Lose Weight Swimming….!

This is a great read published by Swim University about Lisa Eirene losing 110 pounds swimming.
I am overweight. I have been for practically my entire life. However, 2 years ago I was at my highest weight – over 300 pounds! Yikes! At that time I knew it was time for a change. I can blame it on a bunch of things, including: breaking up with my girlfriend, not exercising, and working behind the desk 10 hours a day at a pool company. The truth is, I have no one to blame but myself.
I wised up and took action. I started exercising everyday (only 30 minutes), watched what I ate and stuck to mostly salad (which I happen to love), and started moving around the office more.
I was able to lose 70 pounds in about 9 months!
I’m not here to just talk about myself, but you know I love to. I’m here to talk about Lisa Eirene – a blogger who was able to lose 110 pounds from swimming and changing her diet.
I asked her 10 questions about her weight loss and I really think you’ll find what she has to say inspiring.
1. When did you decide it was time to lose weight?
The major factor for losing weight was impending diabetes. I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic and was having a lot of other health issues that were plaguing me. It was finally time to make a lifestyle change.
2. What were some of the setbacks or struggles when you first started?
There weren’t a lot of struggles in the beginning beyond just having to retrain myself on how to eat. I was seeing results on the scale immediately (that first month I lost over 10 pounds–the most I’d ever lost when I tried to lose weight) and that motivated me immensely.
3. Were you always a swimmer?
I was a swimmer as a kid. I’ve always been more comfortable in the water than on solid earth! I was also a really strong swimmer. As a teenager I was on the synchronized swim team and then later I swam laps for exercise (but not consistently).
4. What other types of exercises do you do that don’t involve the water?
I do all activities. I’m a runner, cyclist, I lift weights, I hike, I snowshoe in the winter, and I love going for long walks in nice weather. I ran the Hood to Coast Relay Race, I’ve biked 72 miles in the Portland Century and 64 miles in the Salem Century.
5. What was your diet plan and how did you go about setting it up?
I started swimming first. I knew I couldn’t do both the diet and exercise part in the beginning. I started swimming 2-3 days a week for about a month and then it was time to address the food issues. I started counting my calories. I tried to stay under 2,000 calories a day. This was quite the change considering I’d been a binge eater previously and a typical day was probably 5,000 calories. Once I got used to it, it was pretty easy, though.
6. Did you have a “I can eat anything I damn well please” day, or a “cheat” day?
Nope! I don’t have a cheat day. I changed my eating habits for the better and I am not on a diet–what I did was a lifestyle change. I eat whatever I want in moderation. That means I eat pizza if I want to – but 1 or 2 slices and not the entire pizza, for example.
7. What type of swimming exercises do you recommend for people just starting out?
My suggestion is to start small. Don’t expect to be able to swim a mile in the pool without stopping on your first try. When I was 250 pounds, out of shape and tired, I could barely make it to the other end of the pool. I had to stop and rest at each end for a few minutes, but practice helped. I got more conditioned, it got easier, and after some time I was able to swim that mile without stopping to rest!
8. What was your workout schedule like? How many days and how many hours doing which exercise?
I work out 5 days a week, with 2 rest days. I am currently battling Runner’s Knee, so some of my usual activities are on the sidelines. My current routine is: swim 3 days a week, go to the gym 2 days a week to lift weights. Sometimes I add spin class to that, too.
9. One of the biggest challenges for me is beer. Do you drink and if so, how do you manage that?
Beer! Yes! I love it and since I live in Portland, Oregon I like the really strong IPAs that also have a lot of calories. Since I eat whatever I want in moderation and within my calorie limit for the day, I allow myself to enjoy things like beer–I just might have only one. I also like wine, again–1 or 2 glasses. I still track my calories and sometimes when I know I will be out drinking socially, I will limit some of the other “treats” I have during the day, or skip dessert.
10. Do you have any additional tips or words of inspiration to people that want to lose weight by swimming?
YOU MUST CHANGE YOUR ENTIRE LIFESTYLE!
I know that everyone (including me) wishes there was an easy way to lose the weight. There is no magic answer, no magic pill, no secret diet. Yo-yo dieting will do more harm than good.
Eating healthy and exercising HAS to be a change and commitment you are willing to make for the REST OF YOUR LIFE. Even if you reach “goal weight,” you have to keep doing the work to stay where you are at. Reaching goal weight is not a pass to go back to eating poorly and being lazy.
I know, not what we want to hear, right? But you will be amazed at how your body changes. Keep at it! I feel so much better having lost 110 pounds and kept the weight off!
About Lisa Eirene
Lisa is a blogger over at 110Pounds.com, a site she created to blog about her path to losing 110 pounds…and counting. She’s a swimmer, cyclist, runner, hiker, biker, and #SweatPink Ambassador.
You can learn more about her weight lost journey here and you can follow here on Twitter.