Does swimming make you put on weight?

The short answer

Yes, if you don't swim long enough, at low intensity, and if you eat too much after your swim because you think that you deserve an extra bite!

Can you lose weight by doing sport?

Many people exercise to shed extra pounds. Twice per week they cycle on a home bike, jog in the neighbourhood or swim a few laps.

Excellent intention - but do you really slim with this regime?

Getting rid of extra pounds isn't easy as most people know. To shed extra body fat you must aim at a negative energy balance. The following approach works best:

Burn as much fat as possible with exercise
Reduce your calorie intake at the same time

Here, we share a few tips how to burn fat most efficiently. The tips in relation to nutrition are for overweight and obese people, not for athletes.

Physical activity burns fat

Contrary to what was recommended earlier, you have to work out at relatively high and not low intensities. Fat is burnt best at 75% maximum heart rate. This corresponds to the maximum lactate steady state (this was referred to as the anaerobic threshold, a misleading notion). At this intensity trained athletes can metabolize 0.6 grams fat per minute. Less well trained people have a maximum of about 0.3 grams per minute.
The workout has to be at least 30 minutes long. With increasing duration the amount of metabolized fat per minute increases.
Doing intervals, i.e. short breaks after 3-4 minutes exercising, has the same effect as continuous swimming
You get the best effect when you exercise daily in the intensity range mentioned above. Of course, less trained people have to build up the ability to work out daily for weeks and months. Fast walking, cycling, and in particular swimming are suited best, because the load on joints is low.
Fat metabolism depends on what you eat before and after exercise. To exercise for weight loss, exercise in the morning with an empty stomach or 3-5 hours after a meal. During work outs drink water only. Please note: Working out like this can lead to a low blood glucose concentration (dizziness). These recommendations are for people who want to slim down, not for athletes.

Training recommendations for novices

To exercise in the optimum range you must determine your maximum heart rate. If you are older than 50 years consult a doctor for a high intensity electrocardiogram. You can determine your maximum heart rate by running uphill or taking stairs as fast as possible. It is important to exercise until exhaustion. Then count your heart rate by holding a finger next to your larynx for 15 seconds. Multiplied by 4 this value is precise enough.
Training at 75% maximum heart rate may come as a shock even for normal weighted people. Be patient, it takes some time until you'll be able to go for 30 minutes several times per week. It is best to start swimming 2-3 times per week at an easy pace. If you get exhausted or face problems stop for a short break (interval swimming). After the first month most people can swim for some time at 75% maximum heart rate without suffering too much. After one month try to shorten the breaks or try to swim continuously. In the third month you can either increase the intensity if you are not yet at 75%, or swim longer than 30 minutes.