calories burned during swimming

RE: calories burned during swimming

Former Member — Sat, 01 May 2010 14:47:11 GMT

I added double workouts on a few days a week, and I also swim on either saturday or sunday. That has been the only way for me to get my weight down, and even then it's been a slow process (15 lbs in about 4 months). However, I like swimming, so it works out ok. It's worth looking at the calories of the foods that you think might not be a source of problems. A burrito, for example, can contain more than 1000 calories. I was eating a burrito for lunch each day, without even realizing that it had more calories than an entire dinner should contain.

RE: calories burned during swimming

Karen Duggan — Sat, 01 May 2010 02:31:11 GMT

Good for you Fire! That's great. It was actually that site that someone recommended the HR monitor I suggested. Small world. Keep up your efforts, it's worth it. Thanks Arthur. That's what someone else had told me too. Makes sense. There were some days that were just LONG, boring swims and I seemed to burn more calories, but without much effort. Aren't forums great for learning new things? :bliss:

RE: calories burned during swimming

Former Member — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 16:49:32 GMT

RE: calories burned during swimming

Former Member — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 15:54:15 GMT

The HRM won't work without wearing the strap. (The strap is how it measures your heart rate. The heart rate is how it estimated the calories you burn.) The strap should work fine under a woman's suit. For men, it tends to roll down the chest when swimming at fast pace, or especially when pushing off walls.

RE: calories burned during swimming

Karen Duggan — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 12:07:47 GMT

RE: calories burned during swimming

philoswimmer — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 11:30:51 GMT

Yes, the watch is water resistant. As to the strap: one of the early morning regulars at our pool swims with a Polar HR monitor. He does so because in the past he had a heart attack (before he became a fitness swimmer). He says that he has no problem with the strap but I wonder if the same would be true for a woman. Also he doesn't do a flip turn. Would the HRM work without using the strap? I too have strap worries.

RE: calories burned during swimming

Former Member — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 09:19:44 GMT

When you order it you get to choose the strap size. They give you 3 choices and the inches for each size. I ordered a small, and they sent me a small and a medium. I have never had a problem with the strap in the water. My hubby has worn the strap with a regular brief suit in workout and never had a problem. You just make it tight. It doesn't hurt being tight b/c the strap is so stretchy. I specifically got the HR monitor for swimming, b/c I wanted to know how many calories I burned in a w/out. PS We do flipturns. The only thing I haven't done with it, is dive. With "the girls" I don't think a dive would move the strap, but men might have it slide down with a dive. Thanks so much for the info. I've been monitoring my weight loss by watching calories through the website you recommended (MFP) and so far it's working, but I'm kinda at a plateau, so I think a HRM with calorie burn output would help me kick it up. I was wondering about what size strap to get too. I do flip turns, but don't think I'll have a problem with a tight strap and my suit to hold it and "the girls" in place! :)

RE: calories burned during swimming

joshua — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 08:46:49 GMT

Karen, do you wear the chest strap that goes with the HRM? I am really looking at buying a Polar F6, but am concerned about it's water resistance. Does the chest strap run small and is it uncomfortable under a swim suit? Yes, the watch is water resistant. As to the strap: one of the early morning regulars at our pool swims with a Polar HR monitor. He does so because in the past he had a heart attack (before he became a fitness swimmer). He says that he has no problem with the strap but I wonder if the same would be true for a woman. Also he doesn't do a flip turn.

RE: calories burned during swimming

Former Member — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 07:38:14 GMT

One other thing I thought was interesting is that it tells you how much of the calories you burned was fat. For example, 40% fat burned. I'm still not quite sure how that works, so if someone could enlighten me I'd appreciate it. I am not an expert by any means but as no one else answered I will try to give this a shot. The body has a bunch of different energy pathways it uses for exercise. The length of time you exercise and your heart rate determine what energy pathways are used. Endurance training with a heart rate of around 60% of max is supposed to burn a higher % of fat then more intense exercise. This doesn't necessarily mean that long distance training is the best for fat loss however. Endurance training may burn more fat while you are actually exercising but as it doesn't often put as much stress on your muscles causing your metabolism will quickly return to normal. Doing sprints puts a lot of stress on your muscles which can increase your metabolism for 1-2 days while your body repairs. This is why you may find that you can sit around all day eating at a swim meet and only spend a few minutes racing but still manage to lose a pound. Weight lifting is also great for putting lots of stress on your muscles and increasing your metabolism. As others have said eating healthy fats is also really important. Your body needs to get at least 20% of it's energy from fats. I try to eat raw almonds and walnuts every day. I did a wellness program with work that promoted drinking lots of water, getting at least 7 hours of sleep, reducing stress, eating healthy fats, reducing saturated and trans-fats, increasing the number of meals but reducing meal size, reducing processed foods and refined sugars, reducing red meat intake etc. I lost about 15 lbs and am now at my target body weight.

