I always thought if you did any exercise with intensity you could burn 100′s of calories per hour doing it, but there are upper limits for the non-Olympians among us.

I used to like the rowing machine. It gave you feedback on a LED display to show how much effort you’d expend with every pull ( great for those of us who like instant feedback ) and summarize your (virtual ) speed and distance as you go. This exercise is kind on your back and shoulders as you’re seated and just sliding back and forth on a rail, pumping and extending a little with your legs. No jarring from jogging — no fumes or crazy New England drivers to contend with. No special clothing and you can jump out at any time!

Like computer systems that we watch over, the balance of ( caloric ) input and ( energy ) output will determine the effects on your system.

i always caution people about using only swimming, and that’s why i wanted to leave a comment: just to make certain people are aware. in the end, calorie math can do wonders for people, especially if they do not deprive themselves (i.e., diet).

Of course when I started swimming I was also doing some strength training and doing some dry land cardio (though not as often or long duration as the swimming).

I have heard the arguments and experiments about swimming from the swimming will not promote weight loss camp but I look at it in terms of what makes up calorie math. Just like finance… If you want to save money you need to spend less than you earn. If you want to lose money, spend more than you earn.

If I sit on my butt all week and go to the office, play with the kids, etc. I burn my basal metabolic rate in calories plus those few actions. If I add 45-60 mins of a moderate/vigorous swim workout to the above, I burn at least 300-500 (even more potentially) more calories a day. If my eating stays the same or improves then that is 500 calories * 5 weekdays or 2,000 calories burned that weren’t burned before. That is more than 1/2 of the calories needed to "burn" a pound of fat (3,500 calories is the rough calculation widely accepted for the energy in a pound of fat). If I am eating/drinking 214 less calories a day through cutting out coke and excess garbage that should provide a calorie deficit and my simplistic view of the issue says that means the weight will go down.

Now if I were swimming and then going out and grabbing 4 protein shakes and a block of cheese or 2 chicken breasts after every swim than sure I would maintain or even gain weight.

I agree dry land exercises like good heart pumping cardio combined with a strength routine that builds lean muslce mass (the more of which you have the more calories you burn just sitting here reading this blabber) will probably mean a faster and maybe more significant loss but I suspect I’ll see a loss once I get into the 4-5 days of swimming even if I wait to start the weights and dry land cardio.

know how a restaurant will keep it cold inside because it makes people eat more? same if you swim, especially in cold water. something about that makes people want to eat more. and you also absorb water through your skin so you could actually gain weight, especially if you were dehydrated at the start of your swim. weird, huh?

swimming is great exercise, but should not be used to help promote weight loss, just for some cross training.