never as overweight as you were, but 3 years ago I was 195 (6'1") and wanted to get back down to my college weight of 160. 10 weeks of the Hacker's Diet did it. I kept tracking my weight for another 6 months and then slowly stopped doing it. Life got busier, and now I'm right back at 195 and easily in the worst shape of my life. I used to run a sub 5 minute mile, do all kinds of crazy mountain biking, etc. Now I'm sure I couldn't make it a half mile without walking. Fucking sucks! :)

This time I'm going to emphasize exercise more than limiting calories. Instead I'll try to eat better, not less, and let the exercise and a healthier appetite do the rest. Maybe tomorrow morning I'll finally get up early and go for a walk/run/bike ride.

You're right, though. Maintaining weight (and more importantly, overall health) is a lifelong activity. if you stop, you will backslide - ABSOLUTELY!

No. Dangerous advice.

[Anonymous Coward]

Every meal should have calories evenly distributed between carbs/protein/fat.

WTF?! You're suggesting a diet that is 33% carbs, 33% protein, and 33% fat?! I don't care if you're suggesting percentages by either mass or volume -- 33% fat is way too high. That's just plain terrible advice.

Hey, what's that noise I hear? Oh, it's your thighs rubbing together.

Re:No. Dangerous advice.

[Grabble]

> That's just plain terrible advice.

...and that's a just plain terrible rebuttal.

Surprising, isn't it? It certainly evokes a "WTF?!" response, especially if you're used to the "Avoid Fat" mantra.

Give it time. You'll come around.

Three words....

[JeffHunt]

Sounds like "Dance Dance Delusion" to me ;)

Best way to lose weight:

[Singletoned]

Leave some raw pork and fresh tuna out in the sun for week, and then eat it.

You'll be spraying the weight out of you from both ends.

Do that once a month and you'll easily lose a few stone.

Re:Best way to lose weight:

[SkunkPussy]

haha well said

Re:Best way to lose weight:

[Anonymous Coward]

Ew ew ew...

Hacker's diet

[Bazzargh]

After a similar question was posted on /. a couple of years ago, I tried the Hacker's Diet, written by the co-author of AutoCAD, which several people recommended.

The book and the tools are all downloadable for free. It aims for gradual and consistent weight change through slight adjustments to your diet (just "smaller portions" rather than "thou shalt not eat X"), with light excercise thrown, in mainly to make you feel better. Because its not prescribing a massive life change, its fairly easy to get started and keep it going.

I lost 2 1/2 stone, and havent put it back on.

bash.org

[ReKleSS]

http://www.bash.org/?307358
<Arctic_Wolf> My friends parents bought him the nice DDR pads so he could lose some weight.
<Arctic_Wolf> He gets in trouble whenever they find out he's bought a non DDR PS2 game.
<Arctic_Wolf> "HOW IS ARMORED CORE 2 SUPPOSED TO HELP YOU LOSE WEIGHT, WONG?"

...You know something's wrong when you can recall a bash.org quote for just about *any* situation.
-ReK

Re:bash.org

[geoffspear]

Playing pretty much any other game using the DDR pads is actually much more strenuous exercise than actually playing DDR. Especially the sort of fighting games that involve pounding on different button combinations really quickly.

Priorities and how to make it easier

[SilentJ_PDX]

Until you make losing weight a real priority in your life, you're never going to achieve much. (I don't really get the sense that the poster is ready to make it a priority)

Making it a priority inevitably means giving up other things... giving up time for exercise and/or giving up food to diet. I chose to go the time route because I love food too much. I give up about 10 hours a week to run now, which means I sometimes miss going out with friends, TV shows, reading time, etc.

However, it's not all bad news. When I finally decided to get off my ass, I joined a running club. Believe it or not, this group is almost more social than exercise ("a drinking club with a running problem") and there are runners of all abilities. Having a group of people sharing the pain really helps and we all encourage each other. These days, I actually look forward to the group runs and I'm constantly challenging myself to go faster.

Good luck... but the first step is really deciding to make health/weight loss a priority.

It's not DiscO-penSource?

[Cragen]

Pun aside, my daughter does the DDR for PE credit for middle school. Granted I am really old, but the songs on the disc are pretty much all the same and very boring. Drives me nuts. (Aha! Perhaps THAT'S her game! Anyway, us Geeks don't dance. If you have seen us dance, you know why.) If you enjoy it and it helps you in any way, do it. Have fun.

Lao Xuesheng.

ps. The best new game in town: Learn a really hard Foreign Language that does not use the English alphabet. Amazingly relaxing, while learning a little something.

Also look into NNR.

[Nebu]

Perhaps slightly offtopic, but if you'll probably lose more weight if you play DDR "competitively" than "leisurely". That is to say, I know a lot of people who consistently play DDR on the easiest setting even though it's obvious they're skillful enough to move on to harder difficulties.

With that in mind, I'm mentioning this DDR site called NNR (http://nnr.ca) which is intended to be a DDR score tracker and skill analysis and improvement webapp, but you could probably use it as a exercise log of sorts, as well as motivation to keep pushing yourself to your limits.

Yeah, it was a shamely plug...

Translation:

[Gothmolly]

Hi, I long for a way to be uber-trendy, and don't want to go outside so I'm asking for a technological solution to what really boils down to a human problem.

My DDR exercise experience

[truffle]

I lost 15 pounds over about two months through a combination of DDR and reduced calorie intake. Here's my experience and tips.

* DDR is fun enough to play every day, but I don't think it's a good idea to do so. After playing every day for a month I started to get some kind of RDI (repetitive dance injury, I just made that up). Anyway, playing 3-4 times a work should be fine. On the other days - do some other kind of exercise! I also recently injured my toe playing DDR and I haven't been able to play for a month.
* The real "work out" for DDR comes from workout mode. The advantages of work out mode are the game never ends, and you can't lose. This removes breaks in play. It also lets you input your weight and set a workout goal in calories (I usually did 450/day). Whether or not their calorie counter is accurate, it certainly is not random, and thus can be used to ensure a consistent workout experience.
* I really think any exercise program, whether it's weight loss oriented or cardio oriented works better if you take a look at your diet and healthy it up.

