have you lost weight by swimming (interested on those who we

Weighinginwithmy02

Hi,

Firstly, I've read some of the research and articles, regarding core body temp, swimming not being effective for weight loss, etc. so please, I don't need or want any more links to those sorts of items.

If you were somebody who started off obese or morbidly obese and threw swimming into your routine can you tell me what your experiences were like? How long (or how many lengths) were you able to swim for the few few weeks? Do you have anything you wish you'd have done differently? Did you find that the calorie burner on MFP was correct for your size (I'm starting out with swimming at 265-ish pounds).

I have high arches and pronation in both my feet (I already wear specially designed insoles) and it's been recommended that I try to avoid impact exercises like step aerobics, walking long distances, dancing. I would like to add swimming in 2-3 times a week, along with biking and strength training, and of course watching calories via MFP. I just wanted to hear some other success stories (or even un-success stories). Thanks for sharing.

mmk137

totally possible to loose weight swimming.

the biggest loser host in australia (when it started, aj rochester), lost most of her weight swimming, then she switched to running and lost the rest.

you might also want to consider water aerobics.

Weighinginwithmy02

totally possible to loose weight swimming.

the biggest loser host in australia (when it started, aj rochester), lost most of her weight swimming, then she switched to running and lost the rest.

you might also want to consider water aerobics.

Thanks! I would love to try the water aerobics classed but unfortunately due to my work schedule, lap swimming is all I can work in my schedule. I didn't know that about the host. Off to Google!

mfanyafujo

When I was younger, I swam competitively (meaning laps and laps and laps of practice) and I definitely lost weight and toned up as well. Swimming's a great exercise, and can be quite exhausting. If you put in a couple hours in the pool every week, you will definitely see some results. There are lots of ways to change up your swimming routine as well, so it's not just the same lap after lap.

Elizabeth_C34

Swimming is fantastic. I started out obese, not morbidly so, and did a lot of swimming and water aerobics because walking and running was painful for me at the time.

The key is just to get moving more than you were before and do your best.

WalkingFlower

I've lost a lot (cca 10 kgs / 22 lbs in 3 months) although I wasn't obese. At that time I was in healthy BMI.
I used to swim 3 times a week. Regular freestyle for 30-40 minutes (cca 1 mile).

xxaudrey

I used to do swimming in a squad once a week. On the weekends I'd go to the pools and just swim for ages- at that time, I dont think I have been ever in better shape. The water resistance is really good on the muscles and toning up so aerobic classes are pretty good. Couple of people on my squad once told me that 30 minutes of swimming is equivalent to an hour of jogging/running- not sure if it's true but trust me its a great way to lose weight, tone and stay in shape (:

sondra216379

Yes, swimming is great exercise. When I was younger i was always a big kid, then one summer I swam everday most of the day, but just playing in the water mostly, and I lost a TON of weight!!

CyberEd312

I lost 170 lbs. in the Pool over 16 months at the beginning of my weightloss journey because I was unable to support my own body weight. I used ankle weights and wrist weights with webbed fingered gloves to create resistance as I got stronger. (Mostly walking in the therapy pool) as the weight started coming off I added in weight resistance weights, dumbbells, etc, and also swimming laps.

aquasw16

#1 Swimming is one of the best options for people who are morbidly obese or just obese- there is no impact and therefore it allows your joints to be weight free.

#2 swimming burns TONS of calories. And as you know, its all a number game pretty much. More calories burned to those consumed = weight loss.

littlemissshowoff

Definitely! I used to swim a lot and when I stopped, I put on weight really quickly.

Angelabec

I went swimming last week for the first time in years, I haven't felt confident enough previously to actually be seen in a swimming costume, but I managed to swim 30 lengths (25m each), and am planning on swimming once a week and increasing the amount of lengths gradually.

cafeldmann

As others have said, swimming is a great total body exercise, and you can definitely lose weight doing it.

I've never worn my heart rate monitor while swimming, so I have no data to compare it to, but I do think that MFP over-estimates the calories burned for swimming (based on my perceived exertion for my swims compared calories burned for other activities of similar duration/perceived exertion). So I tend to round down on my calories when I enter them, and I always use "light/moderate", regardless of how hard/fast I swim. Also, make sure that you are realistic about how much you are actually swimming when you swim. If you do one length of the pool, rest for 2 or 3 minutes, and do another length of the pool, then 30 minutes of that isn't really doing 30 minutes of swimming. (Not saying you will do that, but I see it all the time.)

