Swim first?

I have found cycling to be best for weight loss due to the sheer volume of cycling one can do with minimal recovery.

Honestly, and this might sound strange, swimming often causes people to get extremely hungry after a workout which usually leads to binge eating. If you can avoid that, and eat a solid diet throughout the rest of the day, your gold for weight loss.

I have bad knees myself. So, I spent a long time building up a base of cycling, swimming and walking/hiking on soft trails. I started adding a little short running only after I had lost most of the weight that I wanted to lose and building up my aerobic capacity. It has worked well for me and I'm now up to running about 4.5miles max with very little problem.

I would say do whatever makes you happy as much as you can. Swimming and biking alone will get you far in your fitness level and you can even enter some Aqua Bikes if you get antsy for some competition!

Patti in NJ

I'm usually more hungry after a good bike ride than a good swim mainly because bike rides are up to 4 hour long. I swam off about 30 lbs before I got on the bike or started running, that approach worked great for me. I swam two years in H.S. so swimmng was somewhat familiar to me after 23 years. For weight loss swimming and/or biking will get the job done as well as a healthy diet.

This is going to sound lame, but I happened upon triathlons by accident. I first lost some weight, then started running (that was something i used to do) and then started biking. Then I needed a road bike and then decided I should swim, because if I did that I could do triathlons.

Then I actually STARTED swimming. I absolutely hated it, but since I had already committed to biking and running, I stuck with it. I swear that if I had tried to swim first I would have thrown the whole idea of triathlons in the trash. But that's me, even being a strong swimmer when young did not prepare me for the thousands of yards in a pool that were needed to swim in a triathlon.

As far as weight loss, there are studies out there, don't ask me to cite them, but I believe the consensus tends to be that all else being equal Biking and running are much better for weight loss. I remember reading one study recently (i read it recently, but I think it was from last year) where (on average) the cyclists lost the most, then the runners, and the swimmers GAINED. perhaps one of the other posters here have that bookmarked.

I always want to eat like a horse after swim sessions!

Interesting comments, but I think everyones experience is different.

When I took my Total Immersion Weekend workshop back in 2010, my whole approach tos wimming changed. I loved every sessoin and each one was better than the last. I literally felt stoned every time I came out of the pool because it was so rewarding & relaxing & meditative. Did I mention I got faster as well?

And...I lost about 10lbs in 4 months because I was just so "satiated" with the post swim high I had no real appetite at all. I was swimmign i a way that made me better and releasing endorphins at the same time that did not result in having a voracious appetite.

For me swimming blunts my appetite I think because it's combined with a swimmers high.

Thank you all very much for all your replies. I have that i can get a bit hungry. But only sometimes. And to mind this I plan my meals before I go for a swim. In this way I can make sure i don't overeat. I think I like swimming best because it is very relaxing. And I swim at my university pool which is great. Also... living in a huge city (mexico city) finding safe places for cycling is a tad complicated.
Will keep you posted.
Thank you all!!!!!