Any swimmers out there?

SarahBJane

So this is a question for swimmers, hence the title. So I used to be a competitive swimmer when I was younger. I have gained a lot of weight since then and have taken up swimming again. I swim about a mile in 45 minutes, not so great but it's a start. My problem is that I am extremely hungry when I am done vs other classes I take at the gym like zumba. Does anyone else experience this and if so, what do you do or eat to help keep your hunger at bay? I love swimming and I can swim 2 miles a day when time permits but should I be doing something else so that I am not so hungry? Thanks for any responses :bigsmile: !

Eve23

I am certainly not competitive nor am a great swimmer, however I have been doing the water aerobics and the lap swims that we have at our pool. I find I am starving when I am finished so I would love to hear what others do.

So far I eat an apple with sunflower butter afterwards. I also find if I eat before going, something that is a little heavy helps.

scottaworley

It might be that you're burning more calories. As long as you are staying around your goals calorie-wise do what you enjoy.

RebeccaHite

Beef jerky.Nuts,apples,chicken salad,half a sandwich....Swimming does that I do 15-20 min in cardio,20-25 in weights,and 10-20 in swimming laps and I feel like I'm starving after.Beef jerky rocks it's low fat high protien snack and ties you over til your next meal..the other foods listed are more ideas.

RebeccaHite

Listen to your body not your head and you'll be fine

SarahBJane

Thanks ladies! I will say that I have started to eat a little something about 20 minutes before I swim so that I am not ravenous when I leave the pool and it has helped a little. I just notice when I swim, I eat about 400 calories more that day, over my goal. It's still a deficit bc of how much I burn and my goal is already set at 1000 calories less then I should eat to lose 2 lbs a week. It just annoys me to be hungry all of the time.

GGDaddy

I usually swim a half mile in 22-23 minutes after my workouts, and get so hungry sometimes I don't think I'll make it home!

A couple of Nature Valley granola bars before the workout usually help. I also plan out dinner before heading to the gym so once I do get home it isn't more than 10-15 minutes until I can eat.

When I workout on weekend afternoons, sometimes I'll swim a whole mile (~48 minutes), Even after breakfast & lunch, sometimes the exercise calories will net out all of my food intake and I'm negative for the day (until I get home and attack the fridge). I don't know if the timing of your workout might be making your net calories negative at any point, but that really can be adding to hunger if you do...

lithezebra

I'm not a very good swimmer, but I just ordered goggles and a nose clip so I can refresh my skills. Swimming used to make me hungry too, now that I think about it.

DancingMoosie

I've just taken up lap swimming this summer. I find that I am very hungry after, or even the next morning. I think, being that it is a full-body resistance type cardio exercise, we just burn more calories swimming than compared to something like aerobics or zumba. I log it as fast/vigorous if I find myself gasping for breath at the end, and mpf gives me a lot of calories for it. Adding a few extra, if you feel ravenous, is justifiable. I try to get in a protein bar or some almonds, right after my exercise, so I won't be starving before my next meal.

NiagaraCheryl

Now that the local pool is open for hte summer, I've started swimming again. I also find I'm really hungry after a swim. Swimming is great for burning calories. According to MFP, an hour of swimming is about 600 calories. So if you're eating an extra 400 calories, you're still 200 calories ahead.

ebr250

I have the same issue. Chocolate milk or a cheese stick usually helps me make it home to dinner.

SarahBJane

@GGDaddy, when I swim I am never negative bc I am so hungry. Even when I swim, I try to stay around 2,000 calories but more if I swim 2 miles in a day. I swim in the morning usually and it seems to make me hungry all day long. If I swim after dinner, which is my biggest meal, I am usually not hungry afterwards. I can only swim at night, Friday and Saturday, otherwise, I will not be able to go to bed. Kind of sucks bc I am obsessed with swimming.

Dogwalkingirl

I was also competed in swimming most of my younger years (from about 8-24 years old). I am also just getting back into it. I should add you to my friends list. Swimming burns a lot of cals..you will be hungry. I use to always eat something 30 minutes or so before I swam. Other cardio workouts I can do on an empty belly but I always felt like vomiting in the pool at 5am if I didn;t have a little something beforehand. See how you go doing that and you may not be an hungry after.