Enjoy the swimming!

Weighinginwithmy02

WOW! Thanks everybody for sharing your successes! I've made an appointment for my first real swim on Wednesday!

kyle4jem

Anyone who says swimming is not beneficial for weightloss needs their head examined.

Swimming is probably one of the best ways to exercise as it's low-impact yet high burn. Of course, to get benefits, you do need to swim lengths non-stop, as you would cycle or run non-stop, for 30mins or more.

I started out at 250lbs and was probably around 225lbs when I started swimming again in Sept/Oct last year. I'd been a keen swimmer as a teen, but never competitively. I can only swim breaststroke and not super fast. When I started I could manage 20 x 25m lengths in about 20-30mins. Now, I regularly swim for 60-90mins per session and do 150 x 18m lengths. However, I'm also training to do a 5km Swimathon at the end of April so once a week I also do a long swim of 250 x 18m lengths.

I'm not sure that MFPs calorie burns are accurate and I always adjust for my TDEE anyhow and would never eat-back more than 50-70% of my exercise calories to compensate for margins.

You have to find the exercise that suits you and your body best. For me it's definitely swimming, but it's not for everybody. :happy:

pukekolive

I'm now 58 but when I was in my mid 30s I lost a lot of weight (5 stone in 6 months - way too fast) from swimming alone.

At the time I would have been about 16-17 stone (240 lbs) and started off swimming one or two lengths with breaks. I tried to beat the clock and swim faster plus do more lengths in 30 minutes until I built up my sessions to 45 mins a time.

After a while I was swimming 50 lengths (35m pool) of breast-stroke 3 times a week (I still don't know how to put my face under to breathe) - I was swimming for less than an hour each time.

Be aware that I completely lost my appetite and had to force myself to eat.

BrettPGH

Anyone who says swimming is not beneficial for weightloss needs their head examined.

This is really all that needs to be said. I never heard that there were any studies saying swimming doesn't help weightloss but forgive me for dismissing them out of hand.

The first thing I did when I got my gym membership was hit the pool. I knew I'd be able to do that more than running or lifting, I just wasn't ready for that yet. Hell I was barely ready for the pool. I think I did 4 laps my first time before I was so winded I had to quit.

A few months later and I was swimming freestyle for an hour at a time. And I lost dozens of pounds doing it.

I encourage you to get in the pool and have fun!

katya73

Due to injury I am limited to cardio workouts .. My doctor recommeded swimming ... I swim 3 days per week for around 40 min just moderate freestyle laps .. Nothing too intense .. It works for me ! I also do boxing and strength training on other days .. Anyways .. I've lost a further 6 kgs on this routine

escloflowneCHANGED

As others have said, swimming is a great total body exercise, and you can definitely lose weight doing it.

I've never worn my heart rate monitor while swimming, so I have no data to compare it to, but I do think that MFP over-estimates the calories burned for swimming (based on my perceived exertion for my swims compared calories burned for other activities of similar duration/perceived exertion). So I tend to round down on my calories when I enter them, and I always use "light/moderate", regardless of how hard/fast I swim. Also, make sure that you are realistic about how much you are actually swimming when you swim. If you do one length of the pool, rest for 2 or 3 minutes, and do another length of the pool, then 30 minutes of that isn't really doing 30 minutes of swimming. (Not saying you will do that, but I see it all the time.)

Enjoy the swimming!

I wear my HRM in the pool and on average MFP over estimates by 20%.

SusanleeBee

Last summer I lost 22 pounds using MFP and swimming. It burns tons of calories. For me, the MFP calories burned thing is pretty accurate, although it isn't for everyone. I fell off the wagon when they closed the pool, but the 22 pounds stayed off. I just started over here, with a new profile, so the first loss isn't counted, but yeah, it was quite effective.:happy:
ETA I usually spent my time in the pool trading water, intensely for 29-30 minutes, instead of laps, my upper body wasn't strong enough for many laps. The burn was good. I can't wait til they reopen!

much2gain

When I lost my first chuck of weight, it was done with a very closely watched diet (just MFP on paper.. but I never went over my calories and ate very well), water aerobics twice a week and the gym the other four days. Sunday's were rest days. I love the water and it's definately a workout with my instructor. Even if it doesn't fit your schedule, try other options. Does your gym have a therapy pool with the treadmill in the bottom? Those are incredible. If they don't, maybe a local physical therapy place does have on and will let you use it for a fee (so it's not considered therapy and on your medical record). No harm in asking. -- Depending on how big your community is, maybe your local community offers classes at schools and such. That's how I got started. Search "outside the box" and you never know what you might find. Best of luck and yes.. GET IN THE WATER.

