Ok, I Am Trying...

One thing is for sure, I am obese...

During the last few months I was eating too much and at one point I decided that I needed to try to get in shape...

I've been on a diet for a week and I have also decided to add some physical exercise...

What I am planning to do is to continue dieting and go swimming twice a week...

Being on a diet is not easy at all but I am starting to see that I used to eat when I was bored or driven by false hunger...

Regarding going to swimming I decided that if I had to do some excercise why not doing something diving-related ???
When I took the Rescue Diver class I had a hell of time being not fit at all and I have always thought that being not able to save someone due to the fact that I am not fit could drive me mad...

My goal is also to swim 400 mtrs in at least 11 minutes which is the minimum requirement to pass the Dive Master class...
I do not want to take the DM class but just in case...

I decided to take a course with a coach because I need to be controlled and because I want to improve my technique...
One thing that I do not like too much will be next friday when my first lesson will take place and when I will have to discuss with the coach about what I want to do...
Knowing that I will not be able to swim for a very long time is something I cannot stop thinking about and makes me nervous...
It hurts to have 150 dives under my belt and not being able to swim for a reasonable amount of time...

Ok, I feel a little bit better now, maybe it was the right time to write this message...

Sorry for my bad english and feel free to add your comments...

Ciao Erik Il Rosso

Hey Erik,
That's great. It sounds like you have a plan, are getting some coaching, and working towards a goal. Those seem like the right steps to me. I need to lose a few pounds myself, but you seem much more focussed than I. Good luck! Try and stay focussed and I'm sure you'll succeed. Oh, and don't feel bad or apologize about losing weight, not swimming well, or even your English. English is fine, and you're taking steps to change the other two, so why be sorry! It must really be tough in Italy with all that good food, but I'm pulling for you. Again, Good Luck.

First two weeks of dieting and nearly 5 Kgs lost...

I also had my first swimming lesson yesterday...
After a few minutes the coach stopped me and asked me if I had a snorkel in my mouth...
I have to learn to breath in using my mouth and breath out using my nose while swimming but my mind was continually serching for my regulator to be purged...
I won't talk about the noise, the smell of clorine and the water that I drank thought my nose...
Moreover, after 30 minutes I started having problems with my muscles expecially in the upper part of my body (arms)...
Coach stopped me 10 minutes before the end of the regualr lesson and asked me if she would see me again next tuesday...
Of course I reply, I won't give up !!!

It is not easy but I am still trying...

Ciao Erik Il Rosso

Keep at it. It seems tough at first, but it will get easier. Good luck!

good for you, you sound like you are very committed to seeing through to your goal....
I also need to lose about 20-30lbs and i just started a diet with LA WL so hopefully by the time the water really gets nice i will fit into a much smaller suit......goal is to lose 15-20 by june 1st Hope i can stick to it like you are.

Erik Il Rosso:

Ok, I Am Trying...

Click to expand...

It doesn't sound like you're "trying", Erik...




It sounds like you're *succeeding*!

Congrats on sticking to your goal! I look forward to your next report.

annasea:

It doesn't sound like you're "trying", Erik...

It sounds like you're *succeeding*!

Congrats on sticking to your goal! I look forward to your next report.

Click to expand...

Thanks for support but I do feel insecure about what I am doing...

Going to the swimming pool and see all the other swimmers swim so gracefully was like having a stiletto in my heart and this is because I'm a perfectionist...
It does not matter what I do, if I do something it must be done well and with the right technique otherwise I feel stupid...

I must admit that while swimming I had a flash of them wearing my semi dry wet suit, my BP/W and my Hogarthian rig and thought that maybe they would not look as graceful as me when I hover...
I could also saw them underwater moving their arms trying to get their bouyancy right but it was really just a flash...

I know, Rome wasn't built in a day (I'm italian but a reminder is always welcome) and it will take time...

Dieting and swimming shouldn't (and won't) kill me but I must stay focused on the final goal...

Damn !!! I have just discovered that I forgot to recharge my torch and so no diving tomorrow !!!

Ciao Erik Il Rosso

Erik,

Hang in there -- you are getting there. I know it's hard, but ignore the other swimmers. When I first started taking yoga, I couldn't come close to the poses that the classmates around me were achieving so gracefully. So, to keep from being distracted by others, I started doing yoga with my eyes closed. I don't think that will work in the pool...but whatever gets you past the starting point

Keep at it, and don't let the other swimmers get you down. Most of it is technique. I was never a strong surface swimmer, and when I was training for the DM standard you mention, I used to joke that I would try to keep close to the senior citizens in the therapeutic lane so that I could catch a draft off of them. The people who were sprinting past me in the other lanes are simply superior swimmers who have had a lot more training than your or I. Even if you were in excellent physical condition, they would be going faster than you or I. Don't worry about it.

My main advice is to recognize that it is a long haul. Maintain a regular exercise plan and eat healthy. It may take years to get where you really want to be, but those years are going to happen anyway, so you might as well come out of them in good shape. Be patient and believe in yourself!

By the way, I do a lot of work on a stationary bike now because I can't get the time in the pool. I think the more days you exercise, the better.

Update...

My diet plan is going very well, I am eating lots of veggies and I must admit that I am looking for food only when I am a little bit bored...
Instead of cheating, when I feel hungry/bored, I grab a couple of carrots and I am able to control my reactions...
I am also noticing the first results of dieting wearing a pair of jeans that one month ago simply did not fit me...

Ragarding my swimming lessons I have to say that the pains I used to suffer during the first two lessons disappeared but my technique is simply appalling...
I am the weakest swimmer of my group and I simply wish the coach would assist me more closely but apparently she does not care too much about me...
My main problem is that I cannot breath correctly while swimming and I end up drinking a lot of water throught my nose...
Last time she gave me a sort of floating board that I had to use while crawling and things improved a little...
I did a couple of researchs on the InterNet and found some good pieces of advice anyway...
I thought about buying a noseclip but I do not think it is a good idea, if I get used to it I will never learn to breath correctly, do you agree ???
I am a little bit discouraged because it seems that I am not able to swimm correctly and I feel like I am not able to learn the right technique...

Ciao Erik Il Rosso