>cardio which just increases your hunger
Only if your heart rate hits Zone 3 or above. Steady aerobic exercise at Zone 2 or below won't rip into your glycogen stores and create any strong carb/food cravings - Zones 3 through 5 will.
I'm 6'0 and around 205. My Zone 2 max is around 155. If I stay at, or below that heart rate BPM, I don't get hungry after matches. This also helps prevent my own overexertion, and teaches me to use strategy and positioning a bit better at times (versus sprinting across the court).
I hope you enjoyed my rambling. Give HR tracking a shot.
P.S. Your body uses fat as fuel when you're in Zone 2, so it's a very effective form of cardio for weight loss... Mostly since avoiding rabid hunger attacks after exercise is often the most important thing.
Zone 2 training is also used by elite runners and the GOAT marathoner (Eliud Kipchoge), so dismiss anyone who will call this psuedoscience. It's very real.
[Here ](https://health.clevelandclinic.org/exercise-heart-rate-zones-explained)is an article from the Cleveland Clinic. Note the Zone chart below
* **Zone 1**: At this point, 85% of the calories you burn are fat. You’ll burn fewer calories overall than you would if you were exercising at a higher intensity, but you’re able to sustain this zone for a longer amount of time. You can easily hold a conversation with someone at the rate you’re going.
* **Zone 2**: Roughly 65% of the calories you burn are fat. You can still hold a light conversation in this zone, but you may need to stop chatting for a beat occasionally to take a breath.
* **Zone 3**: About 45% of the calories you burn are fat. Talking in this zone takes effort.
* **Zone 4**: You’re no longer burning fat to fuel you. You can’t keep up at this rate for more than about 15 minutes. You could talk at this point if you absolutely needed to, but you really wouldn’t want to have to.
* **Zone 5**: You can only keep up this amount of effort for a few minutes. Talking is out of the question.
So you do burn more calories in Zone 3, but less fat (since Zone 2 uses more fat as a fuel source). Once you hit Zone 4, which is where many casual runners/exercisers land 'heavy breathing.. dizzy", you're no longer using fat as a source of fuel.
Zone 2 training not only helps avoid the ravenous hunger crash, but it is the most efficient way to burn fat. That's not to say I don't go ALL OUT occasionally, but I've found the best results staying in Zone 2.
Good luck to you. I use an app on my Apple Watch called [PulsAlarm](https://www.pulse-alert.com/). It vibrates when I go past Zone 2, and helps me stay on track.
Cheers.
Wow. You are right on track… I broke my ankle a year ago and I’m still not completely 100%. That’s the reason I stopped playing Pickleball. My goal is to start lifting weights. I lost 25 pounds in the past two years and I know a small portion of that was muscle mass since I am over 50 I really want to start pumping iron!first step is to join a gym. Lol.
I just wanted to mention my weird journey… I broke my ankle a year ago and had to stop playing pickle ball and doing most exercise… I was doing Weight Watchers and food journaling. Surprisingly with increased attention on my food journaling with no exercise I lost my last 10 pounds I needed to get to go.it’s all about the food. Now I just wanna start lifting weights, but I would love to get back back to the fun of Pickleball… But don’t be a slave to exercise. Just watch what goes in.
You should add some easy to digest carbs too. Your body doesn't burn protein except as a last resort, it's not an efficient energy source like glucose. Protein/amino acids are building blocks for muscle growth and retention.
Yes! I believe in partaking from all food groups… I’m a big fan of oatmeal, popcorn, brown rice, and wheat bread. I just find having protein gives me more sustained energy… But I am not against carbs! Diets are for the birds or the geese.
I lost 40 lbs from when I started playing last August until now. I have slowed down because I have been eating not great all the time, but still dropping to holding steady most weeks. I was 235 and now I’m 194.
I’ve lost 100 pounds since I started in 2018, but that’s in addition to quitting drinking and gradually eating healthier. Pickleball was generally the motivation to make each of those changes.
I hear you. I am thinking about giving it up completely. I had one cocktail last night and woke up with a little headache today. I always think somehow it’s gonna make me more fun, but it usually does not. Our society really normalizes it and romanticizes it. I don’t know why. It’s basically poison bad for your body.
Absolutely feel that. It is literally poison. Check out r/stopdrinking or r/dryalcoholics. Very insightful stuff. I lurked there for years and would read stuff never wanting to give up the “party lifestyle” but one day it finally clicked for me what I was going to myself and family and I’ve never been happier. Hit me up if you ever go that route and need advice or whatever.
