Workout by swimming

andrewkumala

Hi! My name's Andrew and I am new to MFP. I want to get better shape within 2 months. (better shape means lose my beer belly)
I don't do workout at gym, but I reaaaly love swimming! Now because I am at university I only swim 2-3 times a week, 1 and an half hour each time and I do sprints. Usually I do 30-40 minutes freestyle, 30 minutes breaststroke, and 30 minutes butterfly. I don't know whether swimming can help to lose weight. Anyone who success losing weight by swimming? Any share? Tips?

Rachiepie6

I am a swimmer and I have never really "lost weight", I have lost fat and built up heaps of muscle from it though.

trelm249

swimming is awesome cardio. go for it.

learn to kick turn and do laps. three times a week is good.

up your protein intake and be ocd in tracking your food.

drink lots of water. just because your in a pool doesn't mean you can't dehydrate.

andrewkumala

I am a swimmer and I have never really "lost weight", I have lost fat and built up heaps of muscle from it though.

Hi Rachiepie6 !!
Actually I just want to get onto a better shape...T_T Can swimming get rid of fat belly? How many laps of swimming or other tips that I should do?

KaleidoscopeEyes1056

I burned like 600+ calories swimming for an hour. and I got to be half naked in public! it was magical!

andrewkumala

Thanks trelm249!!!

In contrast, I reduced my portion of foods even though I am reaaly hungry each time I finish swimming...I thought swimming + less food can lose weight quickly? Or I do it in a really wrong way?

KaleidoscopeEyes1056

drink lots of water. just because your in a pool doesn't mean you can't dehydrate.

but... but... but... Osmosis...

andrewkumala

I burned like 600+ calories swimming for an hour. and I got to be half naked in public! it was magical!

SatiricalWoman, your picture is cute! I also like Tobi! XD

yeah, swimming is amazing! One of the best sports in the world!

TheLaser

I believe what people on here often say about weight loss -it's 80% food, 20% exercise. I have always been an exercise maniac, but I only lost weight when I started MFP. At that time, I did also start swimming with a master's team nearly every day so that I could eat back my exercise calories. In that respect, I suppose one could say that I lost the weight with swimming as my primary exercise. I think swimming is a little difficult to calculate in terms of exercise calories spent. I don't have a waterproof heart rate monitor to tell me how many calories I've expended when I swim, and so I'm never sure how many to count.

KaleidoscopeEyes1056

I burned like 600+ calories swimming for an hour. and I got to be half naked in public! it was magical!

SatiricalWoman, your picture is cute! I also like Tobi! XD

yeah, swimming is amazing! One of the best sports in the world!

dude, I'm going to get a rat and name it Tobi. One, because it's a cute name 2. my favorite character on the West Wing is also named Toby and 3. because rats are awesome!

andrewkumala

drink lots of water. just because your in a pool doesn't mean you can't dehydrate.

but... but... but... Osmosis...

At first,I thought we ought to drink water in the pool so we can't dehydrate

KaleidoscopeEyes1056

drink lots of water. just because your in a pool doesn't mean you can't dehydrate.

but... but... but... Osmosis...

At first,I thought we ought to drink water in the pool so we can't dehydrate

I was being sarcastic XD
and I like the word Osmosis... and absurd. And I like the french word for mustard.
(I might have had too much caffeine tonight... or this is my way of getting rid of stress of finals week and that 10-page paper I'm putting off... )

ninerbuff

You reduce your beer belly by calorie deficit.

andrewkumala

drink lots of water. just because your in a pool doesn't mean you can't dehydrate.

but... but... but... Osmosis...

At first,I thought we ought to drink water in the pool so we can't dehydrate

I was being sarcastic XD
and I like the word Osmosis... and absurd. And I like the french word for mustard.
(I might have had too much caffeine tonight... or this is my way of getting rid of stress of finals week and that 10-page paper I'm putting off... )

Me too. I stil had 5 page paper left TT

andrewkumala

You reduce your beer belly by calorie deficit.

Great advice ninerbuff! Thanks!

andrewkumala

I believe what people on here often say about weight loss -it's 80% food, 20% exercise. I have always been an exercise maniac, but I only lost weight when I started MFP. At that time, I did also start swimming with a master's team nearly every day so that I could eat back my exercise calories. In that respect, I suppose one could say that I lost the weight with swimming as my primary exercise. I think swimming is a little difficult to calculate in terms of exercise calories spent. I don't have a waterproof heart rate monitor to tell me how many calories I've expended when I swim, and so I'm never sure how many to count.

Any tips such as how many laps or how many hours to get an optimal result?

peeaanuut

without changing my diet I was able to lose 25 lbs in 3 months by simply swimming 3 times a week for 1 hour a session and bike riding the 6 mile round trip to the pool each time. If I had changed my diet as well I would have lose even more. Swimming works!

andrewkumala

without changing my diet I was able to lose 25 lbs in 3 months by simply swimming 3 times a week for 1 hour a session and bike riding the 6 mile round trip to the pool each time. If I had changed my diet as well I would have lose even more. Swimming works!

25 lbs in 3 months! That's a lot! Swimming really rocks!
Thanks for the sharing!

Rachiepie6

Thanks trelm249!!!

In contrast, I reduced my portion of foods even though I am reaaly hungry each time I finish swimming...I thought swimming + less food can lose weight quickly? Or I do it in a really wrong way?

