Losing Fat/weight with swimming?

I swim often as part of my routine to lose weight. Personally I find it the best way to burn calories, mostly because I enjoy it so much.

If you are just starting out then I would recommend just swimming 20/30 mins freestyle and make note of the distance you are doing. If you keep doing this you will get faster and after a short while 30 mins will be relatively easy for you and you can increase your swim time.

Then when you are more comfortable in the pool you could mix it up a bit and introduce sprints / high intensity intervals to your swim. This will be more beneficial in terms of fat burn / weight loss.

I found that initially the weight was dropping off me, but then I plateaued - presumably I was gaining more muscle than the fat I was losing.

As the Toad above mentioned though, you do need to ensure that you are working at a calorie deficit to lose weight. Just make sure you're not at an extreme calorie deficit.

I'd also recommend checking out https://www.reddit.com/r/Swimming/. There's lots of helpful people and good advice there. This is also a helpful site to work out exactly how many calories you are burning: http://www.swimmingcalculator.com/swim_calories_calculator.php. I find the MFP metrics inaccurate because they don't take into account distance or weight.

Good luck in the pool!

Swimming works for me because I love doing it. In the past I've only exercised because I thought I had to, I didn't enjoy it so I never stuck with it. Swimming is different for me. It's a great full body workout, you can tailor it any way you like, using different tools to focus on arms or legs.

That being said. Has it helped me lose weight? Not really. A calorie deficit is why I've lost weight. But I am healthier and stronger from swimming.

spring913 wrote: »

Swimming works for me because I love doing it. In the past I've only exercised because I thought I had to, I didn't enjoy it so I never stuck with it. Swimming is different for me. It's a great full body workout, you can tailor it any way you like, using different tools to focus on arms or legs.

That being said. Has it helped me lose weight? Not really. A calorie deficit is why I've lost weight. But I am healthier and stronger from swimming.

^^ Totally this.

As to what people are saying about swimming and hunger:
A study done in Britain demonstrated that swimmers were not losing weight and this is often touted as "you can't lose weight by swimming' evidence, but follow up studies by the same group demonstrated that people who swim in cold water or are outdoor swimmers actually consume more calories after swimming than indoor swimmer/warm water swimmers. A follow up study done at Michigan showed that outdoor/cold water swimmers who took warm showers after swimming or drank warm drinks such as tea, consumed fewer calories after swimming than the cold water swimmers who didn't warm up after.
In other words, if you find yourself ravenously hungry after your swim and are tempted to overeat, start taking a hot shower or grabbing a cup of herbal tea when you get out of the pool. It could make a huge difference in your consumption.

Hey, give it a go if it's something you enjoy.

Iv been swimming laps twice per week for an hour since March, have rests for about a minute in between sets (I do approx 60 lengths of a 25 metre pool). I got in to it following coming off crutches due to stress reaction after giving a military boot camp ago (was on them for 3 months!); been advised not to run and so swimming seemed like the best thing.

I started with 30mins at first and worked way up. I have lost 10 lbs and have lost 6 inches off my waist, my tummy is certainly flatter and thighs,bum and biceps more firm! I have tonnes more energy and my swimming a definitely improved.

I have also as people have said reduced my intake, ate much more healthier (have stayed clear of ready meals, high salt contents, ate more fruit and veg), reduced portion sizes and logged!

I don't find that swimming makes me hungry. I usually have a banana before a swim when going after work/ or on weekend morning.

Add me as a friend if you want

I used to swim regularly. It was great exercise and quite calming. It helped me maintain physical fitness. And it made me hungry. I swam a mile a day in cool water, and I was always ravenous after a swim. But weight maintenance was far easier than when I stopped swimming.

Swimming is a good exercise, works the whole body and low impact. When I was in the Marines, my run time had hit a plateau. I started mixing swimming into my workout, about 20 min 2-3 times a week. After 4-6 weeks we did our PFT and I shaved a min and a half off my time! Did 3 miles in 19:48 if I recall correctly

If you love swimming do it for health along with any other exercise you love.

As far as fat loss - it's all about the calorie deficit regardless of exercise. People can lose fat even if they do no exercise. But if you want to make your lean body mass healthy, functional, and beautiful, do any exercise you love, because if you love it you'll keep doing it and that is good.

RuchikaPal wrote: »

And I really wanNa figure out which is the best activityto investmy time and money into.

There is no best activity. Or at least no best activity other than maybe for you.

To lose weight you are trying to burn calories (although you can end up in the same place by just eating less), and ideally to lose more fat and less muscle and look better when you are finished you are trying to improve fitness. Swimming is a good activity for that, but so are many others. One positive thing about swimming, if you do it seriously, like laps and drills and such, is that it's not only cardio, but also an activity that has some of the benefits of strength training. AND it's low impact and something you can (eventually) do most days, both advantages vs. something like running for a beginner.

On the other hand, unless you are a really good swimmer, something like running likely burns more calories per hour (I know it does for me). You need to be careful with the calorie counts too -- I'd look at ones based on distance and time, not perceived exertion. Even if I think I swam hard I usually log something more moderate, because I am slow.

Ultimately the calories it burns doesn't really matter for the question of whether you should do it, though -- what matters is what activity will you do consistently and enjoy? If the answer is swimming, then swimming is a great weight loss activity for you (assuming you watch the calories and don't eat more than you burn when swimming). If you pick something you hate because it burns tons of calories and then never want to do it, that won't work.

I have had the same experience as others of finishing a swim and being ravenous, something that doesn't happen to me with other exercise. I didn't find it a problem, since I usually swim just before breakfast or just before dinner. I don't eat more food than I otherwise would and am fine. It makes me want to eat right away, but doesn't make my appetite harder to satisfy.

So basically count calories and eat at a calorie deficit. If you want to exercise so you can do that while eating a more reasonable amount and get fit also, swimming is one of many good choices -- what matters is what you will like.

You can swim all you like but if you aren't eating in deficit (taking in less than you burn) you wont lose weight....