Swimming to lose weight?

Hi Fetch! Listen to Bill. As for me, I lost 30 pounds and have kept it off for nearly two years by having swimming be my main form of exercise. What I did was change my diet. I was eating way too much cheese. Seriously. And I quit drinking wine and beer, which made a dramatic difference. I was swimming 5-6 days a week and not losing weight. In fact, I was gaining. When I changed my diet it made a huge difference. I also stopped eating when I was full! In other words, I started listening to my body. That combined with watching how much fat and booze I was consuming and within 6 months I had lost the 30 pounds. Good luck!!

Anything that burns calories will help, and swimming certainly burns calories, but you have to do more than float. Seriously, it really is more about what you put in your mouth. Most people are eating 2-3 portions and counting it as one, and snacking, and eating way too much high calories foods. That would be me. Once I controled portions and the quality of food, I went from 180 to 145! And have maintained that for 2 years.

Diet is the main thing to reduce and swimming does help. It makes you feel good and helps keep you on your goal. I just read a study the other day that belive it or not attributes people who "figet" opposed to people who sit still. The figiters are thin people and the sit stills are heavy. The reason.. People burn several hundred calories a day just moving a little bit. Now think of the calories you loose while swimming! Truly you may lose at least 400 calories a day swimming and every bit helps plus the diet. Add up that 400 calories a day and you can see well 1600-2000 calories a week gone. It does make a difference but remember the best diet is a reasonable reduction plus the exercise . Baked Broiled or Boiled meats, fresh veggies and fruits and plenty of water to drink. Let go the white flour and sugar..cookies, chips, junk snacks and you will see results sooner then you think..

Originally posted by lapswimmr I just read a study the other day that belive it or not attributes people who "fidget" opposed to people who sit still. The fidgeters are thin people and the sit stills are heavy. That's interesting. It supports something that I had suspected. I am a very fidgety person. People often think that I am nervous about something, and I don't realize that I'm wiggling my hands or feet, or rocking back and forth. I have also never been heavy, even during the period when I was not actively exercising. I suspected that my fidgeting might be burning calories.

I think a key to maintaining weight loss is making sure you keep your muscle mass up.....and that means weight training. As we age, we tend to lose that muscle mass, and muscle mass helps the body burn calories. That is why men can lose weight faster than women, more muscle naturally. Swimming is a good calorie burner, but overall fitness relies on cardio, resistance training and flexibility. You need all three to be fit, and a healthy diet to be slim.

It seems Bob Bowman agrees that swimming isn't the best way to lose weight (at least for females). Here's a quote from an interview in the current Swimming Technique: "Brooks: Do you agree with Paul Bergen that in order to keep control of body composition you need either an hour straight of hard aerobic dryland work like running or riding an exercise bike, or else weight training? Bowman: I do agree with that. I don't think girls are going to lose much weight swimming, no matter how many miles they swim, if that's what you're trying to do. " (The entire interview can be found at www.swiminfo.com/.../200501-01st_art1.asp Lots of stuff about Michael Phelps, of course.) I have to agree with Bob from my personal experience, too. I don't really notice a dichotomy in masters swimming, but in college it seemed like most of the guys were thin, while the girls were not. It's very possible it was just a skewed perception of what the ideal female body should look like on my part, but there could be something more to it, as well.

Originally posted by Fishgrrl Is he talking about pre-teens or teens who's body fat % is going kind of crazy (norman for teen girls)?? - but then again he's pretty much in contact with elite female swimmers only, correct? He was specifically discussing teenaged girls. Basically the interviewer (Brooks) was having him discuss the development of age group swimmers, and what he emphasizes at different ages. Brooks mentioned Paul Bergen after Bowman said something about dealing with the negative effects of puberty on girls' body shape for swimming. Fishgrrl: yes, you were able to lose weight, but for a while there you would probably agree with Bowman. Even though you were swimming a lot, you weren't able to lose much weight.

I am also starting swimming for assistance in weight loss, and I was reading a study where they were saying that most people who swim do not lose weight unless they accompany it with an aerobic exercise as well... BUT..... the reason is that people who swim tend to eat more... and the reason behind that is because aerobic exercize and running and such gives a natural release of chemicals that are like an appetite supressent... where as swimming does not release that... so swimmers ( so they say) tend to want to eat more) If you're swimming for weight loss, please, make sure you follow it with a good healthy diet that watches calories or whatever works and don't fill up on more food just because of the absense of energy you'll feel after hard core swimming... I guess we'll see how it goes! :)

See I tend to disagree with the fact that you have to do other exercises besides swimming to loose weight. I don't do any weight training, yet I have lost all the weight that I needed to from only swimming (I mean a lot). I won't do weight training b/c no matter how light the weight I bulk up rather quickly. I watched what I ate and swam 5 times a week and did just fine. I believe that the intensity and the variety of workouts that I did is what made the difference.

See I tend to disagree with the fact that you have to do other exercises besides swimming to loose weight. I don't do any weight training, yet I have lost all the weight that I needed to from only swimming (I mean a lot). I won't do weight training b/c no matter how light the weight I bulk up rather quickly. I watched what I ate and swam 5 times a week and did just fine. I believe that the intensity and the variety of workouts that I did is what made the difference. SORRY FOR THE DOUBLE POST