Swimming what to eat?

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jesuslovesme145
jesuslovesme145 Posts: 52
in Food and Nutrition
Hello all! I hit a plateau over a month ago. For three months I was eating 1200 calories a day and I never ate my exercise calories back. I swim four times a week, and for two days I swim 90 minutes and the other two days for almost three hours. I really don't know what to think of whether I should be eating lots of carbs, protein ect. I bumped up my calorie goal to 1530, but I am still not losing weight. So, I really am just looking for advice! I need to lose about 25 pounds, and I just don't think it is the smartest idea to eat tons and tons of carbs. :( Feel free to look at my food diaries and any advice is appreciated!

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  • jesuslovesme145
    jesuslovesme145 Posts: 52
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    :)
  • Cwilliams8676
    Cwilliams8676 Posts: 300 Member
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    bumping as I have somewhat the same question
  • Sl1ghtly
    Sl1ghtly Posts: 855 Member
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    They say you are what you eat, so I guess fish.
  • doubglass
    doubglass Posts: 314 Member
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    Are you losing inches round the waist? Our your shoulders and back larger? If so I wouldn't worry about weight loss for now.
  • mes1119
    mes1119 Posts: 1,082 Member
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    Try adding another fitness routine. I swam in college and I can tell you that I'm actually skinnier now than I was when I was swimming 3 hours a day. I think the more you do it, the more efficient you get at it and you have a hard time burning a lot of calories. Add in some walking/running if you can along with some body resistance/ weight training.
  • doubglass
    doubglass Posts: 314 Member
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    Good cardio but seems to increase appetite more than any other cardio. May be a body temp thing.
  • Cwilliams8676
    Cwilliams8676 Posts: 300 Member
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    Im unable to eat all my swimming calories back either. Im in to much of a deficit I think. Theres no way I cant eat 1000-1100 EXTRA calories per day
  • gentlygently
    gentlygently Posts: 752 Member
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    That is a lot of excercise to do on very few additional calories and may easily be stressing your body so it is doing 'starvation mode' rather than losing weight. I think you should take measurements (you may have been gaining muscle weight and definition) fuel your body more (can you borrow a fit bit type thing to find put how much you are burning?) try going for speed not length in pool (to challenge your body). Search 'over 1700' on Mfp - plenty of people losing weight happily and healthily on here by duelling their body and doing lots of good exercise. Good luck!
  • gooiyw
    gooiyw Posts: 114 Member
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    I don't think it's so much what to eat after a swim. If you've been swimming that often (and I have in the recent past), chances are, this workout is getting too easy for you. Believe me, I actually found swimming very relaxing... not to mention, it then becomes perceptively "a good workout" because MFP then tells me I've burned tons of calories from just 65-80 minutes of laps. Naturally, I also plateaued... or the weight loss slowed to a frustrating half a pound per 2 weeks or so.

    Part of this problem also stems from the hunger that accompanies after every swim. I tend to eat more after. So, I would suggest that you switch your cardio of choice. Try running or the elliptical or something you REALLY dislike. For me, it was running on a treadmill. I tried it and in 2 days flat, I started losing big. As in literally a pound a day! This is day 3 and I've decided to rest. :tongue: Oh, also, maybe it could also be switching your normal workout times. I was strictly an early morning person and circumstances forced a few evening workouts out of me (not in the pool though). What I did find was my appetite wasn't as crazy big as if I had been swimming and having drunk quite a bit of water to hydrate after a run, I think I ate less.

    Try it. Nothing to lose. Except the weight. :flowerforyou:

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