To think I can lose weight swimming?

[PattySlapper]

I've always been a typical yo yo dieter, basically losing and gaining the same 3 stone over the last few years. My problem, like many people I'm sure, is that I love good and hate exercise! I've put on a lot of weight again recently! I've had some success before exercising on a small trampoline at home, but I'm thinking about taking up swimming. I do enjoy swimming, but don't really enjoy the experience in a public pool. My dream to have one of those endless pools, I swear if I did I'd be skinny! but will have to make do with the local pool! I'd probably aim to do three sessions a week about 30 minutes a session. Has anyone lost weight / toned up doing similar? And how can I get motivated to actually go this?? It would mean some days going before work, and as mentioned I hate exercise, and love sleeping, so I can see me struggling! I plan to do this alongside following Slimming World.

I was a not-at-all-overweight 16 year-old when I went on a one week swimming camp. I lost 10% of my weight in one week, even though due to freakish cold weather we only swam an hour or two each day. The pool was barely above freezing, I think someone said it was 3 degrees, on one occasion. One morning there was actually some surface ice.

In addition to three hot school meals I ate somewhere in the region of a loaf of sliced and buttered bread every day. Didn't stop me losing weight.

I suppose the moral of the story is that if you swim in cold enough water for long enough, you'll shiver the weight off. And end up very hungry. So if you want to keep the weight off, you'll probably need to keep it up indefinitely.

I realise this isn't helping.

Every year, we go on one of those holidays that involves throwing yourself in a pool/down slides all day. I eat loads and drink a fair bit of wine (holiday ) and without fail, lose weight every time.

This isn't your situation, I know, but yes, I think you can lose weight swimming as long as you also race around after young DC in a massive indoor pool complex for 8 hours a day.

I realise this isn't helping either.

According to DH who looks into this stuff extensively, swimming is the worst exercise for weight lose because it uses many many muscle groups but something to do with the overall workout and lack of weight bearing means you burn less calories than you think and it also makes you really hungry so you tend to over justify how much you've burned and over eat afterwards. I'm not saying he is right as I've not looked into it myself. he does however have a decent physic including a 6 pack in his late 50s and I don't! :o

I swim for an hour in an outdoor pool twice a week plus walk a lot and go to an exercise class weekly but can’t shift any weight. I have done this for years. But at least I don’t gain weight either. I just eat too much and drink lots of wine. Oh well, at least I enjoy my life!

When DS2 was 2, I did my open sea lifeguard certification and incredibly toned up. The training was so brutal I was only manage to derive home and crash in my bed skipping dinner. It was intense swimming, carrying team mates around, all done against the clock.
SO yes it can be done but you need to push yourself really hard to the point of not being able to lift your arms after the sessions.
When the training then moved to open sea without wetsuit in Spring, I think it is the water temperature that burned any fat left!

If you aren't getting the buzzy post exercise feeling, maybe you aren't exercising hard enough? Have you tried high intensity exercise? For example, swim crawl as fast as you can for 5-10 minutes. That might help you tip over into proper exercise whereas 30 mins of slow breaststroke is probably not going to do much for your fitness

I swim once a week - I don't think I've lost weight but it's definitely toned tummy muscles. I had a large muscle separation after DC2 that I had physio for and the swimming has helped close it pretty much completely. I do feel fitter for it too - and I notice when I miss a week

Yes you can. This calculator will help you work out how many calories you burn.
caloriesburnedhq.com/calories-burned-swimming/
I swim 5 times a week for an hour each day, I burn around 400 calories per session. I don't over eat afterwards though, I come home and eat a normal sized breakfast (beans on 1 slice of toast with a poached egg is my usual post swimming breakfast. Swimming doesn't make me feel ravenous and I don't take any money with me so I can't buy any thing to eat.
I've lost over 3 stones over the last couple of years, not following a specific diet or really doing without stuff. I do lots of walking as well.

No you will not lose weight swimming like this but you will get fitter

@PattySlapper I’m a retired swimming teacher. If you want any advice DM me.

Swimming is an amazing all over body toner and cardio work out. A sport/exercise you can truly zone out in and work out.

Yes you need to watch your calories still as you can’t out train a bad diet but it will 100 kick start your road back to healthy.

Open water swimming isn’t for the faint hearted ! - it’s tough but it’s not instrumental to losing weight!

Good luck !

You can definitely lose weight with swimming in my experience. I think it is well worth getting some lessons as technique is so important to speed and enjoyment. Learn to do front crawl as others have said, and do high intensity sprints with rests in between.

Hi op, I've done SlimmingWorld in the past but found it so hard to be organised! I've been doing 5:2 for about 3 months and lost 2 stone, so far! Basically eat 500 cals for 2 day's a week and eat what you want (within reason) on the other 5. There is an amazing fb group which is really motivating. When people want to maintain they just do one fast day. I can definitely recommend. The Swimming would complement this nicely. I'd also recommend a Fitbit or other tracker. It's fabulous motivation. I definitely move more since having one! Good luck!

You’re moving and any movement=using calories. I swam lots, but usually in race mode, Olympic sized pool, 50 lengths when losing weight. The trick is finding something you love, for me, it was badminton, always played someone fitter/better than me.

Controversial, maybe, but I was stupidly strict about removing fat from my diet, no spread/oil ever. I think that was one of the best things I did.