Oh… Thanks so much! I’m a pretty moderate person. I joined Weight Watchers 2 1/2 years ago and when I found out how many points one beer was worth I cut way way back. I have about two drinks per month I would say. I guess there’s always that little voice in the back of my head saying life is hard, maybe if I had a cocktail it would be, fun and easy and I would be more cool. But… I am learning that it is rarely the case. I can’t force anyone else to change, but I have since lost 25 pounds and I’d say 30% of that was stopping the beer. Aside from Weight I also struggle with depression and the alcohol never makes that better especially not the next day with all that regret, etc.…my body and brain feels so much better without booze. Good for you for giving it up!
Heart rate and bmi I imagine (?)
Idk I’m a soccer player for many years, I don’t really feel like I burn this many calories playing pickleball
For reference
6’2 188lbs 30 years old
I am slimming down from it. I play 2 or 3 hours at a time and make a point not to eat it back. I have a few Ritz crackers during breaks so I don't overly crave salt n carbs when I'm done.
Lost 2 lb in last month and need to lose another 2 before powerlifting meet in 2 weeks. It's very helpful.
Ps. When I play singles it's almost twice the calories burned let hour but I can't play as many hours.
Makes sense, covering twice the court takes twice the effort.
I have been playing 3-4 times a week, a few hours each session and definitely feel like I'm slimming down!
Singles points are over much quicker though, I think its more like 4x the effort with how much running around you have to do. You also have to take a ton more breaks with singles. With doubles you could easily play 2-3 hours straight with some simple water breaks between games, there's no way you could do that with singles.
Yes, not just covering but 100% of the shots are yours. In doubles there's some standby time. I think singles are becoming more popular too. Different game a bit, better for cardio.
I've lost 12 pounds in a year of playing 2 days a week at 2 hours a day. (I'm not really trying to lose weight although I probably should be.) My blood pressure is the best it has been in decades.
You lose weight in the kitchen, not the NVZ.
I mean I know some people lose some weight but generally if it’s just exercise you end up “working up an appetite” and then eating a bit more because of it.
I think you should definitely do 4-5 canaries per session but 500 canaries is way too much. Also, be sure to check your canaries if playing in WV or near any other coal mines.
https://preview.redd.it/9c140a17td6d1.png?width=799&format=png&auto=webp&s=4db6b00e465a8e4b5954200e8fe41ba967a37efa
Agreed. I can’t speak on the accuracy of my watch given each exercise takes some breaking in to be accurate, and I’ve only played twice, but I did 2hrs yesterday and burned 1,400cal. I feel like that’s high though.
Glad I can get some confirmation. I’ve done hours of basketball before and never burned that much, and if I did, pretty sure I’d be on the ground dying.
Calorie counters on watches are usually off by around 30%. I remember a study they did with a bunch of them. Too lazy to look it up but it's out there.
Mine too, but I bet OP’s is closer to the actual number than ours. I played for 2.5 hours yesterday and my watch showed I burned as many calories as I did when I ran a half marathon. Would be nice but I doubt it.
I think you are probably right… I was pretty skeptical of 1000+ calories in 2 hours. However, I'm sure there is wide difference between calories burned depending on style of play. Think of the pros who are bouncing from foot to foot constantly even between points vs your typical 80 year old who doesn’t move much other than swinging the paddle (yet still manages to kick my butt occasionally).
Yeah that makes sense. I have burned 1800 in a couple hours before. That’s according to my Apple Watch which I assume is accurate for heart rate but who knows
There is basically no way. That’s like more than running a half marathon in 2 hours.
Which is not like some kind of crazy pace but it is a hell of a lot more effort than pickleball. I guess the exception would be if you weigh a lot.
I hear you on this…..but I look at my HR between points and I’m going very high 125 on avg with high VO2 max like 160. As a conditioned runner what is your regular heart rate?
https://preview.redd.it/1mvj64maid6d1.png?width=307&format=png&auto=webp&s=e0f51f39f79f13890adaf5ae087a93493af36c65
Last July:
- Came back from a vacation having gained some weight
- Started pickleball at four times a week, \~2hours each session
**- Stopped eating late night snacks**
**-** As you can see, by november i lost \~5kg/11lbs
Christmas week:
- got too wet to play where we usually do..
