Swimming & Weight Loss

Kerry, that is totally awesome! I'm glad to hear from so women that have toned up and/or lost weight after starting a swimming program. I was a size 6 until I hit 33 and got a "desk" job. I've got a lot of weight and inches to lose, but everyone's comments has really encouraged me. Thanks again. In the past when I gained weight, it came off so easily. In the last 10 yrs, I have gained 80 lbs and tried everything, Weight Watcher's, Jenny Craig, South Beach, Atkins, Optifast, you name it and had no success. After the thyroid doctor told me that there was no medical reason stopping me from losing weight, I finally came to the realization that the missing ingrediant has to be exercise and my metabolism is completely out of whack. I recall in high school how our team had 1-2 really fat girls on the team who had swam all through age-group swimming and were actually pretty good swimmers until they got fat. But I think I remember that these girls ate alot of junk and were emotional eaters. Well, if my new diet/exercise regime works, I certainly will be able to write the book on effective weight loss!

Ladies (and gents)....if I can remember, I'll send Dr. Haas's recipe for the "healthy" cocktail.... Cheers! K;)

Susan- Last year when I started back after not swimming for almost 10 yrs. I lost 71 pounds. That was with swimming and portion control alone. No weights, running or anything. I have since added running and weights and lost an additional 20. I was FAT when I started back and I was still a good swimmer. Now, I am.....less fat and still a good swimmer. The biggest difference to me is that I can do 6000+ yard workout with my age group kids and still function after. I personally don't care what I weigh, I just know that I am half the person (physically) that I used to be and twice the person (mentally) that I used to be!!! Best of Luck Suzanne

I have found that swimming does help with weight loss, but I have the best results when I combine swimming with controlling my diet. I've been doing master's swimming workouts 2x a week and either walking, biking, or swimming 1-2x a week since July. I've also been following Weight Watchers off and on since then. On the weeks that I follow Weight Watchers fairly well, I usually lose 2-3 pounds a week. On the weeks where I don't control my diet, I don't lose any weight or even end up gaining. I know I'm also getting stronger, but I don't see that on the scale. I am a 35 year old woman who is about 90 pounds overweight (ugh). I gained a lot of weight while on bedrest with my pregnancy and never managed to lose it (my daughter is 3). Overall since July I have managed to lose about 15 pounds. So I would say that swimming does help with weight loss, inasmuch as any cardio exercise does, but to see consistent weight loss results, you have to eat healthy. (I am a cheese addict too!) One good thing about swimming - I feel like I get a better workout sometimes than either walking or biking, because I am not as winded or tired since the water provides some buoyancy. So while unfortunately I am still very overweight, I can still do most of the workout. PS. Also I think weight training helps a lot with losing sizes rather than pounds - the weeks I weight train, I don't lose weight, but I notice my clothes fit better. :)

LindsayNB: I hope people that run swimming facilities, especially Y's and Rec center pools don't see this study. This will be justification for them to keep water temperature high and hot to exceed 86/88 degrees. I know you have seen countless times on this forum about peoples experiences fighting facilites about hot water conditions and trying to get a decent workout in. When they read this they will say cold water is bad for you. Specifically they will say no more 80 degree days or under for pool temperatures.

Jean: Your statement is true and 68 does seem a little cold. I have actually worked out doing a lot of distance training in water like that. But 91.4 degrees is worse and I believe dangerous. Its funny because 79 to 80 is about half way between both temperatures. I not disputing that cold water makes you hungry. It also makes you extremly tired. However, warm water at 91.4 would make you dehydrated and tired also. Plus at that temperature the pool chlorine and pH would be heavy and the water clarity would not be pleasant to swim in a workout situation. You would have to take a shower longer to get rid of ichy skin.

When I posted this thread, I had just started back swimming. I was out of shape and I wanted to lose weight, but I didn't want to invest time and energy into something that wasn't going to work. I have been swimming 3-5 times a week since mid Oct. 2005, my diet has always been relatively healthy, but portion control was an issue so I tried to watch that - eating only enough to satisfy my hunger, etc. and no wine during the week. I have not lost one single pound. I weigh exactly the same as I did when I started. BUT, the cool thing is I am losing inches like mad. I've lost 3 1/2 inches around my waist, bust and hips. I've lost 1 inch around my thighs and arms. Everyone tells me I am looking really good. I am wearing clothes that I couldn't even zip or button in October. My point is not to brag, but to provide encouragement for everyone else that is trying to lose weight. Keep track of your measurements! It is absolutely true what they say - muscle weighs more than fat and muscle takes up less room in your body than fat does. I had read that it takes 12-20 weeks after starting a swimming program before weight loss occurs. I'm just over the 12 week mark and I am more motivated then ever to keep going. If you are reading this for encouragement ---- Don't give up!

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.

An interesting article on swimming and weight loss: channels.netscape.com/.../package.jsp Summary: cold water makes you hungry!

The cold water temperature was 68. That is cold!! Especially for students at the University of Florida where the study was done. I don't think you can take the results of this study and apply it to a more reasonable water temperature like 79 or 80.