Chickadee, your original post INFURIATES me! How DARE that stupid woman demotivate you! I personally feel that the spirit of being an aerobics instructor should be to get everybody fit and happy, this lady is spiteful and idiotic and put you down when you were feeling proud of yourself. She is not a doctor anyway, don't listen to what she says. I had a doctor tell me that swimming was excellent exercise (I have a bad hip due to muscle inflammation). Your starting weight and muscle composition doesn't have much to do with whether swimming (or any other exercise) is good for you. If you don't have much muscle then perhaps it is true that you won't burn quite as many calories after your workout but the point is, you are developing muscle and swimming is great cardiovascular exercise which will burn plenty of calories in itself. Please keep swimming and WELL DONE for making an effort to get fit, it isn't easy to be motivated and I am sure everyone who reads your post will think you are fantastic for making an effort. We all know how difficult it is. I want to be an aerobics instructor one day when I have lost weight and there is no way I will ever be like that woman, she is crazy!