Swimming to lose weight?

Just to add heat to the fire or perhaps squelch it ... I think everyone here has valid points. I think that you can be overweight and still be relatively healthy. It depends on how much weight you are talking about though. 5-10 lbs, no big deal ... there does come apoint, however, when extra weight is unhealthy. I have, however, read studies that have found that it is more important to eat healthy than it is to be thin. It is better to be heavier and workout than it is to be skinny and not. So in essence, if you eat healthy and don't over eat too much than you are going to be healthy. Whereas, if you are genetically skinny eat like crap and don't work out you are not going to be healthy. You can be "over weight" and healthy OR skinny and unhealthy. There are people that struggle with their weight, that no matter what they do they can't lose weight. Aquageek, perhaps you fall into the category of those that can take off weight rather easily if they so chose. I have pretty good genetics, eat well and work out a fair amount. For me it is pretty easy to drop weight if I want. I just have to watch what I eat a little more strictly. I have friends that could eat the bare minimum of calories in a day and workout and they would never be skinny. So there's my 2 cents! Swim on my friends!

I also think that people who have never struggled with their weight have a hard time understanding why heavy people cannot just cut down what they eat and lose weight. This little article talks about the new study about skinny people fidget more. It is humorous, but it also hits home some things about how hard it is to lose weight if you are heavy. www.skinnydailypost.com/index.html

You clearly have taken this entirely too personally. The discussion focused on fit and obese. But, as long as we are taking this personally, why can't we be critical of obesity? It is a horrible health crisis. The many health issues caused by obesity impact every aspect of our lives - increased health premiums, lost work productivity, premature aging and death but possibly not nuclear armageddon. Have you seen the stats on childhood obesity (those that aren't impacted by pregnancy)? You think that's not a huge problem for America? Look, I'm no slim jim by any means and I applaud your efforts.

Shannon, I think you are at the very hardest time to lose weight, when your children are still young, trying to work, take care of them. I think losing 15 pounds, or any weight at all during that time is admirable. I know I never was able to after my second was born. Add to that medication for migraines that added 20 pounds in 3 months, I just kind of gave up. It took 10 years for me to finally turn it around, and I will battle it for the rest of my life. It is good you are winning the fight, although it has been slow for you, you are not gaining, so you are winning!

I will buy the overweight and fit argument. I will not buy the overweight and healthy argument. I think there are just too many reports that being overweight is not healthy. I am concerned that we are loosening our standards of fitness and weight as the population is getting bigger. It's the old mob mentality. Whatever, I'm going to eat a bag of chips for lunch cause I swam a whole lot this morning.

Aquageek, I just take offense to how you make comments on our "excuses". There are reasons for some of us to be overweight other then being lazy and unfit. Having children can cause weight gain and can be very hard to lose that weight, too. Some of us come from families that naturally have more fat then others. It is also a proven fact that woman naturally have more fat then men. So your comment on those of us using excuses and just need to lose the weight, I think, is out of line. It is not so easy for everyone to just lose the weight at will. There are many of us here who use swimming to lose weight. I have been working hard to lose weight after having my second child and nearly two years later I have lost 15 lbs. It hasn't been easy. It can also be frustrating when you are working so hard and the pounds just are not coming off. This is especially true when you live with a husband who eats like a pig and hardly does any exercise yet he can still lose weight. My point here is that we don't need you to be critical of those who are overweight. We all have are reasons for being who we are.

Aquageek- I don't think anyone here is denying that obesity is not a problem. What some of us are trying to state is that you can be overweight or even considered obese and still be fit and healthy. I am sure there are people out there who are in a normal weight range and is not as fit or as healthy as I am. And yes I will take it a little personally whenever someone makes a comment about others needing to just lose weight and stop making excuses.

I completely agree with you. It is not easy to loose weight!!! All I know is that even at my heaviest I was in better shape than every member of my team!!! Finding the right combination of things that works for each individual is not easy.

I agree with the fact that our society has made it much more acceptable to be obese by catering to heavier people. It isn't healthy to be very overweight...I know I was there. I have to watch what I eat even though I swim every day. Most of all even though I was fit (but FAT) I didn't like how I felt or even looked for that matter. Shouldn't we encourage everyone to a healthier weight instead of making it ok to be heavy. There was an article in shape this month about just that. Women and men are encouraged to be happy with themselves as being overweight and because of that they think that they are ok being heavy---its like one extreme to another--too fat---too skinny---how about just right.

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. Geek, I think the reason some on this board are so angry with you, is that you make it sound like being heavy is someone wearing a pink sweater with green pants. They know the sweater's bad with the pants, so for crying out loud, go change! It's really not that simple, darlin'. There are a ton of factors in today's culture that make it harder, even if it was just as easy as "stop eating, walk more." Cars, computers, microwaves, fast food, career moms, technology, genetics....there are a million reasons we're heavier than our grandparents were. In a fair example, you try fixing yogurt and oatmeal for breakfast when it's 6:30, you have yourself, three kids, one bathroom, and you have to have them all to two different schools by 7 so you can get to the office by 7:15. Breakfast doesn't happen. Then, you get to work, and in the breakroom, there's a nice box of donuts, or muffins, or whatever, and your poor tummy thinks, well, just one. Personally, I think it's nice that society has warmed up a little to the plight of heavy people. Do you really think it's encouraging people to be fat by opening a clothing store? If we took away all the clothes over size 12, people wouldn't get skinny. They'd be naked a lot. Let us worry about our health problems, Geek, and what to do to be healthier. You concentrate on staying away from Shannon and dorothyrde. I think they're mad at you.