How Much Weight Can You Lose Swimming Everyday?

Last Updated on August 1st, 2023

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Swimming as a method of weight loss is extremely popular with people of all ages, body types, and genders. It isn’t a miracle exercise, though; you still need to put in a good amount of work both in and out of the water to reach your weight goals.

How much weight you lose when swimming every day depends on your current weight, how long you swim each day, and how hard you exercise. All this is to say that there is no standard amount of weight loss.

Keep reading to learn more about how you can lose weight by swimming and how to do it properly.

Man swimming wearing yellow swimming cap - How Much Weight Can You Lose Swimming Everyday?

How Much Are You Supposed to Swim?

Unfortunately, the amount you should swim changes depending on your fitness level and how much weight you are looking to lose.

That being said, if you are just starting your weight loss journey, you should begin at the lower end and work your way up in frequency and intensity.

Health professionals and athletes typically recommend that beginners start going to the pool three times a week. These sessions should also be pretty short, at just 15 to 20 minutes of swimming.

As your body adapts to the exercise, you should be going to the pool for at least 30 minutes of intense swimming five or more times a week.

 

Man swimming wearing yellow swimming cap - How Much Weight Can You Lose Swimming Everyday?

 

For How Long Are You Supposed to do it?

If you’re looking to lose weight and keep it off, you should be looking to make a habit of swimming and going to the pool for the rest of your life. As far as how long each swim session should be, that is according to your fitness level and goals.

For most people, there isn’t much point in getting a membership or pass for a pool if they don’t make the most of their money. This means that a beginner’s initial 15 or 20 minutes can seem like a waste.

Swimming for at least 30 minutes, even at a casual pace, can usually burn about 500 calories in people weighing between 150 and 200 pounds. This guideline makes calculating your calories easier, so people like to swim in 30-minute sets or increments.

 

Do You Need a Diet Change as Well?

You don’t necessarily need a diet change on top of adding exercise to your routine, but it can help with weight loss and making sure you have the energy to swim every day.

Theoretically, as long as you swim enough to burn all the calories you eat and more, you can eat whatever you like in any amount. This isn’t ideal, though, as so many people pair a diet change with swimming.

Trade your processed foods that are high in sugars and fats for filling fruit, vegetables, and lean meats. This can make it easier to reach a calorie deficit since you are eating fewer calories but still have the energy for exercise.

 

How Many Calories Can You Lose for One Hour of Swimming?

As we discussed earlier, the answer to this question changes depending on your current weight and how you swim.

If we take the example given earlier, we can simply multiply the calories lost by 2 to see how many calories a person between 150 and 200 pounds can expect to lose in an hour of swimming. This comes out to about 1,000 calories per hour.

Keep in mind that this is at a pretty leisurely pace. So if you switch up your stroke and how fast you swim, this number can go up or down quite a bit.

 

How soon do you see results from swimming?

Calculating your weight loss results can come as early as one week into swimming and keeping to a healthy diet. Assuming you swim for 30 minutes daily, you could lose up to 1.5 pounds each week. This number is easy to see when you step on a scale.

When it comes to seeing the change physically, it could take a few weeks or a couple of months. It mostly depends on your body type and your initial weight. If you stick to a strict regimen, you should notice slimming and greater muscle tone.

 

Final Thoughts on How Much Weight Can You Lose Swimming Everyday

Swimming is hard work but burns more calories than many other forms of cardio exercise. So even though you may start swimming to lose weight, it is important to enjoy your time.

If swimming induces fear in you or the thought of going to the pool fills you with dread, you won’t stick to a schedule that will help you lose weight. There is no shame in these feelings, but you should consider a different exercise to reach your goals in these cases.

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