Am I too fat to go swimming?
Replies
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Swimming burns a lot of calories, and it's fun
I say go for it. I've been doing it all summer! 0 -
Swimming is awesome! As long as you can keep your head up, no one is too fat to swim!
If you feel uncomfortable with your appearance you could just wear a shirt too... but really I don't think you have to. Anyone who may be judging you is the one with the problem.0 -
Hi there. I'm a heavier girl and I swim every morning before work. I used to do a lot of cardio at the gym until I had to have an arthroscopic hip repair. Now, swimming is the best exercise for me. Once you're in the water you'll start to focus more on technique and breathing and you'll forget about others around you. I say get in there and have fun with it.0
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I just started this week getting up at 5am and going swimming at our gym. That early in the morning my friend and I are about the only ones there. Every once in a while I will make a splash or laugh aloud to wake the high school lifeguard up. Its so relaxing and such a great workout. I wear a tankini top and shorts and I don't care what anyone thinks. I'm there to take care of myself and to one day be swimming in a bikini!!! Go for it!!
By the way, scars are sexy!!! Show it off with confidence!!!
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No, swimming is awesome. If you're self conscious wear a t-shirt with your shorts.
This is what I do.0 -
OK, so something I've not done since I was like 13 or something, is swimming. I used to love swimming as a kid, but as the years went by, and the weight piled on, it's something I never ever dreamt of doing, until now.
I signed up to a gym today, have the induction on Thursday evening, and the gym membership I paid for comes with unlimited access to the swimming baths, and it got me thinking - Am I too fat to go swimming?
I know I shouldn't care what other people think, and yes, other people probably don't care about me being there, they're too busy doing their thing to concern themselves over the "fat guy" but I can't help feeling self conscious about it.
Anybody else out there had/have the same problem? Anybody else face their fear of the going swimming?
Are you too fat to go swimming? I would say only if you are so large that you literally cannot fit into the pool! Seriously, swimming is the BEST exercise you can do if you are overweight and your joints hurt, although you didn't say that about yourself. I'm just going on how I was at my heaviest. I had sore knees and feet. Anyway, I say to heck with those who would give you the stink eye or any other odd looks, and go for it! The only thing you have to lose is the excess weight. You have many, many things to gain!!0 -
hell no you are not too fat to go swimming. may take a minute to get used to since you haven't swam in so long, but it's great exercise and really fun. like you said, people really won't even notice you they are all there for themselves, so go have yourself a great old water time!0
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Your definitely not too fat!!!... no one is ...not ever ,, because you are doing something about the extra pounds...something positive. The swimming will help you burn calories..,, burn fat and so what if anyone should look...look at them straight back and think you may as well look now because someday soon the weight will have gone! Good Luck on your journey ....be positive :-)0
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I don't see how anyone could EVER think that a person could be "too fat to go swimming". I really don't think anyone would ever think that.
I have been fat for possibly the past third of my life from just overweight to pretty obese (300 lbs, healthy weight around 150 lbs) and I remember only too well during the thin period of my life wishing fat people kept themselves covered up, acres of bulging semi naked flesh wobbling about was not, in my view at that time, the most pleasant thing in the world. This has coloured my view. And I think you would probably be surprised to find out how many people find obesity, and public displays of it, disgusting. Yes, it shouldn't make any difference, and perhaps I should think, to hell with those who don't approve, but for well over ten years I have felt self conscious about my weight and have even avoided being naked or semi naked in front of family and friends. Go figure, we all have our hang ups. The positive thing is the more weight I lose, the less I feel like this and I see the day approaching when I will emerge from my mental chrysalis into the light!
Yeah, maybe if you had learned acceptance of others and compassion, you wouldn't be hating on yourself now.
You can train yourself not to judge others based in appearance. But if you don't fix it, you'll just become a horrible person who is fit. Aka an *kitten*.
I agree, but you're applying today's morality to yesterday. When I was young, before you were born, fat people were few and far between and looked at differently. The thing that worries me nowadays in these more enlightened times, is all the talk of an obesity epidemic, it is making obese people something to be despised again, people who have no self control, people who are so gross they can't stop eating garbage. (Fortunately not th people on MFP who are doing their best to do something about it). Rather as smoking has become reviled, so is obesity, to the extent where if you're thin and die of a heart attack, you've had a heart attack, if you're obese and have a heart attack, you've died of an 'obesity related disease'. There has even been talk of Doctors refusing to treat obese people until they lose weight, fortunately that hasn't happened yet. Tomorrow's morality may be very different to today's, there are no abolutes.
