I have lost five pounds since getting into Team Fortress 2. Many of you are familiar with gamer diet, wherein you get a new game and forget to eat while you play for hours at a time, but I have been actively applying this to dropping some weight. First, willpower is a limited resource, and freeing myself to binge on one thing saves my resources to avoid binging on another. Second, my major effort is reducing calories, a good portion of which comes from eating only when hungry, rather than from boredom or habit. With a constantly active FPS, I do not have time to be bored or wander off for food. In an MMO, a ten-minute horse ride is a great time to go make a sandwich; in a FPS, a ten-second respawn time is all that separates you from a control point that is still in play. With no snacks at the desk, I have no caloric threats until we get back to the original point of gamer diet: look up from the game and realize it is time for bed.
Who has time to be hungry when there is an entire BLU team to set on fire?
: Zubon
I actually experienced the a similar thing over the weekend. Lost my damn mind to Mass Effect on the X-box 360. Knew I was hungry, but was having so damn much fun that the thought of stopping to cook seemed insane. At some point started to get lightheaded. Made the fastest meal I could (cereal and milk, 300 calories total), and went right back to it. At some point got very woozy and went to bed.
In the morning my body said “WTF! Are you insane?!?” To which I replied, “yes perhaps.” Had cereal for breakfast, supplemented by diet mountain dew on the way to work. More caffeine when I arrived. At lunch, still wasn’t all that hungry.
Around 4 o’clock, my stomach finally awoke. Demanded that i go out and eat the biggest damn meal that I could find. Said that “there would be hell to pay” if I didn’t comply. Demonstrated with black spots in front of my eyes as well as severely reduced mental capabilities.
Given the pangs I was feeling at that point, I believed it. Had a giant meal of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and corn. Stomach was satisfied with my initial offering, granted me enough sanity to be able to read and write again. I am grateful.
Wow, good point. I just recently stopped playing an MMO and have been FPS crazy…maybe ill lose some extra cargo.
Also adrenaline… I have a pseudoscience feeling that your skill cycle in [your favorite MMO] puts your brain to sleep like TV. But, TF2 is an adrenaline devouring maniac of a game…. it takes things to make adrenaline.
Higher heart rate is better for you as well!