It seems that there are completely different opinions among the so-called experts when it comes to swimming for weight loss.
Does anyone know of someone who swims regularly and has not lost weight? I don't mean a leisurely couple of laps, but a regular workout.
Are there any obese swimmers who work out regularly and are competitive?
I'm thinking that the fitness experts don't like swimming because they are either:
a. Not good swimmers
b. Can't swim enough distance to get a good work out in; or
c. Had a bad experience with swimming.
Any input on this topic is appreciated (beyond the diet and exercise speech).
Parents
Former Member
When I first started swimming with a Masters group, I lost about 100 pounds. It was the first time in my life I was at a correct weight/body fat. I also was following an extremely strict low-fat diet counting calories and doing some drylands (stationary bike, weights, stretching)
After a while, I quit keeping up my food/exercise diary and the pounds started creeping back on. My weight typically fluctuates 7-10# a month so the scales didn't really provide feedback, and I have never been able to go by how "full I feel" to keep from overeating. I had a change in my social life, work schedule and also became more involved in swim administration and missing workouts became the rule, not the exception. I was making maybe 2-4 workouts a MONTH and the drylands ended.
Just 100 calories a day consumed in excess of what's used can be a huge difference after 10 years.
Ten years later ... I have resolved to put the swimming at a higher priority. In the past month I have been making it to practice about 4 times a week for at least an hour. After a solid effort at practice, I find that my appetite is completely different than otherwise. I crave fruits, high-liquid foods, and don't have a desire for rich heavy meals, chips/salsa or my beloved beer, wine or margaritas. What sounds good are carbs -- like a burrito made with mashed potatoes and spanish rice! or a homemade smoothie with lots of fruit, OJ, nonfat yogurt, and ice. Overall my appetite is curbed. I can't say for sure how much weight I've lost but it's probably 5-10#. I can feel a difference in my muscle strength/tone and the jeans are looser.
When I was in high school and college I swam on the team (about 20,000 yards a week), ate junk, and was always too fat. When I started playing adult rec soccer (goalie), softball, jogging, biking, volleyball, bowling, racketball, etc. for 6 days a week I still was overweight and gaining. Most of these have a lot of standing around relative to playing time, and after games we would always go for beer/pizza or something.
In my present shape, I would be hard-pressed to find another activity that I could pursue for 90 minutes at any level of intensity.
So my personal experience is that swimming is great for weight loss, but it has to be at a certain workload and in conjunction with a healthy diet.
When I first started swimming with a Masters group, I lost about 100 pounds. It was the first time in my life I was at a correct weight/body fat. I also was following an extremely strict low-fat diet counting calories and doing some drylands (stationary bike, weights, stretching)
After a while, I quit keeping up my food/exercise diary and the pounds started creeping back on. My weight typically fluctuates 7-10# a month so the scales didn't really provide feedback, and I have never been able to go by how "full I feel" to keep from overeating. I had a change in my social life, work schedule and also became more involved in swim administration and missing workouts became the rule, not the exception. I was making maybe 2-4 workouts a MONTH and the drylands ended.
Just 100 calories a day consumed in excess of what's used can be a huge difference after 10 years.
Ten years later ... I have resolved to put the swimming at a higher priority. In the past month I have been making it to practice about 4 times a week for at least an hour. After a solid effort at practice, I find that my appetite is completely different than otherwise. I crave fruits, high-liquid foods, and don't have a desire for rich heavy meals, chips/salsa or my beloved beer, wine or margaritas. What sounds good are carbs -- like a burrito made with mashed potatoes and spanish rice! or a homemade smoothie with lots of fruit, OJ, nonfat yogurt, and ice. Overall my appetite is curbed. I can't say for sure how much weight I've lost but it's probably 5-10#. I can feel a difference in my muscle strength/tone and the jeans are looser.
When I was in high school and college I swam on the team (about 20,000 yards a week), ate junk, and was always too fat. When I started playing adult rec soccer (goalie), softball, jogging, biking, volleyball, bowling, racketball, etc. for 6 days a week I still was overweight and gaining. Most of these have a lot of standing around relative to playing time, and after games we would always go for beer/pizza or something.
In my present shape, I would be hard-pressed to find another activity that I could pursue for 90 minutes at any level of intensity.
So my personal experience is that swimming is great for weight loss, but it has to be at a certain workload and in conjunction with a healthy diet.
