The Guaranteed Weight Loss ‘Hack’
- You don’t need to count calories.
- You don’t need to starve yourself.
- You don’t need insane work ethic (although hard work will bring faster results)
Virtual reality is the weight loss hack that can make this possible.
“VR has the power to transform the laziest, unfittest couch potato into a motivated fitness junkie. People have lost 138 pounds just from 2 months of VR. There’s no other life hack like this.”
What Exactly is VR and How Does it Make me Lose Weight?
VR = Virtual Reality
You put on a headset and you’re transported to another dimension. It’s breathtakingly immersive, and once you’re in it, you’ll have the most fun of your life!!
VR allows you to have fun whilst exercising, making the process of losing weight addictive and effortless. It’s something you can easily maintain over the long term unlike other methods of exercising.
Things you can enjoy:
- Rhythm games
- Dancing
- Boxing
- Tennis
- Basketball
- Cycling
- eSport games
- Action games
- Many more
One of the most popular apps is called ‘Beat Saber’ a rhythm game that even non-gamers can get into.
The rules of Beat Saber are simple – you have to slash cubes in the right direction (as indicated by their arrows) using your light sabers:
Note: The game is incredibly hard, she is just very skilled
Cost of VR
The top VR headset, the Quest 2 can be bought for around the price of a gaming console, or 6 months of gym membership. It doesn’t require a powerful computer or setting up external sensors to play. VR is easy to set up and ultra affordable nowadays.
Is Beat Saber a Good Workout?
Although Beat Saber might just look like you’re flopping your arms around, it actually increases your heart rate into the fat-burner zone (70-80% of your maximum heart rate) and is considered a good upper body cardio workout.
Exercising in VR is like any other exercise routine, except you’re exponentially more likely to stick with it for the long term.
But you don’t have to take my word for it, look at the results from the VR community:
Case Study One: Losing Weight Without Dieting
This man posted on Reddit about how he lost weight through exercise alone without even changing his diet. Here’s his Reddit post.
Case Study 2: Getting Addicted to VR Even if You’re Not a Gamer
Here’s another example from someone who was never a gamer, and had zero interest in gaming:
VR gaming is completely unlike flatscreen gaming. Even non-gamers will find it extremely fun.
Case Study 3: Streamer Losing 52 lbs Over 2 Years
Here’s another story where a Twitch Streamer loses 52 lbs over 2 years of Beat Saber, and his face underwent a crazy transformation that doesn’t even look real:
Other Examples
There are thousands of stories like these on Reddit. There are too many no name, but I’ve linked to a few more interesting ones:
So in short – VR works for everyone – gamers, non-gamers, extremely obese people, old people and even the laziest of people.
How Much Calories Does it Burn?
Calories burnt depends on your weight. It also depends on the game you’re playing.
Let’s take a look at Beat Saber which is the most popular game in VR:
The VR Institute of Health and Exercise measured that playing Beat Saber on the ‘expert’ difficulty burns “6.55-7.45 kcals per minute” on a person who weighs 60kg. This is the equivalent of playing tennis. Most people can achieve ‘expert’ difficulty within 4 hours of playing.
The harder difficulties of Beat Saber are the equivalent of rowing!! (and the hardest difficulties can go beyond that).
Beat Saber isn’t even the most intensive workout game in VR, but it’s one of the most fun.
Imagine being able to lose weight by playing games each day! You’ll have a blast, you’ll feel mentally better, and if your diet isn’t horrible then you’re guaranteed to lose weight.
More on diet later…
Losing Weight With Traditional Methods = Nearly Impossible
“Losing weight seems impossible.”
If you’ve ever felt this way, just know it’s very common. Only a tiny percentage of the population are successful at losing weight in the long term:
There was a study conducted to find out: “What is the probability that an obese person can reach a normal/healthy weight?” The results:
“The annual probability of attaining normal weight was 1 in 210 for men and 1 in 124 for women.”
So the odds of losing weight is extremely slim and it’s even harder to maintain it in the long run.
Reason Why Losing Weight is so Impossibly Hard
Although the formula for losing weight is so simple: calories in < calories out, simple does NOT equate to “easy.”
