Swimming and weight loss

Awesome job! As an ex - high school swimmer and water polo player, I noticed even after a few years out that my overall health was on a gradual decline (especially increased weight gain). I am not what you would call an overly healthy eater, though I do try and incorporate some vegetables and fruits in with all my carbs! Luckily I am rather young (24), so a long time out of the water for me is only relative (5 years). Stay at it, and I am sure you will continue to see great benefits. I kind of do my swimming and working out with the idea that I will have the ability to be more free with my eating choices. I am sure I would benefit greatly from cutting out the soda and occasional "ice cream cravings" I seem to get on every so often.

Congrats Nitrofish. I have been back swimming master's after a 3 year break, and while I have not lost any weight, my weight is migrating north. :weightlifter: Getting back in shape is fun, isn't it? Good luck at your meet.

We have our first meet Sunday and I'm pumped. It's fantastic to feel the difference in speed and endurance. Your enthusiasm is inspiring. Warning: Participation can and does lead to addiction! Good luck at the meet.

Bish the fish ditched the squish!

Thanks all for the responses. SLOmmafan: Ummm - ice cream, once I stabilize at 180 I’ll be able to have some again. qbrain: The first week was a pain in the a$$, this last week has been a good one seeing some payoff. Quicksilver: Competition is addicting to me, I had to get back into a team sport to stay interested. Otherwise I wouldn’t stick with it and lose the weight. I also drag race in the summer and I was afraid I wouldn’t pass the physical unless I got the blood pressure down. Little did I know how well swimming works for my pressure, as well as keeping my reaction time sharp for the starts. Chowmi: Michelle the rapper. My name does make it easy doesn’t it?

Nitrofish, Congratulations and keep up the good work. You don't want to be part of this latest statistic: news.yahoo.com/.../us_obesity_usa Obese Americans now outweigh the merely overweight Fri Jan 9, 3:48 pm ET WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The number of obese American adults outweighs the number of those who are merely overweight, according to the latest statistics from the federal government. Numbers posted by the National Center for Health Statistics show that more than 34 percent of Americans are obese, compared to 32.7 percent who are overweight. It said just under 6 percent are "extremely" obese. "More than one-third of adults, or over 72 million people, were obese in 2005-2006, the NCHS said in its report. The numbers are based on a survey of 4,356 adults over the age of 20 who take part in a regular government survey of health, said the NCHS, which is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The figures come from the 2005-2006 survey and are the most current available. "During the physical examination, conducted in mobile examination centers, height and weight were measured as part of a more comprehensive set of body measurements," the NCHS report said. "Although the prevalence of obesity has more than doubled since 1980, the prevalence of overweight has remained stable over the same time period," it said. Obesity and overweight are calculated using a formula called body mass index. BMI is equal to weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. Someone with a BMI of 25 to 29 is classified as overweight, 30 to 40 counts as obese and people with BMIs of 40 or more are morbidly obese. A person 5 feet 5 inches tall becomes overweight at 150 pounds (68 kg) and obese at 180 pounds (82 kg). The U.S. National Institutes of Health has an online BMI calculator at: www.nhlbisupport.com/.../ In the 1988-1994 surveys, 33 percent of Americans were overweight, 22.9 percent were obese and 2.9 percent were morbidly obese. The numbers have edged up steadily since. Being overweight or obese raises the risk of heart disease, diabetes, some cancers, arthritis and other conditions. In May, the CDC reported that 32 percent of U.S. children fit the definition of being overweight, 16 percent were obese and 11 percent were extremely obese. Childhood and adult obesity has emerged as a growing problem not only in the United States but also in many countries around the world.

To pile on, being fat in swimming slows you down, too. Never mind the extra buoyancy, that is far outstripped by the induced drag of extra girth. I have been fighting with it for 20 years. The great thing about swimming is that you can burn so much energy in training that you can eat a fairly open diet without worry. Just remember to stop eating when not hungry instead of absolutely side splitting full. That is my main problem, I love food. A lot.

Nitrofish: Congrats on getting back into the water and losing weight. I've lost over 50lbs in the last 18 months. most of it came in the first 12 months, but I have been able to lose 2-3 lbs in the last 6 months, while just trying to maintain. a combindation of swimming and cut the sugar out of my diet. but after about 2 months of NO SUGAR/No junk food, I decided to give myself on free meal a week. and I was still able to lose weight. so i decided to give myself a free day. and I was still able to lose weight. for me it's sugar, in any form that caused me to go up in weight, but now I bike over 3 hrs a week, swim 4.5 hrs a week and can allow myself a Ben and Jerry's or soda on friday nights. when I decide it's time to lose the last 4-5 lbs I will most likely have to cut out sugar again for 2-3 months. might try that now,before all the Easter candy goes on sale :-)

qbrain: The first week was a pain in the a$$, this last week has been a good one seeing some payoff. I always tell the new guys, "Don't worry, next week you will be able to wash your back again." That first week is a :censor:.

Despite repeated trips to doctors over 30 YEARS, I wasn't properly diagnosed with a metabolic disorder until about 5 years ago. So I have 30 years of experience in battling weight gain. Don't deny yourself any food, you will be more likely to bing on it and really blow your plan. Figure out what a serving is, and then fit it into your eating plan. I find low carb works better for me than low fat. So, if I wanted ice cream, I would need to know how many carbs in a serving, subtract that number from the number of carbs I allow myself in a day and then adjust my carb intake for the rest of the day (or in some cases, days). I just saw a really neat hint in a news letter from my insurance company. Leave the last THREE bites of the highest calorie food in the meal on your plate. On average this will save about 100 calories! Do this three times a day and 300 calories a day are gone. Two thousand one hundre calories a week... that is almost a pound! Lainey