Ubisoft sent me a copy of Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2012 for review

I've struggled with weight all my life. I am an active person, more so before several compounding injuries all but destroyed my knees. Since then, I have grown steadily heavier -- Largely without noticing.

Mid-November, I decided to change. I was drinking...a lot. I was eating relatively well some days but completely undoing careful practices other times by devouring pizzas and cheeseburgers simply because they were convenient.

My best friend started a low-carb diet because of a conflict with her medications and I thought, "Why not try it with her?"

A diet alone wasn't going to change my terrible habits, though. I decided once my review copy of Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2012 arrived that I would use it along with my new meal plan. Light cardio exercises are a great way to start losing weight when you've gone off the deep end. I'm 23 and some days walk like I'm 90 because my joints just can't handle my weight. I needed to do something, and fast.

This is the first of what I hope is a multi-part series documenting how I use video games to assist my weight loss. I know it's possible, but I want to have a public record to remind me. By December 23 2012, I hope to lose at least 20 pounds. I'm keeping my goals low because exercise is physically very difficult for me. I feel trapped in a broken and useless body and desperately want to change that.

That's why I've enlisted my favorite pastime in this year-long project. Once a month (likely toward the end like this post) I will write about my experiences and hopefully track some change in how I look and feel.

The first month

Starting a low-carb diet really isn't as bad as you think. You can still have some of the carbohydrate-drenched meals you love and crave, but the idea is to make them an occasional indulgence rather than an everyday choice. Some dieters choose to avoid heavy meals altogether, and that's totally fine. I know that I cannot live without a succulent slice of shrimp, artichoke, and bacon pizza in my life and will work even harder to burn it off.

My workout routine is very, very light right now. I play Fruit Ninja Kinect for at least 30 minutes a day and then move onto a full Your Shape workout. I really love the options in Your Shape 2012. It feels much more customizable and useful than last year's game. Every activity you do adds to your overall calorie-burning goal.

Your Shape 2012 is not without its bugs, however. Any program that supposedly counts calories for you that does not require you to input your height and weight first isn't accurate. Your Shape 2012 doesn't ask for this information and therefore cannot properly track what you're burning. It's all relative to your size and how active you are.

The workouts are easily manipulated. Sometimes simply standing still registers as performing an exercise and counts calories accordingly. When I paused the jogging program to get a glass of water, the game continued on as if I were on camera and still running. When I came back, I'd burned nearly 100 calories simply by stepping off screen.

Despite how easy it is to look like you've burned more calories than you have, being able to rack up a score by exercising is actually very appealing. After each session, Your Shape asks you to literally punch away your nasty caloric total. This is a brilliantly cathartic action and restores some of my diminished pride.

Working out should never make you feel bad. Unfortunately, I am ashamed of what I've become and refuse to go to gyms because of it. I know I did this to myself and therefore will correct it on my own. Your Shape 2012's subtle, uplifting elements encourage me to press on even though I'd rather collapse.

In the last 3 weeks, I've already lost just over 5 pounds. My clothes already fit better and I have much more energy. I've managed to do this while fighting off holiday treats and late shifts at work.

I think 2012 will finally be the year I overcome my weight, thanks to video games.