Some more practical questions:
* Buy the cheapest pad you can to start. Many people just use cheap pads the whole way. I sprung for a knock off ignition pad (foam interior). Ebay is a fine place to buy them. Cheap pad fine. Ebay fine. No need to buy "best pad". A cheap pad should last you about 3 months of regular play.
* Many people mod their cheap pads to turn them into basically indestructable pads. I never bothered, DDR pads are cheap enough I just buy new ones. I'm on my second set of pads and I've been playing over a year. You'll need a Ps2 -> USB converter in general also, which can also be bought online.
* If you have a ps2 spring for DDR Max 2 (the newest PS2 ddr). While the free DDR games may be just super, I'd suggest buying the latest konami DDR to compare with. DDR Max 2 will get you playing fast, with a quality interface and songs. If you also want to set up your PC and download songs (and be warned, my understanding is that the song selection online is focussed on hard songs), go for it, but that's a project you need to work on. Playing DDR is something you can do right now if you pick up the game and a pad.

Good luck! DDR is a really fun game, and I think it can definitely be a contributing part of a healthy life.

Re:The Hacker's Diet free, online book & sprea

[duggy_92127]

On a "me too" note, this "diet" just makes a crazy amount of sense, ESPECIALLY for the "lazy". The premise is: calories in must be less than calories out, or "burned". Line that up, and you'll lose weight. Period.

If you're a logical engineer-type, this document will appeal to you in a big way. Even his "lifetime ladder" exercise program is really, really easy and can provide you with a good, simple base for getting some basic tone in your body. Can you do one sit-up? Then you can start the "lifetime ladder".

If you're at all interested in losing weight, give his link a read. It's refreshing.

Doug

CNN wants to know too

[abrotman]

Video game fans dance off extra pounds

Great idea

[ub3r]

Hey!!! I think losing weight with DDR is a great idea. I too have lost around 30 lbs just by playing DDR over the past couple months. The only other thing i suggest is also simply watching what you eat. That in combination with DDR has helped get in much better shape than i was. When you can do Tsugaru on heavy(I almost can!!), then you know you've come a long way.

Pads

[Xepo]

Everyone else is pretty much correct, it doesn't matter what you do, just do it, and stop procrastinating. But noone has really answered the ddr pads question, and you don't wanna waste money. I don't know how overweight you are, but that can really affect your enjoyment of the ddr pads. The flat pads (incredibly thin ones, as opposed to the 1-inch thick ones) will fail within 5 months if you play much, the thicker pads...there are all different kind of varieties of them. Anywhere from $30 - $150. Most people will be perfectly fine with $30 pads from ebay, but one of my friends (whose like 7 foot and is massive), can't play on it at all, cause the pad bunches up. Red Octane pads (~$90) are widely known as the best soft thick pads, and the foam inside is quite a bit more firm than the $30 ones. Plus they're more sensitive, which won't really matter unless you're planning on stepping extremely lightly. If you're going to go with soft pads, I'd suggest either Red Octane thick pads, or the flat pads.

Oh, it also depends on what you're planning to play on. The flat pads are mostly unplayable on carpet, unless you take the time to tape them over some hard wood to make them into hard pads. You'll see all sorts of tutorials if you google for it on how to mod flat pads.

Next, if you're okay with spending like $150 per pad, you can get hard plastic, or metal pads. I don't really have much experience with those, as I don't have the cash to afford that. The top of the line hard pad is widely known as cobalt flux. They're absolutely beautiful pads, but they're $300 a pop, a little insane pricing for most players. But, unless you've played the game before, and know that it'll help you, I wouldn't suggest spending much. Actually, I'd suggest buying two flat pads for $12 from ebay and duct taping them down and playing on some concrete or hard wood, until you know you enjoy it.

simple way to lose weight

[hrieke]

Eat less and exersice more.
Walk for 30 minutes each day. If that means that you play less Quake / video games, so what?

perfect for watching your pr0n collection

[Anonymous Coward]

running on a treadmill, you can now watch all those leeched divx files you didn't have the time to watch till now!

Red Octane pads work great!!

[sunbane]

I would second the recommendation for the red octane pads... they are pretty durable and work great. I am well over 300 lbs and it has had no problem so if it can handle me it can likely handle anything else that is thrown at it. The best site for ddr info I have found is ddrfreak.com. Go to their forums and read up there and you'll get some actual good information instead of all these insensitive comments from fellow slashdotters about how you just have to burn more calories than you eat blah blah blah...

Check the DDR Simulators forum for your pc software type stuff. If you are willing to get a playstation 2, the current DDR title actually has a workout mode that lets you put your weight in and it will track your workouts for you including calorie counters, etc. Be prepared, it is pretty difficult at first, but after a while you can get into the higher difficulty ratings.

Oh yeah, red octane actually sells usb adapters for their pads as well so you can use those on your pc... or you can get them elsewhere.

Eat less refined carbs

[CokoBWare]

Refined carbohydrates are the fastest source of energy food that people eat. White breads, cereals, potato chips, rice cakes, popcorn, cakes, pastas, and soft drinks, all which contain starches and sugars, give your body energy to burn. As a geek battling the buldge, I am hopelessly addicted to these foods. Once I went on a REDUCED carbohydrate diet, I lost around 45 pounds in the first three months. I was over 330 pounds, and now I have settled into a 295 range after going off the diet last November. My diet has changed, and I eat less. Less of everything. Less carb-laden food, and less junk. I try to eat healthy, and it seems to be working. Exercise is my next goal to start. I am traditionally lazy, so the DDR pad and game I have for my PS2 will be getting some good use soon. 45 minutes is a great experience. Oh yah, drink 2 litres of water (half a gallon) of water every day... it helps flush out all the crap you still have in your system.

