Swimming burns this many calories?!

jbiebz1499
jbiebz1499 Posts: 8
edited December 17 in Health and Weight Loss
So when I log in my swimming time (I am on a competitive swim team and swim 1 and a half hours 6 times a week) it says I burn 1,110 calories...is this true? It seems like a bit much. And if it is true am I really suppose to eat all my exercise calories?
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Replies

  • mamagooskie
    mamagooskie Posts: 2,964 Member
    wear a heart rate monitor and see........that's the best way to know for sure.
  • skinnyallover
    skinnyallover Posts: 67
    Hey I'm a competitive swimmer too!

    i don't know how intense your training is, but to my knowledge that calorie burn sounds about right!
  • jbiebz1499
    jbiebz1499 Posts: 8
    Nice!

    Ok just making sure I wouldn't want to be logging in more calories than I actually burn!
  • mes1119
    mes1119 Posts: 1,082 Member
    I swam in college. I'm pretty sure that is probably right. I know I ate like a mad man back then but still had a hard time keeping on weight.

    It wasn't until I quit swimming and kept on eating like I hadn't that I gained weight.
  • amybg1
    amybg1 Posts: 631 Member
    It depends on many factors, such as your heart rate, overall intensity, duration, weight, BMR...
  • CBranson0503
    CBranson0503 Posts: 95
    Wearing a heart rate monitor is the best way to get the most accurate calorie burn. I am not a swimmer, but I do wear a heart rate monitor when I run and lift weights. Sometimes what MFP caculates is pretty close, but I find it to usually be under what my heart rate monitor says I am burning when I run but spot on for weight lifting.
    Anyway, to answer you other question, "should I eat my exercise calories?" that's sort of a touchy subject on here :) I always make sure my net calories are at least at my goal.
  • geoffjball
    geoffjball Posts: 9
    You should try to eat most if not all of your exercise calories back, as you have already accounted for your weight loss/gain/maintenance in your caloric deficit/surplus.

    Swimming for an hour and a half? I'd say 1100+ calories burned is certainly feasible (I burn about the same when I run 1.5 hours).
  • ShadowSoldier23
    ShadowSoldier23 Posts: 321 Member
    HRM + water sounds like a bad idea. Unless there is one that is waterproof?
  • jbiebz1499
    jbiebz1499 Posts: 8
    wait net calories at your goal? what does that mean? my goal is 1,200 and I usually eat around that...
  • skinnyallover
    skinnyallover Posts: 67
    as swimmers we should eat way more than 1200 unless you are SERIOUSLY trying to lose weight, but you should be focusing on muscle gain. Some good recovery foods are chocolate milk (believe it or not, choco milk is like the best recov. for simmers), Lara bars, and nuts. Lean protein, low fat dairy, and blah blah blah. 1200 is too low if you are training tho, you will lose muscle.
  • Fat4Fuel2
    Fat4Fuel2 Posts: 280 Member
    I agree with the other swimmers. How I miss the days of busting out multiple 200 flys like it was cake! Just watch for yardage. Less yards/sprint practice = anerobic and less caloric burn. massive amounts of yards = more aerobic and tons of caloric burn. Also, remember to drink tones of water. You sweat even if you don't feel it.
  • SomeMorr
    SomeMorr Posts: 220 Member
    HRM + water sounds like a bad idea. Unless there is one that is waterproof?

    My Polar FT4 is water resistant up to like 30 meter depth? It works most of the time in the water, you just have to make sure the chest strap is tight enough around your ribcage so you have consistent contact with your skin.
  • jbiebz1499
    jbiebz1499 Posts: 8
    well...I'm a distance swimmer so I wouldn't worry about sprint practices ;)
  • Hilary75
    Hilary75 Posts: 90 Member
    Not a competitive swimmer but a few years ago I had to take a break from running bc of my knees and did some swimming instead. I was bummed bc I felt like I couldn't possibly be getting as good a workout as when I was running. I started wearing my HRM and I'll be damned if I didn't have the same calorie burn after a 1 mile swim that I did after a 3 mile run. I guess I'm of the thought that if you don't sweat it don't count but you can't tell if you're sweating when you're in the pool.

    Have a good swim!
  • andrea198721
    andrea198721 Posts: 173 Member
    Now I want to swim.
  • torshi
    torshi Posts: 107 Member
    Now I want to swim.

