lose weight by swimming

ladyanieebaily

Can you lose weight by swimming and What to eat after swimming?

ElizabethKalmbach

You lose weight by eating fewer calories than you burn. Swimming *can* burn quite a few calories, but the caveat is that swimming can make you quite hungry afterward in ways that other cardio exercises may not. I know swimming often leaves me RAVENOUS.

If you manage your calories well and accurately, it can be a good fitness activity, but it is not necessary for weight loss. If you're not inclined to log carefully and accurately, though, it may not be the best choice, especially if you're one of the people who experiences extreme hunger afterward.

mom23mangos

Swimming is the only exercise that makes me RAVENOUS.

rachelleahsmom

Me, too. Why is that? And usually, I'm starving for something really bad - like Cheetos!

AnnPT77

Swimming = ravenous? Not universal. Swimming, even for a fairly long time, doesn't make me particularly hungry. (It does kinda p*** me off, because I don't like to swim. Not even a little. But I must.) Weight training makes me hungry, though; and long (> hour) cardio kinda does.

I mention this because it could go either way for the OP, hunger-provoking, or not.

OP: Swimming burns calories, and is good for fitness. If you like to swim, swim; and you'll find out whether it affects your appetite positively, negatively, or not at all. It's usually good to pick forms of exercise we enjoy, because we're more likely to stick with them.

But what causes weight loss is eating fewer calories than you burn - not too many fewer, because you'll get fatigued and move less in daily life, which is counter-productive. Eat at a level that fuels your activity, including fueling exercise, just with a small deficit for weight loss. (How much deficit depends on factors like how overweight you are now. Extremely overweight people can usually tolerate a larger deficit because they have more stored fuel; people with only a few extra vanity pounds (<20, say), would usually be better off with a smaller deficit.)

snowflake954

How many calories you burn while swimming depends on several factors. I see some people that move very slowly, but if a person is obese, then even slow movement would be good. So you'd have to be a bit more specific about your situation. I love swimming and have been doing it for 23 yrs. I also use the gym and like that too. It's important that you choose an exercise that you like and will do consistently. As for what you should eat after, everyone is right, you can be very hungry, but more than that you lose liquids and can be dehydrated. After, you'll need to drink something fairly quickly. I always have a small gel candy in the changing room after my shower. Then I'll have something lite when I get home--usually 2 rice cakes with Philadelphia Lite, and a cappucino. That seems to be enough.

kshama2001

snowflake954 wrote: »

How many calories you burn while swimming depends on several factors. I see some people that move very slowly, but if a person is obese, then even slow movement would be good. So you'd have to be a bit more specific about your situation. I love swimming and have been doing it for 23 yrs. I also use the gym and like that too. It's important that you choose an exercise that you like and will do consistently. As for what you should eat after, everyone is right, you can be very hungry, but more than that you lose liquids and can be dehydrated. After, you'll need to drink something fairly quickly. I always have a small gel candy in the changing room after my shower. Then I'll have something lite when I get home--usually 2 rice cakes with Philadelphia Lite, and a cappucino. That seems to be enough.

Yes, sometimes my hunger and thirst cues get crossed - I used to feel really hungry after swimming but was actually just thirsty, so I make sure to have water or fruit available immediately afterwards.

I do a mix of strokes and use the "Swimming laps, freestyle, light/moderate effort" entry and find it accurate for me.

I have an older model of Sony's waterproof mp3 player and just adore it: https://smile.amazon.com/Sony-NWWS413BM-Sports-Wearable-Player/dp/B01CQMN0HY/ref=sr_1_3



I only use it for swimming.

lorrpb

Swimming increases grehlin, the hunger hormone. I find that an spoke immediately after swimming helps a lot.

snowflake954

lorrpb wrote: »

Swimming increases grehlin, the hunger hormone. I find that an spoke immediately after swimming helps a lot.

Sorry Lorri--do you mean "snack" after swimming?