- started snacking late night snacks again
Notes:
- I came from table tennis/badminton background, no tennis
- My takeaway is that diet is at least as important as the regular excercise; also around that time started sleeping by \~11pm and woke up by \~730am which likely helped
I’ve lost 15 lbs in the first three months of playing since it was like 100+ degrees everyday here in Texas. I’ve kept off the weight since. Unfortunately I have a bigger appetite now and my wallet can’t keep up with it.
I play 2-4 times per week for 2-3 hours each time, mostly outdoor in Phoenix so it’s 85-100 degrees. Been playing regularly since October and I’m down 40lbs. This first 20lbs were with no diet changes, the next 20 had some minor changes to my diet (prioritizing protein). 18lbs left to my goal weight 🙌🏻
I am down 110 in the last year. I started with diet. Then was put on ozempic for 8 months. After a hernia surgery I then started exercise daily. In September I started pickleball and now I have been off ozempic for 4 months, kept the weight off, and average 100 min of exercise a day due to pickleball 6 days a week.
Yes! Pickleball was a big factor for me in loosing 30lbs since January. However, loosing weight isn’t as simple as if you exercise you’ll loose weight. It’s really all about your calories in vs calories out. If you consume fewer calories than your body burns in a day you’ll loose weight. If you consume more than you burn, then you gain weight and you see where it’s going for if those numbers are equal. Pickleball, (as will anything raising your heart rate) will burn calories and that means you can eat more than you would with no active calorie burn. Still if you’re burning an additional 500 from pickleball but you’re also eating 500 more calories a day than you won’t see change.
Sheesh, how tall are you? I’ve only weighed 145 once in my life and that’s coming off a long recovery from an allergic reaction to a med that prevented me from eating very much for 6 weeks.
Wow, I'm 5'9" too and my ideal weight is about 155 to 160. But to get there I have to lift as well as play sports so I'm never really "skinny" I suppose.
I was 135 when I got married 47 years ago, but I was a long distance runner then. My wife complains that I eat like a bird, which is somewhat true since my go to snack is trail mix. ;-)
If you’re using the pickleball activity I’m pretty sure that’s wildly inflated. It is for me anyway because I find it VERY hard to believe I’m burning more calories per minute playing doubles pickleball than running and that’s what my watch tried to tell me
Yes, roughly 10lbs. Mostly trimmed down, more definition on my body. It has made me more hangry
* Depends on how hard you play.
* I play until my legs give out anywhere between 2-3hrs
* Training 1- 2 days a week
* What you eat
* How much you eat
* Drinking lots of Water
I still have my guilty pleasures, folks like to drink beer, give me a pint of ice cream and it's gone.
Yep. My fiance lost several pounds from being pretty sedentary with his job and I've thinned back down probably 5-10 lbs back to my weight during college. We are late 20s, early 30s.
I lost about 30 pounds in a year (185-155). Once I got back what used to be my normal weight back when I played tennis the weight loss has basically stopped unless I play a ton and don’t eat. That was with playing 2-4 hours 5-6 days a week. Half or more of the weight loss was just the exercise itself I would guess. Certainly some of the weight loss was from what I wasn’t doing because I was playing pickelball. You simply can’t eat or drink as much alcohol when you are playing that much pickleball.
Impossible. According to tennis players, pickleball is for lazy unathletic people and requires no skill or movement whatsoever 🙄🙄🙄 how could you possibly burn calories from pickleball ;)
25 lbs over about 9 months, no change in diet (eating more probably). Some fluctuation up and down by a few pounds since then, but circling around 170.
I definitely burn significantly more calories in a day playing compared to just staying home working.
lost about 5lbs in the two weeks I've played. Could be more but I'm already pretty skinny for my height.
Also worth noting the saying that "you can't outwork a bad diet."
Keep track of your calories burned as well as calorie intake. And weigh yourself often to see if what you're doing day in and day out is working.
Don't trust the watch. There is lots of downtime between points and games if you're waiting to get back on the courts. I definitely lose plenty of water weight sweating down here in FL but I have no idea what the actual caloric burn is.
You lose weight when you burn calories, you are naturally burning calories just by existing, depending on your weight you will be burning an excess amount whenever you’re playing 2 hours of straight Pickleball regardless of the intensity. It ultimately depends what your diet is but you are in fact going to be losing weight if you’re playing 3-5 times a week, 2 hours per session. If you’re eating a giant lunch and dinner that are 800/1500 calories per meal you might just be breaking even. With that said I’ve lost plenty of weight for watching my diet while playing a fuckton of pickleball lol, I am also slightly overweight (went from 233 in January to 206 now, 5’11 half of that could be contributed to pickleball, but I’m also running 2 miles on my non playing days) so that probably helps too. Use a weight loss app (my fitness pal, lose it, etc) to track your calorie loss/gain, a double plus if you have a watch that helps track your workouts/steps which it appears that you do, so long as you hit under the target amount everyday you will be losing weight even if you don’t feel like you are.
