I'm just really curious.  I know that swimming seems to have lower impact on the body, but with which can you lose more weight?
131701
Running because you are hotter internally.  Swimming is cooling you down.  Now, that said, Running is much harder on you then swimming.  \n\nA great compromise is "run" on a trampoline, or, better yet, go get a mountain bike.  Serious, low impact, lots of energy expended, and way serious fun.  There are dirt trails everywhere, and you breathe oxygen, not car exhaust.  \n\nAfter a fun ride, you don't realize you just got in a great workout.
591602
You might be gaining weight through your fat turning into muscle, which weighs more.\n\nI'd stop doing any weights in the gym, and do more cardiovascular work. If you get a bad back stick to more swimming- I'd go everyday if possible.
544306
Most healthy women naturally have more body fat in order to provide for a growing baby. This makes them more buoyant than healthy men.\n\nHowever there are many women who have very little body fat, including young women, athletes, and those who simply exercise often. Women with a high percentage of muscle will have more trouble staying above water while swimming.\n\nConversely, there are many overweight men with a high percentage of body fat. It's not uncommon at all for men to have big bellies and lots of body fat to keep them easily bobbing in the water.
653964
With proper diet and exercise you should be able to get in shape enough to notice a difference. However, measuring your weight loss by pounds lost isn't a great idea. When you start exercising, you'll loose fat and water weight, but replace it with muscle, which weighs more. Try http://www.sparkpeople.com to set up a diet and exercise plan!
226350
I'm serious, don't get sick though. I had food poisoning from consuming fish/chicken, don't know which one made me sick, and I lost 30 pounds in 1 month from throwing up and having the runs. People were complimenting me on my weight loss, but I was living in agony. I don't know what I had, but the first round of antibiotics from the doc did not work. It took 3 treatments! I have since gained the weight back because as soon as I got better, I ate everything in sight! Food never tasted better in my life. I've learned that drinking cold water boosts your metabolism 30% because your body has to work harder at maintaining the water at body temperature. Good-old fashioned exercise and food portion control ought to do it. Don't skip breaksfast and drink as much water as you can! That's my best advice. I don't think there is a HEALTHY way to lose a large amount of weight in a short period of time.
65353
Do you mean body mass including muscle mass? The best method for weightloss is increased physical activity (obviously), with a balance of cardio and weighttraining. More muscle inherently burns more calories per muscle-pound (about 50 for each pound per day, I believe). Cardio without weighttraining will help to lose weight, but because muscles are soft problem areas, especially thighs and the stomach in women, will still appear soft and flabby.\n\nCoupled with a BALANCED diet (lean protein from meats is important), it should be easy. But there's no quick-fix method for losing body mass except surgery, and that's not particularly safe either.
118074
I don't know how easy this will be for you, but swimming is how I toned up after both of my babies!  I had c-sections with both, so I have a lot of muscle damage.  But it worked very well for me.  I hope it helps you too.
46782
It isn't safe to drop weight too quickly; you'll lose muscle and water weight and you'll soon gain it back. You should try to eat less (but eat healthy foods to make those calories count for good) and exercise more.
438144
That's good to drink water, but what you eat and how much is more important. The calories eaten must be less than the calories burned through daily activities and exercise.
662625
Losing is a part of life- i hate to break it to you.  Striving to be the best is one thing, but being completely neurotic about not being number one is another.  Swimming is about beating yourself, not the person in the lane next to you.  Always strive for a better time- not to beat the next person.  Because in the end, unless you're an Olympic champion, there is always going to someone faster than you.  Do what Dory says: Just Keep Swimming!