Jkmumma

I'm not sure that MFPs calorie burns are accurate and I always adjust for my TDEE anyhow and would never eat-back more than 50-70% of my exercise calories to compensate for margins.

The MFP calorie burn on swimming is comparative to what I picked up from researching the internet. Again, like most exercises, the number changes depending on how much you weigh, but I decided, after the research, that the MFP one is close enough for rough calculations.

I do cheat myself out of calories though, I am lazy about putting my swimming in, different strokes burn a different amount of calories, and I mostly just put it in as "leisurely" instead of accounting for amount of effort and stroke.

It is just as important to warm up and cool down with swimming as with other workouts... I just do a couple of leisurely laps, slowly picking up pace, and I stretch in the water. I don't have any evidence to back this up, it's just a thing that seemed reasonable to me, but stretching in the water after an hour workout seemed better than being mostly non-weight bearing for an hour, then hopping out, becoming weigh bearing, and then stretching. That seemed like a recipe for disaster... so I stretch in the water LOL. NO EVIDENCE though, so no quoting that to others, it just made sense to me LOL.

And yes, you can TOTALLY loose weight from swimming. 20 pounds in my first two months in the pool, combined with healthier eating choices, keeping track of calories, and watching portion sizes.

Weighinginwithmy02

thanks again everybody! I"ve made an appointment to go on Wednesday morning!

shlottelac

very interesting post!

DPernet

Love swimming. Like everybody has already said, it's almost a must for overweight people. Low impact and a great way to exercise. Usually cheaper than a Gym membership as well.

Been going every weekday for over a month, 30-40 minutes at a time. I'm averaging about 40-50 lengths of the 25m pool now. It was hard at first because I hadn't swam lengths in years, but I'm loving it.

The hardest part for me was the initial 'Walk of Shame' to the pool with all my wobbly bits on view. But then I realised that a) nobody cared and b) there were people there with more wobbly bits than me.

Of course it helps that there's usually a stunningly hot lifeguard on duty or a couple of very nice looking young ladies in bikinis swimming as well. Total Babe central

Weighinginwithmy02

I went this morning for the first time! It's a 50 meter pool and I managed to go back and forth 12 times in half an hour, non stop. It won't qualify me for the olympics (this year!) but man, it felt amazing! I've never swam laps before in my life but I don't think I'll be stopping any time soon!

vhluigimc

I have never tried swimming, but awhile ago my mom started swimming (walking/jogging in the pool lane) for aerobic exercise because she's diabetic and she doesn't want to put too much strain on her knees (plus she hates sweating). She lost a lot of inches from her stomach area (she went down from a size 20 in jeans to a size 14!), but then she gained it back because she wasn't eating healthy and also she stopped swimming due to her schedule. So, my advice to you is to swim and eat healthy (protein, raw veggies, fruits, healthy carbs, nuts, prunes). Oh and if you are really trying to lose weight, anaerobic exercise (weight lifting) is crucial so that your skin stays firm (and doesn't loosen from losing weight). Don't buy into the myth that heavy weights make you bulk up. The more heavy you lift, the more calories you'll burn, because muscle burns more calories than fat does.

To sum it up:
Aerobic: Swim (30 min: freestyle and jogging laps in the pool)
Anaerobic: lift heavy weights dumbbells and/or barbell
Arms: curls, tricep kickback, seated shoulder press
Lower Body: squats, lunges, deadlifts
Also, Pilates Reformer really changes your body (tones your core muscles, improves flexibility, reduces back pain, makes those skinny jeans fit better without necessarily changing your weight) so if you have the time and/or money, Pilates Reformer Classes can be really beneficial to you. I pay $120 for six weeks for Pilates Reformer Studio. I get 2 Pilates Reformer Classes a week and I also get to use the Reformer whenever I want if I so choose (open gym). I am seeing results!! Good luck!

iceqieen

Love swimming Not the only thing I do though so cant speak of which part is thanks to that.

A friend of mine is only going swimming, goes a few times each week. I think he started with 10x50m, and has worked himself up to at 15x50m last time I spoke with him. He feels a huge difference in his endurance and his waist is noticably smaller. So definately a worthy workout.