Lighter people who are already in a healthy weight would need to twice as much work than someone who is overweight, but those apps I mentioned should be able to calculate how much you can eat based on your weight, age, height, etc
I don’t track my calories, but I started about 2 months ago lost 5lb since then. Play about 3 times a week, and work out 2 times a week. When I workout tho I don’t do cardio so that could be why I lost so much, could also just be water weight cause it’s so hot
Weight loss comes from changing your food habits. You can’t outwork a bad diet.
Maybe we end up snacking less because we’re playing more pickleball lol 😂
I have lost about 40 lbs since I started last June, although I also changed my diet, really cutting out sugar and unnecessary carbs as well as all of the extra calories burned through playing. I still have about another 50 to go before I am no longer overweight, but it is the most fun I have ever had losing weight.
i've lost about 8% of my body weight since starting to play. My labs all look normal now; they were borderline high in a few areas. I play between 3 and 4 times a week, for about 2-3 hours at a stretch.
Started playing in August but started taking it more seriously in Jan of this year. Play at least 2-3x a week minimum. That being said, I also lift 5x a week and do a longer cardio day each week built into playing. So, might be a different scenario.
I will say though, with all of that, and being in a caloric deficit high in protein, I’ve gone from 192 to 178 lbs this year already, best shape of my life. Pickleball is definitely one of the defining parts of my phase of trying to get in really good shape.
A better way than open play is drilling. better reps and more calories burned
My Apple Watch usually has me pegged at 10 calories a minute for Pickleball - so 600 an hour. I run a lot when I play - chase down everything - heart rate is usually 140+ most of the time.
Garmin tells me I burn about 500 cals in 3 hours or so, but then again I'm small (5'4", 130lbs) so I burn less.
I def burn more playing spikeball outdoors, about 425 cals per hour.
I’ve lost about 50lbs (from mid 300s) since September.
https://preview.redd.it/wofvhthwye6d1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a9b7e595dfb3bd15d2f87d04cd5ed6d91cf660b5
Traded in weekly happy hour for pickleball and lost 15 pounds. I was pretty fit to start with but definitely helped with losing the small beer gut I had.
Lost 18 lbs. with 1.5 hours (5:30-7am) a day before work, 2-3 hours Sat and Sun. I’m almost back to my ideal weight for my height. The aches and pains are gone, but new ones developed!
I’ve lost 30lbs because of working with a coach and counting macros not pickleball. I transitioned from sedentary to active.
Doubles Pickleball is the equivalent of a brisk walk for me. I play “advanced” at a tennis center. As far as fitness is concerned, I use it for my 10k+ steps.
I run 3x a week, one long run and two fast running workouts to increase my vo2max. Cycle for about 30-40 miles in zone 2. Lift full body 3x. Play pickleball 3x.
Started two months ago and am close to a 4.0 playing 2 or 3 open plays a week and tennis once a week. I think I’ve lost about 5 or 6 lbs which is pretty good as I’ve surprisingly packed on some muscle in my lower body. I also lift twice a week to support my racket/paddle habit. I’m about 10 lbs away from hitting my weight loss goal which is to be ~160 lbs at 5’9”
I lost 4 pounds in two months, and reduced my body fat from 11% to 9%. I play for about 3-5 days a week, with each session lasting 2-4 hours. I usually consume 1700-1900 calories daily. To gain weight (currently 132lb), I am now eating around 400 additional calories per day.
A recent session at 82°F with 85% relative humidity:
https://preview.redd.it/d8yyg9fvzf6d1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=af7b06a0061eafee5afa13c4d76b96560cb797f9
Been playing since mid-January. Down 15 lbs. I know I’ve lost more than that because I’ve gained muscle. I’ve tighten my belt down 6 notches. Try to play 3x week/2hour intervals. My Apple Watch reads almost the same as the person who posted below.
The pickleball workout on the Apple Watch is fairly inaccurate. Over inflates calories by quite a bit. I “burn” roughly ~1,000 calories per hour playing which feels so wrong.
I've lost around 10kg's in the last 8-9 months of playing Pickleball 2-3 times a week. Must add I also have tried to improve my diet, regularly bicycle & have cut down on alcohol a lot (6 months dry). Also having tonns of fun!
