Swimming for weight loss, any success stories?

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nippsynoo
nippsynoo Posts: 13 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all,
I have an injury to my knee, so swimming is low impact and I have access to a pool in our building.
I'm currently swimming (breast stroke arms, front stroke legs, moderate effort but it gets my heart beating!) about 200 laps of a 50m pool per week, will this give me some results if I keep it up? I'm reading articles that have mixed reviews on swimming for weight loss. I am also pretty obese (118kgs) if that affects results?

I am going to start seeing a PT in a couple weeks, for help exercising with my knee, but I really enjoy swimming, so it doesn't take much motivation to keep it up and it's free!

Replies

  • tillerstouch
    tillerstouch Posts: 608 Member
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    I swam in high school. I've never had a lower bf %.

    Yes swimming burns a lot of calories. Remember though weight loss comes from a calorie deficit so what you eat is most important. Exercise just increases your calorie deficit.

    Also your distance doesn't make sense. 200 laps of 50 m?
  • nippsynoo
    nippsynoo Posts: 13 Member
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    oh sorry, I'm swimming 200 laps of a 50m pool.... so 10,000m a week... WOW. That sounds like so much more when I say it like that!

    and yes, I'm sticking to my cals on here and tracking my food. Also replaced sugar with rice malt syrup, cut processed foods etc. really trying to eat clean and fresh :)
  • tillerstouch
    tillerstouch Posts: 608 Member
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    Then sounds like you're doing well. I'd keep up with the swimming it's great exercise. And 10,000 yards a week is great
  • nippsynoo
    nippsynoo Posts: 13 Member
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    Thank you :)
    I read some articles that said apart from the obvious fact that you are moving rather than being sedentary, swimming was an overrated and under achieving method of weight loss. Really threw me through a loop!
  • tillerstouch
    tillerstouch Posts: 608 Member
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    Hm I wouldn't see why that would be.
  • joepratt503
    joepratt503 Posts: 191 Member
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    nippsynoo wrote: »
    Thank you :)
    I read some articles that said apart from the obvious fact that you are moving rather than being sedentary, swimming was an overrated and under achieving method of weight loss. Really threw me through a loop!

    That's mental. i swam competitively for 11 years and KNOW its work. I still do about 2-3 days of around 2300 when I can fit it in.

    What I would say is swimming, much like running, can be done in degrees and it seems that lots of people think they are "swimming" but really they are barely moving. 10,000M a week is a LOT of distance but if it takes you 35 min per 1,000M of straight swimming then you are definitely not burning what you think you are. It wouldn't be any different than running 30k but taking an hour to do 5k x 6 a week.

    My personal opinion is that if you are swimming and when you periodically check your heart rate at 140-155, you are in the right place.
  • nippsynoo
    nippsynoo Posts: 13 Member
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    Thank you so much for the advice.
    My heart rate is definitely up, I think investing in a heart rate monitor will make a big difference. :)
  • Springfield1970
    Springfield1970 Posts: 1,945 Member
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    Do they do underwater HRM? If not, then watch the second hand while you take your pulse for 10 seconds aiming for 14-15 beats.

    If you have a calorie deficit you will lose weight, whether you're dancing, walking or knitting.

    I'm 5'7 130lb and burn about 400 cals an hour swimming. I front crawl in higher heart rate zones.

    It's less taxing on the body, but weight training was what made me look really good!

    Personally swimming makes me very hungry and if I don't watch my calories I can gain.

  • Ian_Davies
    Ian_Davies Posts: 122 Member
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    I'm swimming 50 laps a day and its helping loads.
    Ideally if you can swim all 4 strokes in a medley routine...however if not make sure you do backstroke as atleast 25% of your swim...really good for tightening the stomach...and sorting the mobile/laptop hunch
  • ElizabethOakes2
    ElizabethOakes2 Posts: 1,038 Member
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    Yes, from experience, swimming works! I had back surgery and for the last year before my surgery, swimming was all I could do (I could barely walk by the time I got approved for surgery.) I lost 25 pounds before my surgery (gained it back in the year of slow recover after) just through swimming. It wasn't because of calories, because I was miserable and comfort eating like crazy.

