Swimming to lose weight?

Yes, you most definately do better at a lower weight, I can truly attest to that. I think things like BMI and height/weight charts have their place. The problem with them is the cookie cutter way they lump everyone. At 180, I was overweight, and wake up and do something, or it will get worse, and the health issues related with overweight will happen. But people who know me would never have called me obese, but BMI did. Yes, BMI said wake up and lose weight, but BMI was wrong in its catorgy of me. Most websites that have BMI information also carry a disclaimer that if you are an exerciser and have a lot of muscle mass, the numbers will be scewed. One thing I notice is that people in general are bigger(not a good thing), but athletes are bigger. Illinois basketball just celebrated their 100 year anniversary on Saturday. There was lots of clips of previous teams. Those teams were good and the athletes were good, but todays athletes are not taller, there were plenty of tall people before, but their muscle mass seems so much more. Same with the kids playing HS athletics, they seem a lot bigger and have more muscle than I ever remember when I was a young thing. It makes me wonder of the future of BMI and height/weight charts if this is the case, because truly bodyfat % is the best way to judge.

If you are talking about first thing in the morning heartrate, then probably many of the regular swimmers here would be below 60. Mine is between 50-55, but after I have been up and about for the day, it is around 60.

I just got up, walked around, sat down, read Scansy's post, so took mine....60.

I haven't checked my heart rate in the morning right after waking, but the HRM on the treadmill gets it at 56-60 before I start. This is in the evening. Seems to match what I get taking it at my neck. Never sure of the accuracy of the heart rate monitors.

Originally posted by centaur532 Try telling Olympic powerlifters, wrestlers, judo practitioners and field throwers that they weigh too much. Other than the heavyweight division, most wrestlers are ideal or even underweight for their height. Wrestlers seem to be chronically trying to lose weight to maintain their class. And, yes, powerlifters are FAT, FAT, FAT. I don't think that comes as any shock to them. After their careers competing are over most either get gigantic or go on a program to lose down to an appropriate weight.

Originally posted by Mary R. Now, I should 'fess up that I am still quite overweight...but it is indeed possible to be overweight and fit as many of us know. I'm not there yet but swimming is an important part of this. I lift weights as well. This argument has seemed to have started from the above quote. I like to say I am overweight but fit. Just because I am overweight does not count me out of being fit. If I wasn't fit I wouldn't be swimming 400 I.M.'s, running 10K's, and competing in triathlons. I, too, am considered obese on the weight scale. I don't feel I am obese or unhealthy. I think there should be a lot of other considerations other then weight to consider someone obese and unhealthy. Most have been mentioned above.

Originally posted by aquageek You certainly look fantastic but it doesn't have a bit to do with self perception. Obviously, the BMI thing isn't applicable to every single person but it is applicable to the vast majority of people and suggests a healthy weight range. Just because you don't feel or look fat doesn't mean you aren't carrying too much weight and have the potential for all the health concerns it may bring. What you're talking about are people who carry too much FAT, and I mean way too much fat, for their height. As an EMT-B and a pre-nursing student (with a nurse for a mother :) ), I have experience dealing with people of completely different statures all the time. Some people are genetically predisposed to carry more weight than other people of the same height. They'll never be able to lose the weight. But because of genetics, their bodies compensate for this in many ways. For instance, bigger bones will allow for the extra weight. It can be carried very well with no detriment. Now, if you're a petite 5'3 and you're weighing in at 250lbs, that's unhealthy and has to be dealt with. Now we're talking about diabetes, heart strain, blood clots, cellulitis, faasciitis, necrosis, asthma, arthritis, joint problems up the wazoo. Those are the problems you're talking about. However, as long as you eat right, exercise regularly and keep in good health, you can very easily carry what you consider to be "unhealthy" body mass. As a brief example, my boyfriend is a 5'10, stocky 220lb askinezac (I think I spelled that right, sorry if not) Jew. He was told that he would be a virtual skeleton if he ever reached 180lbs. Another guy I dated was the same height, and he weighed in at 160lbs. Bear in mind, both guys are black belts (in different arts), and my current boyfriend works out 3-4 times a week and has a resting heart rate of 56. How many people here can say that?

Centaur, does your boyfriend have a younger brother? Lol. I think you nailed it, Centaur. I think the whole world would look fabulous if we all weighed in the range of our BMI's. And yes, the BMI's serve a just purpose, but it's impossible for every single person to be like that. However, the whole point of this is that I do believe that people can weigh more than they "should" according to their height and weight charts, and still be wonderfully fit and healthy, for all the reasons everyone on here has added. For a reverse story, my 22 year old sister is 5'6, and has a larger bone structure than I. She just naturally looks a little bigger, and she weight almost 235 pounds by her senior year of high school. My first year of college, she started following weight watchers, and working out, and lost a ton of weight. She got down to 140 pounds, and she discovered, to maintain that weight for her body size she either had to work out like a maniac (think 4 hours per day, every day), or she would just eat less. At one point, she pretty much started to live on cereal, dry toast, jello, things like that with absolutely no substance, and she looked horrible. Gaunt, almost sickly, because her skin color was pale and even though she was 5'6 and 140 pounds, it looked like someone had overstretched her skin around her body to make it fit. Does that make sense? It wasn't a healthy weight for her, even though how she got there was beyond scary. Her body type just wasn't able to be 140 pounds and healthy. It was too thin for her. Happy to say now, of course, she's at a more comfortable weight, looks beautiful (if I say so rather jealously), and is engaged to be married (that was just so I can say that I get to be a bridesmaid! Yay!)

Originally posted by knelson I would think many! What about yourself? 56 is unusually low for a heart rate of anyone. Horses have an average heart rate of 40. I take vitals a lot and I've never seen a HR that low.

Originally posted by aquageek Devil's advocate here - if everyone thinks they are a better judge of height and weight based on dress size, bone size, exercise time, etc, why would we have the BMI in the first place? Maybe instead of everyone going out of their way to explain excessive weight, maybe folks should lose the weight. Also, you state "as long as you eat right, exercise regularly and keep in good health, you can very easily carry what you consider to be "unhealthy" body mass." How is this necessarily the case? If you are fat/obese or whatever we call it now, you are placing yourself at a health risk, regardless of all those other things you mention. If you eat right and exercise, wouldn't you by default probably be more prone to being in the healthy weight range? I've not known anyone (my experience only) to be a good athlete and be overweight, lose down to ideal weight and lose stamina or performance. Plus, many have found other issues seem to disappear (asthma, grd, etc). I'm not denying you can be quite active and even excel while too heavy but you'd probably do much better at a more reasonable weight. When you become a woman and have a couple of babies we will see what you say about some of us being overweight then.