RE: calories burned during swimming

joshua — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 01:32:22 GMT

Would the HRM work without using the strap? I too have strap worries. No. The monitor has a receiver (the watch on your wrist) and the transmitter which is pressed against your heart by the strap. The strap is adjustable.

RE: calories burned during swimming

Karen Duggan — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 11:45:18 GMT

Atlantic- I am not eating 2000 cal/day. I'm between 1000-1500 right now. I don't think I could eat 2000 unless we went out to eat. I'm a lot less "fuzzy" when I eat more. I have way more energy. My wt is still the same. You have to understand too, that the winter has been really weird for me. In Jan I swam (81,000) and ran and did P90X a lot. Lost 8 lbs. In Feb I swam 61,000 and was sick for an entire 2 weeks and only swam 3x during those 2 weeks. In March I swam 313,000 and did nothing else. Got sick again, but swam anyway as I had a goal to achieve :D I know after Nationals, when I start running again, that the rest of this weight will come off really quickly. I just get so frustrated b/c I want to do more than swim right now, but that won't lend itself to a good Nationals :blah: sorry to ramble, but I don't want to seem like I'm complaining about my wt, I know it will go away, I'm just not able to make that happen right now :) rmillstein- It's a regular HR monitor that also counts calories- that's it. The features I can think of (that I didn't look for specifically) are that it stores your data, in a file, for up to 13 workouts and then deletes the oldest info first. There is also a way to download it to your computer, but I just wrote the info I wanted into my little book. When I got it, it took me about 2 minutes to type in: age, M/F, wt, and ht. It automatically knew my HR zones based on that info. One thing though, be sure as you lose wt, to change the wt in the watch. There is a difference in calories burned. One other thing I thought was interesting is that it tells you how much of the calories you burned was fat. For example, 40% fat burned. I'm still not quite sure how that works, so if someone could enlighten me I'd appreciate it.

RE: calories burned during swimming

philoswimmer — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 10:48:23 GMT

Hey r- I'm sorry. My HR monitor is the Polar F6. Sorry for the confusion! I have never been able to get it to work as a stopwatch though =( Ah, ok! Thanks again!

RE: calories burned during swimming

Karen Duggan — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 04:53:41 GMT

Hey r- I'm sorry. My HR monitor is the Polar F6. Sorry for the confusion! I have never been able to get it to work as a stopwatch though =(

RE: calories burned during swimming

philoswimmer — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 01:50:29 GMT

Atlantic- rmillstein- It's a regular HR monitor that also counts calories- that's it. The features I can think of (that I didn't look for specifically) are that it stores your data, in a file, for up to 13 workouts and then deletes the oldest info first. There is also a way to download it to your computer, but I just wrote the info I wanted into my little book. When I got it, it took me about 2 minutes to type in: age, M/F, wt, and ht. It automatically knew my HR zones based on that info. One thing though, be sure as you lose wt, to change the wt in the watch. There is a difference in calories burned. One other thing I thought was interesting is that it tells you how much of the calories you burned was fat. For example, 40% fat burned. I'm still not quite sure how that works, so if someone could enlighten me I'd appreciate it. Thank you -- that's helpful!

RE: calories burned during swimming

Former Member — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 16:46:37 GMT

actually a 2lb (900g) 30% fat 4 patty hamburger with Mayo and 4 slices cheese from www.heartattackgrill.com/index.html they claim it was 8,000 calories, I also had a coke and fries. You should have gotten a milkshake and chili cheese fries.

RE: calories burned during swimming

Former Member — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 15:51:52 GMT

:afraid: Unfortuneately, I have discovered that I just don't burn enough calories in the water for the amount of effort I put in. Running is the only way I've ever been able to loose weight. I still love the pool but for some reason I just can't loose the weight swimming that I do running. Not sure why.....I certainly put the effort into my pool workouts...

RE: calories burned during swimming

Rykno — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 12:58:16 GMT

I had 17 teenagers with me, the girls went shopping after and the guys went to DQ for shakes.

RE: calories burned during swimming

Rykno — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 12:28:44 GMT

I take it you mean 800 calories. actually a 2lb (900g) 30% fat 4 patty hamburger with Mayo and 4 slices cheese from www.heartattackgrill.com/index.html they claim it was 8,000 calories, I also had a coke and fries. I've got a picture posted on FB www.facebook.com/photo.php

RE: calories burned during swimming

Karen Duggan — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 12:05:55 GMT

The HR monitor I got was a Polar F90. It's a pink watch w/black strap. Someone on another site suggested it, and it was perfect for my needs. I'm sure they have a comparable model in something other than pink! I got it at www.heartratemonitorsusa.com. I shopped around on several different sites and they were the cheapest, no tax, no shipping, and I got it in 2 days :) This site has all different brands and models. Tim- my hubby has a Garmin too that does everything but the laundry! He really likes it for when he runs because we live in a very hilly area and he likes to see the amount of effort expended, etc. I'm not that fancy. Flurpo- I agree, swimming does not help me lose wt. I can maintain it great, but I need to run to lose wt. The only way I lose wt swimming is if I kick up my yardage to over 7000 yds. I can't do that with four kids (the month of March excepted when I do March Madness!). I think my body has adapted quite well to 'aquatic expenditure' in 30 years of swimming, so it doesn't really think swimming is 'exercise'. Running, that's another story! Joshua- I remember reading an article in a Tri magazine where some guy was complaining because overweight females were beating him in the pool. He was a runner. He didn't get the difference in the two sports. The editor told the guy that "maybe she's just a better swimmer than you," and left it at that. I laughed.