DDR caution

[Wise Dragon]

I have this caution for you. If you live in an apartment where there are people living below you, do not bother with DDR. It will make them mad and they will complain. This happened to me, but I just bought a house so I can play DDR again.

Great article at Kuro5hin

[FattMattP]

There's a great article on this at K5.

Elliptical machines are the best

[Paladine97]

I bought an elliptical machine for my house and I have lost over 20 lbs now. I like ellipticals better than treadmills because they have much less impact which helps your knees.

You have to make exercising a priority or else you will get nowhere. I used to be about 10 lbs over my ideal weight, and now I'm 10 under and am in the maintenance mode (I don't want to lose anymore!). I have increased energy and feel great. I don't feel like such a sack of shit when I haul up loads of stairs.

Here are some things that helped me that might help you.
1) Drink only 0 calorie things. No pop, No juices. Just water or diet pops (I've actually developed a taste for Diet Pepsi after having hated the stuff all my life).
2) My workout routine is simply 25 minutes at max, 5 minutes cooldown. The machine tells me I'm doing about 200-240 watts. Equals about 400 calories burned when I'm done (though I think the calculation is a little off because other machines rate it higher, like 500). I work out every other day, usually at night when I get back from work. DO NOT SKIP A DAY. If you do, make it up by doing two in a row. I tend to eat at 6 o'clock or so, then I let my system digest and then I workout in the 8-9 hour. Throw in a DVD or charge up the iPod, and I'm kept busy.
3) Avoid high-calorie foods. Basically, eat whatever you want. No restrictions on fat or anything. But avoid super high-calorie foods. For example, don't buy an apple pie from McDonalds (they are like 500 calories!!).

Re:Elliptical machines are the best

[Anonymous Coward]

diet sodas are NOT healthy.

google for info related to, stomach cancer

Re:Elliptical machines are the best

[Paladine97]

Not just diet sodas, pretty much any carbonated drink. But if you want to get nit-picky, nothing is really healthy for you ;-)

Easy to lose weight w/ DDR

[DroopyStonx]

First, you need a good pad. There's a Red Octane foam mat you can get for $100 that's pretty decent, or you can shell out $300 and get a Cobalt Flux/a pad which is pretty much indestructible (someone tested it by running it over with an SUV and it still worked perfectly).

Second, if you want to lose weight, you need to eat properly. A good gague is your body weight x 10 in calories per day. 40% of which must come from protein and carbs while 20% come from fats (you can change up numbers to suit your own body). Eat good fats found in Salmon/Flaxseed Oil and eat carbs low on the Glycemic Index (brown rice, natural oatmeal, vegetables, etc..)

Third, you need to workout. DDR is considered HIIT (high intensitiy interval training) which means you go through small bursts of aerobic activity. For example, you do a song on standard mode, your heart rate could get up to 90% of its max. When you're done, rest for a minute or two till your heart rate goes back down to 60-65% then start again. This cycle will cause your body to burn more fat than a steady cardio session.

I've actually compared 30 minutes of DDR vs. 45 minutes of aerobic exercise and DDR is by far the best. For me, I burned around 600 calories in 30 minutes as opposed to burning 600 over 45-60 minutes with regular cardio. On top of that, it's fun. Running on a treadmill is boring as hell and the time goes by so slow, but when you play the game and workout, time flies and before you know it, it's done.

As long as you eat properly and workout so that you have a 1000 calorie deficit a day, you should be able to lose 2 lbs of fat per week.

Re:Easy to lose weight w/ DDR

[linzeal]

Finnnaly, a good use for a SUV. I was wondering what they were for, they are for testing if something is indestructible or not. Hmmm, I wonder what the SUV stands for now, oh well.

Advice from a DDR-aholic.

[Relic of the Future]

Hi, I'm Mudlock, and I'm a DDR-aholic.

Okay, now that that's out of the way... don't listen to these people that say "forget DDR, just go outside and run!" If you think the game is fun, that motivating factor will be much more important than how "efficient" your workout is. Even if running is 10 times as effective as DDR (and I doubt it's more than even one and a half), if you don't actually DO IT it doesn't matter.

As for the game itself, if you've got a PS2 or XboX, pick up any of the mixes available for that system (MAX or MAX2 for PS2 or Ultramix for XboX) in the pack that comes with a pad; that pad will work fine for a beginner. After you wear it out playing on it, then worry about getting a $100 pad or two. If you're going w/ PC, get StepMania or PyDance (as other have already suggested) and hit DDRUK to get the songs. Pick up a cheap ($30) pad and a good PS2->USB adapter (again, other folks posted good advice about that earlier).

As you play, constantly stretch your limits, and take advantage of playing at home instead of the arcade. Turn on the "event mode" option so you can play continuously w/o returning to the main menu. Turn failure off, (it's unmotivating). Try at least one song that you KNOW you can't pass each time you play.

And remember, it's always a good idea to check with your doctor before starting a new exercise regime; they can tell you a lot better about water and nutrient intakes than anyone on slashdot; they're better educated on it plus they know your medical history and condition better than we do.

Oh, and have fun :) I've played this game about 5-15 hours a week for almost two years, and it never gets old.

Re:Advice from a DDR-aholic.

[odaen]

Few pad ideas

You can get a 'Logic Pro dance mat' which is ignition style from Logics own website. The previous logic pad I had (black backed) has only ever had a split in it and still works pretty much perfectly.

Try to avoid 'plasticy' style mats, like the plague. These don't last long at all, and tend to break after 2 weeks use.

If you are going to go for a metal pad, try red-octanes or the ones off play-asia.com, these seem to be the popular picks. AVOID the pads on ebay as these are all cheaper metal pads which bend like hell.

Finally if you want to go all out, cobaltflux is the way to go. www.cobaltflux.com These last forever!

In terms of getting a program to use them, I recommend either stepmania or dwi, and an EMS2 USB converter, which works on both windows and linux. The ems2 usb, comes complete with 2 sockets, so you can play doubles mode if you are so inclined.