    Agreed!
  • riouxha
    riouxha Posts: 995 Member
    i used to swim competitively. now i really wanna start again :)
  • bestshiratakinoodles
    bestshiratakinoodles Posts: 32
    swimming is such a good way for loose weight, its very beneficial !!
  • ellycope
    ellycope Posts: 80 Member
    My Sigma HRM is waterproof and I've worn it for a couple of swims. I'm in no way a competitive swimmer and the last time I went I burnt 220ish in 30mins so 1,100 for an hour and a half of intense swimming is probably about right. I'm 5' 6" and 143lbs if that helps!
  • jbiebz1499
    jbiebz1499 Posts: 8
    Thanks everyone for your help!
  • Mr_Cape219
    Mr_Cape219 Posts: 1,345 Member
    wait net calories at your goal? what does that mean? my goal is 1,200 and I usually eat around that...

    well if you look on your home page, you will see the list of calories allowed, food eaten, exersise done, and net. The net is the total calories you have eaten for the day after exersise is added in. So at the end of the day you could have like 10 calories left to eat, and say your calorie allowance is 1200, your net may see something different based on the amount of exersise you did. As long as your net is close to 1200 calories wether by eating back some exersise calories or working out harder and not eating anything back, then you have about 1200 calories in your body by the end of the day.
  • jbiebz1499
    jbiebz1499 Posts: 8
    Oh hmm...mine is usually at 0 or 100...I just don't think I would even be able to eat my exercise calories...that would be eating over 2,000 calories and I'm full by 1,200 or less
  • Mr_Cape219
    Mr_Cape219 Posts: 1,345 Member
    Oh hmm...mine is usually at 0 or 100...I just don't think I would even be able to eat my exercise calories...that would be eating over 2,000 calories and I'm full by 1,200 or less

    hehe, different strokes for different folks my friend. I try to eat my exersise calories back and get as close to my 1600 net goal as much as possible. To make sure that right then, for the day, in my body is as close to 1600 calories I can get. It is still just as hard to eat more than my allowance though. I havent been so hungry lately. I think my stomach shrank. NSV!
  • Kirsty_UK
    Kirsty_UK Posts: 964 Member
    My husband is a swim coach, and I know when he used to compete himself, he ate A LOT! His problem was continuing to eat that much when he stopped ;)

    I would say though that as a trained swimmer, your goal is to get through a distance, as fast as possible, as streamlined as possible. That means with as little effort as possible! Your technique will gradually have adapted to use less energy than a untrained swimmer would swimming the same distance and maybe even the same time period.

    Please do try and eat back some exercise cals though. There is no way if you are training as much as the swimmers I know that you can get by on 1200cals a day.
  • Cwilliams8676
    Cwilliams8676 Posts: 252 Member
    HRM + water sounds like a bad idea. Unless there is one that is waterproof?

    haha i was thinking that
  • Cwilliams8676
    Cwilliams8676 Posts: 252 Member
    Ive been swimming this week due to an ankle shin injury and i have been jogging walking and doing laps I feel tired and hungry like my usual hard workouts the added benefit of being relaxed in the water too I love swimming I dont think ill give it up
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    Swimming engages almost all the muscles (as opposed to almost any other exercise that only targets a few), and your body temperature is regulated by the water around you so you don't sweat. So, yeah, you'll burn all that and possibly more if you are swimming energetically.

    And if you are burning 1100 calories swimming, it's important to add at least most of them back to your daily intake. The web site has already calculated a caloric intake that will allow you to lose weight at a healthy, measured pace. Don't try to race your way to your ideal weight - it's counterproductive and could lead to both frustration and potentially to health problems.
  • Cwilliams8676
    Cwilliams8676 Posts: 252 Member
    Swimming engages almost all the muscles (as opposed to almost any other exercise that only targets a few), and your body temperature is regulated by the water around you so you don't sweat. So, yeah, you'll burn all that and possibly more if you are swimming energetically.

    And if you are burning 1100 calories swimming, it's important to add at least most of them back to your daily intake. The web site has already calculated a caloric intake that will allow you to lose weight at a healthy, measured pace. Don't try to race your way to your ideal weight - it's counterproductive and could lead to both frustration and potentially to health problems.

    I get annoyed in a way for the i need to lose 5 or more pounds a week Enjoy the journey I am :) Anyway great reply
  • ashreynolds09
    ashreynolds09 Posts: 257 Member
    i used to swim competitively. now i really wanna start again :)

    me too! I miss those days!

    In my experience MFP is very close, if not dead on with what I burn when running and what my HRM says.
  • sarahc001
    sarahc001 Posts: 477 Member
    At the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, we were told that the swimmers are the athletes that need to eat the most...IIRC the top competitive male swimmers were eating upwards of 4000 cal/day.
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