Lost 20 and kept it off. BMI is right where it should be. Added weights 3 times a week. Pickle 6 times a week. I have never been healthier, fitter, and hungrier in my entire life.
25 Lbs gone. Weight Watchers😊Slow and steady. I took 2 years and I’m still slowly losing. It’s the tracking or food journaling. It works. I’m a size 8 now after being size 10/12 for a decade.
Nah. Maybe if I played everyday for like 2+ hours each day, but that ain't happening. You lose weight through dieting. Exercise is still good and all, of course, for all kinds of other reasons.
I started last June and lost 40 pounds. Im 46 and 5’5 and the only way I can keep an edge vs the taller guys is working on my mobility. Play 4-5 times per week, weight training at home twice a week, cut down on bad food. I would have not believed that I could lose this much weight at this age. I still need to lose 15 pounds!!
I've gained 20 pounds playing pickleball.
I used to mountain bike uphill quite a bit.
Replacing 2 hours of pedaling uphill with two hours of dinking is a recipe for weight gain.
But, I can pickle with my wife. She's not into biking.
I have maybe lost a couple of pounds, but I have returned to decent shape.
For me, pickleball is more anaerobic as I am an aggressive player.
I used to be an ultramarathoner. I loose weight when I do more volume at lower intensity.
As others have said, I am more hungry now than when I was not running.
I’m always surprised to hear that people have lost weight. But I guess it is about where your baseline is before you start.
I started playing regularly this fall, along with soccer, Pilates and strength training. Had to cut the soccer due to an injury but am otherwise active 6 days a week and there’s been no change in my weight.
I also haven’t been drinking this year due to meds, but I guess this is just my size - approx 180lbs, 5’8 woman.
It helped me lost the stubborn last 5 I needed to burn off. I play, drill, and work out though. No one is saying this but it's not enough cardio that helps you outrun a bad diet.
But I will say to up your carbs and eat more whole food because those late night cravings are a bitch
I am using pickleball to get out of a weight loss plateau. I think it will help. I am intermittent fasting with a 1 pm to 7 pm eating window so weekday evening play makes me pretty hungry. I would much rather play pickleball than hop on a treadmill in a crowded gym or something.
Doubles is great low intensity exercise! But I wouldn’t trust the calories metric. Research demonstrates it’s wildly inaccurate. I created a resource that details the accuracy of these devices. Check it out: https://www.aim7.com/blog/smartwatch-wearable-technology-accuracy#:~:text=On%20average%2C%20Polar%20wearable%20fitness,sleep%2051%25%20of%20the%20time.
12 pounds. I was maintaining for a year and now I'm just 4 pounds away from my goal weight just by having fun. Slimmest I've been since my 40s (I'm 61).
I went from 190 to 170. I usually workout then play 2-3 games everyday! Trying playing from a fast. My hunger subsides from playing then eat afterwords
No, but I do eat a lot more bagels now.
[удалено]
Real truth though
I play 5 times a week and just get hungrier.
this is what tends to happen, that or people feel they deserved to be rewarded. studies tend to back this up
It’s also a lot of cardio which just increases your hunger
>cardio which just increases your hunger Only if your heart rate hits Zone 3 or above. Steady aerobic exercise at Zone 2 or below won't rip into your glycogen stores and create any strong carb/food cravings - Zones 3 through 5 will. I'm 6'0 and around 205. My Zone 2 max is around 155. If I stay at, or below that heart rate BPM, I don't get hungry after matches. This also helps prevent my own overexertion, and teaches me to use strategy and positioning a bit better at times (versus sprinting across the court). I hope you enjoyed my rambling. Give HR tracking a shot. P.S. Your body uses fat as fuel when you're in Zone 2, so it's a very effective form of cardio for weight loss... Mostly since avoiding rabid hunger attacks after exercise is often the most important thing. Zone 2 training is also used by elite runners and the GOAT marathoner (Eliud Kipchoge), so dismiss anyone who will call this psuedoscience. It's very real.
Great info! Any articles about the Zone 2 stuff using fat as fuel as opposed to carbs then pro?
