Swimming to lose weight - a question - Page 2

Steve Curtis wrote:

>>>I don't think that is physically possible, unless you changed your
>
> diet significantly. In other words, if all you did was add 50 minutes of swimming per day, then
> you could not possibly burn enough calories to lose 1kg per week.<<
>
>
> And how was this brilliant deduction arrived at? The intensity level of the workouts would be
> a definite factor in the amount of weight reduction achieved. The more intense, the more
> calories burned.

The brilliant deduction was arrived at this way: We assume he has not been exercising, and that he
has been neither losing nor gaining weight. Then he starts swimming. He swims 50 minutes per day.
Assuming he swims continuously and he is a competent rec swimmer, he might swim 2500m in 50 minutes.
I estimate he will burn 400-500 calories per swim. If he swims five days per week, he might burn
2500 calories. We would have to assume he doesn't increase his caloric intake to balance his
increased hunger, but 2500 calories isn't enough to lose a kilo per week. Even if he swims all seven
days it isn't enough. But, yeah, if he swims at a 60 second pace for 50 minutes straight, he can
lose a kilo a week.

martin

On Fri, 30 Jan 2004 06:49:52 +0100, "Smith, Martin"
<eccentric@orbit.com> wrote:
> But, yeah, if he swims at a 60 second pace for 50 minutes straight, he can lose a kilo a week.
>
>martin
>

See! Maybe a bit diffcult, not impossible though. Of course there are other factors involved
that wouls help burn some cals to. Assuming that the OP was doing nothing, they woudl be
burning more calories getting to the pool moving around more etc. As well as the previous
poster mentioned post workout burn, something I don't put a whole lot of stock in, but it is
a factor. Then there is teh possibility that the OP eventually adds a bit of lean mass,
continuing the healthy circle of caloric burn... All in all I agree with you losing 1KG in a
week simply from adding 50 min of swimming is "not likely" without some very specific specs.
Just didn't like the way you couched it as "impossible".

~Matt

"JungleFrog" <JungleFrog@dontemailme.com> wrote in message news:<A6xPb.848$sE5.19542@news.uswest.net>...
> Correction. Maybe you need to sleep as well. So eating every 4 hours 6 times a day will leave less
> time for sleeping (6 x 4=24 hours). In this case, eat every 3-4 hours during waking hours. I found
> that having a healthy snack before going to bed actually helps me when I workout in the morning.
>
> Another thing that Tom recommends is to exercise first before eating breakfast. When you wake
> up, your glycogen levels are very low. When you exercise before breakfast, your body goes into
> fat burning mode immediately instead of burning sugar for the first 20 minutes (or something
> like that).
>
> Good luck, you're doing great!!!
>
Thanks for your comments - and thanks to everybody who responded. It is easier to feel motivated,
when you know that you are on the right track!

I have another question, though. I try to diet at the same time. I eat one normal-size meal at lunch
- a sallad consisting of shrimps, mussels, a hard-boiled egg, mushrooms, tomatoes and cucumber, all
this with some olive oil. One piece of bread with sausage or cream cheese for breakfast, sometimes
another one for supper. When I feel hungry, I eat fruit - mostly apples and oranges.

This "diet" is my own invention. I don't know if it is healthy or balanced, however it seems to work
and keeps me strong and alert enough to handle my job (I can't really concentrate when I'm
starving). However, I am grateful for whatever competent advice I can get in this NG, on both topics
(exercise & dieting). Is it OK to eat a lot of fruit (4-5 apples + 1-2 oranges a day, sometimes a
banana)? Should I add / remove something? What about these so called fat-burning pills - do they
really work?

In article <bvcq92$71t$1@services.kq.no>, eccentric@orbit.com says...
> MJuric wrote:
> > On Thu, 29 Jan 2004 09:50:26 +0100, "Smith, Martin" <eccentric@orbit.com> wrote:
> >
> >
> >>Gregory Toomey wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >>>I went from 97kg to 72 kg in six months doing 50 minutes swimming a day. That's about 1kg (2lb)
> >>>a week. After losing the weight I met a relative who didn't recognise me!
> >>
> >>I don't think that is physically possible, unless you changed your diet significantly. In other
> >>words, if all you did was add 50 minutes of swimming per day, then you could not possibly burn
> >>enough calories to lose 1kg per week.
> >
> >
> > Why not? Assuming that he maintained weight at 97KG with current diet and no swimming any
> > extra caloric burn would cause him to lose weight. Assuming a steady 50 minute swim at lets
> > say 60 secs per 100yd he'd be covering 5000yds a day. Assuming 100 calories per 500 yds
> > thats 1000 calories per swim or 7000 calories a week swimming every day. It takes 3500
> > calories to lose one pound. thats two pounds a week.
>
> 5000 yards in 50 minutes every day? A few people can actually do that. They don't have 25 kilos
> to lose.