However listen to you body...if you are hungry then eat..just dont binge and over eat and eat something good for you. A banana after, nuts, chicken, a smoothie etc.

charissh

I tend to do about a mile in an hour then eat a banana or some oatcakes, it burns so many calories (though I think MFP might overestimate slightly lol) that I think it's a well deserved snack x

SarahBJane

Also, I do think MFP overestimates calories burned. With that being said, I have been putting in light/moderate on swimming when I do swim to get a more accurate read on calories burned. Do you all think that is a fair estimate? I weigh more so if I swim for 2 hours or so, it will say I have burned like 1500 calories doing breast stroke.

andysport1

Hope this helps,
when you swim in a heated pool (27 degrees normally) the heat dehydrates you and the chlorine washes off the salts on your body so your internals send out more salts to the skin causing even greater dehydration.

As a competitive older swimmer I need to drink at least 1 litre of water 2 hours before then 10ml of sports drink (salted squash) per minute so a 300ml bottle for half hour swim have it on pool side stop and take a gulp every 10 minutes or so.

Another good tip I was given when I went back to swimming but was overweight was;
Pull in your stomach muscles before you get in the water don't release them until you get out
It is a brilliant workout I can be on the brink of being sick after 1 hour swim because I've worked so hard.

Thanks for posting the question, I need to start swimming again.

Good luck

avababy05

Peanut butter and apples because the protein staves off hunger but what I really crave after a swim is heaps of pasta!

me_monster

I try to swim when I can, and I get friggin starving when I'm done so I'll try to eat a banana or something before hopping in. I also bring a bottle of water with me because I know I get dehydrated from all of the chlorine.
I'm not as awesome with specific answers but maybe that'll help!

Dogwalkingirl

In my opinion MFP WAY overestimates the cals burned. I actually have a Polar Heart Rate Monitor that can be used while swimming. It is a little bit of an investment and its not going to be 100% but its better then the estimate on here. I use it for all my workouts now and it has been WONDERFUL!

GGDaddy

Sarah--you could be experiencing what absolutely kills me on weekends... if you're swimming 2 miles in the morning, is that ~90 minutes? For me (6'4" 218 lbs) mfp says 90 min would burn about 1,000 calories for light/moderate swimming.

Whatever you would burn in 90 minutes (1,000 calories? 800?) if you likely haven't eaten that much yet when getting in the pool in the morning, by the time you get out have you already burned more calories than you've eaten for the day?

Whenever I get into that state, my hunger skyrockets & my energy plummets until I've "caught up" and my Net Calories (counting as you go, not for the day) on mfp is positive. Could be what you've experiencing?

GGDaddy

Also, I do think MFP overestimates calories burned. With that being said, I have been putting in light/moderate on swimming when I do swim to get a more accurate read on calories burned. Do you all think that is a fair estimate? I weigh more so if I swim for 2 hours or so, it will say I have burned like 1500 calories doing breast stroke.

I do the same thing. I log light/moderate, but the effort I put in (HR at 70-75% of max) implies to me at least the actual effort is higher. Since mfp overestimates generally I figure it balances out...

onwarddownward

I drink water (24 oz ice water) in the hour before I swim. I swim, usually, first thing in the morning. I swim and then I have one of my homemade smoothies. I do 2.5 miles a day - one hour. I don't find myself hungry after my swim. I do drink more water before my smoothie.

The secret to fat metabolism lies in oxygenation and hydration. Without oxygen, fat is not liberated from fat cells. So your breathing is critical. If you're struggling for air, you're in the anaerobic state, not aerobic.

Water is required as well for fat burning. Be well hydrated and not just during the swim, but all day long. I drink about 9 twenty our oz cups of ice water through the day.

The same is true for building muscle. So, eat well, sleep well and don't forget to breathe and drink water.

Here's my smoothie recipe. Make it in a bullet type blender.

