Why is my bathing suit so tight?

Why my bathing suit gets tight.

Swimmers burn a lot of calories.  We also tend to eat a large amount of food, on a regular basis, multiple times per day!

 So what happens when we are off season and taking a break from training?  We aren't burning as many calories anymore, however that hasn't stopped us from thoroughly enjoying massive amounts of food.

With only 2 weeks to go until swimming kicks off again it may be time to start watching our calorie intake a little more closely OR be prepared to buy a new swimsuit....... one size larger.


As you can see from my picture, one of the past times I like to indulge in is baking.  I love baked goods!  I also have difficulty passing by the refrigerator freezer; the chocolate chips are continually calling out for me to eat them. In season, due to training, I can maintain my weight by offsetting my indulgences with exercise. Off season, it is not so easy.

I often wonder why I feel the need to eat like I've never seen food before during the swim season and why I can't stop eating after the season is over.

It turns out that swimmers burn a lot of calories during a workout. Remember that  interview with Michael Phelps where he shared how he consumed 10,000-12,000 kcals per day while training....that's insane.....especially when you consider the average person eats between 1500 and 3000 kcals per day.  Freestyle, backstroke, and butterfly burn the most energy (500-1200kcals/hr), the better swimmer burns slower than the less adept swimmer struggling to stay afloat, and the temperature of the water plays a big role in why swimmers are so hungry after workout.

Generally the pool is between 72-78 degrees Fahrenheit, unless you swim at the YMCA then it is closer to 90 degrees.  Our body is working hard to swim and also to keep our internal body temperature at 98.6 degrees. In a 2005 study done by University of Florida researchers, athletes that swam in a pool with a temperature of 68 degrees for 45 minutes consumed 44% more calories than those that did the same workout in a 90 degree pool, when looking at exercise only. Due to the cooler water we utilize our carb stores differently then if we were running outside on a warm day. Our body craves fuel replenishment and we feel hungrier after swimming.

We become accustomed to eating a certain amount of food.  When we break from swimming our tummy is still looking to be filled to the same volume.  Unfortunately we are not expending the same amount of energy and those extra calories find their way to places on our bodies that we do not want them to be ( thighs, stomach, and the dreaded back fat).

Athletes, coaches and parents of swimmers should educate themselves and their kids on good nutrition and how to negate the excess weight gain that many swimmers suffer when they aren't training.

Here are a few easy tips to stay on track both off season and in:

1. Get rid of the quick, processed snacks. 
2. Choose whole foods from all the food groups.
3. Don't over eat.  By eating 4 Oreos a day over what you usually would eat you will gain 1/2    pound  per week.  (we all know we just don't stop at just 4 Oreos).
4. When you still feel hungry after your snack, or 1/2 hour after your large dinner, have a glass of water and hold off eating for 10 min.  By then the craving should pass.
5. Make snacks that are a combination of carbs, high FIBRE and PROTEIN. The fibre and protein will help you feel full longer.  In season the protein will also help speed up recovery.
6. Don't miss meals trying to keep weight off...it won't help....you may binge on sugary foods later on. 
7. Build a healthy body and a better athlete by making SMART CHOICES.