Yeah, folks capable of that definitely don't grow on trees. It doesn't seem like that long ago
(although I think it was in the late 70's) that Mike Bruner made such a splash for doing something
similar - 60 minutes of swimming averaging sub 1:00 per hundred yeards, if memory serves.

- Al

> >>>I went from 97kg to 72 kg in six months doing 50 minutes swimming a day. That's about 1kg (2lb)
> >>>a week. After losing the weight I met a relative who didn't recognise me!
> >>

> > Why not? Assuming that he maintained weight at 97KG with current diet and no swimming any
> > extra caloric burn would cause him to lose weight. Assuming a steady 50 minute swim at lets
> > say 60 secs per 100yd he'd be covering 5000yds a day. Assuming 100 calories per 500 yds
> > thats 1000 calories per swim or 7000 calories a week swimming every day. It takes 3500
> > calories to lose one pound. thats two pounds a week.
>
> 5000 yards in 50 minutes every day? A few people can actually do that. They don't have 25 kilos
> to lose.
>
> martin

60 seconds per 100 yards for 5,000 yards? do you have any concept as to how difficult that is? I
took me 2 hours yesterday to do 7,000 yards (interval training). If am doing sprints (and I am I
think a pretty decent masters swimmer) I can do 100s (yards) freestyle on 1 minute to 1:03, but with
considerable rest (say at least 1 to 1.5 minutes in between each). to do that without rest and
continuosly is olympic swimmer caliber, if it could even be done at all (day in and day out, not a 1
time race).

for whats its worth, my weight is around 230lbs down from 280 last summer.

"Sam Hain" <samhain1313@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:50e2ebd8.0401300905.18938933@posting.google.com...

> 60 seconds per 100 yards for 5,000 yards? do you have any concept as to how difficult that is? I
> took me 2 hours yesterday to do 7,000 yards (interval training).

Well, using a 100 yard base time of 1.30 you can cover 8K in 2 hours. That workout is a staple of my
distance group, and constitutes every practice for 2 weeks at the beginning of each season:

1000 fs e. 14.45 10 x 100 e 1.30 1000 pull e 14.45 5 x 200 e 2.50 1000 fs e 14.30 4 x 250 e 3.40
1000 pull e 14.45 20 x 50 e 45

If am doing sprints (and I am I think a
> pretty decent masters swimmer) I can do 100s (yards) freestyle on 1 minute to 1:03, but with
> considerable rest (say at least 1 to 1.5 minutes in between each).

just to be picky, that's doing the 100's on 2.00 or 2.30, not 1.00, holding
1.00.

to do that without rest and continuosly is
> olympic swimmer caliber, if it could even be done at all (day in and day out, not a 1 time race).

to do that for about 30 minutes doesn't take much, i'd venture quite a few NCAA qualifiers do that
set fairly frequently. there are swimmers in my own club who can do that. However, to do it for 50
minutes for an average rec swimmer would be nigh on impossible. i think we established that was
simply hypothetical however...

steve

On Fri, 30 Jan 2004 14:47:48 GMT, MJuric wrote:

>On Fri, 30 Jan 2004 06:49:52 +0100, "Smith, Martin" <eccentric@orbit.com> wrote:
>> But, yeah, if he swims at a 60 second pace for 50 minutes straight, he can lose a kilo a week.
>>
>>martin
>>
>
> See! Maybe a bit diffcult, not impossible though. Of course there are other factors involved
> that wouls help burn some cals to. Assuming that the OP was doing nothing, they woudl be
> burning more calories getting to the pool moving around more etc. As well as the previous
> poster mentioned post workout burn, something I don't put a whole lot of stock in, but it is
> a factor. Then there is teh possibility that the OP eventually adds a bit of lean mass,
> continuing the healthy circle of caloric burn... All in all I agree with you losing 1KG in a
> week simply from adding 50 min of swimming is "not likely" without some very specific specs.
> Just didn't like the way you couched it as "impossible".
>
>~Matt

I also must admit I had my head stuck... I was thinking 2:00 minute per hundred and writing
1:00. My mistake. Yes holding 1:00 100's would be very difficult, Sorry. I even wrote in my
response to Steve 2:00 per hundred. Thats what I meant by me being slow.

