How Many Calories Burnt Swimming?

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AsaThorsWoman
AsaThorsWoman Posts: 2,303 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey guys!

I'm getting back into swimming laps again.

I have no ideas how many kcal I'm burning out there. Today I started out by swimming laps for 20 minutes.

Female
Five feet seven and a half inches
Currently 184 lbs :-(
%32 Body Fat (measured two different ways, same answer)
I'm 31 years old

What do you think? Is there a calculator or formula?

Thanks!

Replies

  • 47Jacqueline
    47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
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    Check the MFP database for cardio. I'm sure swimming is there.
  • AsaThorsWoman
    AsaThorsWoman Posts: 2,303 Member
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    It is, but all MFP recommended Calorie Burns are grossly over-estimated.

    I'm looking for something closer to a correct approximation.
  • alathIN
    alathIN Posts: 142 Member
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    Here are a few different swimming kCal calculators:

    http://www.swimmingcalculator.com/swim_calories_calculator.php
    http://www.everydayhealth.com/Calories-Burned-Swimming.htm
    http://caloriesburnedhq.com/calories-burned-swimming/

    I have usually gotten similar results from these and from the MFP calculator, with the following caveats:
    1) I always select the lower intensity option on MFP, despite the fact that I swim at a pretty high intensity
    2) I am vigilant about only counting the time I am actually swimming, not recovery time in between sets
    3) I only "eat back" about half the exercise calories that MFP gives me credit for.

    Energy expenditure in swimming is not linear to speed - small increases in speed create huge differences in energy burn - so your accuracy will depend on how hard you're swimming. Because water is so high resistance (compared to air, for instance), you have exponentially more drag as you increase your speed.
  • AusAshMommy
    AusAshMommy Posts: 845 Member
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    I estimated & Allowed MFP to input the calories burned while trying to stay afloat in the ocean last weekend - the surf was pretty moderate (not harsh like when a storm is brewing, but not calm either) during tide change and I wasn't actively swimming, for 30 Mins it showed a 349 Calorie Burn - not 100% sure how accurate that was but I used the Everydayhealth Calculator alathIN posted and the results were similar - I think it gave me 329 Calories burned for 45 Mins.
  • pita7317
    pita7317 Posts: 1,437 Member
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    Agree with ausashmommy.
    MFP over estimates cals burned but only a 100 or so....in my experience anyway.
  • pita7317
    pita7317 Posts: 1,437 Member
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    Also, I hand track my calorie deficit daily and it is always right on track to actual loss.
    Give or take sodium intake....
  • kirkor
    kirkor Posts: 2,530 Member
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    Doesn't matter -- log your calories per your goals and don't eat back exercise cals
  • tracydr
    tracydr Posts: 528 Member
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    Oops, double post!
  • tracydr
    tracydr Posts: 528 Member
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    Doesn't matter -- log your calories per your goals and don't eat back exercise cals
    I thought we were supposed to eat back at least half?
    I swim for exercise and do a lot of breaststroke so I count it as swimming,breaststroke. I know when I swim hard for 30 minutes that I'm famished. I'm not losing fast but I am losing at about .75 pounds a week. I eat at least half or sometimes all my calories back but I set MFP for sedentary,too.
    What I would like to know is how to calculate an accurate amount when I swim both freestyle and crawl, some backstroke and even a little butterfly, plus 100-200 meters using the kick board and all the kicks,too.

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