Weight loss and swim times

Well, I started this thread because I'm currently working on dropping some weight. Like Fitswimmer, I have some belly weight that won't budge. Of course, I have some extra pounds in other places too, but those seem to fall off a little faster. The reason that I asked about the swim time difference is because I know that swimming is a little more forgiving to those of us with extra weight than other sports out there (like running) and it's a little harder to guage how much the weight impacts you. An extra 15, while bothersome, isn't going to hurt you a whole lot (except, perhaps, at the elite levels, which is not where most of us are.) An extra 40, 50, or 60? Well, it's harder to find folks that can say they lost 50 pounds and their swim times dropped by X amount. I'm trying to establish some realistic goals.

I think I am on the best diet. "see food diet" I just got this in an e-mail. I am really starting to try to eat better, like my dryland program. Subject: Important Health Information For all of you who take special care of yourselves..... Q: I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true? A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it. Don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap. Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables? A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass, a green leafy vegetable. And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable slop. Q: Is beer or wine bad for me? A: Look, it goes to the earlier point about fruits and vegetables. As we all know, scientists divide everything in the world into three categories: animal, mineral, and vegetable. We all know that beer and wine are not animal or mineral, so that only leaves one thing, right? My advice: Have a burger and a beer and enjoy your vegetables. Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program? A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain?...Good. Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you? A: You're not listening. Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you? Q: Is chocolate bad for me? A: Are you crazy? HELLO .... Cocoa beans. another vegetable!!! "It's the best feel-good food around!" Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets. One more thing... "When life hands you lemons, ask for tequila and salt. Bill, remember COLOR. Colorful food. I just love to eat. Also, I was told I can eat anything up to 2 hours aftr exercise that's why I swim to EAT. :-)

Originally posted by Fitswimmer04 Are you the same Bill that was featured in Swim Magazine a few issues back? Hi, yes, I was included in the article about Jon Grey, whose weight loss success was truly unbelievable. One detail that was not included in the article was the bit about Jon and I swimming side-by-side at LC Nationals last summer. We had some very close races, but he cleaned my clock in the 200 ***! That was my inspiration to get back into the pool even though I still felt fat. I'm glad! As I mentioned (above) the point of sharing my success story with others was to help people, so I'm glad you were inspired. did you ever have a point in your weight loss where you got stuck? Absolutely! I found that as my body got to a better place, it wanted to settle in and stay there. What I've learned from speaking with others who have lost a lot of weight is plateaus are very normal. Sometimes people get down on themselves for not being able to move forward and reach their goals, but personally, I feel maintaining weight after losing it is a huge achievement!! When I reached my plateau, I enjoyed it for a while. Then, I reassessed what I was doing and came up with a plan to bust through the plateau. It involved a slight reduction in daily caloric intake combined with a slight increase in exercise. A good resource for tracking your daily nutrition and exercise is the Calorie Control Council web site. They have meters for calorie counting and calorie expenditure. These meters can help you get a rough idea about what you're doing and how to move ahead. One thing to note, though: I think their swimming calculations for calorie expenditure may not be based on the type of swimming many of us do. So, you may actually be expending significantly more calories than the meter would suggest. The web site is at: http://www.caloriecontrol.org/ Check it out, and check-in with questions if you have any... :) SB

Originally posted by Meli Well, I started this thread because I'm currently working on dropping some weight. Like Fitswimmer, I have some belly weight that won't budge. Of course, I have some extra pounds in other places too, but those seem to fall off a little faster. Way to go, Meli!! I'm trying to establish some realistic goals. You're in an awesome place to reach your goals. I suggest starting with what you've done and setting goals based on your own personal best. That's how I did it. Along the way, there were other things that motivated me. New England Masters has an all-time top ten list for all three courses. I wanted to make it on the list. A byproduct of reaching that goal was to make the USMS National Top Ten. We're so fortunate to have such a complete structure within USMS to set and achieve time goals in swimming. We also have fitness resources and events to help you on your way. Of course, the true goal is to establish a healthy lifestyle, enjoy good health and longevity. For me, any swimming accomplishments that come along the way are just a result of the true goal. :) SB

Melissa, I am fairly new to swimming, starting 4 years ago at age 38. I was at 180 when I started, and learned to swim, and train around that weight. 1.5 years ago I got serious about losing weight, and have dropped to around 145 and yes it seemed to make a BIG difference in my times. However, I don't know if that was due to the weight drop or learning better stroke technique. Honestly, I think it was a little of both. Julie if you are not doing strength training, I highly recommend it. The intervals you are adding will help rev up your metabolism, but so will added muscle mass. Not to mention the protection you give your bones. I have been lifting weights for over 20 years, and really believe it helps lose weight and then it helps to keep the weight off. Plus you can weigh more and wear a smaller size. I also think the strength I have protects from injury, except on days like today when I slipped off the block and bruised my shins, OUCH.

I have been doing weights for a while and it helped my legs and arms, I actually set myself back with my abs. At my last visit to my doctor in January I whined to him about my inability to lose around the waist. He took a look and asked what I had been doing in the way of ab work. I told him 3 sets a day on the ab crunch machine at 80 pounds positive, 113 negative resistance. Guess what? I was making my stomach BIGGER because I was doing the exercise wrong. It became a cycle, my stomach got bigger, I did more reps, my stomach got bigger....you get the idea. At his recommendation, I stopped using that machine and I lost another 1.5". Now I'm doing some limited floor work-very carefully with regard to position. He also suggested going back to swimming-took me 3 months to get up the nerve to put on a suit though.

Don't worry about wearing a suit. When people are swimming laps, they are not watching what other people wear. I wonder if some type of Pilates or Yoga type moves would help you. I work out a lot to advanced videos I have found on the internet. Some of the ab moves such as holding "planks", doing ab work on a ball, are quite good. I have never gotten a Pilates tape, or done a full Pilates work-out, but I hear people swear by it for leaning out their muscles. Dolphin kicking in the pool can help your abs also. If you are still in the weight loss process, it just may be that the abs is the last place you will lose it. It seems we all have an area that is stubborn. It is the last place lost, and the first place gained. For me, it is fairly even everywhere, so when I get large, I get large everywhere:( , and I have never ever been small!

Strengthening the abs will not remove fat from the waistline. There is no such thing as spot reduction, because muscles do not fuel exercise by using the fat that surrounds them. Instead, during exercise the body tends to mobilize fat from storage depots throughout the body, so the fat used as fuel during sit-ups may come from the legs, back, face, or other areas. To remove body fat, you must burn calories, and lots of them. The abdominal muscle group is relatively small, and the number of calories expended during a bout of sit-ups is minimal. A brisk walk or jog will expend more calories than hundreds of sit-ups. George Park www.swimdownhill.com

It's great hearing about everyones successes. You all should check out Chris Carmicahael's new book. I think it's called food for fitness. Great info on workouts and sports nutrition. A must read for any active person.

So it would make more sense to add laps to my swim or more miles to my biking than to add more specific ab work? That makes sense and also eliminates the chance of doing ab work incorrectly and making the muscle bigger. I've added two kick sets to my morning workout with dolphin kicks and I added 30 minutes to my bike ride on Saturday. Hopefully, that will help. It could be what Dorothyrd says, I've been at this for 7 months and have lost a lot of weight. The abs were the first place I gained, it's likely that they will be the last place I lose.