~Matt

I lost of 2.5 inches off my waist from swimming. I swim to help my back I know have to go buy all
new close. Good Luck

--

Tom "Gregory Toomey" <nospam@bigpond.com> wrote in message news:bvagsf$q5dup$1@ID-202028.news.uni-
berlin.de...
> grubas wrote:
>
> > Hi everybody!
> >
> > I am trying to lose weight rapidly by dieting and exercising as much as I can (available time is
> > the limit). I swim a mile every day and run on a treadmill 30-40 minutes six day a week.
> >
> > I am not a very good swimmer. Breast stroke is the only stroke I really know. It takes me about
> > 50 minutes to swim a mile.
> >
> > Now the question: Is this time well spent or rather lost? Do I burn any fat swimming this
> > distance in 50 minutes? Should I rather do something else instead? Being very obese (went down
> > from 108 to 101 kilograms this month) I don't really want to run more than 30-40 minutes (afraid
> > to damage my knees). Riding a bicycle is out of the question in this winter weather.
> >
> > Thanks for advice?
> >
> > Fatso8
>
> I went from 97kg to 72 kg in six months doing 50 minutes swimming a day.
That's about 1kg (2lb) a week.
> After losing the weight I met a relative who didn't recognise me!
>
> I've also lost weight using a treadmill for 30min/day.
>
> Make sure you go on a sensible diet. I like low-ish carb. Eat various
coloured vegetables (colour=antioxidants) and drink enough water.
>
> gtoomey

Sounds like your diet is better than 95% of what most Americans usually eat.
You are in the right track - portion control is the key. Concentrate on the
basics:

1. Exercise
2. Eat healthy foods, small portions
3. Weight training to maintain/improve muscle tone

Better yet, I'll quote a perfect article from Tom Venuto for us swimmers who want to lose weight:

Emerson said, "The height of the pinnacle is determined by the breadth of the base." The heights you
reach will depend entirely on how broad a foundation you build. Great coaches such as Vince Lombardi
and John Wooden credited most of their success to drilling their players on fundamentals.

Forget about ALL the minutia until you have the fundamentals down cold!

Forget about supplement dosages

Forget about macronutrient cycling

Forget about tempo manipulation

Forget about glycemic indexes

Forget about the latest Bulgarian or Russian periodization program

Master the fundamentals first!

The fundamentals of fat loss include: (1) Do your cardio, (2) Lift weights,
(4) Burn more calories than you consume (4) Eat 5-6 small, frequent meals and never skip meals, (5)
Keep your fat intake low, but include small amounts of good fats, (6) Eat natural foods; avoid
processed & refined foods, (7) eat more complex carbs, fruits & vegetables, (8) eat lean
proteins with each meal, (9) Think positive: visualize yourself as you would like to be.

> Thanks for your comments - and thanks to everybody who responded. It is easier to feel motivated,
> when you know that you are on the right track!
>
> I have another question, though. I try to diet at the same time. I eat one normal-size meal at
> lunch - a sallad consisting of shrimps, mussels, a hard-boiled egg, mushrooms, tomatoes and
> cucumber, all this with some olive oil. One piece of bread with sausage or cream cheese for
> breakfast, sometimes another one for supper. When I feel hungry, I eat fruit - mostly apples and
> oranges.
>
> This "diet" is my own invention. I don't know if it is healthy or balanced, however it seems to
> work and keeps me strong and alert enough to handle my job (I can't really concentrate when I'm
> starving). However, I am grateful for whatever competent advice I can get in this NG, on both
> topics (exercise & dieting). Is it OK to eat a lot of fruit (4-5 apples + 1-2 oranges a day,
> sometimes a banana)? Should I add / remove something? What about these so called fat-burning pills
> - do they really work?

Also, the fat-burning pills are a crock of s***. Short term, they may work. Long term, never!!! Plus
you have to worry about the future side effects. Stick with real food.

"JungleFrog" <JungleFrog@dontemailme.com> wrote in message
news:IIzSb.32$_n3.51102@news.uswest.net...
> Sounds like your diet is better than 95% of what most Americans usually
eat.
> You are in the right track - portion control is the key. Concentrate on
the
> basics:
>
> 1. Exercise
> 2. Eat healthy foods, small portions
> 3. Weight training to maintain/improve muscle tone
>
> Better yet, I'll quote a perfect article from Tom Venuto for us swimmers
who
> want to lose weight:
>
> Emerson said, "The height of the pinnacle is determined by the breadth of the base." The heights
> you reach will depend entirely on how broad a foundation you build. Great coaches such as Vince
> Lombardi and John Wooden credited most of their success to drilling their players on fundamentals.
>
>
>
> Forget about ALL the minutia until you have the fundamentals down cold!
>
> Forget about supplement dosages
>
> Forget about macronutrient cycling
>
> Forget about tempo manipulation
>
> Forget about glycemic indexes
>
> Forget about the latest Bulgarian or Russian periodization program
>
>
>
> Master the fundamentals first!
>
>
>
> The fundamentals of fat loss include: (1) Do your cardio, (2) Lift
weights,
> (3) Burn more calories than you consume (4) Eat 5-6 small, frequent meals and never skip meals,
> (5) Keep your fat intake low, but include small amounts of good fats, (6) Eat natural foods;
> avoid processed & refined foods, (7) eat more complex carbs, fruits & vegetables, (8) eat lean
> proteins with each meal, (9) Think positive: visualize yourself as you
would
> like to be.
>
>
>
>
>
> > Thanks for your comments - and thanks to everybody who responded. It is easier to feel
> > motivated, when you know that you are on the right track!
> >
> > I have another question, though. I try to diet at the same time. I eat one normal-size meal at
> > lunch - a sallad consisting of shrimps, mussels, a hard-boiled egg, mushrooms, tomatoes and
> > cucumber, all this with some olive oil. One piece of bread with sausage or cream cheese for
> > breakfast, sometimes another one for supper. When I feel hungry, I eat fruit - mostly apples and
> > oranges.
> >
> > This "diet" is my own invention. I don't know if it is healthy or balanced, however it seems to
> > work and keeps me strong and alert enough to handle my job (I can't really concentrate when I'm
> > starving). However, I am grateful for whatever competent advice I can get in this NG, on both
> > topics (exercise & dieting). Is it OK to eat a lot of fruit (4-5 apples + 1-2 oranges a day,
> > sometimes a banana)? Should I add / remove something? What about these so called fat-burning
> > pills - do they really work?

