Weight gain from swimming???

I get best weight loss results (10#/month) when I finish workouts tired enough that I just want to go home and sleep, not go home and eat. Same as with other exercise modes.

I would think that as efficiency in the water increases your calorie burning potential decreases. Basically, the better you get at swimming the harder you have to work to burn the same amount of calories. From my experience, I drop weight when I add more intensity to my workouts. So, when I tapering and doing high intensity sets with less yardage I usually drop upwards of 10 pounds (Ill get down to 165 at 6 feet). I will put the weight back on when I increase yardage and go a bit more aerobic. I can also drop weight if I start swapping runs for swims (I run short distances >5k or intervals). I am a horribly inefficient runner. I think its pretty simple, take in less calories than you burn... Not sure I buy a lot of the "low heart rate in a horizontal position" and "water temp" stuff. We have a ton of noodlers and water aerobics folks that workout daily in a vertical position and in a warm pool and never loose weight. They also have no intensity in their workout (I cant speak for their diet). Im not being hard on them I commend them for being active ;-)

I record my weight on a daily basis and put it in a spreadsheet, along with any activity I did that day, its duration, and whether it was aerobic or anaerobic in nature. So far, I've just used it qualitatively in terms of looking at what activities influence weight (for me, at least), but some day I hope to do more statistically-oriented work with the info. I've been looking at a recent trend in the info I've been collecting about myself. At the beginning of December, I was averaging about 172lbs after a number of months of sprintish workouts and moderate weight lifting. Since December, I've changed my swimming to more endurance-based (and higher) yardage and also increased the weight training intensity- I have since brought my average up to a consistent 175lbs, despite the increase in yardage. I would have thought that the yardage increase would have kept the weight gain in check, but apparently there is something else going on here. Is it a seasonal weight increase? Possibly. But I tend to think it's more due to the weights and muscle mass gains. So I agree with the previous posts, in that there are a number of factors that could be playing with your weight.

I lost 30 pounds this past summer during bike/run triathlon training, and while swimming 5x/week this winter has not helped me lost that last 10, it has significantly increased my muscularity. Swimming makes me hungry as a horse, so I don't expect to lose any more weight until summer when I start running again.

This? What ever turns you on. Why not try for Americas Next Top Model (if there is a male version)? We should all be aware that it is estimated that weight loss is between 60%-70% diet. A "six pack" and "killer abs" are achieved by killer dieting. I am also a fairly big guy who concentrated on lifting for a long time. I got big but too fat and deconditioned. I was over 98kg. I cleaned up my diet alot, increased my cardio a bit (swimming and kettlebell work) and dropped to 91kg. in a few weeks. The "secret" was cutting carbs - especially bread (which I love). After a few months I "fell off the wagon" and right now I am around 94kg. I am trying to combat this with increased swimming, so far without success. On the other hand I have experimented by cutting carbs for 1 day without increasing cardio. The result was a loss of 0.5kg.-1kg. in a day. The bottom line: if you are serious about weight loss and already doing alot of exercise, the answer is in the diet.

but why should a 6"3 male swimmer try to get under 190? This?

I think it depends on where you are coming from. In my 2nd swimming life I'm coming from 15 years of being out of pool, doing weights, playing rugby, eating like crap, etc. So I'm coming from being a "big guy" that is pretty thick muscularly and with a bit too much around the middle. Since I've been swimming (basically 20-25K a week) I have leaned out quite a bit. I've gone from about 255 to 225, and while I'd like to get down to 205-210 eventually I can tell I've lost inches everywhere. Clothes that used to fit perfect are big, stuff that used to be tight and make me look fat now fits, etc. So for me, swimming has had an opposite effect. I'm going from looking more footballish to lean muscle, which I like ALOT better. I would say the more aerobic swimming you do (yeah, that means distance!) the more you'll lean out. I'd throw in some jogging/running too on your dryland days. I've pretty much plataued, so I'm starting to run again....although my back is fighting me on that decision.

Great job in the loss.:applaud:

you lost weight you're swimming you've gained weight BLUE: "I dropped 40 lbs, from 235 to 195 (I'm 6'3"). Breaking 190 was my goal, though 190 is probably where I should be." "Over the last year of doing this, I've noticed more muscle I think, and my clothes all still fit right, but the scale is alarming me. I'm hovering around - and some weeks over - 200 again." BLUE: think I've slipped in my eating habits (definitely did over the holidays), I was wondering if anyone has seen this before? ANDE: you answered your own question. I did it to myself too. The weight gain isn't something that happened to you, you did, consciously or unconsciously you made choices to eat and drink more that you need and your current weight range is a reflection of that BLUE:"Are these sprints where I'm constantly trying to improve my times putting muscle on me that are causing me to fret over the weight gain?" you might have gained some muscle but it happens slowly do I just need to stay away from the fridge? probably I'm in the same boat as you. If we lug less lard we're likely to swim faster. Just wondering if anyone had experienced this: Started 2nd swimming life in fall 2007 and have been hard at it since. For the first 9 or 10 months, I was just swimming long and slow until I could go no more. I began throwing in some sprint sets after a good 1600 or so for the next few months. During this period, say a year or so, I dropped 40 lbs, from 235 to 195 (I'm 6'3"). Breaking 190 was my goal, though 190 is probably where I should be. Throughout 2009, I could no longer stand the long swims and did more and more sets, 400's, 200's, 100s & 50's between a warm-up 500 and a warm down 500. My goal is 3000 - 3200/day and try to get as close to 16k per week as I can by doing some variation of the sets above. Over the last year of doing this, I've noticed more muscle I think, and my clothes all still fit right, but the scale is alarming me. I'm hovering around - and some weeks over - 200 again. I think I've slipped in my eating habits (definitely did over the holidays), but I was wondering if anyone has seen this before? Are these sprints where I'm constantly trying to improve my times putting muscle on me that are causing me to fret over the weight gain? Or do I just need to stay away from the fridge? Or what? Blue PS> I know all the sites regarding weight loss & swimming, I just want the answers from the horses' mouths. Thanks!

My experience is one of significant weight loss through swimming. I'm 6 foot 3 and until I turned 40 was 84kg. I sail competitively and had focused on keeping my body weight in a particular zone. I used to run to keep the weight down. From 40 to 53 I went up to 93kg - basically because I got lazy and wasn't racing boats in any particularly competitve way. My knees are not great (from sailing) and so running became tricky. Started swimming last May and lane swan until September about four hours a week 2500 to 3000m at a time. Didn't lose weight but improved conditioning. It transpires I was a very inefficient swimmer. Joined a club in September and traineed 4 to 5 hours per week, focusing on technique. In two months I was down to 90kg and now I'm at 86kg. I'm leaner than I was at 84kg but my lats, pecs and shoulders are way bigger. I think it is the intensity of coached training compared to my lane swimming that has made the difference. I can't really see that anything else has changed!