In fact I'd be very tempted just to ignore getting an official console version and get all the songs you need from ddruk.com .

zoom zoom zoom

[krimhum]

You may have been watching some of the beginning capoeiristas. If you watch some of the more advanced players, you'll see barely-dodged kicks to the head, walking around on hands, and crazy acrobatics, all happening *really quickly.* Capoeira is more a game than anything, and you'll often see feints and other tricky stuff.

Its really fun stuff to watch when the right people are in the jota (circle).

Regardless, Capoeira is the hardest thing that I've ever done. I took classes for a month before I decided to focus on my Tai Chi, and there wasn't a single class that I could do from start to finish without stopping to pant and run for the water bottle. It was even harder than kickboxing circuit training.

I haven't tried DDR yet, though. I'm going to give it a shot today on my lunch break.

My 0.02GBP

[Second_Derivative]

Hi. I'm Second_Derivative, and I am also a DDR addict. Unfortunately I'm a skinny little bastard so I didn't have any weight to lose in the first place from playing DDR (although I seem to have lost some anyway which is a bit worrying). With that in mind, take what I say with a pinch of salt.

Firstly, before you shell out $300 for a cobalt flux, grab $10 or so and pop down to your local arcade (I'm assuming you live in the US or Canada). With luck you should see a DDR Extreme machine (or maybe some flavour of Max. Don't play DDRUSA, the hardware is ancient and the song selection is pretty abysmal). Pop in a few credits, put it on Beginner or Light mode and try a few songs. Ask some of the other players there if you need any help -- one of the things that really stands out about DDR is its community. Unless the players there are a load of elitist wankers they'll usually be more than happy to help a newcomer get to grips with the game.

Try this for a few days and see if DDR is the game for you. If you don't like the game, it isn't going to work, pure and simple. To get to the stage where you're going to really burn large amounts of energy, you'll need to be playing songs with a rating of 9 (these are referred to as 'catas' in the lingo), or 10 if you can manage those. Ask some of the local players to demonstrate what this involves. The point is it will take several months' worth of practice to get up to that level. You have to keep pushing yourself to try the next difficulty level otherwise you're not going to exert yourself. Hopefully though if you like the game you'll find yourself wanting to do that anyway.

Anyway, if you decide you're up for it, then yeah go for at least a RedOctane pad (although I'd buy a BNS Beatgear if you want to go down that route. Same sort of construction, cheaper, and RedOctane tends to astroturf a lot which personally really pisses me off), but if you can afford it go for Cobalt Flux. If you're in the EU, go to liksang.com or playasia.com and look for "metal mat with rail". Anything below Cobalt Flux will usually require some custom modifications to be able to withstand heavy play. That and I haven't heard of anyone passing, say, Max 300 on a soft mat (the 300 refers to the song's BPM by the way. Let's just say it's one of the harder ones ...).

As for a PC setup, Stepmania is a good bet, and DDRUK.com do some good bumper packs (just download the Dance Dance Revolution (n)th Mix -(Whatever)- and PSX/PS2 and Solo packs and don't bother with all the weird Disney/Tokemeki/whatever offshoot versions). Any good non-Radioshack PS2 to USB converter should work ... other posts have covered this issue in more detail.

Try to get into the community of it a bit as well. Competition with your fellow players is the single best driving force for getting better, and I certainly wouldn't be as good as I am now if I didn't regularly converse with people who were much better. DDRUK itself has a really good community, try joining that (list Tau as your referer :D )

Hope this helps...

Re:My 0.02GBP

[Relic of the Future]

...grab $10 or so and pop down to your local arcade[.] Ask some of the other players there if you need any help[.]

This is something I'd agree with, but I would like to add: if you're playing in the arcade, for the first few times, get a partner who's played before to go with you. Nothing sucks more than paying a dollar and only getting 1-1/2 songs.

General advice (mats, program, song choices)

[Anonymous Coward]

I think you should ignore those people who are saying you "need to get out and sweat". I played DDR before I pretty much mastered it (B on most 10-footers on normal settings, for DDR freaks). I could happily play for hours because it genuinly is fun.

OK: for mats, I have here two Ignition mats in a wooden frame, with rubber mats from our car nailed on the bottom to reduce friction on our wooden floor. That's my recommendation. If you want a hard mat, get the best - especially if you're overweight. Don't get a flimsy sort of hard mat; my one only lasted a month or so.

Don't get some pathetic plastic mat - they crumple, slide around, and have a too-smooth surface. If you do get one for some reason, fix it onto the floor with bricks. If you have a wooden floor. put something under the bricks to avoid scratching the floor.

Get a proper mat with a foam mattress.

Use StepMania (DWI if SM runs too slow), and use BitTorrent to get song files. I suggest you screw with the whole "legal thing" and go leech at ddruk.com. Start from 1st mix and go up to 8th mix. Then pick other stuff slowly, if at all - they tend to have lower quality songs.

Turn off the lyrics in the StepMania options, they're a distraction.

Progress quickly: Just skip all the one-footers and go straight to 2. 3 isn't such a big step. From 4-6, you will probably have to redo your style (I won't detail it here) and then you can progress nicely. Be aware that completing a 9-footer from 3rd Mix (the earliest mix to have them) is considerably easier then the 9-footers from 8th Mix. Always play a few songs you know you will pass and always play a few songs you know you will fail. Vary your training style - sometimes, play easy songs intending to AA them, sometimes play hard songs intending to C them, sometimes pick songs 5 in advance, sometimes set up a course, sometimes add modifiers, sometimes play facing sideways, etc. etc. etc. There's a certain level where playing is the most fun, and you should enjoy it while you can (but don't be scared to progress!)

Easy

[Zurd3]

This is easy, I got DDR here at home, setting it up is simple :

1) buy DDR Pads from ebay, its really cheap, take the 1 inch foam pads, they are the best. (about 50$)

2) www.liksang.com offers psx to usb adapters, just buy 2 (about 30$ for 2)

3) get www.stepmania.com with some DDR songs (free)

And you're ready to rock! You can even do double :-)

Why not real dancing?