Smith, Martin <eccentric@orbit.com> a écrit dans le message : bvahgj$ifu$1@services.kq.no...

> I don't think that is physically possible, unless you changed your diet significantly. In other
> words, if all you did was add 50 minutes of swimming per day, then you could not possibly burn
> enough calories to lose 1kg per week.

I recently was at a swimming pool with a precision balance, and I was surprised to observe that I
can lose around 1.5 kg after one hour of hard training.

This must be mostly (and quite paradoxically!) water, but I found it quite impressive, even though I
had gained the 1.5kg again the day after!

Do other swimmers here experince such a loss of weight after training?

-- Olivier

On Fri, 30 Jan 2004 21:32:32 +0100, Olivier <katrin.bergmann@free.fr>
wrote:

> Smith, Martin <eccentric@orbit.com> a écrit dans le message : bvahgj$ifu$1@services.kq.no...
>
>> I don't think that is physically possible, unless you changed your diet significantly. In other
>> words, if all you did was add 50 minutes of swimming per day, then you could not possibly burn
>> enough calories to lose 1kg per week.
>
> I recently was at a swimming pool with a precision balance, and I was surprised to observe that I
> can lose around 1.5 kg after one hour of hard training.
>
> This must be mostly (and quite paradoxically!) water, but I found it quite impressive, even though
> I had gained the 1.5kg again the day after!
>
> Do other swimmers here experince such a loss of weight after training?

I'm about the same. It is mostly water.

martin

--
Using M2, Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/m2/

Olivier wrote:
> Smith, Martin <eccentric@orbit.com> a écrit dans le message : bvahgj$ifu$1@services.kq.no...
>

>
> I recently was at a swimming pool with a precision balance, and I was surprised to observe that I
> can lose around 1.5 kg after one hour of hard training.
>
> This must be mostly (and quite paradoxically!) water, but I found it quite impressive, even though
> I had gained the 1.5kg again the day after!

Where do you pissing? :-)

>
> Do other swimmers here experince such a loss of weight after training?
>
> -- Olivier

p

Eunet News <Martin.William.Smith@computas.com> wrote in message news:<opr2mx2ivzwtg8j2@news.eunet.no>...

> > I recently was at a swimming pool with a precision balance, and I was surprised to observe that
> > I can lose around 1.5 kg after one hour of hard training.
> >
> > This must be mostly (and quite paradoxically!) water, but I found it quite impressive, even
> > though I had gained the 1.5kg again the day after!
> >
> > Do other swimmers here experince such a loss of weight after training?
>
> I'm about the same. It is mostly water.
>
> martin

And I win almost 1 kg everyday at 14h having my lunch! Around 400g up in my dish + a lot
of liquid!

Nelson
Ps. Makes me wonder about how to really evaluate somebody weight?

Helgi Briem <HelgiBriem_1@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:<7j7t00hthcgaeootofgnv0du12ls20rdbs@4ax.com>...
> On 21 Jan 2004 07:16:24 -0800, grubas8@gazeta.pl (grubas) wrote:
>
> >I am not a very good swimmer. Breast stroke is the only stroke I really know. It takes me about
> >50 minutes to swim a mile.
> >
> >Now the question: Is this time well spent or rather lost?
>
> I think it's likely to be well spent, so long as you don't hit the burgers afterwards to reward
> yourself. If you can, get a coach to teach you freestyle. Otherwise, breaststroke is fine. I
> taught myself freestyle a couple of years ago and it was well worth the effort.
>

Hi again!

Thank you for your advice and encouragement.

Did you taught yourself freestyle completely on your own? Is it possible to learn it without an
instructor/coach? I would love to learn it, but I don't know anybody who could instruct me.

How did you go about it - or were you taught by someone else?