400760
Swimming for exercise\nSwimming does not significantly reduce weight and it is l poorly understood as a meassure for reducing fat. There are many other be nifits in swimming. Please read -\n\nA still-water swimming machine where the swimmer exercises against the pull of a bungee cord.Swimming is a good form of exercise. Because the density of the human body is approximately similar to that of water, the body is supported by the water and less stress is therefore placed on joints and bones. Therefore, swimming is frequently used as an exercise in rehabilitation after injuries or for those with disabilities.\n\nResistance swimming is one form of swimming exercise. It is done either for training purposes, to hold the swimmer in place for stroke analysis, or to enable swimming in a confined space for athletic or therapeutic reasons. Resistance swimming can be done either against a stream of water set in motion by a (usually) self-contained mechanical device (often termed a swimming machine) or by holding the swimmer stationary by means of elastic attachments.\n\nSwimming is primarily an aerobic exercise due to the relatively long exercise time, requiring a constant oxygen supply to the muscles, except for short sprints where the muscles work anaerobically. As with most aerobic exercise it is believed to reduce the harmful effects of stress. While aerobic exercises usually burn fat and help with losing weight, this effect is limited in swimming, even though being in cold water burns more food energy to maintain body temperature.\n\nThe reason that swimming does not significantly reduce weight is still poorly understood, but seems to be related to the better heat conduction of water. A number of reasons are suspected.\n\nWater cools the body much faster than air and most researchers believe that subsequently the body aims to maintain a layer of fat under the skin for insulation. \nIt is believed that appetite decreases as the body temperature increases, as for example during exercise. However, during swimming the body is cooled down almost instantly as the surrounding water is usually cooler than the body temperature, and some researchers believe that this may actually increase the appetite. This assumption is not yet proven by research. \nFast swimming requires a high level of effort, meaning glycogen rather than fat is burned. Prolonged exercise at lower intensity is better for fat-burning. \nSome researchers also believe that the metabolism of the body increases at higher body temperature, burning more food energy. Again, during swimming the body is cooled down by the surrounding water, reducing the metabolism, and subsequently the amount of food energy burnt. This assumption is also not yet proven by research. \nThere is also a theory that people with a genetically higher body fat content tend to be more successful as swimmers since the increased buoyancy of the fat aids in floatation or the rounder shapes offer less resistance to the water. \nSwimming exercises almost all muscles in the body. Usually, the arms and upper body are exercised more than the legs. In competitive swimming, excessive leg muscles can be seen as a disadvantage as they consume more oxygen, which would be needed for the muscles in the arms, although this depends on the swimming style. While breaststroke generates significant movement with the legs, front crawl propels the body mainly with the arms.\n\nSometimes the swimming consists of swimming laps using a conventional stroke, such as the front crawl; other forms can include different forms of exercise performed in the water, such as water aerobics.\n\nSwimming may be good for asthma sufferers.\n\nSwimming uses all three energy production systems, which are the creatine phosphate system, anaerobic fermentation (also known as Lactic acid buildup system), and the aerobic system. These three systems produce energy in form of ATP to enable muscle use (among other body functions).
585519
It's a really great start and you will notice a difference.  Watch your food intake, too.  Don't assume that because you are exercising you can eat more.  The only real way to lose weight is to burn more calories than you take in.  Good luck!
536283
Swimming is a great way to tone up, however, it's not a great weight loss activity.  If you want to really start burning calories, I would recommend running or aerobics 5 times a week for over 20 minutes.  When you are doing aerobic activity (no stop and go; continuous) you are burning carbohydrates for the first 12 minutes.  After that time you start burning calories.  I used to be a swimmer, and I would like to get back to it.  I really applaud you for 3 times a week for an hour.
456172
Swimming is a great way to lose fat... It's Possibly the best way to get ripped without stepping into a gym.
361771
Swimming is a great exercise for ab muscles and legs.  If you see yourself as an "apple or pear" shape person, swimming will definitely help you in these areas.  It is nonshocking to your joints, it is aerobic and also fun.  As far as diet pills, stay away from them the side affects do more harm than good and there isnt a wonder pill on the market as of yet that doesnt have a side affect that can kill you.  Of course, a good diet would be helpful- join a gym that has a pool and have a trainer go over what exercises you can start off at and gradually increase to get the results you want by the summer, they also have nutritionists at the better gyms and since it is near the holidays, they usually run specials for Christmas - so check it out--- good luck on your goal to a new you!!
251792
swimming is a great calorie and fat burner.. if you really want to build muscle you would have to really train hard. \n\nusing paddles will build some arm muscle, and kicking fly will tone your stomach
244180
>>Why don't you just start exercising to lose it? <<\n\nThis specifically doesn't apply to me, I'm Italian, so I'm curvy, and there IS a difference. That comment is the most clueless I've ever seen. Some people that are overweight have health issues and "just exercising" isn't going to fix it. Hypo-thyroidism is one condition that comes to mind. (It's when your thyroid gland - one of the ones the regulates metabolism - is underactive.) Simple exercise can help that condition, but medication is needed.