I’ve got something super different for you today!
I read somewhere that Japanese people lost an average of 2.9kg to 4.8kg in a month by playing Fitness Boxing. Thanks to that ‘fact’ going viral, it has become tough to find a physical copy of the ‘exergame’ in Japan. So, I thought it would be an interesting challenge to put myself through since I’ve been meaning to get myself back into exercising but haven’t found the money to be able to afford a monthly gym membership.
And here I am, digital copy on hand… And here’s my daily diary of that journey.
Starting weight: 70.6kg
Goal: To be able to fit into these jeans again…
Things to note: I’ve been pescatarian for almost 6 years now (so my only sources of protein are seafood and eggs) and I’ve been intermittent fasting between 14-16 hours on weekdays for a few months before I started this challenge (I don’t on weekends), so after dinner I would only drink water and have a cup of coffee for breakfast, black. I’m not going to be changing my diet much and I’m not planning to count calories but I will mention the meals that I have throughout the challenge just as a note. I’ll also mention my daily step counts since that might effect the outcome of this challenge, especially since some days I walk a lot more than others.
Definitely not as much as most Japanese people do, bopping about everyday to/from work and probably hitting the 10k step-goals on the daily. Fitness Boxing has a 30-day regimen, like most other fitness games I guess, so I’m going to be doing that. I’m not going to be weighing myself until the end of the 30 days, so… LET’S DO THIS!
DAY 01
0930: Weighed myself in the morning after I got out of bed – 70.6kg. Okay, about the same as when I left Malaysia, maybe a little bit of gain.
Bought the game after a bit of a hiccup with my Malaysian simcard. Used the Aussie store since it was most definitely cheaper compared to the UK and US stores and your girl ain’t got that much moolah to spend here. Got a bit of a discount with my Gold… Sweet!
1400: Had a bowl-full of salad for lunch – lettuce, tomatoes and cute little mozzarella balls with a drizzle of pomegranate sauce and balsamic vinegar. I felt a bit self-conscious about this meal choice since I’m starting the challenge today…amongst other definitelynottoiletrelated things.
1600: Day one on Fitness Boxing is mostly getting through the basics of how the game works followed by a 10 minute workout with stretching, by the way…but my arms ache so that must mean something. Right?
1920: Went out for dinner like we do every Wednesday to our favourite ramen shop. I had a spicy ramen, and shared edamame and a salmon maki with a glass of red… Was tempted to consume more afterwards but alas… I’m determined to stick to my fasting rules. No noms after 8pm!
Step-count: 5,799
DAY 02
1015: I must be really terrible at making Turkish coffee coz I feel nothing after having a cup of it every morning. Compared to previously where I’d make coffee with a Bialetti or Nespresso (what else?) and just a cup of either would set me right for the day, a cup of Turkish coffee right now just doesn’t… Sad.
1425: Lunch was a bowl of soup with carrots and broccoli because I was feeling a bit sick today. Mystical Asian remedy FTW. Snacked on half an apple while working on a new Medium article.
1700: The game asked me what my “fitness goals” are and I picked “strength & cardio – full body” with a 25 minute daily workout and I got beat up immediately. From only jabs and straights yesterday came hooks and uppercuts which on the Fitness Boxing demo didn’t really kick in until Day 3 of the regimen.
1728: My arms are f-u-c-k-e-d. That was 10x the workout it was yesterday. Maybe being sick adds weight to it, I’m not sure. I glugged about 200mls of a no-sugar yoghurt drink after working out… That drink was thick AF.
1915: Had spaghetti with a spicy tuna napoletana sauce for dinner because that’s all we have right now ha. It was either that or make a broc and carrot alio olio but my body has started to demand protein. Then I had two squares of an 85% dark chocolate for dessert.
TBH, 85% is my max when it comes to dark chocolate. Anything more than that is a big no-no.
Step-count: 1,056 … What? I’m sick!
