Or just get some lightweight shorts (men's swimming trunks?) and a t-shirt. Don't let your body image hold you back.... :)

As for the bike, is it both hips that you have problems with? If only one, could you get on the bike from the other side? I know we all seem to approach a bike from the left, but it's not a rule! :lol:

No, Pat ...it is only my right hip. The problem is if I stand on my left leg, I can't lift my right leg high enough to get over the bike. And I can't stand on my right leg and lift my left leg over the bike, because my hip gives out on me and I would collapse on my butt. I have tried every which way possible.

Ah, I see the problem. :) What you need is a bike with a low enough seat that swivels out so you can sit down, then swivel back in to pedal. :lol: I just remembered that I've seen things that are just the pedals, so I googled it and sure enough, called a Pedal Exerciser (Assembled) and sold by Amazon, and other places I suspect. For the low price it might be worth trying....

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ance&n=3760901

I love swimming, but I am humongous. Getting to the pool often felt like a long walk down death row, but once I got in the water, I felt fine (it's not like the water covers anything, but it feels like it). What finally helped me, is realizing that I have a right to take up space on the planet, even if it is twice the space or more of a "regular" person. I won't allow my fear of what others think of me, prevent me from enjoying the water.

Remember that it is just perception. It may not help, but if I weighed what you did, I'd wear a leopard print bikini! By the way, even at my size, it helps to buy the most fantastic looking suit I can afford. Lane Bryant and Roamans (both online) have really great looking swim suits that flatter many body types. I even noticed one (can't remember the catalog) that had a skirt that was quite a bit longer than the others. It was so cute too, I thought of buying it even though I have a really nice suit now.

If you can find a warm water exercise pool in your area - check with the arthritis foundation, ask your doctor (esp rheumatologists)... These places are fantastic. And almost everyone there will have weight and body issues. At the therapy pool I go to, no one looks good in a swimsuit, but we all have fun. (The average weight is probably somewhere around 225 or more, and the average age, is probably 70. There are people there severely scarred from surgeries, and amputees...)

At least give it a try. I can't even stand to do a whole sinkful of dishes with my arthritis and fibromyalgia, but in the pool I can swim, do water aerobics at a good pace, and lift weights (pull is a better word than lift, with the bouyant water resistance dumbells).