Nonetheless, the main reason I don't swim yet is I'm self conscious about my body which I don't like and can't imagine others will like. Maybe it takes more courage than I have to say to hell with the nay sayers, but that's just the way I am.
Every part of you - your personality, your body, your attitude, is just a step in your journey. I have lost and gained back, SEVERAL times, about 40lbs but it was not until I looked at 325lbs of myself in the mirror and said "you are as good and worthy as anyone else" that I actually lost 60+lbs and have maintained it for three years or more. I have had to work at being kinder about bodies - not just my own but others as well. They are JUST BODIES. They don't actually mean a single thing about the morals or values of the person wearing them, regardless of what others may think. It's okay if you think it is distasteful but that is ALL YOU and nothing to do with them, and absolutely none of your business to say out loud or propagate. That's a good place to start.
I helped myself by remembering when I was internally thinking something unkind about my or another person's body - "would I be okay with someone else saying this about my body?" if the answer is no, I shut down the negative talk immediately.0 -
This is really timely - I JUST went for my first lap swim yesterday - I weigh 260 atm. I was incredibly anxious about it, to the point where I had to go to the pool sans suit first to see what kind of people were swimming and talk to the desk clerk about how busy it would be. I hit the medium speed lane because the slow speed lane is mostly walkers - it was wide, probably five or six of us (big enough for three abreast) and there was a diagram showing the flow of movement. I didn't WANT to do it because I was self conscious but I did it and did 750M. I recommend arm stretches before you go in (I ALWAYS learn the stretching lesson the hard way!) and after. There were bodies of all shapes and sizes there, all speeds of swimmers. In fact, the BEST SWIMMER IN THE WHOLE PLACE was a girl much larger than me. She was a beautiful swimmer, hardly put up a splash, just put he head down and went to work, cut through the water like a hot knife in butter. I was really impressed and inspired and I definitely aspire to be a calm, quiet swimmer like she is (I haven't swam much in a while so I felt like my movements were pretty frantic).0
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at my fattest, I put on a bikini and swam at the beach. I also took surfing lessons. Which someone video taped and put on a blog to humiliate me (and the others).
And even when I was fat, it felt good to be on the beach, it was amazing to surf, and I loved it.0 -
please don't be the guy that swims with a t-shirt on. even if you get one of those aqua t-shirts. also, no water aerobics unless you are over the age of 65.
no comfortable wearing speedos? thats cool. neither am i. i prefer to wear jammers, which are tight swim wear that go down your thighs. still not comfortable? wear boardshorts over them.
swim. swim a lot. take a class, and get your form checked out and improved upon. unless of course you swam competitively once, and know what your swimming form should look and feel like. the problem with swimming is that often times people are out of breath, and they erroneously believe that their exertion is a result of the exercise, and not from oxygen deprivation. on top of that, they're moving inefficiently through the water and using up a lot of energy.
google some beginner swimming work outs. there is one called couch to 1650, which gets you to the point where you are swimming 1650 yards in a session. fyi, 25 yards is one length of a pool, 50 is one back and forth, or lap.
pro tip: print out your work out on regular paper. take it to the pool with you. place it, print side up, ever so gently on the water and lift it back up, careful that it doesn't fold over on itself. place it print side up on a kickboard. bam. now you have your work out at the end of the lane for a quick reference.0 -
OK, so something I've not done since I was like 13 or something, is swimming. I used to love swimming as a kid, but as the years went by, and the weight piled on, it's something I never ever dreamt of doing, until now.
I signed up to a gym today, have the induction on Thursday evening, and the gym membership I paid for comes with unlimited access to the swimming baths, and it got me thinking - Am I too fat to go swimming?
I know I shouldn't care what other people think, and yes, other people probably don't care about me being there, they're too busy doing their thing to concern themselves over the "fat guy" but I can't help feeling self conscious about it.
Anybody else out there had/have the same problem? Anybody else face their fear of the going swimming?
Simply, no. Go enjoy yourself in the water-- it feels great. 0 -
@ herblackwings - I was actually considering wearing a shirt, just not sure if it will make me stand out even more!
I do a lot of cardio at home, but my house is kind of cluttered with exercise equipment, so I decided to purchase a gym membership with the money I get from selling off the equipment!
Thanks for the encouragement people, I guess that's why I made the post, encouragement goes a long way!