SUSIE091

Hi yes i do 50 lengths front crawl twice a week , plus Aqua , twice a week , hope this helps

Squirrel_52696

I am a fish. You could never get me out of the water and still can't. In high school I was on the swim team and loved it. I can tell you that when you swim laps you can in fact work up a sweat and raise your core temp in the water. In HS we used to take cool showers to cool ourselves down afterwards and I eventually had to start that practice again in my adult life.

Indoor pools usually keep their pool water at room temp or slightly above. The water in the pool physically feels cool when you first get in because the pool house's ambient temperature is always high from humidity and heating of both the pool water and the ambient air. (Just think how cool the temperature is when you leave the pool house compared to the temperature in it.)

I lost 40 lbs within 3-4 months by swimming and eating a sensible diet. Being used to swimming 200 meters at a very face pace in HS, I was shocked at how slow I had to go to be able to maintain swimming laps at a constant speed when I started up again. (my heart was in constant protest) Swimming works EVERY muscle in your body, including your heart.

Usually the pool house has a clock on the wall for lap swimming. You can use this clock to measure your lap time, or the time it takes you to swim one length. In the beginning, just pay attention to keeping yourself moving in the pool for a certain amount of time that you choose, like an hour. It's also a good idea to keep track of your heart rate. When starting out I checked at the end of each length. As you progress you can play beat the clock or even add the number of laps to be completed within a certain time frame. And it doesn't have to be a specific stroke (back stroke, free style, butterfly, breast) I do what I feel like based on my body. If one arm hurts, I don't use it. I can be seen cork screwing through the water, mixing a large number of different swim strokes while making one lap, or even grabbing a kick board to use to work only the legs, or just one arm, etc.

The idea is to keep moving in the water. The water gives you resistance the whole time. Your body will let you know what a good pace is. If you get tired and need to take a break, try going to the deep end and treading water to rest while still getting some exercise benefit. Swimming will burn fat, tone your body, and slim you down. The only way to get a true calorie burn count is by having a water proof heart rate monitor on. You will also notice that based on your different movements your rate could spike (mine spikes when I do the back stroke, I just can't seem to slow down on that one)

I am sad because we only have one pool in the area (the Y) and their pool seems to always be super crowded or unavailable
I'm sure if I could swim again I would be in the pool almost every day, melting the pounds away! It had been so easy the last time.

boo_book

Most definately but calorie control has been an important partner in my weight loss of approx 20kg in 5 months. I am 46, 165cm was around 85kg now 66kg. Have reduced my waist by 4inches, thighs even more so. I carried this weight for around 15 years. Have been swimming for around 10 years, quite seriously most of the time but had no weight loss, last year I decided to educate myself on the calories and see if combined with swimming I could loose weight and there was the answer for me.
Calorie control AND swimming combined = success. I wasn't eating "all day" but I do believe I just got used to eating far too larger meals that were heavy in calories. Now I pay attention to the labels, if the recommended serving for say "weetbix" is 2 cereal biscuits then that's what I now have ( I used to have 3). Stick to the serving sizes and work out a suitable calorie intake per day. I started at 900 cal, reduced it a little each week and now am experimenting with how many calories to increase back up to for maintenance now I am in an ideal weight range. However it does not need to be so scientifc for me now as my body tells me - if I am noticing a bit of tiredness I have pasta to boost my energy and getting good sleep is definately important too.

When I first started swimming 10 years ago, 3 x a week, although having a good natural action I could only manage one pool length (freestyle) at a time. I just kept plugging away setting little goals and by 3 months had definately turned a corner in terms of endurance and at some point in that first year I managed to achieve 30 - 45 -60 minutes nonstop of freestyle. I have also worked on my stroke, I try not to thrash and splash around, I prefer to put the energy into being a "quiet streamlined swimmer" allowing me to swim longer. I focus more on endurance than speed.

To lose weight with swimming, of my experience I believe:
You need to actually swim for at least half an hour x 3 times a week (no standing around/floating/talking - dedicate the time to putting in a real effort)
Take your swim seriously, wear a cap/goggles/swimwear whatever is needed to swim unhindered or distracted.
Educate yourself on calories, if you are hungry after a swim reach for an apple and a cup of tea/water.
Don't make excuses why you can't go swimming eg stress, this is exactly why you need to go!