For all of us struggling with motivation issues for losing weight, hereâs a bit of unlikely inspiration - Tommy Monkhouse, a film student at Londonâs University of Greenwich, has lost around 63kg in a single year. His workout routine? No gyms or expensive coaches here - just a steady diet of walks while playing the worldâs favourite alternate-reality mobile game, Pokemon GO.

âI feel stronger mentally, I feel stronger physically, I feel like I can be happy,â Tommy told Cult of Mac. His journey began when at a low point in his self-esteem (and a weight of 158kg), a friend suggested that he play the video game. 

In Pokemon GO, players move around the actual physical world, while a GPS system on their mobile phones allows them to track movement, while catching and raising a popular 500-strong roster of powerful monsters - each with their own unique moves and characteristics. 

The game rewards physical movement by providing incentives such as bonus items and the ability to hatch Pokemon eggs - by moving around in your surroundings and racking up step counts.

When Tommy first started playing Pokémon Go, he told his mom he was going out for a walk, and expected to be home after 20 minutes.

âAnd before I knew it ⦠I went on a three-hour walk,â he said in an awesome new video from Niantic. âAnd the whole time I smiled.â

âI went through this incredible journey in my head,â Tommy said. âIf I can do this in three hours, whatâs going to happen over, say, a week, a month, a year?â he recalled thinking at the time. 

© Tommy Monkhouse/Niantic

âI watched myself go from this extremely huge person who wasnât happy with his life, who wasnât happy with who he was,â to being happier, healthier and stronger, Tommy said in a video made by Niantic, the gameâs developers.

The changes started quickly. âIt took me about a month to realize Iâd lost any weight,â Tommy said. âI was noticing slight changes and clothes not fitting as tightly. I then noticed that I was getting less and less out of breath as I was out playing the game.â

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