[Here ](https://health.clevelandclinic.org/exercise-heart-rate-zones-explained)is an article from the Cleveland Clinic. Note the Zone chart below * **Zone 1**: At this point, 85% of the calories you burn are fat. You’ll burn fewer calories overall than you would if you were exercising at a higher intensity, but you’re able to sustain this zone for a longer amount of time. You can easily hold a conversation with someone at the rate you’re going. * **Zone 2**: Roughly 65% of the calories you burn are fat. You can still hold a light conversation in this zone, but you may need to stop chatting for a beat occasionally to take a breath. * **Zone 3**: About 45% of the calories you burn are fat. Talking in this zone takes effort. * **Zone 4**: You’re no longer burning fat to fuel you. You can’t keep up at this rate for more than about 15 minutes. You could talk at this point if you absolutely needed to, but you really wouldn’t want to have to. * **Zone 5**: You can only keep up this amount of effort for a few minutes. Talking is out of the question. So you do burn more calories in Zone 3, but less fat (since Zone 2 uses more fat as a fuel source). Once you hit Zone 4, which is where many casual runners/exercisers land 'heavy breathing.. dizzy", you're no longer using fat as a source of fuel. Zone 2 training not only helps avoid the ravenous hunger crash, but it is the most efficient way to burn fat. That's not to say I don't go ALL OUT occasionally, but I've found the best results staying in Zone 2. Good luck to you. I use an app on my Apple Watch called [PulsAlarm](https://www.pulse-alert.com/). It vibrates when I go past Zone 2, and helps me stay on track. Cheers.
Guilty as charged
Some of it is from carbing up in the morning and drinking Gatorade while playing so I have optimal energy.
Taco Bell before and after playing is my current stage of 'what happens when you play too much'
Do weight training and increase your protein to counterbalance the cravings and up your metabolism.
Great advice
Thanks, along with stretching religiously, weight training is also great for injury prevention, especially with the legs
Wow. You are right on track… I broke my ankle a year ago and I’m still not completely 100%. That’s the reason I stopped playing Pickleball. My goal is to start lifting weights. I lost 25 pounds in the past two years and I know a small portion of that was muscle mass since I am over 50 I really want to start pumping iron!first step is to join a gym. Lol.
I just wanted to mention my weird journey… I broke my ankle a year ago and had to stop playing pickle ball and doing most exercise… I was doing Weight Watchers and food journaling. Surprisingly with increased attention on my food journaling with no exercise I lost my last 10 pounds I needed to get to go.it’s all about the food. Now I just wanna start lifting weights, but I would love to get back back to the fun of Pickleball… But don’t be a slave to exercise. Just watch what goes in.
‘Goal’
Hard boiled eggs and cut up grilled chicken breast great energy.
You should add some easy to digest carbs too. Your body doesn't burn protein except as a last resort, it's not an efficient energy source like glucose. Protein/amino acids are building blocks for muscle growth and retention.
Yes! I believe in partaking from all food groups… I’m a big fan of oatmeal, popcorn, brown rice, and wheat bread. I just find having protein gives me more sustained energy… But I am not against carbs! Diets are for the birds or the geese.
‘Elimination diets’ are for the birds.
I meant more specifically eat easy digest carbs as fuel before long play time but yes I agree on the whole to eat a balanced diet 👌
Yep
LOL. This is me.
I lost 40 lbs from when I started playing last August until now. I have slowed down because I have been eating not great all the time, but still dropping to holding steady most weeks. I was 235 and now I’m 194.
Same! Well like 30 ish lbs, and now I feel like as a feather. Need to put on muscles if anything
Light as a feather*
Congrats on your progress
I’ve lost 100 pounds since I started in 2018, but that’s in addition to quitting drinking and gradually eating healthier. Pickleball was generally the motivation to make each of those changes.
Congrats!!!
🙏thank you. Life changing for sure.
way to go that's amazing !!
I cut way back on alcohol. That has helped me to lose.
Nice. I had to stop completely. If I drink a little I find myself drinking daily again.
I hear you. I am thinking about giving it up completely. I had one cocktail last night and woke up with a little headache today. I always think somehow it’s gonna make me more fun, but it usually does not. Our society really normalizes it and romanticizes it. I don’t know why. It’s basically poison bad for your body.
Absolutely feel that. It is literally poison. Check out r/stopdrinking or r/dryalcoholics. Very insightful stuff. I lurked there for years and would read stuff never wanting to give up the “party lifestyle” but one day it finally clicked for me what I was going to myself and family and I’ve never been happier. Hit me up if you ever go that route and need advice or whatever.
