Swimming ain't doin' NOTHIN'!

[Writer]

I have been swimming for the last couple of weeks. Swimming and swimming and swimming.

I feel a bit of beef in my arms, but I can't shed my hips. I also eat sensibly. Will I ever lose enough weight by swimming?

[AtomicKitten]

1. yes, mam, you will

You may not lose actual poundage, but you will lose inches. Hang in there. Diligence will pay off.

[Awsi Dooger]

2. Best shape of my life

Was when I swam 400 laps a day in the pool, two sets of 200. Kept it up for three months and the girls noticed. I lost 14 pounds and had the best shoulder definition and V shape of my life by far. I was already thin and my parents and friends thought I got too thin with all the swimming, but I felt fantastic. Size 31 waist at 6-3 1/2. Too bad that was 20 years ago. Now I barely manage 25-50 laps maybe two or three times a week.

[driver8]

4. I agree. I used to swim on the swim team at school and I was in

the best shape of my life. Give it some time...you haven't been swimming that long.

[Writer]

5. 400 laps a day? Oh my.

I have to pause between each 25 meter lap. Yesterday I swam 12 laps, or 300 meters. I did a couple of fast 50's and they nearly killed me.

Maybe I ought to go nice 'n slow.

It would take me at least a year to get up to 400 laps a day.

[wildhorses]

3. swimming is great exercise

just have to watch out for swimmer's ear....what a pain

[MadHound]

6. Yes you will, and don't get discouraged

For one thing, some of your body fat is being transformed into muscle, and frankly muscle is denser and weighs more than fat. As you said, you have some more muscle in your biceps, I would imagine that you also have some more in your leg. I would imagine that it is this weight trade-off is what has you down. Have your waist and other measurments gone down? Clothes a little loose? Sure signs that you are losing weight and transforming some to muscle.

Stick with it friend, it is a long term process. Don't get discouraged until a year from now. If you haven't lost weight by then, then there might be a problem.

But keep up the swimming. It will work in the end.

[Patiod]

7. Doesn't help women shed pounds

I saw an article several years ago in a woman's service magazine, and researchers tracked women doing various exercises, and swimming was the least effective for losing weight. They posited that it was the cold water (and who wants to do laps in warm - ugh) that was stimulating the body to hang onto the weight.

I'm a fairly obsessive swimmer -- during various periods in my life, I've been a fanatic swimmer, getting up to do an hour's workout before work 3 days a week, or swimming 3 times a week in college and more than that when I lived within walking distance of an awesome gym. Screw the weight loss, it's great for your heart without beating up your legs, and in my opinion, water is really good for your soul.

PS - don't swim without a cap if you don't want to get that awful metalic-looking "swimmer's hair". A little conditioner on the ends, plus a cap will keep your hair looking nice in spite of the chlorine.

[Deja Q]

8. Swimming, dieting, no eating after 8PM, eating small portions every 2~3hrs

keep the body guessing but never let it starve AND it will keep itself burning calories.

Constant motion is better than sitting like a lump for 12 hours after doing a 30 minute walk/bikeride too. Humans were never meant to sit in front of a spot doing the same thing constantly.