DAY 03
Had half a square of chocolate at 1323 then a cappuccino at 1530 and I had a chocolate pastry at 1645 – terrible, I know. But we had a busy day!
2100: I had a massive steak of salmon for dinner with a side of roasted vegetables, two glasses of red and shared a chocolate lava cake. That was great especially because my body is just constantly craving protein.
Didn’t manage to make it back home before midnight so I had to skip out my workout today.. Shame.. Its only the third day as well 😦
Step-count: 8,740
Day 04
1115: Slept in a little bit because I deserved it. Definitely learned my lesson from yesterday and did my workout at 12 before taking a shower and going off for the day.
Sometimes you gotta divert from the schedule, you know? Which does bother me to no end but what can I do. Can’t skip out another day!
1200: The workout was a lot less painful than I imagined it to be especially since I skipped out yesterday but it doesn’t mean I wasn’t dripping with sweat and immediately rewarding myself with a cold shower after it. This game is serious business, hey!
1230: Brunch was scrambled eggs and smoked salmon on toast, and a cappuccino. And I had a cup of yoghurt with raspberries in the evening as a pick me up.
1900: By the time dinner came around I was too pooped to go out so I made veggie-filled aglio olio with salmon patties, and I had a salad afterwards.
Step-count: 5,609
Day 05
1130: Made my famous breakfast burritos for breakfast and had a cup of coffee before we headed off. If there’s anything I’ve learned while working as a “coach” in my youth, one should not workout after eating or risk losing that meal. Today isn’t a busy day, so I’ll squeeze in that workout later…hopefully…
1445: Sunday lunch in the town – a salmon salad with a glass of red. I haven’t had a drop of caffeine today and I can feel my life draining away from me…but I will prevail!!
1530: …I had a cappuccino. A big one. It was amazing.
1700: Finally got back and I started the workout for the day as soon as I put my groceries away. Boxing added uppercuts today that seems to have worked out my core a bit, which is interesting.
2200: I have One Direction stuck in my brain…help
Step-count: 2,750
Day 06
1030: Back to intermittent fasting so only water and black coffee until lunch. Had late dinner yesterday but I might end up having a late lunch anyway since we have a non-food-related meeting during lunch… Today also begins my final year of studies, so now’s the real challenge – making sure I fit in Boxing into my daily schedule!
1430: Had salmon with basmathi rice at the cafe down the road with a latte. That piece of salmon had wayy too many bones in it and the coffee was burnt. Sad. Snacked on a plum and a square of chocolate.
1700: Started my 5th workout. Note to self: don’t have big discussions during workouts or you’ll mess up a lot of punches, especially those uppercuts! That’s my current weakness at the moment. Went back to studying right after my arms stopped aching.
2030: Had more salmon for dinner but with potatoes and caramelised onions. Ready to pass out right about now but I need to finish this goddamn textbook chapter
Step-count: 3,838
Day 07
0930: I’m really really bad at making Turkish coffee. Studied most of the morning and found it difficult to concentrate… Tomorrow I’m going to try starting my day with Boxing and see if that helps.
1257: Aw shit I broke my fast earlier than I meant to… Was making tuna mayo sandwiches for lunch coz I needed a quick and easy meal, I unconsciously decided to taste test it oh well. I wasn’t too far off anyway.
1715: Absolutely drenched today…WHAT? Fitness age 19? Woo!! In your face uppercuts!!
2010: A bit of a late dinner.. Had myself a dumpling feast and a red to celebrate.. I can’t tell you enough about how much I love dumplings…
Step-count: 2,750
Day 08
0836: Yeah, not gonna be working out this morning.. My right knee decided to swell while I was sleeping (ikr like why) so I think I’ll do another evening workout if my knee cooperates. TL;DR: I’ve got knock-knees and they tend to very rarely and very randomly swell and give me stabbing pains. Sometimes its one knee (like today), sometimes its both, every time it hurts like a biiiiiiiiiiii…
1400: Had a massive tuna salad with the leftovers from yesterday. Added tomatoes and heaps of lettuce, cooked some pasta shells for good measure. Started reading my sports psych module’s chapters and I’m absolutely psyched for the next few months (pun intended)
1800: Knee still hurts but feeeeck it… Started Defensive Combos today and now the Joy-Cons aren’t as responsive with dodges as they are with punches. Oh well… Officially done my 7th workout tho woop!