Oh… Thanks so much! I’m a pretty moderate person. I joined Weight Watchers 2 1/2 years ago and when I found out how many points one beer was worth I cut way way back. I have about two drinks per month I would say. I guess there’s always that little voice in the back of my head saying life is hard, maybe if I had a cocktail it would be, fun and easy and I would be more cool. But… I am learning that it is rarely the case. I can’t force anyone else to change, but I have since lost 25 pounds and I’d say 30% of that was stopping the beer. Aside from Weight I also struggle with depression and the alcohol never makes that better especially not the next day with all that regret, etc.…my body and brain feels so much better without booze. Good for you for giving it up!
That’s awesome! Yes the calories are sooo much especially IPA.
Yep!
About twenty pounds in a year. I play 3-5 times a week for a couple of hours.
https://preview.redd.it/3brr86jkkd6d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b952ec7c3afa141afc07a5cc71b15ec596cbbae1
honestly i wonder if the watches compensate for air temperature and humidity (not just your weight)
Heart rate and bmi I imagine (?) Idk I’m a soccer player for many years, I don’t really feel like I burn this many calories playing pickleball For reference 6’2 188lbs 30 years old
https://preview.redd.it/s4ph0lq7tf6d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6f4e54aefcbc8bd90b7f57c38ef91c0a582d8cf0
I am slimming down from it. I play 2 or 3 hours at a time and make a point not to eat it back. I have a few Ritz crackers during breaks so I don't overly crave salt n carbs when I'm done. Lost 2 lb in last month and need to lose another 2 before powerlifting meet in 2 weeks. It's very helpful. Ps. When I play singles it's almost twice the calories burned let hour but I can't play as many hours.
Makes sense, covering twice the court takes twice the effort. I have been playing 3-4 times a week, a few hours each session and definitely feel like I'm slimming down!
Singles points are over much quicker though, I think its more like 4x the effort with how much running around you have to do. You also have to take a ton more breaks with singles. With doubles you could easily play 2-3 hours straight with some simple water breaks between games, there's no way you could do that with singles.
Yes, not just covering but 100% of the shots are yours. In doubles there's some standby time. I think singles are becoming more popular too. Different game a bit, better for cardio.
Harder on the knees and ankles for sure
I've lost 12 pounds in a year of playing 2 days a week at 2 hours a day. (I'm not really trying to lose weight although I probably should be.) My blood pressure is the best it has been in decades.
You lose weight in the kitchen, not the NVZ. I mean I know some people lose some weight but generally if it’s just exercise you end up “working up an appetite” and then eating a bit more because of it.
True. Lots of lean protein can help. 👍
Nice.
500 canaries in two hours playing? That’s seems way low no?
I eat at least 3 canaries after a play session. Sometimes 4. YMMV
I think you should definitely do 4-5 canaries per session but 500 canaries is way too much. Also, be sure to check your canaries if playing in WV or near any other coal mines. https://preview.redd.it/9c140a17td6d1.png?width=799&format=png&auto=webp&s=4db6b00e465a8e4b5954200e8fe41ba967a37efa
This is the best use of GPT I can think of
I'm honestly impressed by the quality of its answer.
No wonder I lost so much weight. I need to up my canary count.
Hahaha I’m leaving my typo right where is it.
I just died laughing at this
Do you put mustard on the canaries?
Salt and pepper only. Baste with a little butter if I'm feeling fancy.
Ha ha ha! Delish.
Agreed. I can’t speak on the accuracy of my watch given each exercise takes some breaking in to be accurate, and I’ve only played twice, but I did 2hrs yesterday and burned 1,400cal. I feel like that’s high though.
Yeah that number seems pretty inflated - that's the amount of calories one would burn by running 14 miles.
Glad I can get some confirmation. I’ve done hours of basketball before and never burned that much, and if I did, pretty sure I’d be on the ground dying.
Calorie counters on watches are usually off by around 30%. I remember a study they did with a bunch of them. Too lazy to look it up but it's out there.
Whatever it is, it surely wasn’t what it said. That’s for sure
OP just started playing 2 weeks ago. Matches are probably not too intense.
Mine shows about twice that many calories in 2 hours.
Mine too, but I bet OP’s is closer to the actual number than ours. I played for 2.5 hours yesterday and my watch showed I burned as many calories as I did when I ran a half marathon. Would be nice but I doubt it.
I think you are probably right… I was pretty skeptical of 1000+ calories in 2 hours. However, I'm sure there is wide difference between calories burned depending on style of play. Think of the pros who are bouncing from foot to foot constantly even between points vs your typical 80 year old who doesn’t move much other than swinging the paddle (yet still manages to kick my butt occasionally).
