calories burned during swimming

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.

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.

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.

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.

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! :)

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.

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.

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.

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?

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: