Swimming good for weight loss?

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clairebear5987
clairebear5987 Posts: 3
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi,

I have lost 15lbs in the last 8 weeks and have done some walks etc as my only exercise. Due to my size and that I have asthma I feel I am limited to what I can do and on a budget, as being self conscious when I have gone to the gym before, it did very little to motivate me so much so last year I was still paying my membership for 10mths with no way out.

I went swimming for the 1st time in years the other day and I swam for almost an hour doing the breaststroke at a slow/medium pace and was happily surprised that I didn't ache and that I could have continued if I didn't have somewhere else to be.

My question is if I go swimming 3/4 days a week for say an hour along with eating 1500 calories a day (currently enough to lose 1.8lbs a week) would this increase my weight loss as long as I am not re-eating those calories?

I would be expecting after a couple of weeks to gain some weight ie muscle but long term I am hoping the weight will fall of abit quicker as its already been a long 8 weeks and I know I still have a good year ahead of me.

Slightly off topic - if a lot of my calories are from carbs (ie bread/potatoes/pasta etc) would this be halting my weight loss - my theory has been if I am within my calories it doesn't really matter where I get them from as long as it has proteins and fats as well so that its balanced.

Any help and advice would be great

Thanks

Claire x

Replies

  • wolfgate
    wolfgate Posts: 321 Member
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    Swimming can be great for fat loss. It works all the major body muscle groups. You can do long, steady swims or higher intensity interval training. Because you don't take a physical pounding beginners can often do it for longer than impact exercises, such as running.

    A few cautions, because you're in water, you can also spend a lot of time at such a low intensity that you don't burn many calories. (Hard to do that if you're trying to run, in contrast). Also, studies have shown that swimming in colder water overstimulates the appetite. Put those together and for fat loss you have to be sure you're truly burning more calories than you are consuming.

    Finally, since there is a full body resistance component to swimming, you may find increased muscle which causes you to lose inches and fat but not pounds. My daughter swims competitively, looks petite but weighs more than her taller brother. But she's fit, trim and healthy, which is really the goal.

    So yes, it can be a great exercise. Just make sure you're working hard enough and not overeating after.
  • Bridgetthegre
    Bridgetthegre Posts: 85 Member
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    Good advice. Swimmers are some of the hardest working athletes. They're extremely muscular and have amazing endurance. They don't, however, typically have that ripped look runners get. Look at the pics of Olympic swimmers and runners to see the difference. Competitive swimmers have their own injuries, but as far as working out, you definitely don't take the pounding to your joints you do with running.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
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    if you swim and eat at a deficit you will lose weight
    if you swim and eat at a surplus you will gain weight
  • conniemaxwell5
    conniemaxwell5 Posts: 943 Member
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    Swimming is good exercise but you will need to make sure you're eating at a deficit, which you will be if you only eat 1500 calories. If you swim for an hour 3x a week, you could probably up the calories a little, maybe 1700 or so.

    You're right, as long as you're within your calories for the day it really doesn't matter if you eat carbs or not. Moving to more complex carbs like whole grain breads and pastas, brown rice, quinoa, beans, etc plus fruits and vegetables will help you stay full longer and keep your digestive system functioning well. There's very little nutritional value in white breads and pastas. Potatoes are good for you but in moderation. Sweet potatoes are more nutritious and I think they taste better than white. Drink lots of water also, especially if you switch to the higher fiber foods. You still sweat while swimming but you don't notice it because you're already wet so it's easy to dehydrate.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
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    swimming is great exercise, especially if you have some joint issues that stem from being heavy.

    however weight loss is mostly from your diet. what and how much you eat.

    as far as swimming goes, it is just like any other exercise. if your form is off you can be moving inefficiently, and therefore have a perception of exertion that is false.

    you said you used to go swimming. have you swam competitively before? if so, just make sure your form is good. i swam competitively and still need to focus on form. and like with weight lifting, when my form starts to break down, i know it's time to stop.
  • doubglass
    doubglass Posts: 314 Member
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    swimming will stoke your appetite more than other cardio. Has to do with body temp.
  • bubblygoldfish
    bubblygoldfish Posts: 213 Member
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    As far as I'm concerned, just about any physical activity is good for weight loss. Just make sure you are eating at a deficit too! :smile:

    ^ This ^
    My BS is in exercise and sport science, and truthfully ANY activity is good for you. Just eat balanced meals at a calorie deficit, and drink lots of water! Good luck!
  • onwarddownward
    onwarddownward Posts: 1,683 Member
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    swimming will stoke your appetite more than other cardio. Has to do with body temp.

    Has to do with the fact that swimming laps at a good clip burns three times the cals of other exercises!
  • wolfgate
    wolfgate Posts: 321 Member
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    swimming will stoke your appetite more than other cardio. Has to do with body temp.

    Has to do with the fact that swimming laps at a good clip burns three times the cals of other exercises!

    Seriously though. people looking to use swimming to lose weight need to try and find pools where the water temperature is warmer. Cooler water does overstimulate the appetite.
    Swimming in cold water stimulates your appetite so that you want to eat more.

    Many people feel extremely hungry after immersion in cold water. As a result they simply replace all the calories they’ve burned with a large post-exercise meal, completely wiping out any potential weight loss benefits of the swimming.

    In a University of Florida study, a group of men exercised for 45 minutes in both neutral (33 degrees Celsius) and cold (20 degrees Celsius) water temperatures. They were then allowed to eat as much food as they wanted.

    The men burned a similar number of calories in the cold and neutral water conditions, averaging 505 and 517 calories, respectively. However, calorie intake after exercise in the cold water averaged 877 calories, which was 44% more than for the neutral temperature.
    http://muscleevo.net/swimming-for-weight-loss/

    Link to specific study on subject http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15902988
  • Athena53
    Athena53 Posts: 717 Member
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    Has to do with the fact that swimming laps at a good clip burns three times the cals of other exercises!

    Yes, but "good clip" is key. I have a pretty lazy breast stroke and I just checked my last swim data- burned 82 calories in 17 minutes. That's 287 calories an hour but few people swim that long, and I know from measuring with my heart rate monitor that I burn 90 calories an hour just doing nothing. A coworker who used to be on her college swim team said that she used to take in 5-6,000 calories a day but that's when swimming practice takes up most of your life.

    Having said that- you've found an exercise you love and that doesn't make you hurt. That's wonderful news. Keep at it and watch what you eat and it's bound to have good results.
  • avababy05
    avababy05 Posts: 930 Member
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    Love swimming,it's a pretty good burn at a moderate to fast pace.My muscles feel great after an hour or so of laps ( sidestroke,breaststroke,butterfly stroke)

    My problem is it makes me VERY hungry.Especially for carbs!

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