From the article: Is Swimming a Good Exercise to Lose Weight?
There is no doubt that swimming is good exercise, and you can burn about 500 calories per hour when you swim. Is swimming a good exercise choice if your primary goal is to lose body weight? Apparently not, but what are your experiences? What are your results?
Yes it works
- Swimming to loose weight will work. especially if you are swimming sets and getting your heart rate up. If you go to the pool and just swim laps, back and forth, and never really get your heart rate up, then of course you will not loose weight. It is really good if you can swim 4-6 days a week and then add a day or two of dry land.
- —Guest Meeshe
Yes it works I'm proof!!
- I lost 60 pounds about 20 years ago by improving my diet and only swimming!! It works! I still incorporate 1 or 2 days in to my 6 day workout/week routine and I still feel like I got an incredible workout!
- —Guest Linda
Swimming for Weight Loss
- I have stage 4 arthritis in my knees and find weight bearing cardio is not easy. I bike and walk a little bit, but swimming is the only thing I can do and remain pain free. I also believe it needs to be 70% diet and 30% exercise. I find when I use to be a competitive athlete, I told myself I could eat more. All I did was fight my weight. Healthy eating and exercise is the key to feeling good on the inside and out.
- —Guest Becky
It Doesn't Work
- I swim 5,000 yards or more, seven days a week and have been restricting my calories to 1200 or less. I haven't lost a pound in a month, and I'm not cheating. I also swim at a very competitive pace with a lot of IMs in there. You need to get out and run I guess to really drop the weight.
- —Guest aquagirl
70% diet 30% exercise
- Swimming is a great exercise, but, as with anything if you get your diet right the weight will fall off. So, diet needs to be consistent with healthy eating, not restriction. Most people will continue to eat junk food and drink alcohol while trying to lose weight, which can mean you could swim daily and still not lose weight. Effective long term weight loss needs to be a lifestyle change not just swimming. You should eat regularly but cut down (that's right down, not cut out) on the foods which are high in calories and fat. Make sure you have breakfast, as soon as you get up, try eggwhites scrambled...then have something 2 hours later (protein shake, and fruit) then have lunch which could be a salad, chicken or tuna but stay away from the dressings, then again 2 hours later fruit and then veg and grilled chicken. Lastly remember to eat before sleeping, fruit or yogurt. This will keep your metabolism going. Cut out fizzy full fat drinks and full fat milk. Hope this helps.
- —Guest Dean
Just keep swimming
- Gained 150 lbs after multiple surgeries and had trouble breathing, walking etc.. Been swimming 50laps 4x's a week 3 weeks... Feel stronger, breathing better and motivates me to pay attention to what I eat and want to push more.. Will incorporate biking/ treadmill as my endurace builds... I know this works... Just keep swimming and the rest will come :)
- —Guest Dori
It works
- I am a retired Tae Kwon Do instructor, I have had 2 knee surguries and have osteoarthitis. I had to give up walking and started some country dancing for exercise. I still couldn't lose weight. Two months ago I gave up all sodas, I only drink water and some upsweet tea, and cranberry and apple juice. I started swimming 3 wks ago and do 1 hr. at least 4 days a week. I have lost 9 lbs. I know this works, I also walk forwards and backwards and do laps. With any exercise U have to be diciplined and strict and keep it up. I do not get hungary after the swim, but I do drink a bottle of water after I get thru. Keep it up it works.
- —musicmann2251
Yes you can! It's a cardio workout!
- I swam Competitively in college. In the off season I would slack off and eat what I wanted and didn't work out at all. The weight stacked on, but by the time our season started the weight would just fall off of me... Yes we swam miles and miles a day, five times a week and we had 2-a-days three times a week. If you get in the pool and lolly gag around.... No you probably won't lose weight, but if you maximize your time in the pool and do your strokes correctly, you can and will lose weight!!!
- —Guest Shira
swimming
- i need to loose a stone, I'm 11 years old and swim 3 times a week doing 32 lengths at a time, is that enough, I've been doing it for over 3 months but there is no difference in my weight or shape.i normally swim breaststroke so should i be swimming a different way like front crawl, i weigh 9 stone 10lbs and are 5" 3 so I'm really wanting to loose some weight.
- —Guest lynn
Swimming not paddling
- The key is that most people don't know how to swim properly, and look at it more leisurely. If you work very hard for an extended period of time your going to loose weight. Notice I said work hard. The big thing for people to think about as well is if your overweight and running you have a good chance of injury that would not be the case with swimming. We definitely need better studies on this.
- —Guest Tim
well.....
- I have heard "swimming is really good for weight loss" however I somewhat disagree. Yes, swimming is a really fun sport and I do enjoy swimming in the pool. I like to think of exercise as somthing fun, not just being stuck in a gym for 2 hours so I decided to go swimming. I will not lie I am fantastic at swimming, perfectly streemlined and some say my turns are like the speed of a cheetah running to catch it's pray. As I have said I love swimming and I would never give it up but it is only good for weight loss if you are just starting out or trying to loose say a little per weel and so on. Thank you for reading
- —Guest rennie
It looks like most swimmers disagree!
- At the gym where I work out, there are about 10 times the number of people on the machines than in the pool. I don't think a lot of serious studies have actually been done on swimming. People who paddle about in the pool aren't going to lose weight, although they might if they were walking slowly on a treadmill. I have been swimming as exercise for two weeks now, 2 km a day 5 days a week. I've lost two pounds (215, 6"1 male) and the conditioning definitely shows. Right after I get home from a swim I need to eat one bowl of salad, two flavoured Aquafina waters, a bowl of popcorn, and a turkey wrap to feel full. My appetite also increases for the rest of the day, but as I said the results have still been positive. There needs to be more specific information in an article like this, as people are passing up on a great form of exercise (that works!) due to flawed statistics.
- —Guest Marshall
kenny
- I have been swimming since the 10th October on a daily basis- 90 length's in 1 hrs 30 mins .I can see the difference in my arms and chest but no differnce in my stomach has anyone got any tips.
- —Guest Rose
You can loose it !!!
- im 5'11. Was 200 pounds. Started to swim little by little. Now i swim 2,500 meters (45-50 mins) 3-4 times a week. Watch my diet. My weight is 165. Its been a little more than a year since i started. Good luck. Its possible !!!!
- —Guest Serge
confused
- ok im really confused. i just started swimming and i like the way it makes me feel. however i wouldnt mind losing weight while having a good time. I havent been physically active in years and trying to make a life style change. so can i loose weight or cant i .
- —Guest DD
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