Calorie intake

[Noob]

I've noticed with the swimming I've been doing lately that I have had to drastically increase my calorie intake even more then while lifting. I've been also noticing how fast I'm getting into better shape.

Do you guys increase your calorie intake or not really notice it?

I've got an extremely fast matabolism.

[navyhmc]

Swimming is one of the most all inclusive exercises you can do. You burn about 2-3 tmes more calories swimming than weight lifting.

[Tassie Diver]

A long time ago, the Australian Institute of Sport did an experiment. They invited all their elite swimmers, runners and cyclists to a presentation after their morning training sessions.

When everyone arrived in the auditorium, they were told the presenter had been delayed, but morning tea was available and they should help themselves.

Secretly, they were filmed and the quantity of food each person ate was monitored. Turns out the swimmers ate by far the most, followed by cyclists, followed by runners. IIRC, the theory at the time was that because the body is supported while swimming, digestion is not shut down as much as in higher impact sports, hence swimmers are hungrier!

I've met a lot of ex-elite swimmers; some of them forgot to stop eating when they stopped training and within a few years, their weight ballooned.

Beware the hungry swimmer!

[Noob]

I'm noticing this real fast. I've been upping my intake quite a bit to fill the void. Its a good thing. Weight lifting is great but this extra swimming is putting my body into a shape that I never imagined.

[rmkrause]

Originally Posted by navyhmc

Swimming is one of the most all inclusive exercises you can do. You burn about 2-3 tmes more calories swimming than weight lifting.

Sure, but weight liftings purpose isn't to burn calories but rather increase strength and/or muscle mass. Lifting weights will help you out a lot in most sports, but perhaps not be as beneficial the other way around.

I'll agree with the OP that swimming does give me a massive appetite.

[Lulubelle]

Originally Posted by Noob

I've got an extremely fast matabolism.

First of all, I don't like you anymore

Bro was an Olympic swimmer. Ate like a horse from the time he started year round as a kid. He knocked back probably 10,000 cals a day and was still 6'2" and 164 or so at the games (185 as a 30 something). But he was also training full time, hours a day, so I wouldn't recommend that you go quite that far. Add in a few "good" cals (protein, fat, and good carb) and you will be just fine.

Cool data navy, I had always been told that swimming was NOT the best exercise for weight loss because you lose so much of your body heat to the water versus other cardio where you retain more of that heat therefore burning more calories. Guess that was just plain wrong

[crandf]

Staying hotter while exercising doesn't mean you're burning more calories. I suppose there is some narrow temperature range in which the human body can operate and maybe the higher end of that range facilitates some of the biological mechanisms involved in calorie burning while exercising.

But there is also the fact that humans burn calories to stay warm too. So if the water is drawing away heat, the body needs to burn more calories to replace the heat lost, or else risk hypothermia

[navyhmc]

Actually, it deoends on the water temp and the effort being put in. You do lose a lot of heat to the water. But when exercising, you are generating far more heat than you need to as heat is one of the byproducts of muscle use (that's why you shiver when you're cold-the bodies trying to make heat anyway possible.) Hence why a runner will sweat like it's a heat wave in 50f weather. So in essence when you're exercising, no matter what it is, the number of calories expended to keep you warm goes down as the level of exercise increases.

The calorie burn from swimming is a result of the amount of resistance the water exerts on your body and the amount of energy you exert to maintain a steady pace. You also use more muscle groups when swimming-more so when it's done correctly. I don't have the numbers available, but I can surmise that swimming in cooler water (70's-low 80's) will draw enough warmth out of your body that you actually do need to expend additional calories to keep your core at 98.6f/37c.

[Scuba Pete]

When i was swimming in high school which was only like 7 or so years ago, we had to eat something around 6-7000 caleries just to maintain some form of weight. I also forgot to stop eating that much when i graduated. I went from 5'9" 157lbs to 5'11 and 230lbs in just 2 years. 45 in the first year 30 in the second. Swimming makes you hungry and does not act as an appetite suppresant like many other cardio type sports. It boosts your appitite. I ate 1/2 a box of ceral every morning after swimming then i was hungry an hour later. What i would give to look like i did when i was swimming.

[crandf]

With any luck, Phelps will eventually get fat too, then we can all feel a little better about our own bodies
I think Ian Thorpe got fat, right?>