any one else reluctant to add swimming in exercise?

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BJC78
BJC78 Posts: 324 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
First of all I don't yet have an HRM… so I have to use the calories that MFP gives us for exercises which I do use for walking and circuit training for 30 day shred but I've been using my pool the last couple days.. I am doing water aerobic type exercises and treading water, maybe for only 30 to 45 minutes. But when I log it it tells me quite a high number of calories burned. Im just wondering how many of you log it?? I don't mind logging it but im nervous to Net my 1200 calories and eat those back...what if its incorrect and im eating more than burning?? Ugghh any suggestions???

Thanks! Brandi
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Replies

  • standintherain
    standintherain Posts: 18
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    This is my first day and I was logging my exercise (cleaning and cooking really count?) and I noticed "Music playing : Drums" I had practiced for fifteen minutes today so I thought, why not? So I did, but it seems higher than I thought moving my arms and wrists would be!

    I think by swimming, though, they mean laps.
  • spammyanna
    spammyanna Posts: 871 Member
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    If you think it's too high, try only eating half of your calories back. Most people under-estimate how much they eat and over-estimate how much they burn. Better safe than sorry!
  • atucker_mom
    atucker_mom Posts: 88 Member
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    I am interested too! I have been logging my swimming, but I am not eating back all my exercise calories. I do know that after doing lunges and squats in the water yesterday, plus swimming laps, my muscles are sore today, so I know I got a good workout in.
  • aigéan
    aigéan Posts: 69
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    Swimming is a great way to burn calories! And I know the numbers are high, but they are definitely quite accurate. Check any calorie counting website!
  • fromaquasar
    fromaquasar Posts: 811 Member
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    Hey I know what you mean, I did some swimming while on holiday and very nervous about the cal counts. I suppose because you are moving in complete resistance it burns high? Anyway I just didn't log my full times. Like if I swam for an hour I logged 40 minutes. Swam 30 mins, logged 15 or 20. Just to be safe :)
  • elliecolorado
    elliecolorado Posts: 1,040
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    Before I got my HRM I never ate back all of my exercise calories (which I'm glad I didn't because MFP was estimating higher than what I was actually burning). I would just not eat them all back. Also before I got my HRM I used several online calculators and picked the lowest number.
  • FabOma08
    FabOma08 Posts: 500
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    water exercises burn a HUGE amount of calories!! Swimming and water aerobics are an awesome way to burn! Wish I had a pool available to me!
  • cat3nv
    cat3nv Posts: 389 Member
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    I always have thought MFP allows too many calories. I usually enter half the time. Instead of 60 min I put 30 on the things I think are too high. Gardening allows almost 300 calories an hour. I think that is too much.
  • LadyOfOceanBreeze
    LadyOfOceanBreeze Posts: 762 Member
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    water offers resistance, hence the higher caloric burn?
  • debussyschild
    debussyschild Posts: 804 Member
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    Not sure how it calculates those calories, but in water you are constantly resisting something, and you tend to burn more calories because of that. I swam in a pool doing what I would call light-moderate work for about 7 hours (learning to SCUBA dive) and I gave myself a conservative burned calorie amount by shortening how long I actually did the activity. I logged 2 hours instead of 7 because I wasn't exerting physical effort the entire time, but I was certainly doing it most of the time. I'd still use their calculations, but just be conservative about calories burned that you log so you won't be tempted by the enormous calorie deficit. To be on the safe side, when I feel I burned less calories than MFP is trying to approximate, I try not to eat more than half of the calories earned from exercise.
  • jamielise2
    jamielise2 Posts: 432 Member
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    I totally add my swimming calories, but that's my workout 3 days a week, and I'm swimming laps. If you're swimming for leisure there is actually a swimming leisurely opiton under cardio.
  • Schraudt814
    Schraudt814 Posts: 496 Member
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    You can definitely double check the numbers on a couple other sites but swimming and water aerobics are REALLY good calorie burners!
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
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    You have to really be pushing yourself while swimming LAPS to get a decent calorie burn. I can burn (only when really pushing myself) with laps what I would on a run, i.e.: 30 minutes is about 340 calories or so.
  • Smittyinthesun2
    Smittyinthesun2 Posts: 161
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    Ever seen a fat swimmer ? Not to many they all are pretty lean. Swimming uses all your muscles and except for maybe rock climbing and wrestling, its probably one of the highest burns out there.
  • shesews
    shesews Posts: 2
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    Post the exercise so you can keep track if it's helping you burn fat. But don't eat those calories,and you will lose all the more weight for it.
  • sarahc001
    sarahc001 Posts: 477 Member
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    Swimming is ridiculous in terms of calories burned. At the OTC in Colorado Springs, the athletes that burn the most are the swimmers- their nutritional needs were something crazy like 5000cal/day. I may not be remembering with the utmost accuracy, but the swimmers burned the most- period. So I would never feel bad about what seems to be a ludicrous burn- I think that being in the water, you are just less likely to feel "hot" as quickly due to the fact you are in water.
  • twnzmom
    twnzmom Posts: 182 Member
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    Brandi, I have been doing 45- 50 minutes of water aerobic activity in my pool I agree the calorie burn looks high but you can work up a sweat if you do it right. Today my grandsons were here and they thought it was fun to do the exercises with me. I log it and take the calorie count but I am not consuming all the calories it give me for it just to be safe. Have fun it's a fun way to exercise and you can definately feel it the next day.
  • lonnypal
    lonnypal Posts: 2
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    I haven't looked up what MFP alots for swimming, but generally the values they give are probably too high for all exercises, so reduce by say 20%. Swimming laps is great exercise. I used to swim and play waterpolo. When I swim now, which is not often, just a few laps, and my body is sore all over the next day. Swimming gives a full body workout swimming laps. When I do swim, I rotate between different strokes, front "freestyle" crawl, backstroke, breaststroke, treading water with "egg-beater" kick, flutter kick, but I don't do butterfly stroke anymore, and I am not strong enough to do this anymore.

    If you are treading water, use your arms vigorously, and if you can learn to do the "egg-beater" underwater kick that water polo players use, the you can really get a good leg workout.
  • putnam80
    putnam80 Posts: 69 Member
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    hey you can always compare other pages calculations. just do a google search and you will come up with something.
  • coronalime
    coronalime Posts: 583 Member
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    I put swimming in. however MFP is so HIGH on calorie burn. I wear a HRM for running and biking and the numbers are way off. Cant for swimming. But my take is swimming is equilavent to a easy walk or a moderate walk. I do not eat my calories back for swimming but my swimming is usually tagged with a run or bike which I eat all back

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