Shirt or no shirt once you are in the water you will feel great. A lot of other people are there for the same reason. Swim and enjoy it. I'll be going twice a week in Sept.0 -
please don't be the guy that swims with a t-shirt on. even if you get one of those aqua t-shirts. also, no water aerobics unless you are over the age of 65.
no comfortable wearing speedos? thats cool. neither am i. i prefer to wear jammers, which are tight swim wear that go down your thighs. still not comfortable? wear boardshorts over them.
swim. swim a lot. take a class, and get your form checked out and improved upon. unless of course you swam competitively once, and know what your swimming form should look and feel like. the problem with swimming is that often times people are out of breath, and they erroneously believe that their exertion is a result of the exercise, and not from oxygen deprivation. on top of that, they're moving inefficiently through the water and using up a lot of energy.
google some beginner swimming work outs. there is one called couch to 1650, which gets you to the point where you are swimming 1650 yards in a session. fyi, 25 yards is one length of a pool, 50 is one back and forth, or lap.
pro tip: print out your work out on regular paper. take it to the pool with you. place it, print side up, ever so gently in the water and lift it back up, careful that it doesn't fold over on itself. place it print side up on a kickboard. bam. now you have your work out at the end of the lane for a quick reference.
HELLO, awesome info! Love the pro tip. 0 -
Again, thanks for all the kind words/support, it means a lot!
Don't think I'm going to wear a top when I go in, I figure it will just draw more attention to me.
Gonna take the plunge!0 -
This is really timely - I JUST went for my first lap swim yesterday - I weigh 260 atm. I was incredibly anxious about it, to the point where I had to go to the pool sans suit first to see what kind of people were swimming and talk to the desk clerk about how busy it would be. I hit the medium speed lane because the slow speed lane is mostly walkers - it was wide, probably five or six of us (big enough for three abreast) and there was a diagram showing the flow of movement. I didn't WANT to do it because I was self conscious but I did it and did 750M. I recommend arm stretches before you go in (I ALWAYS learn the stretching lesson the hard way!) and after. There were bodies of all shapes and sizes there, all speeds of swimmers. In fact, the BEST SWIMMER IN THE WHOLE PLACE was a girl much larger than me. She was a beautiful swimmer, hardly put up a splash, just put he head down and went to work, cut through the water like a hot knife in butter. I was really impressed and inspired and I definitely aspire to be a calm, quiet swimmer like she is (I haven't swam much in a while so I felt like my movements were pretty frantic).
LOL!
This will be me tomorrow!
I'm glad it went well for you!!0 -
This is really timely - I JUST went for my first lap swim yesterday - I weigh 260 atm. I was incredibly anxious about it, to the point where I had to go to the pool sans suit first to see what kind of people were swimming and talk to the desk clerk about how busy it would be. I hit the medium speed lane because the slow speed lane is mostly walkers - it was wide, probably five or six of us (big enough for three abreast) and there was a diagram showing the flow of movement. I didn't WANT to do it because I was self conscious but I did it and did 750M. I recommend arm stretches before you go in (I ALWAYS learn the stretching lesson the hard way!) and after. There were bodies of all shapes and sizes there, all speeds of swimmers. In fact, the BEST SWIMMER IN THE WHOLE PLACE was a girl much larger than me. She was a beautiful swimmer, hardly put up a splash, just put he head down and went to work, cut through the water like a hot knife in butter. I was really impressed and inspired and I definitely aspire to be a calm, quiet swimmer like she is (I haven't swam much in a while so I felt like my movements were pretty frantic).
Go you!!:)
So proud of you!
Isn't it amazing how good it feels?0 -
This is really timely - I JUST went for my first lap swim yesterday - I weigh 260 atm. I was incredibly anxious about it, to the point where I had to go to the pool sans suit first to see what kind of people were swimming and talk to the desk clerk about how busy it would be. I hit the medium speed lane because the slow speed lane is mostly walkers - it was wide, probably five or six of us (big enough for three abreast) and there was a diagram showing the flow of movement. I didn't WANT to do it because I was self conscious but I did it and did 750M. I recommend arm stretches before you go in (I ALWAYS learn the stretching lesson the hard way!) and after. There were bodies of all shapes and sizes there, all speeds of swimmers. In fact, the BEST SWIMMER IN THE WHOLE PLACE was a girl much larger than me. She was a beautiful swimmer, hardly put up a splash, just put he head down and went to work, cut through the water like a hot knife in butter. I was really impressed and inspired and I definitely aspire to be a calm, quiet swimmer like she is (I haven't swam much in a while so I felt like my movements were pretty frantic).
