I was worried at first that the Samba diet might not be quite enough to get me in shape. It's only a videogame, after all--as exercise equipment, it seems to pale in comparison to Nautilus or Soloflex or any of the other expensive-looking full training systems available on infomercials. After going through the first day, though, this is the least of my worries.

   I'm sticking to the food part of the diet pretty well. I binged on crackers last night, but that's okay because it just means I don't go out and buy more for the rest of the week. Simple sandwiches and fruit, along with milk, is pretty decently nutritious, and at least I've cut the fat from my meals.

Dancin' fool

   What fat is still left on my body, as mentioned before, has tough competition in Samba. I enjoy the game as much as--probably more than--your average game, but up till now I've enjoyed it in five or six minute bursts. Nothing like the 45-minute session I've just gone through. I've decided to follow an even progression, which the game's structure accomodates quite nicely. Playing Original mode gets you one song on Easy level, which is just right to warm up and stretch. From there, two Normal levels, two Hard levels, two Super Hard levels, and then back down the ladder to finish at one more Easy.

   At least, that was the plan. Perhaps my rhythm will improve with my fitness, but I bombed the first Hard song, resulting in a quick game over. I started over again, determined to do a second song, and did ... even worse. Surprisingly, I managed to get through both Super Hard levels in one block without any failures. From now on, I'll select my songs more carefully and save the easier patterns for the harder difficulty levels.

   Of course, that won't do anything to the other problem: extra stages on Normal levels. I've played more Normal songs than any other level, and I'm pretty good at all of them--so good that I almost invariably get the "special" third stage. This is probably not as bad as it sounds, since more exercise can't really hurt, but it's a deviation from the plan. On the bright side, should I get better at Hard or (as long as I'm dreaming) Super Hard stages, I may well experience a natural lengthening of those sessions, getting more mileage out of the whole thing.

   Anyway, suffice to say I'm bushed, but not too tired to type up today's results.