weight loss

I do both and find that running is the best for cardio, but swimming is the best for general muscle workout. When I put in 30 mins of each exercise in the calorie counter here, moderate running burns 423 cals and moderate swimming 296 cals. I'd reccomend working out in various forms though

I really think it depends on the individual. When I was training in martial arts, I could eat whatever I wanted because I was training two hours/day, six days a week, but I drank tons of water. My metabolism always ran high until I hit my 50s and then it came to a screeching halt, or that's what it felt like. I've seen a lot of studies that say swimming takes the weight off just as well as any other workout but without the potential for injury. Unless you bonk your head at the edge of the pool, LOL. Or do like my sister and accidentally kick the rope and break your toe. Some people do report hunger after a swim. That doesn't seem to be an issue with me. I think the main thing is to drink plenty of fluids throughout the day and eat moderate amounts of carbs with lots of protein. If I exercise late in the day, I can't sleep. And I get the munchies at night no matter what I do. The only thing that doesn't kick my hunger into high gear is lifting weights. I'm wondering about a good cross-training program. I have heard a lot about CrossFit and wonder if anyone here has tried it, or what you think is the best exercise to balance swimming.

I know people that swear by CrossFit. I do think it has a good number of potential benefits; but also some downsides. I think injury is a good possibility due to often times extreme over exercise or improper technique with certain weight lifting. And at least from what I have seen and participated in, there is also a very competitive environment to the whole system. But I have seen some people radically transform their bodies...like from "pudgy" to solid ripped within 6 months to a year. Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

Thanks, SLOmmafan. It looks like it requires a huge commitment, but it's something I've thought about trying, though being in my early 60s it may not be the smartest route. I'm going to ask a personal trainer at my rec center if she can can put me on a modified CrossFit style routine to use on off days. I appreciate your input, which makes me think. I really want to add a form of exercise that doesn't interfere with swimming but does help me on my journey to losing weight and maintaining better health.

Old thread, but good thread. I guess I just wanted to add my perspective... I swam my senior year in HS ('99). I remember initially being frustrated because my clothes began to fit tighter, and I was hungry ALL THE TIME. And then, woosh, the weight fell off (and I was still eating a lot). With that in mind, I just started swimming again on my own, hoping for similar results. I think running can burn more calories in a shorter amount of time, but (for me at least) swimming is more pleasurable. I can spend an hour or longer in the pool steadily swimming, and still feel like I don't want to leave. If you aren't modifying your diet, I think that means you have to work out longer, harder to actually see results, and personally I can only sustain that long of a work out w swimming.

Julia, thanks for posting your article. It was informative and reinforced a few things for me. No exercise program is going to help if you follow it with Arnold-sized portions of whatever you want. Ask me how I know. On the other hand, when I trained karate 5-6 days/week 2 hours/day, I could eat pretty much anything. The one caveat is that I was younger and hadn't hit mental pause, so my metabolism was still as revved as a sports car. I couldn't gain weight if I tried. Alas, that is no longer true.:cry: Anne00, the only thing better than a nap in a car is a nap on Sunday lying in a hammock, IMHO.

Ideally, swimming can and should aid in weight loss, but as with any other sport, you still need to be mindful of what you eat. I actually wrote an article recently discussing 10 common misconceptions about swimming, and the weight loss issue is #1! www.swimspire.com/.../ Excellent article, Julia! :applaud: Thanks for sharing.

I was younger and hadn't hit mental pause, so my metabolism was still as revved as a sports car. :lmao:

This is a good short article on the calorific differences between running and swimming. www.livestrong.com/.../ Thanks. That is what I've seen in other research; not all miles are created equal.

When I hear that people gain weight swimming because they get hungry and wolf down whatever they want, I throw my hands up in the air and say, "dude" or "dudess." Anyone who knows about basic nutrition and exercise in any form will tell you diet is 90% of it. I think you can lose weight, and still scarf down food (as I did), but it means you have to put a lot more time/effort into your daily exercise. I was swimming 5x week for 2ish hours. It was actually pretty great to not have to worry about calories. However, it was also really tiring... So, like #9 in the article, I ate and napped. I would even nap in my car during lunch break.