[phamlen]

I'll just throw out a radical idea that's entirely non-technical. Why not try real dancing? For example, swing dancing can be quite energetic and a lot of fun.

Most cities have dance studios - I would say sign up for some lessons. Usually the studio also has a "practice night" - an hour or two of dance music and willing partners. I know from my youth that I would shudder when I heard the words "dance lessons" bu they're not nearly as dweebish as they sound.

For me, the advantages are:
1) They're fun - much easier to go to something that's fun.
2) They're social - you get to meet people, make new friends
3) They give you a good amount of exercise even though it doesn't seem like it.

Re:Why not real dancing?

[Anonymous Coward]

The swing dancing fad was sooooo late 90s.

DDR

[Anonymous Coward]

I was in a similar situation as you. I am a gamer, not a health nut. The reason I play DDR is because of the exercise. The reason it works for me is because it's a game and I find it challenging and fun.

Pad: BNS DX Pad is $50 new, 1 inch thick, and very highly regarded. Start with this until you are sure you like playing DDR etc.

The best system for "legal" DDR is PS2. Stepmania for the PC is, as I understand it, pretty good but primarily of interest if you want to download all the content instead of buying it.

Personally I like the PS2 because I would rather play in my living room on my big TV with the stereo cranked up than in my office staring at the monitor with my crummy speakers...

Go for it!

MMORPG, or other games, with DDR input?

[ggwood]

So since MMORPG's are infamous for addiction, all one needs is to connect it to use a DDR pad as part of the input. Instant weight loss. I imagine the legal warnings - people with health problems will have problems - to be issued will be prodigious. Clearly, you'll need a keyboard for chatting between fights otherwise you'll loose the community which is why people keep playing games with horrific gameplay value and poor graphics. I'm envisioning using the DDR pad to either move around or to fight and do special attacks.

Currently, in Everquest, we smack the auto-attack button and maybe one or another button every few seconds. Yet with the DDR pad, perhaps you could have certain rythmic steps to *keep* autoattack up and have other steps to move your character around (reposition them) and to keep other things going, too. Obviously, you'd need difficulty settings.

Actuallly, maybe the DDR pad would work better as input for a fighting game, or a sports game (how ironic). Trouble would be, in one player versus another human player mode, the more physically fit one would have an edge - the degree of which could be tweaked by game mechanics.

Nevertheless, somebody (not me) should take advantage of the new DDR as an input device for new, other, games.

If no one is doing this already (which I doubt) it would be a great opportunity for an open source game.
_________________________________________

Try this

[weekendwarrior1980]

Here's something I follow: Monday: Bench Press (12,10,8) Incline Press (12,10,8) Pullovers (12,10,8) Chin-ups (25-30 reps) Bent-over Rows (12,10,8) Deadlifts (Power train) (10, 6, 4) Crunches (3 sets of 15 each) Wednesday: Barbell Clean and Rows (12,10,8) Dumbell Lateral Raises (12,10,8) Heavy Upright Rows (Power train) (10,6,4) Push Press (Power Train) (6,4,2) Standing Barbell Curls (12,10,8) Seated Dumbbell Curls (12,10,8) Close-Grip Press (12,10,8) Standing Tricep Extensions with Barbell (12,10,8) Wrist Curls (12,10,8) Reverse Wrist Curls (12,10,8) Reverse Crunch (3 sets of 15 each) Friday: Squats (12,10,8) Lunges (12,10,8) Leg Curls (12,10,8) Standing Calf Raises (12,10,8) Straight Leg DeadLifts (Power Train) (10,6,4) Good Mornings (Power Train) (10,6,4) Crunches (3 sets of 15) All in all it should take you about 45 mins every other day to do these exercises. Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday: Cardio for an hour. (split cycling/treadmill) So there you go, good balance of aerobic and anaerobic exercises. It builds your endurance and strength. However, a forewarning, if you're not doing for health reasons, you're likely to fail. I've toned down quite a lot and lost 30 pounds in a year.

Lose weight the fast (but expensive way)...

[Anonymous Coward]

...half a gramme of Cocaine a day allowed me to lose a buttload of weight two years ago. As for addiction, I guess I must not have an addictive personality as I just stopped one day, with no ill effects or cravings. I was also able to stop smoking like that, just picked a day and stopped, havn't touched one since. Addiction is the consequence of a weak mind.

Anyhoo, back to the Cocaine weight loss programme. First of all, Cocaine is a stimulant so your metabolic rate is raised (along with your body temperature and heart-rate). It is also an appetite suppressant, so not only are you eating next to nothing, you're burning up calories at a faster rate than you can take them in, net result? Effective weight loss, I've managed to keep the weight off for 2 years now, so it does work, screw atkins! :o)

as long as it's fun...

[harrylackapants]

I am an 30 years old IT Consultant and in the last years my career boomed. With each new position I found less and less time to do sports as the chores became more and more demanding, and am spending most of my time in front of my PC. Naturally I got about 25 Kg fatter in the last 6 years. Pretty alarming, at least for me. On the other hand, when I come from work I am dead tired (more like mental tiredness) and am in no mood for anything beside relaxing. I remember the time when I had lots of free time (highschool and university) and was training in at least 2 sports and at least twice a week and was lean as a stick. The main difference now is that I have less time and less mood for sports. After many months of self analysis I finally understood that the time is not the problem. It is the lack of mood. Bodybuilding was fun when I had no worries and lots of time. Now it is just like taking another duty in my little free time. So that was the answer and actually is the thing behind the dancing game in the article! You don't necessarily have to dance to lose weight. You just have to find something which takes up a lot of muscle energy and still is fun! For me, tennis did the trick. I just had to find a sport I like. Now I have no problem to find time for it and can barely wait till the next training to have fun.:) I lost about 10Kg in the last 6 weeks and am feeling great!

Run easy, run often

[Anonymous Coward]

My method:

1. Run 100 feet, walk back home
2. skip a day
3. Run 110 feet, walk back home
4. skip a day
5. Run 120 feet, walk back home ...
6. Run 1 mile, walk back home ...

