Thanks useful information: 
As some of those who have been on meet ups with me will know, I need to lose some weight. Due to old Achilles ankle injuries and subsequent knee injuries, exercise has been hard. And in the last couple of years the fact that carrying anything heavy has been nearly impossible for me, resulting in severe back pain for up to 3 days afterwards.
Back in August my partner Warwick went to the doc and his BP was a bit high and doctor recommended lose some weight and get more exercise. Warwick grew up by the beach so swimming is as natural as breathing to him. After he had been going for a few weeks he suggested I come along. I was initially reluctant but I did go down just for a look and found the pool had kickboards you could use.
So! I am now up to 30 laps (1500m in 75-90 minutes) 3 days a week a mix of kickboard and breast stroke and back stroke. On the other 3 days a week I go I do 20 laps, 300m of walking in the water, and 15 mins of aerobic exercises in the water (jumps, running on the spot etc) – about 60-75 mins. And I feel great. I love walking but my weight gain (I was up to 120kgs on 1August 2011) and troublesome ankles meant just 15 mins of waking left me in so much pain I would hardly move for 3 days. I do all this exercise at the pool and have no pain afterwards. And this type of exercise – I do NOT ‘go for the burn’! – fits in with the Primal lifestyle, which I am aiming to get back to. My Primal Blog
I have even bought my own pair of flippers – the type that makes your muscles work harder, not the go faster ones – my own kickbooard, googgles and swim shirt. Who’d have thunk it?
I went back and revisited my food/weight loss diary from 2 years ago. In December 2010 (the last recorded measurements) I had the following figures:
date – weight in kgs – bust – waist – hips – upper arm – thigh – base of neck – calf (measurements in cms)
05/12/2010 – 121 kgs – 145 – 130 – 145 – 43 – 71.5 – 47 – 39
01/01/2012 – 112 kgs – 131 – 119 – 136 – 39 – 68.5 – 43 – 39.5
So I have lost 9 kgs and 44.5cm!
UPDATE: Weigh in today at the doctors before the dentist – down another 2kgs!
So I have now lost 10kgs or 8.33% of my body weight. And I do feel fantastic – the swimming is really strengthening my muscles and to be able to do normal things like walk upstairs, go shopping, carry bags etc without knowing I am in for long bouts of back pain is like a miracle. I wish I’d discovered swimming years ago! And I cam now do a full 50m lap of breast stroke and back stroke and 30m of freestyle – all with correct breathing. I’m trying to do a bit more freestyle each week.
So to any of you trying to lose weight I really recommend the pool.
I’m really pleased with the loss of 4cm from the upper arms – I am working hard on them to try and muscle the flabby old things! I don’t mind the calf measurement increasing, I’m doing so much kicking at the pool I reckon they’d have to! And I have dropped a dress size since the August restart (120kgs), plus I can now walk upstairs like a normal person instead of clutching the hand rail for grim death and gasping my way up! And my BP this morning was 124/80 pulse 68 – I’m very happy with those numbers.
But best of all, I can carry the camera bag up and down the steps at home with no effort at all! It has wheels so once I have it at ground level there are problems, but I used to have to wait until Warwick got home to get it up the stairs to the computer/recharge area.
So, I am feeling better and will keep updating this as the more people who know what I am trying to do the more honest it will keep me!
My aim is to lose 20kgs this year, I think that is an achievable goal.
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I admire what you are doing as I know how hard it is, I also admire that you can write about it I feel that helps too.
...so that walking will help too.
Originally Posted by Mary Anne