Most weight loss methods require work ethic + enduring pain, something most people aren’t willing to go through:
- If you go on a diet, you’ll might feel hungry and tired all the time. You might even experience symptoms like dizziness or headaches. Combine that with a full-time job or study and dieting can become impossible.
- Most people don’t have the work ethic to maintain an exercise routine. If you find exercise even slightly boring, there’s almost zero chance you can maintain that lifestyle for the rest of your life. There’ll also be many roadblocks such as: muscle pain, boredom and finding the motivation to exercise on days where you have no energy.
But VR makes it a lot better.
You don’t have to starve if you exercise.
And people go into VR because they love it and they’re having so much fun, NOT because their goal is to lose weight. Losing weight is just a by-product of doing what they love.
And that’s why VR is so powerful.
How to Get Started with VR Fitness
I recommend picking up an Oculus Quest 2 (now known as Meta Quest 2). It’s the only headset that is completely wireless and standalone.
Wires get in the way of exercising: imagine wearing a VR headset and having a wire dangle from your head to your computer. It’s NOT recommended for fitness VR.
All other headsets require being tethered to your computer and sometimes even setting up external sensors for tracking.
With the Quest 2, all you gotta do is open the box, put it on your head and you’re set to go. No hassles of having to connect to your PC.
So in short: Just get the Quest 2.
Diet or Exercise?
A combination of diet and exercise is the best solution for long term weight loss.
VR takes care of the exercise part… but what about diet?
People make a lot of mistakes regarding diet. Many popular diets recommend eating 1200 calories or less. This is BAD advice.
You’ll start suffering from nutritional deficiencies and you’ll start experiencing symptoms such as fatigue, feeling hungry all the time and diziness. It’s impossible to maintain these diets for the long term.
Instead try one of these two options:
Option 1 (the lazy way)
You don’t need to count calories. Just eat until you’re satisfied, not full. This is actually a common trait of naturally thin people. They eat just enough to satisfy their hunger, not to the point where their stomach is feeling full.
We’re taught by our parents to not leave leftovers after eating because starving children in Africa. You have to throw away this belief entirely. The food either goes to the waste, or it goes to your waist. It’s your choice.
Also, just eat healthy and be aware of calorie dense foods (e.g. McDonalds) which are high in calories, but aren’t very filling. It’s okay to have these every once in a while.
Your goal is to eat enough where if you did no exercise, you won’t gain any weight (and you won’t lose any either).
Option 1 is what I do personally and it’s been enough for me. But not everyone’s bodies are the same, and some people want to lose weight faster, so here’s option 2:
Option 2 (the faster way)
Find out how many calories you can eat per day without gaining or losing weight.
If your weight has been stagnant for a while, then this should be obvious.
You don’t need to change anything about what you eat, just reduce your current diet by 10-20% and you have your new diet.
This diet is much easier to maintain, because you won’t feel tired. You might notice you’re feeling hungry at points during the day, but avoid snacking.
The hardest part is fighting through the feeling of hunger (if it happens to you), but unlike other diets, this one is much more manageable.
Tips For Losing Weight in VR:
- Follow the mantra: “being fit isn’t a goal, it’s a lifestyle.”
- Choose VR apps/games that you find fun. Fun is the keyword here. You’re not going to sustain this in the long term if you’re only doing this to lose weight. Your primary objective should be having fun. Losing weight is just a result of having fun. Check here for a list of exercise games.
- Rotate games if you get bored of one. It’ll make the experience more fun.
- If you’re playing Beat Saber, make sure to get mods and install custom songs. There are thousands to choose from!
FAQ
Will I get motion sickness from VR?
Most fitness games don’t cause motion sickness. Beat Saber doesn’t. However, some games (mostly the non-fitness ones) can cause motion sickness. Most people get used to it over time.
How much space do I need for VR?
This depends on the game. For most games, it’s 2.5 x 2.5 meters, but of course, the more room you have, the better.
For Beat Saber, you can test by spreading your arms apart and spinning in a circle. If your arms don’t touch anything, it means you have enough space.
Should I get the Oculus fit pack or Elite Strap?
Nope, there are better mods out there that improve comfort and hygiene. I recommend checking out Oculus Quest 2 Comfort Mods.
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