    As to weight loss for swimming: The main study that gets quoted saying that swimming doesn't work for weight loss was done in the UK with swimmers swimming in cold or cool water or in open water. What they found was that these swimmers tended to eat more, and consume more calories overall, and concluded that swimming doesn't help with weight loss.
    A second, smaller study was done by a group here in the US because they were seeing conflicting results. to find They had half the subjects swim in indoor heated pools, half in outdoor pools. The heated pool swimmers lost more weight and consumed less overall calories. They extended the study and gave the outdoor swimmers hot showers and cups of hot tea right after getting out of the pool, and discovered that the outdoor swimmers,once their body temps came up, ate the same number of calories as the warm water swimmers.
    So, yeah, if you're cold after your swim, or coming out of the pool feeling really hungry, hit a hot shower and have a cup of tea to warm up.
  • nippsynoo
    nippsynoo Posts: 13 Member
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    That's very interesting Elizabeth! I'm swimming in an indoor pool, so I guess that's great for me :P
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
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    No exercise is going to make a big difference in weight loss, unless the plan is to dedicate hours per day to exercising. And obviously not eat more.
    Swimming is no different. It is mainly going to help with health and fitness, play a small role in weight loss. Your weight will be affected mainly by diet changes.
  • soniaf
    soniaf Posts: 106 Member
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    aggelikik wrote: »
    No exercise is going to make a big difference in weight loss, unless the plan is to dedicate hours per day to exercising. And obviously not eat more.
    Swimming is no different. It is mainly going to help with health and fitness, play a small role in weight loss. Your weight will be affected mainly by diet changes.

    But she's swimming 10km a week, that is heaps! I am sure that will have an effect. If she was swimming 1km a week, sure.
  • cw106
    cw106 Posts: 952 Member
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    nippsynoo wrote: »
    Hi all,
    I have an injury to my knee, so swimming is low impact and I have access to a pool in our building.
    I'm currently swimming (breast stroke arms, front stroke legs, moderate effort but it gets my heart beating!) about 200 laps of a 50m pool per week, will this give me some results if I keep it up? I'm reading articles that have mixed reviews on swimming for weight loss. I am also pretty obese (118kgs) if that affects results?

    I am going to start seeing a PT in a couple weeks, for help exercising with my knee, but I really enjoy swimming, so it doesn't take much motivation to keep it up and it's free!

    huge success story here for swimming weight loss.
    i started at age 50 at 125kg.swam outside in tropical heat approx 3 hours daily.lost around 20 kg whilst still drinking and carousing! no diet.
    july 2014 ,age 52, weight 106 kg.swam 2-4k daily in 18m pool after joining gym.joined mfp and set weight loss goal at 1kg per week.
    down to 86kg by nov 2014.
    now i run and row mainly at new gym,down to 73 kg.
    the heavier we are,the more we burn moving.
    swimmingcalculator.com can help with individual calorie burn.
    there is also a very helpfull swimming group here on mfp too.just search groups.

    avoid the ne'er sayers and keep doing what is enjoyable and working for you.
    good luck.

  • SwimmyD
    SwimmyD Posts: 96 Member
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    It's great that you are looking towards swimming and water based exercise for the knee. Your physio should be able to guide you on exercises to help your recovery. In the pool you should probably avoid whip kick for now. You can deep-water jog and also try water walking - forwards/backwards/side to side - as able. Use the depth to take the weight off your knee as you walk i.e. shallower for less weight off and deeper for more weight off.

    As for a calorie burn - swimming is very hard to measure. It all depends upon the efficiency of the swimmer and speed of movement. If you are highly efficient (read experienced speed swimmer) in water you'll have to move faster to burn. If you are splashing around and fighting the water to go forwards then you are burning more - although you most likely won't get the distance because you'll get pooped out.

    Some calculators use distance as a measure. You need to be absolutely sure of your distance. If you truly have a 50 metre pool to exercise in - then you are very lucky indeed. They are not common compared to 25m pools. A 50 metre pool is a *huge* pool. They are normally stand alone centres with a very large grandstands surrounding for big aquatics sports competions.

    They usually have a bulkhead spanning the pool separating the pool into two 25m sections. They are set up for synchronized swimmers, divers, and water polo teams who need a 25m space of all-deep water to practice in. Typically the deep water sections are 20ft deep to accommodate the huge diving platforms above. The 25m shallow water section can often be well over six feet throughout to reduce drag and waves during speed swimming competitions. The bulkheads are set back to the end of the pool when speed swim teams are training for 50m races.

    I think the best advice you can have is to do a combination of diet and exercise. You can do a lot in the pool to achieve your goals. Good luck!
  • KathleenKP
    KathleenKP Posts: 580 Member
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    You have a 50m pool "in your building"? Are you SURE it's not a 50 FOOT pool?
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,484 Member
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    The only 50m pool in our city is the pool that was built specifically for the Commonwealth Games. The layout is like @SwimmyD described above. All other pools are 25m max.

    Cheers, h.
  • mmmpork
    mmmpork Posts: 133 Member
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    Just curious how the swimming is going for you? I've recently started swimming laps as well and I've been alternating days to avoid stressing my body out too much. I'm doing about 40 laps in a 25 yard pool 3x per week, mostly front crawl at about 1 minute per lap, and man I'm wiped out at that. I look forward to having your stamina!!

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