I did this over a 4 month period and went from being out of breath after 100 feet to being able to run 7 miles continuously.

The Key is to always run a little more than the last time. Sometimes, when you have the right weather, food intake, and your body cooperates, you can run more than 10 extra feet.

DDR and weightloss

[BohemianCoast]

If I just do DDR, and don't diet as well, I don't lose any weight. However, I do feel better, feel happier, look better, and I'm much fitter. If I also diet, then I lose weight. I've been doing DDR at home for about 18 months now; I rarely play in the arcades (I have small children). I'm not a great player, but I have a lot of fun and work up a sweat. I have a PS2 (bought, essentially, specifically to play DDR on -- cheaper than the gym), several games, and ignition-type dance mats (the ones with padding in them and easily feelable edges to the arrows). I'd take issue with the chap who said 'just run'; running's way harder on your knees than DDR (as long as you use padded mats), and it's harder to integrate into your lifestyle than in-house exercising. Plus, as a result of the DDR, I can now run when I need to -- to catch a bus or catch my kids -- without getting out of breath. And my walking speed has gone from 'slower than most people' to 'faster than most people'; I'm only 5'1", so catching most people up when walking is a really good feeling. Plus it makes you feel more empowered when walking alone at night. Although you can get DDR working on your PC, you risk using up tons of time that you could be exercising in finding songs, getting the set-up working, sourcing exactly the right sort of adapter (I recommend Lik-Sang), and so on. You need to be careful that you're not attempting to find a time-spinning exercise-avoidance strategy. Getting a console's not expensive; you can pick up a second-hand PSOne for only a few dollars, and get a mat and game bundle. If you're doing DDR for weight loss, then I picked up a tip from an occupational health specialist, who explained to me that exercise that shifts your body weight (like walking or running) is better for your general health than exercise that doesn't. Ordinary one-mat DDR is pretty static. But if you do double, where one person dances across two mats, you have to shift your body all the time. Result; it's much harder exercise. It's also a greater intellectual challenge, which I like. (DDR is as much work for your brain as your body; something that isn't true of most exercise). If you're a beginner, you should probably leave double until you can do four foot dances straightforwardly. Home DDR is better for exercise than arcade unless it's easy to fit a visit to an arcade into your routine. Even so, the home versions have more and better non-stop features, and the key to making an effective exercise routine from DDR is to increase the time you spend dancing and reduce the time you spend fiddling with the controls, choosing songs, checking your records and so on. DDR's not the only video game that gives you a workout. Eyetoy and Eyetoy Groove exercise your upper body, as does Samba De Amigo. And we found that playing SSX on a snowboard controller was great for balance. Have fun

Not the most creepy person in the gym

[MythoBeast]

As long as you are not the most creepy person in the gym, you're safe.

A lot of guys have a misguided idea of what "most creepy" means. Usually it means "most threatening". Most women have a creep-o-meter, and if you exceed the green zone they'll start to mind. Some women like to be looked at, but most of the pretty women shy away (and stop showing up) if they get stared at by anyone.

Appearances matter, but not the way you think. Good looks doesn't count as much as good hygene. Women usually don't mind a clean-cut guy, unless he's good looking or leering, both of which will get you marked as predatory.

If you don't want to scare women away in the gym, follow a few simple rules:

1. Don't look directly at them the first day that you notice them. Yes, I said DAY. If they're there on your next visit, then they're safe to briefly check out.
2. Never stare. If you don't get enough information from a breif glance, you need to come up with an excuse to talk to them. If you don't think you'll get anywhere talking to them, then staring will only make things worse.
3. Exercise while you're there. Don't just wander around, look exhausted, sit on a machine, set the weights, look exhausted, change to another machine, sit on it, look exhausted, play with the weights some more, maybe do a few slow reps, then go get a drink of water and stand around the fountain looking exhausted, (etc., etc., etc.) Women notice that kind of thing and quickly tune in to the fact that you aren't there for the machines, you're there for the people using the machines.

Re:Not the most creepy person in the gym

[Anonymous Coward]

That's right. Because remember, if you approach, look at or talk to a woman, it's sexual harassment. Unless you're hot in which case she doesn't mind. So.. yeah... really, it's only sexual harassment if you don't fit into the category of someone she doesn't *want* harassing her.

Recommendations

[ChaosDiscord]

First, try playing at an arcade first. A few games will be relatively cheap. If it turns out you don't like it, you'll have saved much more money. Investing in a game you end up not liking is ever bit as bad as investing in exercise equipment you don't use. DDR Freak offers a directory of machine locations.

If you do like it (and don't have downstairs neighbors... *sigh*) playing at home is the cheapest option. Again, I'd go cheap at first; you can scale up as you need to. If you don't have a console already, grab a cheap used PS1 ($30 bucks or so), a cheap vinyl dance pad ($20), and a used copy of the original DDR or DDR Konamix for the PS1 ($10). The cheap pads are just fine to start. Which of the expensive pads to get is a much more complex question, but if you reach the point where you really want one, you'll have learned what you're looking for and be better able to sort through the available information.

All that said, just increasing your exercise level alone won't necessarily help if you just eat more to compensate. I know this to be true. Ummm, I'm talking about, er, a friend, yeah, a friend, that's it. Anyway, consider at least some minimal dieting in addition. I, erm, I mean my friend found The Hacker's Diet to be a welcomely rational discussion of dieting.

Lose weight without DDR

[Anonymous Coward]

If you're terribly overweight you might consider getting down to a managable weight before you subject your joints to irreparable damage.

Quite simply you lose weight by cutting calories. That's it! I'll tell you in this paragraph how to lose all of your fat without getting up. Only eat fruits and vegetables. Green leafy vegetables as often as possible. Root vegetables are also good, but they must be PLAIN. Do not eat any grains (cereal, rice, bread), beans or nuts. You should not exceed 20g protien per day and you'll get this from brocolli and other greens if you fill yourself and stick to what's prescribed (look it up if you don't believe). No meat (fish is a meat!), no dairy, no eggs. Drink only water. Half of your food should be vegetables, half fruits. Don't count calories or servings, just eat half fruit and half vegetables until you don't think you could eat another bite.

