I was wondering how many master's swimmers think that swimming:
maintains weight
aids weight loss somewhat
aids weight loss greatly
For me, I maintain weight, and unless I kick my yardage WAY up, I don't lose weight.
How about you?
I'm also in the all of the above category. Since last fall, I've lost a lot of weight. Throughout that period, swimming has been my primary form of exercise.
On the other hand, I was swimming for several years before last fall. During that period, I was basically maintaining weight.
The conclusion I’ve come to for myself is that swimming—like any other form of exercise—is only part of the equation. I used to think that exercise alone would cause me to lose weight. For me, that only worked during the initial first few months, after which I’d stabilize at a certain (still heavy) weight—reach a plateau.
I reached that plateau whether I was running or swimming—I ran for a few years before getting smart and switching to swimming. I only noticed two real differences between running and swimming as far as weight loss/maintenance was concerned. First, running creates more of an appetite suppressant effect than swimming does. Second, swimming develops much more upper body muscle. The combination meant that for me the weight plateau in running was slightly lower than for swimming.
I'm also in the all of the above category. Since last fall, I've lost a lot of weight. Throughout that period, swimming has been my primary form of exercise.
On the other hand, I was swimming for several years before last fall. During that period, I was basically maintaining weight.
The conclusion I’ve come to for myself is that swimming—like any other form of exercise—is only part of the equation. I used to think that exercise alone would cause me to lose weight. For me, that only worked during the initial first few months, after which I’d stabilize at a certain (still heavy) weight—reach a plateau.
I reached that plateau whether I was running or swimming—I ran for a few years before getting smart and switching to swimming. I only noticed two real differences between running and swimming as far as weight loss/maintenance was concerned. First, running creates more of an appetite suppressant effect than swimming does. Second, swimming develops much more upper body muscle. The combination meant that for me the weight plateau in running was slightly lower than for swimming.
