Any one successful with swimming?

1200 is the bare minimum a healthy person should eat to lose weight, and honestly it's too few for most to stay on for long. Eating less than that doesn't mean starvation mode, but it does mean that your body is probably burning off some muscle and starting to realize you're not going to give it what it needs, so it will hang on to whatever it can. If you can, try slowly increasing your calories so you can build some of that muscle, which will only help you lose fat. And you're not feel crappy now, but don't let yourself get to that place like I did!

Don't know much about swimming unfortunately but good luck to you!

first off...eat more!!!

those of us who have had success in losing weight and keeping it off have a few things in common, one being that we eat a lot more than 1200 calories per day....try increasing your intake slowly by adding in some high calorie foods like nuts, yogurt or even drinking milk of your choice (I love dark chocolate almond milk)...

second, as for the swimming...like you I was a competitive swimmer as a kid and also did surf lifesaving. I recently had to get back in the pool and swim laps to get in my cardio as tore up the ligaments in my ankle and have had to change up my workout routine while I get my injury sorted out...

wearing my HRM I burn a lot more calories than I ever anticipated...about 400 in 40 minutes, swimming a combination of freestyle and breast stroke at a moderate pace...this is why you have to eat more...

im not sure if I have lost anymore weight as I have given up on the scale...but I have noticed changes in my shoulders, back and core muscles so yes, I would say that swimming is a great way to change up your workout. im not a runner either, though I have completed a few 5Ks for fun. I would much rather swim anyways...I don't sweat and I find it relaxing.

I will be starting to swim again in a few weeks...it is only seasonal where I live....I can't wait to see the changes once I start swimming again!

I love to swim too! It's a great way to cross train, since my knees have been getting more sore after running and spinning. For my swim workout, I like to mix up timed intervals (50 meter sprints) with 500 free, 500 with kickboard, 500 with paddles/buoy. Swimming especially strengthens my shoulders, back, and core.

I will say that swimming makes me more hungry afterwards than when I run or spin. Weird! Any which way, it's a great form of exercise and if you love it, that's the most important thing!

I swim 2-5 days a week for 30 to 45 minutes, about 25-35 laps (25 meters). It is my secondary cardio, in that I always do it after Spinning for 45-50 minutes or after my strength training. I love swimming. It was really hard to start because I was so out of shape and weak, but now I am glad I got back into it. I swam as kid for years and was also a swim instructor through college so I really was happy to get back into.

As stated by another it gives a really good burn according to the HRM, especially using proper form and technique. I have found that even if I just move at a light steady pace I burn a pretty substantial amount of calories, better than going home and sitting in front of the tv after my work out I figure!

But if you are exercising daily you should be eating more than 1200 calories.

I think the term starvation mode needs to be tossed, and we should refer to it what it is, metabolic resistance.

The problem with any low calorie, extreme calorie deficit (especially one without exercise) is that it REDUCES YOUR METABOLISM. It is not that it starves you, it is just that your body learns to function on less and STAYS that way, it other words it "resets" your BMR so you will gain weight on LESS food in the future. Your body thinks it is doing you a favor.

That is the whole trouble with calorie deficit, TDEE and BMR. You really never know what is standard for YOU, until you begin to count your calories and activity. For me I have a "sweet spot" of about 1800-2000 calories, but I work out 5 days a week, and I shoot for 90 minutes a day. I cross train doing spinning/swimming one day and lifting/swimming/water aerobics another day. I rest Sat and Sun (well at least Sunday, I am swimming tomorrow

The key to keeping your metabolism functioning is MOVING and EATING. If you stop those two things your body compensates and reduces your calorie need.

For me when I was a lard butt couch potato I could gain on 1400 calories, though every calculator out there told me that I needed 1600 just to function in coma state...When I got back into exercise I only lost 4 lbs the first month because I only ate 1200-1400 cals a day and was Spinning every day.

I got better results upping my calories, strength training and moving a lot more in a variety of ways, not just one type of cardio. (cardio 90 mins 2-3x a week, heaving strength training 3x)

My metabolism is now burning fat at a steady 4 to 8 lbs a month.

I swim at least an hour a day in the summer and remain (a bit) overweight. Actual heart-pumping swimming. On top of biking, walking, yoga, etc. multiple days a week. I wish it had a bigger effect on my weight, but I love swimming anyway! :-)

Swimming combined with running produced results for me as far as excercise. It's not just plain swimming that has worked for me. I would do other resistance exercises in the water. I love being in the water so much that it is not really excercise to me. It's fun instead!!!! You can work so many muscles in just about every possible direction in the water. It's easy on the joints. The water is great!!!!!

I haven't been a regular swimmer in a few years, but I know that I never saw any fat-loss results with it (and when I did swim, it was always seriously, continuously, goal-in-mind kind of swimming). I love swimming, because it makes me feel good, and it's meditative.....but I've never seen any kind of measurable change in my body. I imagine my strength has improved somewhat, though not drastically, and my endurance always improves, which includes cardio health and breathing, but.....I don't think I even see *measurable* toning.

Just one of the unlucky ones, I guess! It's a good thing that body-change isn't the reason I swim, or it would be horribly disappointing. I suppose it's possible that it increases my hunger enough that I eat back too many calories - I've never tracked my food when I've swum regularly before.