You'll lose all of your body fat in 6 to 8 months and will suffer no nutrient deficiency. You will probably solve any nutrient deficiencies you have as a matter of fact because most of these are found in vegetables and especially fresh fruits for vitamins. Be sure to get as great a variety as possible for a variety of nutrients and flavors. This summer is an excellent time to start.

If you're weak willed and can't cut it you'll not lose weight. Either that or you'll just gain it back after your short-term diet.

A good starter book, if you need more, is Dr. Joel Fuhrman's Eat to Live . His recipes aren't the best, but he cites several medical studies to wipe away any skepticism before you start. But truthfully, all you need to know is half fruit and half vegetables. Half cooked and half raw. No meat, no egg, no dairy. Avoid grains, beans, and nuts; you only need 20g of protien.

Re:Lose weight without DDR

[Peter Cooper]

If you're terribly overweight you might consider getting down to a managable weight before you subject your joints to irreparable damage.

Agreed.

Quite simply you lose weight by cutting calories.

Agreed.

Only eat fruits and vegetables.

This is not good advice! There are large categories of people whose digestion and metabolic systems are optimized towards meat eating. While your advice will work for some people, it will hurt others. Of course, they should give it a try to see if it works for them, but cutting out meat and only eating fruit and veg could be dangerous with the wrong person.

Calories are easy to remove in any diet. You just need to cut out those 'odd things' which throw an immediate 500 calories a day extra into your diet (e.g. chocolate bars, regular sodas).

Re:Lose weight without DDR

[Anonymous Coward]

There are large categories of people whose digestion and metabolic systems are optimized towards meat eating. While your advice will work for some people, it will hurt others.

I have never heard of this. Would you care you provide some documentation?

Re:Lose weight without DDR

[Peter Cooper]

I learned about it while consulting with a potential client who's an expert in the nutritional field (never turned into a client, but never mind). I am struggling to find any truly objective sources on the net, they seem to be vegetarian sites or die-hard protein sites, although this may be a start.

However, the base story comes from the fact that people in non-famined Africa will naturally gravitate towards a diet rich in fibers and grains, and Eskimos can easily eat semi-raw meat, yet both aren't known (like Westerners) to suffer from constipation or malnutrition. It all comes down to genetics at the end of the day, and while indigenous populations such as certain people in Africa, and eskimos, can have fixed dietary types.. mongrel types such as Europeans or Americans could be likely to swing iin either direction.

I tend to find a low meat, high carbohydrate, and high fiber diet works best for me.. but some people swear by high meat diets, and don't get the constipation that I would if I ate like them.

Re:Lose weight without DDR

[Anonymous Coward]

I've heard this many times, but only from fat fucks who will rationalize anything to avoid having to change their diets, or from liars who prey on fat fucks by selling them diets that promise weight loss without them having to change their diets, or even exercise! Of course those people have no interest in actually helping someone lose weight - why would you decrease the size (both in numbers and in desparation) of your potential market?

You fat people, eat vegetables. Simple.

alternatives to gym and DDR - try kung fu

[Anil]

Going to the gym, especially alone, can be really boring. This is, as you alluded to, why you haven't been going. There are many less boring alternatives to working out than a gym or even running.

What you need is something that isn't boring. DDR isn't all that boring, especially when you get all the expansions. Other alternatives - Find someone to work out with or try and find a gym with organized classes that are convinient for your schedule. Other people will help motivate you and make things much less boring. Also there are things aside from gyms - adult sports leagues (soccer/ultimate frisbee/etc), martial arts, etc.

I went the martial arts route. It is a killer workout. It is not boring. There are lots of other people around. You can see yourself get better/stronger/faster. Schools are relatively pleantiful (if you aren't picky about which style to study) and they usually cater to working adults (as many instructors are also working adults) and most give free introductory lessons to try and atract new students.

of course, if it is just the gut you're trying to get rid of then diet is as important as the exercise.

DDR, the way of life

[slezb]

I've had my DDR pad now since about December. I wasn't overweight before.. I'm not now. It can be a hell of a work-out. Takes me about 3-5 minutes to get into a serious sweat, and twenty minutes of heavy play puts me in a state equivalent to a 1-hour high intensity martial arts workout. I've managed to pass almost all 'Heavy-mode' songs on DDR Max2. (I can sight-read many 8 and 9-bar songs). Becoming decent at the game is all about recognizing patterns and divorcing yourself from the 'this-foot-that-square' thought process. It's important to consider the four arrows as tied to the appropriate spatial squares and not to a particular foot. That said, it's taken me several months to get really proficient at heavy-mode songs. Sure, I could stammer my way through some of them before, but that's not the point. As you improve, you'll notice that lower modes don't provide a workout anymore. I used to get drenched in sweat on simple Standard-mode songs... Not any more... you really need to keep pushing the envelop on the speed and difficulty of songs you attempt to continue receiving the benefit of exercise. I bought a big pad... probably 30lbs. The plastic step-pads have almost all boken now, which I have replaced with lexan polycarb stuff. This has resulted in dead spots around the edges of the squares as the lexan is a little more flexible than the original plastic. Moral of this story... be careful of the plastic used in your DDR pad!

Diet first, exercise is painful when obese

[Peter Cooper]

I was in a similar position to you several months ago, so I bought DDR (PC version!) an el-cheapo dance mat, and began. Unfortunately setting it all up and running DDR every day became a chore, so the mat eventually got rolled up and stored away. It also didn't seem to do my fitness much good, as it was too intense for too short a time.

Three months ago I came up with a different plan, and that would be to diet to lose enough weight to get down to a weight where exercise would be easy. The fact is, if you're obese, exercise is not easy, and exercise is not the way to lose weight if you're obese. After having your ample bosom ache from banging up and down and having chafed thighs, you quickly realise this.

