Originally posted by: Kipper
Originally posted by: DJFuji
Originally posted by: Kipper
Originally posted by: shortylickens
Swimming is generally considered a good excercise.
Eat as much food as you like.
If you believe low-fat works, cut out the fat.
If you believe low-carb works, cut out the carbs. (Starch and sugar, not fiber.)
But dont worry about calories. They are a measure of energy from the food you take in. You need energy.
Concentrate on the food itself. If you get 1000 calories a day all from Twinkies, you'll lose ground over time.
Keep in mind that swimming a.) dehydrates you very quickly, and b.) does not provide the same amount of cardiovascular benefits that running, biking, or rowing will do.
link to part b? I've heard quite the opposite.
This is straight out of my second-semester Senior year kinesiology class. In measurements of V02Max, which is a measure of your body's peak oxygen utilization and therefore a measure of athletic ability. The chart I was shown showed that while swimming did provide cardiovascular benefit the measured V02Max of swimmers was lower than that of say, marathon runners, bikers, or rowers.
Edit: I Googled a bit and found this:
"The oxidative capacity of the active muscles is vital for the endurance athlete to perform to their maximum. However, long distance events are detrimental to this capacity. Hochli et al (1995) found that the oxidative capacity was considerably reduced in participants in the extreme distance run from Paris to Dakar. In these subjects, the mitochondrial volume density was significantly decreased in the fibre volume, the sarcolemma, and the interfibrils.
When testing the endurance athlete for, it is important that the testing procedures are sports specific VO2max. Under these conditions, cross-country skiers, rowers, and cyclists show the highest VO2max."
http://physiotherapy.curtin.edu.au/reso...onal-resources/exphys/00/endurance.cfm
Swimming IS good for you, no doubt. You will lose weight if you swim. But if you are looking to maximize cardiovascular endurance and strength, there are better options.