I swim at least 1000m 6 days a week, it takes 26 mins to swim that and I'm pushing myself and have not lost 1 single ounce in that time. It has done wonders for my mood and mental health though, I care for my dd with mental health problems and it helps me cope with the day. I meet the same people most days and we have a natter so it's quite sociable too.

Thanks for more experiences, again quite mixed! Seems to be a consensus that swimming in a freezing pool will help!

oldsockeater you could be right about not pushing myself, but how would I really know? I've certainly done exercise were I've felt completely sick, exhausted and pushed to the limit. For a while I was actually really into HIIT workouts, I used to do them at home but I used to feel so completely wrecked after and ache like mad. I felt guilty if I didn't do it every day, to the point I was getting up early if that was my only chance, which is unheard of for me. I saw really good results, but I still never got the buzzing feeling! Never have from the gym, classes, team sports, trampolining which I also get some vague enjoyment from but not that buzz!

Cleepobe2 tbh if I even just maintained weight whilst eating and drinking too much I'd be quite happy, but I lost pile it on and on until I take it in hand!

I think whatever exercise you do will be good for you. I wouldn't pay much attention to those who say dont or do something else instead. Exercise is personal if you dont enjoy it you wont do.it. At the moment I cant get to swim (post c section and newborn) and wont for a while yet.

I miss it when i dont go but before i swam i avoided all exercise. I was walking to work everyday though averaged about 5 mile per day and had a v strict diet for medical reasons which im trying to keep up (lower carb/healthier brown carbs. No sugar and low fat)

If you want to loose weight and get fitter then go for it x

Yes it will help (if you don't replace more calories than you swim off) and if you do it regularly will benefit your health in so many other ways.

No point waiting to 'be inspired' or 'get motivated' by some unspecified means, that's too vague to get you there when it's dark and cold outside.

The hardest part about keeping up your new routine will be actually getting out of bed and stepping out the front door. So focus your planning on how to make that happen - once you're out the door, on time and with kit, the actual swimming will then follow on naturally. e.g. keep swimming costume and covering up clothes by bed, with glass of water ready to drink, get dressed into it straight away so you are heading for the pool from the moment you get up.

I find rhythmic swimming produces quite a relaxed, clear thinking state of mind - you could use some of the swimming time to think through your eating plan for the day.

Do you like audiobooks? Or long phone calls? Walking whilst listening to a great story or chatting with a friend is almost not like exercising but still helps and is a great alternative if you can't get to the pool.

I think adding in exercise is a good start. Yes you do need a diet change, calories in vs calories out. So exercise will create a deficit but easier when combined with a caloric deficit also.

Thanks @thedutchy, good to hear the prospective of a swimming teacher.

@Kezzamo, would you be able to share the FB group please? I've thought about 5:2 before but always chickened out as not sure I could hack a fast day! But I'm open to finding out more.

Thanks again for the well wishes! I hope I can live up to it!

(I didn't realise you did the @ thing to tag on here til just saw it! Not sure how it workx though, should it give a notification?)

To push yourself select a lane with a fast swimmer and try to keep up with him. That's what I did to increase my speed and resistance

@PattySlapper m.facebook.com/groups/340570236133893

Honestly I can't recommend it enough. Lots of tips to get through fast days. People do it differently. Most including me wait until as late as possible to eat and save as many calories as possible until as late as possible. So a small late lunch, salad, soup, etc. All supermarkets do some amazingly low calorie ready meals which is what I always go for for tea. Don't have to think about food then or portion control. Lots of recipe ideas though if you have more self control than me! You definitely get used to doing it, and you just have to be determined for one day, then the next you are all good! Good luck!

I swim with a masters club (i'm 51). I only train once a week but train hard, 60-80 lengths with a mix of sprints, distance and stroke drills. A one hour session burns 450-500 calories.
It's also good for your core, muscle building and cardio, all without stressing the joints. I don't know why, but most female swimmers still retain a layer of fat- their muscles are never as defined as other athletes , so if you're after fat loss you'll definitely need to do that through diet. ( male swimmers, on the other hand, have a fabulous physique.......)

However, if you don't really like swimming, I can't see you going 3 times a week... It's best to do something you have a bit of enthusiasm for, so you'll stick to it longer term.

Prove me wrong! Give it a go and set yourself some short term goals for motivation.

You'd need to push yourself rather than just pottering but if you do it is great exercise. There are free training session plans here which start from beginner www.swimming.org/members/swimming-fitness-training-plan/. You have to join but is free.

I swim a lot cos I love it and it makes me feel good. I am not sure it helps me lose weight, but it has really toned my upper arms, a key area for an old hag like me (50+). I've really noticed a difference in the last 3-4 yrs, which us about how long I have been doing a mile 3-4 times a week.

I do think you need to push it tho - you need to be puffed out. I once got out of the pool and someone in the changing room said, oh, you shouldn't be so out of breath - but I don't agree. it's easy to swim gently but even breaststroke can be tiring. Try to include crawl tho - I went from no crawl 10 yrs ago to almost a mile of crawl now :)

I regularly swim twice a week for 25 mins. I don't do it for weight loss, but strength, endurance and arm toning. It has improved all of those. And you get the buzz!!

If you enjoy it and stick at it you will see positive changes. Refuel with a banana afterwards to stop you getting the munchies 45 mins later.