5 ice cubes
Water
Banana
2 tbsp pb2
2 tbsp Metamucil original course unflavored (don't be a pu$$y -it's not yucky!)
Top with water
Blend

SarahBJane

Well, I am so thankful for all of the responses. I am happy to find I am not alone here on the hunger thing. I will start eating some more protein and water before my swims and see if that helps. I love swimming so I can't give it up. With the comment on breathing, I only get out of breath when I try to get in my last 6 or 8 laps to finish my mile in 45 minutes. I am always trying to beat my time. I also agree with the other comment about wanting carbs when I am done swimming. I have to be honest and say I do cave in and have about 200 calories worth of pasta right when I get home from the swim. I am just hoping that all of this swimming will get the weight off. It just seems to me that swimming takes more effort with calorie control and being more conscious of what I am eating.

analilua

Me too - absolutely starving after swimming. I think it's due partly to swimming being a full body workout. Also pro swimmers are notorious for their 10,000+ calorie diets while not having a problem with weight gain or fat. I read recently in Tim Ferriss' 4 Hour Body that "Water is 24 times more thermally conductive than air." So it seems that in water our heat loss goes up significantly and our bodies have to expend a lot more calories trying to maintain our body temperature. Michael Phelps, according to the book, eats 12,0000 calories and spends 3 or 4 hours in the water. During that time he's expending about 9,000 calories, assuming his metabolic rate is around 3,000 calories per day.

SarahBJane

I absolutely agree. I have done a little research on core body temperature and how the cooling effects of water makes you burn more calories trying to stabilize it. I do think that plays into why we are more hungry after we swim. It just sucks bc I am trying to lose quite a bit of weight and I know swimming is a great calorie burn. I just hate that it makes you so hungry. So the question now is, do you swim and eat more or just try to swim and not eat more??

avababy05

To be honest,I swim because I love too. I never even knew the calorie burn was so high until a few weeks ago and will be looking into making it a regular routine.So I haven't really thought much about the calorie intake part of it.

I grew up on the beach and am in the water every moment I can be in the summer.

SarahBJane

It definitely burns a ton of calories. I am just wondering if because I am heavier that my hormones or whatever are playing a role into why I am more hungry. People always say, "do what you love", and for me, that is swimming. I know I need to increase my protein, I am just not that big a meat eater. I would rather get my protein from other sources. Greek yogurt isn't filling to me at all and nuts are so high in calories. So frustrating..

owieprone

remember and drink while swimming too, some of the hunger may be thirst.

I also find that swimming makes me hungry even if i know there is no way i am (had meal not long before) i think it's due to swallowing some of the pool water and it's just my stomach reacting to that. So take that into account too.

try something like a banana after the swim, rather than an apple, i find apples make me hungrier if i eat one post swim, i'm assuming due to it's wateryness or acidity, while nana's and similar fill me up enough. if i'm still hungry 30 mins later i'll have another snack (or dinner depending on the time).

also, are you measuring yourself? weight is not the best gauge for fitness or fat loss.

WaterBunnie

I swim a lot for exercise too but would never rely on MFPs burn rates. I calculate mine on FitBit's site (you don't need to have a FitBit to have a FitBit profile) and it's roughly 2/3 of the burn I'd get here but I can trust it and eat it all back. I'm not a great swimmer so log it as leisurely swimming too - just to be on the safe side. Aqua aerobics is great fun too if you have access to classes in your area.

SarahBJane

I have not been measuring myself and I have to say, scales can make me completely insane. I am trying to count calories and exercise. I feel my arms are getting more sculpted and my clothes fit differently but not much loss on the scale. Do you think swimming like I do and watching calories, etc will make the scale down eventually? I am one of those that can gain weight and muscle fast. When I was in shape, I am 5'8 , then 150 lbs, I wore I size 8 and people thought I wore a size 4. They couldn't believe I weighed what I weighed and wore a size 8. I was really lean and toned then, never counted calories. I have gained about 100 pounds in 5 years. Last year I started working out, ie, swimming but not counting calories and never lost weight but did go down a size but gave up bc of the scale.

katiebenson12

I go to a water aerobics class 5 days a week and experience the same thing. I found that if I do a protein shake (Monster Muscle Energy are my favorite and have 25 grams of protein and are about 200 calories) combined with a banana or bagel has helped immensely. The total calories are around 350.