1930: Made some fish burgers.. NOMS
Step-count: 5,222
Day 09
1030: Started the day off with Boxing, despite my knee still being a bit wonky, and more defensive maneuvers (is that really how you spell that word? Jeez…). Feeling it in my thighs and core today with all those dodge+uppercut combos. Treated myself with a terribly-made Turkish coffee after before hopping into the shower.
1415: Another soupy lunch for me on this gloomy-gloomy day! Ohhhh shit I can’t get up omg my thighs help…
2013: I’ve got a tutorial at 9pm and needed a bit of a boost of energy after my weekly tuna pasta dinner so I also nommed a square of 85% as much as I really want a hot chocolate in this current weather but I’ve got none so dark chocolate it is…
Step-count: 1,096…too much pain
Day 10
0930: Started the morning with Boxing. Lots of bobbing and weaving. And lots of sweat dripping off my face! Now Boxing is asking me to update my weight so they can “accurately measure cardio burn” but I don’t want to weigh myself until the end and I don’t care much for the burn-numbers anyway. I’ve also decided today that Laura is officially my coach-bae so she’ll be on all the screenshots now.
1450: Its weird starting the day with Boxing, rather than doing it in the middle of the day. Instead of struggling to get started with work, I now struggle to find something to do when I’m done with my work… Anyway, nommy nommy nommy I got choccy in my tummy~
1930: Steak o’ salmon, grilled veggies and cheesy dumplings yessiree. But at the end of it, I still felt unsatisfied. The more I do the workouts, the more unsatisfied with meals I become and I’m not sure why.
Step-count: 3,326
Day 11
1103: I’m actually starting to enjoy getting out of bed and doing the workouts first thing. I think the more frequently I workout, the less pain I’m in which I find weird because one would always hear about needing “rest days”.
Basically out the whole day, I forgot what I had for food… Two meals though, I had two meals.
Step-count: 6,558
Day 12
0930: Early Sunday today coz I wanted to catch part 1 of the One Championship event in Tokyo. Immediately went into the Boxing. It wasn’t as intense as the day before without the Defensive Combos. Still a bloody workout though.
1425: Out and about again, had a bit of a late lunch of delicious cheesy pizza, roasted aubergine and red on the side, enjoying One Championship’s part 2 event.
2130: That lunch was so heavy that I didn’t feel hungry for dinner…
Steps: 8,997
Day 13
0915: Boxing hit me with the Triple Combos today, I’m starting to struggle! Straight, uppercut, hook… Straight, uppercut, hook… Straight, uppercut, uppercut…Wait shit no its… Straight, hook, upperc—SHIT
1307: Didn’t manage to do any shopping over the weekend so had lunch with leftover fish burger patties on toast ala open-faced sammich. I didn’t think that I could possibly put “too much” Sriracha on anything, but today I proved myself wrong. Since moving house, I seem to be able to get a lot of steps in just by walking around the house… Or maybe I have been all along and I should actually put my Fitbit back on rather than rely on what my iPhone tells me my steps are. Hmm…
1414: I’ve started snacking on non-fried sour cream “popped chips”… I think I’m stress eating from starting my final year of study. I mean… They’re apparently 50% less fat so I should feel 50% as bad, right?
2130: Had a later dinner than usual of my weekly spicy tuna pasta because after doing the weekly grocery shop I couldn’t be bothered making a proper meal because I was so tired. Then I had half a bar of 65% dark to keep myself awake for my tutorial.
Step-count: 3,965
Day 14
1015: Feeling a bit demotivated today, didn’t sleep well and my back aches but I’m going to pull through. FOR THE CONTENT!!