If you are swimming, and particularly if you are swimming hard and/or long, you WILL NEED TO UP YOUR FOOD (CARB) INTAKE!
All of my coaches have ALWAYS told me to eat more carbs for swimming.
Since you are trying to lose weight and become more physically healthy, the deficit in net calories that MFP has already given you means that you should definitely eat your exercise calories back!

Your aim shouldn't be to lose weight quickly, your aim should be to live a healthy and active lifestyle, in doing that you will lose the belly

Rachiepie6

I am a swimmer and I have never really "lost weight", I have lost fat and built up heaps of muscle from it though.

Hi Rachiepie6 !!
Actually I just want to get onto a better shape...T_T Can swimming get rid of fat belly? How many laps of swimming or other tips that I should do?

I don't really know much about you and your capabilities, and you will figure out what works best for you when you start swimming etc.

Feel free to message me if you would like more help

andrewkumala

Thanks trelm249!!!

In contrast, I reduced my portion of foods even though I am reaaly hungry each time I finish swimming...I thought swimming + less food can lose weight quickly? Or I do it in a really wrong way?

If you are swimming, and particularly if you are swimming hard and/or long, you WILL NEED TO UP YOUR FOOD (CARB) INTAKE!
All of my coaches have ALWAYS told me to eat more carbs for swimming.
Since you are trying to lose weight and become more physically healthy, the deficit in net calories that MFP has already given you means that you should definitely eat your exercise calories back!

Your aim shouldn't be to lose weight quickly, your aim should be to live a healthy and active lifestyle, in doing that you will lose the belly

Ooops! My bad! I will try to change my protion of carbs then My perception of losing weight is really messed up! Thank you Rachiepie6!!!

TheLaser

For another perspective, I eat a very low carb diet and I've been swimming competitively with the Master's team for well over a year. Everyone has to figure out what works best for her/his own body in terms of carb/protein/fat ratios.

How much or how hard to swim? I personally think it's about quality, not quantity. My old Master's team swam for 1 hour, with about a 600-800 yd warm-up and another 200 or so cool down. But in the middle we swam HARD intervals, with more active rest than rest at the wall. I pretty much feel like I am dying for a good portion of the main set.

Rachiepie6

For another perspective, I eat a very low carb diet and I've been swimming competitively with the Master's team for well over a year. Everyone has to figure out what works best for her/his own body in terms of carb/protein/fat ratios.

That is true, I'm only going off what I've been told by several coaches over several year.
In saying this, I don't restrict other food, and by the calories expended, you need more food in general
"Pasta is a swimmers best friend" one phrase that comes to mind

sofaking6

Any tips such as how many laps or how many hours to get an optimal result?

Swimming is like any other cardio exercise. I think the best results would be from doing sprint intervals like you are, and making sure you use your legs. It's all about kicking on every stroke, never let up and you'll get your burn.

The other posters are right, too...because you don't feel yourself sweating so much, it can be easy to think you're not doing a serious cardio workout, but you are. Make sure you are eating a good, healthy diet and balancing your calories well or you will start feeling tired and sluggish. You don't necessarily need to load on carbs right away, but I would recommend noting your energy levels and mental focus and mood each day to make sure you can get ahead of any adjustments you need to make.

Rachiepie6

The other posters are right, too...because you don't feel yourself sweating so much, it can be easy to think you're not doing a serious cardio workout, but you are.

On that note: Don't forget to drink water before during and after, it is very easy to become dehydrated whilst swimming,.
You are sweating, you just don't notice because you are in water

ahamm002

Thanks trelm249!!!

In contrast, I reduced my portion of foods even though I am reaaly hungry each time I finish swimming...I thought swimming + less food can lose weight quickly? Or I do it in a really wrong way?

If you are swimming, and particularly if you are swimming hard and/or long, you WILL NEED TO UP YOUR FOOD (CARB) INTAKE!
All of my coaches have ALWAYS told me to eat more carbs for swimming.
Since you are trying to lose weight and become more physically healthy, the deficit in net calories that MFP has already given you means that you should definitely eat your exercise calories back!

Your aim shouldn't be to lose weight quickly, your aim should be to live a healthy and active lifestyle, in doing that you will lose the belly

Ooops! My bad! I will try to change my protion of carbs then My perception of losing weight is really messed up! Thank you Rachiepie6!!!

NO! Do not up your carb intake if you want to lose weight. Carbs are good for PERFORMANCE, NOT WEIGHT LOSS. If you want to compete in a swim race, then up your carbs. If you want to lose weight, avoid refined carbs and focus on increasing your protein intake.

EDIT: carbs are fine as a pre and post workout snack. Otherwise, don't snack on any refined carbs, ever.

nonafit

I am looking some feedbacks on swimming. I enjoy swimming. I try to swimming at least once a week for a minumum of an hour. However a friend had been discouraging me. She had read some where that if one stop swimming they will gain back all the weight that had been lost. Is that true?

If I can't swimming due to some reason can I replace with othe workout and reap the same benefit.

dgoods123

Utter nonsense that if you stop swimming you will gain the weight back. However, if you stop exercising, and continue to eat the same amount of calories as when you were exercising, you will gain the weight back. The rate that you gain it back will be dependent on how m any calories you burn while exercising.

nonafit

Utter nonsense that if you stop swimming you will gain the weight back. However, if you stop exercising, and continue to eat the same amount of calories as when you were exercising, you will gain the weight back. The rate that you gain it back will be dependent on how m any calories you burn while exercising.

Any link you can suggest for my reading? One of the article said that body will preserve fat to retain heat due to cold water. Something to that effect.