Why is swimming not a good exercise for weightloss?

Question

I've noticed at swimming pools many fat people swimming 50 lengths or more, they must be really fit to be able to do this, so why are they still fat?

Also, is there any health benefit in being overweight, in that you're constantly exercising by carrying around the extra weight with you?

The fat people I see swimming usually do it with a leisurely back or breast stroke, and I've seen the same fat people in the pool everytime I go there (for months), and they've never got any thinner. Also, my ex-boss used to claim he swam 100 lengths every morning, and he had the biggest gut you've ever seen.

Answer 1

That's a funny question....

Answer 2

There are a number of assumptions here based on other assumptions which may or may not be true.
I haven't heard that swimming is not a good exercise for weight loss and for cardio workout. You are lighter in water and have to work harder to get through the water.
Fat is buoyant and that is a part of why the people you see can do so well.
Don't confuse fat with out of shape.
There is a health benefit of being a few pounds (10-15) over your ideal weight, but after that, it is all shot.

Answer 3

Swimming, if done with the same vigor as running or biking, is great for weightloss. when you are trying to lose weight you must burn more calories every day than you eat. If you think to yourself that you are racing and trying to win any cardiovascular exercise will be good for weight loss.

Health benefits to being over weight:
1. if you get the flu so bad you can't eat for a month, you will have the reserves to stay alive.
2. can't think of anything else.

Answer 4

Swimming is a way for larger people to loose weight without the impact on joints caused by running, aerobics etc... It DOES help you to loose weight by toning muscle and in fact is the best way to exercise the most parts of the body in one go.
You should also remember that it must take a lot of courage to get into a swimming costume when you are a larger person, so credit to those who do.
And as for overweight people getting exercise from their weight, I would say that the negative health implications outweigh (!) the good.

Answer 5

When trying to loose weight it is good for over weight people to WALK in the pool, swimming really doesn't help that much. Its easier for these people to exercise this way because there is not a lot if strain on them, like if they were just walking around town. It does help, but it does take some time.

Answer 6

First off, swimming is good exercise. Who knows, maybe they ahve already lost 50 lbs and are well on their way to losing more! you don't know that. They could also go home and eat more calories than they burned so they stay fat.
Also, realize that many people who are healthy and in shape are muscular and may appear larger than the stick thin models you are exposed to every day on tv. plenty of healthy peopel who exercise regularly are muscular not skinny. They do get the advantage of burning more calories though per amount of exercise. Anytime someone weighs more they burn more calories a minute then someone who weighs less doing the same activity

Answer 7

Second question first: There is no benefit to being overweight, because your heart must pump harder than it would if you were healthy. If you lose the fat, you lose the need for the heart to work as hard.

Secondly - swimming is a decent full-body workout. But if you aren't straining, then you aren't burning energy. Those folks probably aren't swimming very fast, and are probably doing a fairly easy stroke.

Answer 8

some of the health benefits of swimming
Swimming is good exercise (that's obvious). Swimming is a lifetime sport that benefits the body and the whole person! But what is it that makes swimming good, specifically? That depends on what you are trying to accomplish.

Swimming is a healthy activity that can be continued for a lifetime - and the health benefits swimming offers for a lifetime are worth the effort it takes to get to the pool.

Why do you swim? For the health benefits to your heart and lungs? For the chance to be with some of your friends at the pool? Because, in your case, running everyday hurts? Because you like the feeling of floating and sliding through the water? Or is it something else? If you are looking for a break from the heat of the summer, then a dip in the water is exactly what you need; swimming is a way for you to cool off.

Maybe you are a runner, training on a regular basis, and want to find an activity that keeps your heart rate up but takes some of the impact stress off of your body. Perhaps you have been doing some other form of land exercise, and now an injury prevents you from putting weight on a knee or ankle. Swimming can help you. Kicking workouts, water aerobics, pool running, or a regular swimming workout can all give you a great exercise session without the weight of your body pounding you with each move.

Regular swimming builds endurance, muscle strength and cardio-vascular fitness. It can serve as a cross-training element to your regular workouts. Before a land workout, you can use the pool for a warm-up session. Swimming with increasing effort to gradually increase your heart rate and stimulate your muscle activity is easily accomplished in the water. After a land workout, swimming a few laps can help you cool-down, move blood through your muscles to help them recover, and help you relax as you glide through the water.

Swimming does burn calories at a rate of about 3 calories a mile per pound of bodyweight. If you weigh 150 lbs. and it takes you 30 minutes to swim one mile (1,760 yards or 1,600 meters), then you will be using about 900 calories in one hour. However, many swimmers do not swim that quickly, and many cannot swim for that distance or duration.

Spending time in a group workout, whether water aerobics or a master's swim practice, is a great social outlet. Exchanging stories, challenging each other, and sharing in the hard work make swimming with others a rewarding experience.

There are other psychological benefit to swimming, if you allow it to occur. Relax and swim with a very low effort. Let your mind wander, focusing on nothing but the rhythm of your stroke. This form of meditation can help you gain a feeling of well-being, leaving your water session refreshed and ready to go on with the rest of your day. Many swimmers find an in-direct benefit form swimming. They develop life skills such as sportsmanship, time-management, self-discipline, goal-setting, and an increased sense of self-worth through their participation in the sport. Swimmers seem to do better in school, in general terms, than non-swimmers as a group.

And I didn't mention the neat things chlorine and sun can do for the texture and color of your hair...

Swim On!

Answer 9

that's weird, i've always heard that swimming is great excercise. I dont know that it really helps with losing inches but i do know it helps keep your muscles toned and healthy looking. If people still eat unhealthy, they are still going to keep packing on the pounds, you have to lose the weight and then start doing the muscle work outs so you can see them. You also have to watch it though because muscle weighs more than fat, like me, i freak out when i see the #'s on the scale and when i tell people what i weigh they dont believe me, but i have a high muscle to fat ratio. I'm not like body builder big or anything but i have more muscle than fat, so i have monitor my losing weight by how my clothes are fitting.

Answer 10

Being overweight is horrible for you. Clogged arteries, decreased stamina, there are no health benefits to being overweight.

Also I have never seen a person who is overweight swimming 50 lengths. I usually see them standing in the shallow end just wading around. The reason they are still fat is most likely a result of their eating habbits.

Answer 11

I've started swimming again 2 months ago (very sunny and too hot in France at the mo'), and I do but a few lengths every time, but still, I've lost weight. Maybe I should aldo add that I ride to the swimming pool... (bicycle, not horse!) ;o)