1040: Seems that pulling through a routine helps with the demotivation. Thought having Bernardo today would help too but nah I’m going back to Laura tomorrow. Also, Sugar is probably the worst song to workout to especially because in the middle of a combo, you’d have no music to match a beat to… I’m gonna stick to Funkytown, thankyouverymuch!
1528: Forgot to charge my Fitbit last night and put it on today…damnit.
1915: Never, ever, ever order a fish burger from Wendy’s… It was more like fish nuggets housed in between burger buns with lettuce and bugger all sauce. I managed to save it by dousing it with cheese sauce. Cheese makes everything better! I still feel like I got robbed though.
Steps: 2,974
Day 15
0945: Slept like shite, so struggling to get out of bed. The moon decided to be a bugger and shone through the curtains and directly onto my face at 4AM. Couldn’t go back to sleep until it went away.
1030: 14th official workout, gotta get myself up to do it. I can do this…
1100: Started ‘Intermediate Combos’ with more bobbing and weaving today but with counters! So more of a total body workout than before but I think my body won’t be as sore as when I first started because apparently “active recovery” is a thing
1315: Today’s workout hasn’t helped with my concentration, neither has my two cups of coffee.. I struggle to concentrate on my studies and I struggle to think. I think two nights lack of sleep is the culprit. I finally put my Fitbit on charge though so I guess that’s something!
Steps: 5,057
Day 16
1030: Putting on my Fitbit today! Let’s see what the difference is in terms of steps…
1040: Today’s workout brought to you by…confusion! Body jabs? Body uppercuts?? What’s the difference to regular ones??? But I’m also becoming incredibly interested in taking up real boxing classes with a proper trainer to actually learn what I’m doing right or wrong.
1105: YouTube is recommending videos related to workouts, weight-loss and diets now which is really weird.. But I came across a “debunking” video where a PT suggested adding a dash of Himalayan salt to water to rehydrate and remineralise rather than drink plain water or energy drinks. Oddly enough, I feel like it works! We’ll see.
2232: So it seems that I actually do about 2k more steps a day than I thought, compared to when I was only relying on my iPhone for a step count. So from today onwards my steps will be from my Fitbit.
Steps: FB – 5,366 | iPhone – 3,247
Day 17
1003: Got out of bed and despite my knee still being off, I got straight to Boxing. Weird front-back step moves that the Joy-Cons can’t really detect unless you put some force to your arms in the front/back steps.
1542: Knee hurts again. What is happening.
1842: I got a new weighing scale now… 13 days ahead of weigh-in day, ha!
2003: Leftover chicken stock mac soup for dinner. Winter’s coming…
Steps: 5,527
Day 18
1031: Didn’t do a morning workout today coz I’ve got the rugby to watch! (I woke up later than I wanted to)
1721: I’ve honestly never watched rugby but that was so much fun. Rugby players are so much more chill compared to football players, its really mindboggling.
2218: Just got back home….yeah I’m skipping today – my knees can barely hold me up.
Steps: 7,292
Day 19
0935: Knees are better today so I went on with the program. Powering through!
1003: I think need at-home workout shoes or maybe I should get a yoga mat because if I keep getting hit with those step-straights my feet are going to get really ugly.
1449: Made myself a naughty salad for lunch – lettuce, tomatoes, hard-boiled egg + balsamic, Jap mayo, Sriracha. So bad but soo good!
1832: Decided to try my hand at making rice-bun burgers… It was amazing but I most definitely need to hone my skills…and get a little shaping thing.
Steps: 1,752
Day 20
1038: How are Double Combos tougher than Triple Combos??
1134: I’m truly starting to believe that adding a pinch of Himalayan salt to my post-workout water helps in some way or another. It most definitely helps me feel less faint!