Go you!!:)
So proud of you!
Isn't it amazing how good it feels?
I have learnt to never judge someone's fitness ability on their weight, because people will always surprise you. Congrats on your first swim too!0 -
You're a guy? Guys walk around topless, no matter what size they are. No one will even notice. #DoubleStandard
Iknowrite?
You have my permission to walk around topless!
:laugh: After I wrote that, I was thinking, "Maybe I should reword that."0 -
I think you are right about the t-shirt, I would have thought it would draw more attention and also some pools will not let you in wearing them. Once you are in the water, you will only see your head anyway!
you can take your towel to the poolside and leave it near the stairs if that helps. I swim regularly, and love it. I swam because you can put in as much effort as you like, and no one will notice how red and puffy your face is!!! Anyone who thinks/criticizes people for trying to be healthy and get fitter can go take a long walk off a short plank!
it doesn't matter what you look like, every one of those people who you think might be looking has insecurities of their own. once you have been a couple of times, you will realize that the other people there swimming just come in, do their lengths and then go home. Its actually a really nice place to clear your head, just swimming up and down, you get into a little "zone". I must say however, it is best to go on an "adults only" session, or a "lane swimming" session, otherwise you end up having to swim round a bunch of kids having a carry on! I also try go when its quiet, I hate it when the pool is too busy. You could phone and ask when is quiet, and when the different sessions are. Maybe go with a friend, courage in numbers and all that!!!
remember what dory says... Just keep swimming!!! 0 -
Get in the water now!!0
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Thanks for posting this, its great to read all the encouraging replies. I was considering going swimming too, and was experiencing the same anxieties as yourself and after reading this I've decided to go for it - why the hell not!! I was a water baby growing up, I even got some swimming medals in school, so I'm not going to let my fears hold me back any longer from doing something that I used to love so much.
Let me know how you get on. I'm off to buy a swimsuit - eek! :happy:0 -
I live at the each and I can tell you that overweight or not--you will fit right in. No one really cares because we are all there to worship the sun. I am working on the size of MY bootie and I wear a 2 piece and no one cares AND I have made a lot of friends both sizes at the beach as well. If YOU are confident then so with everyone around you.0
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please don't be the guy that swims with a t-shirt on. even if you get one of those aqua t-shirts. also, no water aerobics unless you are over the age of 65.
I go to interval water aerobics & have seen younger ppl who come a time or two,then quit.They say it's too hard,makes them short of breath.....whatever.You might be surprised at some of the older ppl who spend 2 hrs in the pool,5 days a week. After 1 hr aerobics aerobics,they do water volley ball or laps.
Don't be so quick to put down older ppl.After all,you probably plan on being one of them,if you are lucky.0 -
Go for it! it's the best exercise for you! Physio therapist recommend it all the time!
What I love is that you are not sore the next day
Go for it and let us know how it went!0 -
Someone mentioned using their HRM in the swimming baths, I have a Polar FT4 HRM, would that work in water? Don't think I have the user manual anymore!
I started swimming in the city pool six weeks ago and I love it! I'm the slowest swimmer under 60 and I still have to stop and gasp for breath every lap or two but I'm getting better. And none of the other swimmers care that I'm slow, they just swim around me if I'm sharing a lane with someone, so don't worry about what other people think. I'm already seeing changes in my measurements.
You can definitely use your FT4 for swimming, just be sure not to push the buttons while it is under water. The manual also recommends washing the strap every time you swim in a pool with high chlorine levels.
You can look at a copy of the manual online here: http://www.polar.com/e_manuals/FT4/Polar_FT4_user_manual_English/manual.pdf
Happy swimming!0 -
Are you too fat to go swimming? No. Checkout Martin Strell aka Fish Man. He's overweight, yet swam the Mississippi, Yangtze, Danube and Amazon river. There's a documentary about him, go checkout "Big River Man".0
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Do whatever you want. Anyone who says anything to you is a *kitten*.0
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Screw 'em! I did a trial of a gym a few years back just because of the pool. It was a terrible experience because I allowed my self-consciousness to hinder my workout. I assumed that everyone was thinking badly of me and never went back. Years later, I wish I had gotten over it and done my own thing. If I had the yard, I'd find the money for a pool. A gym pool is a great alternative! Good luck 0
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