I picked a few different foods I liked which weren't too unhealthy and added up to a sensible amount of calories. Then I ate those foods for three months. Now I'm 29lbs down on where I was, and exercise is eassssy!

Now I run or walk daily, and could easily get into DDR again if I could be bothered setting it up every day. I have another 25lbs or so to go, but I got half way just through eating less (but not cutting out anything I really liked). So once you're half way, exercise becomes a joy, rather than a painful chore.

Re: Limiting FAT.

[Anonymous Coward]

Why does everyone keep saying "Reduce your FAT intake"?

Calories are Calories, whether they're carbohydrates, protein, or fat.

However, a relatively small portion of fatty foods (potato chips, french fries, etc) will turn off my hungry-feeling like a light switch.

Given a choice of 100 calories of chips, 1000 calories of pasta, or constantly feeling hungry, seeking out snacks, and noshing...

Too many people are eating a salad for lunch, then buying out the vending machines back at the office by 3pm, and then complaining "I can't lose weight".

Excessive Water is Lethal!

[Anonymous Coward]

Excessive water intake is lethal. It takes about 3 gallons according to the alt.suicide faq. Not a very pleasant way to go...

Find what works before you spend money on it!

[bluGill]

First of all, find what works. That means don't spend a penny more than you have to at first. Try DDR at an arcade, if you walk away thinking you can master it, then get a cheap pad. If 1 month latter the cheap pad has worn out, you know it is worth spending money on a good one. If the cheap pad never wears out, you aren't using DDR enough to justify the good pad. (though a good pad would improve your game)

Find what works. Maybe you need a dog to walk every day. (Don't do this unless you are up to taking care of a dog every day though! It is a major effort) For me riding a bike to work is great, because I have to get to work, and the bike is my transportation. (unfortunately I lost that job, and now live 50 miles from work) Join a sports team, volleyball can be good exercise if you find friend who are good (there are some teams that intentionally do not play as well as they could because they don't want to move up to the next level), and the team forces you to play. Maybe it means quitting your job and going into carpendry. (a great way to loose weight, after 9 months my sizes were smaller than I wore in Jr high! hard on the body though, and not much money in it) Or get a 20th floor apartment and never use the elevator.

You have to find what works for you. That will not be the same was what works for everyone else. Keep trying.

Neighbors

[YrWrstNtmr]

If you live in an apartment, DDR may not be the best thing you could do. Or a treadmill. I tried a set of bicycle rollers in an apartment. Lasted 2 days before the guy downstairs pitched a bitch. All that machinery resonating through the floor was NotGood.
br.Unless you live on the ground floor, of course.

Doing it right now!

[ZephyerX75]

Hello, I am a 15 year old male, and after realizing i gained 9 pounds in only 3 months, and looking at my stomache, seems like it went there. So my friend got into DDR, and i decided to follow suit. To me, DDR isnt just excersize, its also very fun. I have lost 7 pounds in a period of...oh a month and a half, playing around 45-60 minutes a day, drinking 3 bottles of water ^_^. All you need is a pad, any will do, and the game (total around 60-70USD). Once your skill level gets good, and you find that the crappy generic pad slides too much while doing complex dance moves, you might want to invest in a better pad, such as the DDR Extreme 2.1 (www.levelsix.com) which is in the mail for me right now ^_^. Also, i must stress that you should stretch for around 5 minutes before playing, and start with slow songs for a warmup, procede to the faster songs, then when you figure its time to stop, do a couple of slow songs for a cool down. For great motivation try to get a friend to do it with you. Hope this helps, DDR sure has helped me!

Re:The Hacker's Diet free, online book & sprea

[baadfood]

The hacker diet was put together by a moron who cant debug his way out of a paper bag. The human body has the ability to self regulate its energy intake and burn rates to achieve an "optimal" body fat ratio. You just have to stop confusing the fuck out of it by consuming trans saturated fats and refined carbohydrates. And sugar of course. If you wanna get fat or stay fat, continue to fuck with your insulin regulation mechanisims by consuming high glycimic index food products. If you wanna get thin - no amount of excercise will help you without a corresponding change in diet. Thats why all those excercise machines on TV that promise to make you thin and buff, include a "free" eating plan. Its the eating plan that does the weight loss.

i wonder..

[hutkey]

...if the people giving these beautiful suggestions, themselves get out of their comfy chair once in a day. :D

may be it is easy to give suggestions , rather than DIY :-|

thnx all for the suggesetions, though

EVERYONE'S HOMEWORK

[WTFmonkey]

Go read The Science of Nutrient Timing. Read both parts. Hell, read the whole magazine. Or at least every article by JB.

in response to the original question

[chou oishii]

ok, not that I haven't found the discussion of total weight loss plans useful, but to answer the original question here:

if you've never played ddr before, just go to eb and buy a cheap $20 soft pad and a copy of ddrmax/max2 if you have a ps2, or konamix if you have a ps1, or ultramix if you have an xbox, and just start playing. it's easier to just get started if you buy an official mix, and it will avoid a lot of excuses for putting off trying the game (waiting for the adapter to hook up the pads to your comp, searching for songs you want to play, mucking with all the settings in stepmania...).

as for pads, the more expensive ones are more or less necessary when you start trying to play harder songs (pretty much anything over 7 feet), but starting out, you will most likely be struggling with the most basic songs on whatever mix you get. just keep in mind that it's just about impossible to play with a soft mat on a carpet, so that may affect your choice.

also, if you can find someone else to play with, it becomes a hell of a lot more fun. but regardless of whether you're alone or in a group or whatever, just deal with the fact that you're going to be terrible at first and keep trying. you WILL eventually get it.

oh, and good luck ^_^

Try Real Exercise

[Anonymous Coward]

When I see groups playing DDR, it always looks like a support group for the socially inept. So now, people are putting it forward not only as a pretense for a social life, but as a pretense for exercise.

If you want to get fit, be deliberate about it. If you don't want it to take too long, and you want results, check out what this guy did.