1353: Had a tuna mayo sandwich for lunch and then decided to bake my own crisps/chips since we have a lot of potatoes just lying around and I have no idea how else to use them…
2240: Oh shit I forgot to put my Fitbit on today…
Steps: 3,501 (iPhone)
Day 21
1038: I was soo lost in a book that I didn’t get out of bed until now.. Damn I haven’t done that in a while
1120: Holy shit blocks are frustrating AF. That’s the toughest thing to get the Joy-Cons to recognise yet but jeeeeeeebus that was a workout indeed
1418: My arms and core still ache from the workout this morning but surprisingly my body isn’t crazy craving food so I just finished up the leftover pasta soup from last week and I’m feeling fine…Well, maybe I’m craving more salt.
1900: I’m having lots of fun with my rice cooker – so many ways to cook rice!! Had a mixed veggie rice with oven baked salmon and that was amazing.
2050: Just finished a cheeky cup of ice cream with pomegranate and 1 1/2 squares of 85% topping it off.. Noms!
Steps: 2,218
Day 22
1035: ‘Sway Combo’ today made me really frustrated. How do I stay in rhythm if the punches aren’t?? I even did my own count, everything except the first jab lands on “..and”!! Probably my worst score yet. Sad.
1133: We’ve finally got a decent coffee-making device, a Bialetti, but my arms ache so much that I could barely keep my arms up making it.
1613: I’ve decided to snack on pomegranates and by jeeeeebus they’re the most sour that I’ve ever had in my life… And I love sour stuff, so that’s saying something!
1848: Aubergines and mushroom dumplings for the win
2132: Had my first square of non-dark chocolate in months and ohmygoodness there is so much sugar in that disgusting thing WHY?
Steps: 4,300
Day 23
1055: Side-steps are even worse than front-back steps jeeeeeeeeez I don’t understand how the developers get the Joy-Cons to work with some of these moves in their test-demos
1250: Broke my fast a little earlier than usual but that was about 15 hours, so no biggie. Made some fish burgers
1720: I got a sudden burst of hunger and snacked on two plums, multiple teaspoonfuls of pomegranate and a little nibble of dark chocolate… I’ve never felt this way before, I have no idea how to satisfy it.
2133: Shit I put on my Fitbit this morning and somehow misplaced it before taking a shower and didn’t realise until I went to throw the rubbish out… FML
Steps: ?????
Day 24
1014: Was a bit naughty today and only did 1 of 2 of the daily exercises. Still tough stuff though! Decided to walk all the way to the pub to watch England vs New Zealand and smashed my steps one-way.
1254: Ordered a bean-pizza-pie-thing on the side of that whopping England was giving NZ.
2015: I just smashed an amazing Indian dinner, my soul is happy
Steps: 11,825
Day 25
1145: Yep, front-back 100% better than left-right steps. Its really discouraging when the Joy-Cons don’t detect your movements, no matter how overly pronounced, so you keep getting misses even though you shouldn’t really. Boooo!
1200: Poached eggs on top of toasted burger buns with blue cheese and avocados, sriracha on top. I never new a spicy-blue cheesy combination of flavours would taste so good
1411: I’m getting super tempted to check my weight now.. 5 more days! I can do this!!
2030: Veggie-loaded tuna pasta with a side of Star Wars for dinner. Didn’t go out at all today, just so pooped!
Steps: 2,277
Day 26
1058: Started “Advanced Combos” today and ohh boy steps are still a lot more difficult to nail than these.. Basically dodges and punches, no steps (thankfully) I’m not looking forward to “Advanced Combo #2”, that’s for sure. It took me a while but I’ve already got a list of workout-song favourites, but I still haven’t unlocked the whole list so things might change in the next 4 days.
1245: Just realised I didn’t stick on my Fitbit today… Dangit, that’s quite a bit of steps lost already…
1253: Got it on!
1325: Had a salad for lunch since there’s legit half a head of lettuce leftover and I have no idea how else to eat them
2010: I’ve recently discovered one-pot rice cooker rice recipes and it’s honestly the best. Veggie and protein-loaded rice at 20% the effort!