RE: calories burned during swimming

DPC — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 11:40:16 GMT

Hi Greg- PS Since January, I have seen a nutritionist, who told me that I don't eat nearly enough. She told me that she was amazed I could function at all, and that my body was starving and storing fat. There are sites that help you determine your base caloric intake - the total amount to maintain your weight at its current level. Then you cut back by 350-500 calories (or something like that) to lose a pound of weight either by exercise or eating less. It is interesting that by cutting way back, on eating , as you found out, you actually trick your body into doing the opposite of what you want. There is a fine balance, that's why they recommend that you only shoot to lose at a rate of 1 or 2 lbs a week. Soda used to be my big vice too, but I moved to sparkling water then to plain water and I don't miss it all that much.

RE: calories burned during swimming

joshua — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 10:22:48 GMT

last week thursday I ate a 8000 calorie hamburger, so no matter how you calculate it I need to swim over 8 hrs just for that one meal ;) I take it you mean 800 calories. Anyway I had a similar experience a few days ago. On Sat. morning I had a good swim session. Later that day we went to a high class hamburger restaurant and I had a 300gr. all beef burger on a bun with onions. And a small Coke. And a little ice cream. Next morning I weighed 1 kg.. more than on Sat. morning. On Sun. I didn't work out but ate normally. On Mon. morning I was back down to my usual 94kg.

RE: calories burned during swimming

joshua — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 10:13:42 GMT

actually a 2lb (900g) 30% fat 4 patty hamburger with Mayo and 4 slices cheese from www.heartattackgrill.com/index.html they claim it was 8,000 calories, I also had a coke and fries. I've got a picture posted on FB www.facebook.com/photo.php Thank you for making me feel better about myself.

RE: calories burned during swimming

Former Member — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 07:06:37 GMT

I found the article gave as many theories as the "experts" it quoted, but found a few things interesting: The effects of exercise on the appetite and energy systems, however, are by no means consistent. In one study presented last year at the annual conference of the American College of Sports Medicine, when healthy young men ran for an hour and a half on a treadmill at a fairly high intensity, their blood concentrations of acylated ghrelin fell, and food held little appeal for the rest of that day. Exercise blunted their appetites. A study that Braun oversaw and that was published last year by The American Journal of Physiology had a slightly different outcome. In it, 18 overweight men and women walked on treadmills in multiple sessions while either eating enough that day to replace the calories burned during exercise or not. Afterward, the men displayed little or no changes in their energy-regulating hormones or their appetites, much as in the other study. But the women uniformly had increased blood concentrations of acylated ghrelin and decreased concentrations of insulin after the sessions in which they had eaten less than they had burned. Their bodies were directing them to replace the lost calories. In physiological terms, the results “are consistent with the paradigm that mechanisms to maintain body fat are more effective in women,” Braun and his colleagues wrote. In practical terms, the results are scientific proof that life is unfair. Female bodies, inspired almost certainly “by a biological need to maintain energy stores for reproduction,” Braun says, fight hard to hold on to every ounce of fat. Exercise for many women (and for some men) increases the desire to eat. On the other hand, if you can somehow pry off the pounds, exercise may be the most important element in keeping the weight off. “When you look at the results in the National Weight Control Registry,” Braun says, “you see over and over that exercise is one constant among people who’ve maintained their weight loss.” About 90 percent of the people in the registry who have shed pounds and kept them at bay worked out, a result also seen in recent studies. But the exercising rats metabolized calories differently. They tended to burn fat immediately after their meals, while the sedentary rats’ bodies preferentially burned carbohydrates and sent the fat off to be stored in fat cells. The running rats’ bodies, meanwhile, also produced signals suggesting that they were satiated and didn’t need more kibble. Although the treadmill exercisers regained some weight, their relapses were not as extreme. Exercise “re-established the homeostatic steady state between intake and expenditure to defend a lower body weight,” the study authors concluded. Running had remade the rats’ bodies so that they ate less.

RE: calories burned during swimming

Former Member — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 06:31:56 GMT

The New York Times has an interesting article on the complexities of exercise, appetite and weight loss: www.nytimes.com/.../18exercise-t.html

RE: calories burned during swimming

Rykno — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 05:05:13 GMT

last week thursday I ate a 8000 calorie hamburger, so no matter how you calculate it I need to swim over 8 hrs just for that one meal ;)