Is Swimming a Good Exercise to Lose Weight?

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AirieBerry
AirieBerry Posts: 20 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Well, for a few years I've been trying to lose weight. I'm weighing in at about 205-206 right now, I'm 5'4, and I'm only eating up to 1,750 calories a day. We purchased a pool and it was supposed to be delivered and installed about a week ago, but there were complications with the order and we had to get a new one, and it's supposed to be here August 1st-5th. I think that swimming would benefit me the most, and I've also started using my stationary bike for 30-40 minutes a day. If I use the bike for 40 minutes a day and swim for an hour a day, how much weight should I expect to lose? I've been having a hard time and I'm really not all that motivated.

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  • dianebiaggini
    dianebiaggini Posts: 22 Member
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    Last summer (I'm in Australia) I tried swimming twice a week for 30 mins (as many laps as I could manage in that time), stationary bike twice a week (30 mins, moderate effort/freestyle) and running twice a week 3km max (approx2 miles, slow pace). I had signed up for a ladies only beginner triathlon event by February 2013, to give me some motivation. I really liked changing things up and swimming was so pleasant in the summer as an alternative to sweating it out side on a run. I found the swimming changed my body in ways I didn't expect. It seemed to give me leaner/toned arms and toned my stomach. By the end of the summer i was the lightest i had been in years (136pounds, down from 147). I can tell the difference in my body at the moment as I am not swimming (just running and bike). My upper body isn't getting as toned and I'm noticing my quads and calves getting more defined. Swimming leaves me feeling so happy and refreshed. If it increases your well being and motivation I say add it to your workout. Also you are lucky to have your own pool-you should use it! what i would give for my own pool. But I would also add - swimming is not a huge calorie burner unless you are doing intervals/ pushing yourself by timing laps etc. Also, watch that after swim hungry feeling! I always feel starving after a swim. Need to make sure I have a healthy snack on standby so I don't go and ruin it all with some calorific food!!!
  • Christine61314
    Christine61314 Posts: 47 Member
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    That's great I'd love to have my own pool! Lucky you! Of course it is good exercise for weight loss it works all of your body you could even try some acqua aerobics routines to add variety. Nobody can say how much you can expect to lose, bodies work in strange ways but if you are eating well and moving more you will be building stronger muscles and feel better. Just keep an eye on snacking as I noticed I felt hungrier when I stepped out of the pool so have healthy snacks on standby. Good luck!
  • traceyjj
    traceyjj Posts: 406 Member
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    I swim as a part of my fitness routine too. I have found it has helped me lose inches (my weight-loss is so slow) but dont just stop at swimming in the pool. I also do aqua aerobics - we use foam dumbells for good resistance training.... and I also do some aqua-jogging/walking/striding.

    Good luck and have fun
    T :)
  • ummlovelovesyou
    ummlovelovesyou Posts: 1,024 Member
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    I am a swimmer!

    I swim 3 times a week during the year (minus summer, when I teach swim lessons and lifeguard), and let me tell you, ANYONE can benefit from swimming. It's great for every part of your body. It improves your cardio skills (rhythmic breathing) and is easy on the joints. I prefer to swim laps to get an overall body workout, but even running in the water is great. Additionally, treading in deep water is fantastic for your thighs and core, and kicking is a perfect workout for your calves and thighs.

    I stopped doing all kinds of exercise a few years ago (was fat and happy in love, got lazy!) and gained 25 lbs. Since then I have incorporated cycling, hiking, swimming, running, surfing, and other cardio activites with strength training into my workout. I lost the weight and some.

    It's hard to start out motivated, but once you get over the hump of sticking to a routine for a few weeks, it should be easier because you WILL see results, which in turn should make you want to continue on with the workouts. :flowerforyou:


    If you have any swim questions, feel free to ask. :smile:
  • choijanro
    choijanro Posts: 754 Member
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    Yes and its a total body workout
  • beautifulwarrior18
    beautifulwarrior18 Posts: 914 Member
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    Swimming is a fantastic workout; however, with a pool you need to be careful that you're swimming and not standing. However; the resistance from water is also makes for a great exercise.

    You do need to incorporate "heavy" exercise as well. Exercises like walking keep you bones nice and dense. That's something swimming cannot do.
  • Srikoon
    Srikoon Posts: 58 Member
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    I became a swimmer after twisting my ankle in January. The doc told me not to run or put too much pressure on it for 6 weeks. Determined to meet weight loss goals, I swam 30 minutes everyday (minus most weekends). I used MFP to help keep track of food intake and after 2 weeks, lost 7 lbs. At this point (against my doctor's orders) I incorporated the Insanity workouts by Beach Body and lost another 11 lbs over the next 2 weeks. Nowadays, I hate running and will do everything else to avoid it although sometimes I can't due of the nature of my job.
    I love swimming and I believe it can burn just as much, if not more calories for me than running. The body must maintain a constant 97 degrees fahrenheit while swimming in a 70-75 degree pool. For this to happen, thermogenisis is kicked up a notch or two for the duration of the swim all the while expending calories to complete laps. The thermogenic process may be partly responsible for the after-swim hunger pangs so many people are talking about.
    It's not an exact science, but if you plug in your numbers into the MFP calculator, you can lose around 1-2 lbs a week. Of course this depends on your Basal Metabolic Rate.
  • pelpec
    pelpec Posts: 26 Member
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    I started out swimming half hour daily and quickly built up to an hour daily. After a few weeks I added in the 30 day shred and I've been doing 100 squats daily for 63 days now. In 15 weeks I have lost 28lbs. I eat up to 1400 cals eating some exercise back. I feel so much better and I am swimming stronger and could go longer if time permitted. I certainly recommend swimming, esp at the outset when your joints have been stressed from the extra weight. Once you begin to lose you can add in other types of cardio and strength training. And I usually swim just before my evening meal so that gets over the hungry like a bear feeling! Good luck with your journey! I was 189 lbs at 5'4" aged 49 and my gift to myself I hope will be a 50lb weight loss for my 50th birthday later this year.
  • lauren3101
    lauren3101 Posts: 1,853 Member
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    When I started, I swum 3 times a week and the first 30lb fell off me. I stopped it because my local swimming pool got too rammed and it was hard to get the room to swim effectively. I'm looking for a new pool. Swimming is brilliant, it works all of your body, it burns a lot of calories and it's great if you have any problems, like back or joints, for example.

    The only downside is it absolutely wrecks your hair! I have a lot of hair and swimming caps don't hold it. :laugh:
  • AirieBerry
    AirieBerry Posts: 20 Member
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    How many weeks did you swim 3 times a week?

    My hair is definitely going to be a mess! :smile:
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    Weight loss happens in the kitchen and fitness happens in the gym (or pool as the case may be). Don't count on losing a lot of weight because you swim. Stick to your calorie budget and the pounds will come off with or without exercise. 1750 calories is a decent budget. My maintenance is only 1500 and I'm only a couple inches shorter than you!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    ^^^What Mokey said.

    Use your diet for weight control; exercise for fitness. Swimming is excellent for your fitness.
  • sweetxsour35
    sweetxsour35 Posts: 177
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    I used to run 4x a week. It did nothing and my joints were killing me. I picked up swimming when it was too hot to go running (90+ degree heatwaves are awful) and have dropped a pants size already, even though my weight is pretty much the same. At first I lost 5 lbs in 3 weeks and then a couple crept back on, but I didn't get any bigger. It's starting to come off slowly again, but I still have to keep an eye on my diet. I try to eat more filling foods after I'm done swimming such as low fat Greek yogurt or tuna. I recommend swimming especially if you're joints aren't doing so well.

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