Steps: 7,628
Day 27
1133: I had Advanced Combos #2 today and I pull my back during final stretching… FML
1239: I can’t move… Help…
1313: Since I can’t really move.. I decided to have last night’s leftovers for lunch with a fried egg on top, courtesy of boyfriend, and a side-plum for good measure. Hot tip: moving around seems to help more than just laying around miserably for healing back injuries.
1430: Why am I deeply craving juice when I’ve been eating fruits every other day?
2344: I’ve had a massive mug of hot chocolate because I have to stay up for a tutorial…
Steps: 1,894
Day 28
1145: Help…I can’t get out of bed…
1200: Yeah I’m gonna have to skip another day.. My back is waay too stiff for punches and whatever Boxing is going to give me today and it still hurts when I stand-up straight but I really don’t want to skip, FML
1337: Made a tuna rice salad and made some good ol’ runny tama (egg). I really recommend taking your time with meals, eating slowly – it helps beat the pangs of crazy hunger that you’d get from fasting (I don’t get them anymore though!) and helps keep your portions in check.
1647: My back injury is making me want to snack more.
1945: Fish patty wraps for dinner without mayo because we ran out… Had an avocado though!
2030: Decided that I deserved a comfort glass of red, with my back pain and my brain pains being in the middle of assignment week and all.
Steps: 4,666
Day 29
0940: My back is still tender.. I’m going to have to skip today as well, I don’t want to injure myself fuuuuuu—
1128: There is a gap in my life where Fitness Boxing should be and it is really bumming me out that I can’t keep going… I hope I can squeeze in just one final workout before I weigh myself. I’m gonna do all I can today to get this back problem sorted.
1526: Should I risk it? I’ve been stretching my back all day and it is most definitely still a tender boi but I really want some exercise in… No, I better not…
1920: Had a really naughty dinner – homemade mac & cheese with fried onions and bread crumbs. Just carbs and fat and nothing else. I feel terrible and good at the same time, its been a long time since I’ve had some pure, guilty comfort food.
Steps: 2,614
Day 30
0950: SCREW IT LET’S DO IT! Sway-back Combo and Beginner Combo would be fine for my back, I reckon.
1023: YEEEEEEE BOYYY! I did it! Weigh-in tomorrow! AND I DIDN’T HURT MYSELF AGAIN!
1302: Finishing last night’s leftovers but added a can of tuna into it for a bit of a protein kick, wish I had some broccoli for veg but we’re nearing the end of the week so…supplies are running low ha. I wonder what mac & cheese is like with a runny egg… I’ll try that next time!
1602: Note to self: do not have a cheese-heavy meal while you’re trying to write an assignment…
Steps: 6,188
Weigh-in
Drum-roll please!
…69.6kg
Oh…
Well, I can’t say that I’m not disappointed with the results. I expected to have lost a bit more digits though I guess I might have also been building muscle mass with the Fitness Boxing “strength & cardio” regime compared to if I was only purely going through their “cardio” regime. I don’t know how fitness works!
While I did reach my goal of fitting into those jeans, they still barely fit – as soon as I have a big meal, the fit goes out the window.
I’m a big fan of this though, its super easy to get a workout done without having to leave the house. The music repetition doesn’t bother me like it seems to bother a lot of reviewers, I love boxing along to Funkytown! I’m most definitely going to keep it up, so we’ll see if things change over the next few months.
If you have any suggestions for a future video game challenge, let me know! And for getting to the end, here’s a TLDR version of this post in video form eheheh 😉
I bought Fitness Boxing on the Australian eShop for AU$68.82 (US$46.50) with a Gold discount (originally AU$69.95/US$47.26). Yes, it is cheaper over there!
This fun piece was made possible by my Giga Bit Patron, Dylan – who’s support helped me obtain the game in the first place! If you’d like to help me creating more content like this and keep Plug/Play alive, please do support me on Patreon! x
Some links on this piece are affiliate links, which give me a small commission per sale at no extra cost to you.
Plug/Play by Blaise 