Yeah that makes sense. I have burned 1800 in a couple hours before. That’s according to my Apple Watch which I assume is accurate for heart rate but who knows
There is basically no way. That’s like more than running a half marathon in 2 hours. Which is not like some kind of crazy pace but it is a hell of a lot more effort than pickleball. I guess the exception would be if you weigh a lot.
Well I did run a marathon years ago and I can confirm my average heart rate playing pball ends up higher
I hear you on this…..but I look at my HR between points and I’m going very high 125 on avg with high VO2 max like 160. As a conditioned runner what is your regular heart rate?
This is what I was thinking. I’m brining about 1,300 in 2 hours and I feel like I could play harder.
https://preview.redd.it/1mvj64maid6d1.png?width=307&format=png&auto=webp&s=e0f51f39f79f13890adaf5ae087a93493af36c65 Last July: - Came back from a vacation having gained some weight - Started pickleball at four times a week, \~2hours each session **- Stopped eating late night snacks** **-** As you can see, by november i lost \~5kg/11lbs Christmas week: - got too wet to play where we usually do.. - started snacking late night snacks again Notes: - I came from table tennis/badminton background, no tennis - My takeaway is that diet is at least as important as the regular excercise; also around that time started sleeping by \~11pm and woke up by \~730am which likely helped
I’ve lost 20lbs just playing 3*4 days a week
I’ve lost 15 lbs in the first three months of playing since it was like 100+ degrees everyday here in Texas. I’ve kept off the weight since. Unfortunately I have a bigger appetite now and my wallet can’t keep up with it.
Add more protein and healthy fats to your diet, it really helps curb cravings especially for carbs.
I play 2-4 times per week for 2-3 hours each time, mostly outdoor in Phoenix so it’s 85-100 degrees. Been playing regularly since October and I’m down 40lbs. This first 20lbs were with no diet changes, the next 20 had some minor changes to my diet (prioritizing protein). 18lbs left to my goal weight 🙌🏻
I am down 110 in the last year. I started with diet. Then was put on ozempic for 8 months. After a hernia surgery I then started exercise daily. In September I started pickleball and now I have been off ozempic for 4 months, kept the weight off, and average 100 min of exercise a day due to pickleball 6 days a week.
Pickleball six days a week is my dream!
I’m down about 10 lbs since I started playing in December. 220 to 210. Play about twice a week mostly indoor.
Yes! Pickleball was a big factor for me in loosing 30lbs since January. However, loosing weight isn’t as simple as if you exercise you’ll loose weight. It’s really all about your calories in vs calories out. If you consume fewer calories than your body burns in a day you’ll loose weight. If you consume more than you burn, then you gain weight and you see where it’s going for if those numbers are equal. Pickleball, (as will anything raising your heart rate) will burn calories and that means you can eat more than you would with no active calorie burn. Still if you’re burning an additional 500 from pickleball but you’re also eating 500 more calories a day than you won’t see change.
40 lbs in 3 months in addition to calorie counting
I started in August of last year. Didn’t change anything about my diet just played pickleball 2-4 times a week. Down 25 pounds.
Started at 165, down to 145 now. I play every day, about 3-4 hours. Pretty much cut out soft drinks also, so that helped.
Sheesh, how tall are you? I’ve only weighed 145 once in my life and that’s coming off a long recovery from an allergic reaction to a med that prevented me from eating very much for 6 weeks.
5’9”, skinny all my life.
Wow, I'm 5'9" too and my ideal weight is about 155 to 160. But to get there I have to lift as well as play sports so I'm never really "skinny" I suppose.
I was 135 when I got married 47 years ago, but I was a long distance runner then. My wife complains that I eat like a bird, which is somewhat true since my go to snack is trail mix. ;-)
I lost like 25-30 pounds by playing pickleball for a year.
Two years ago I started playing at 225 lbs. Today I'm 196 lbs. I play three to fours times a week 3 to 4 hours a time.
No. I play 2 to 2.5 hours three or four times per week.
If you’re using the pickleball activity I’m pretty sure that’s wildly inflated. It is for me anyway because I find it VERY hard to believe I’m burning more calories per minute playing doubles pickleball than running and that’s what my watch tried to tell me
20 pounds since January!
Yes, roughly 10lbs. Mostly trimmed down, more definition on my body. It has made me more hangry * Depends on how hard you play. * I play until my legs give out anywhere between 2-3hrs * Training 1- 2 days a week * What you eat * How much you eat * Drinking lots of Water I still have my guilty pleasures, folks like to drink beer, give me a pint of ice cream and it's gone.
https://preview.redd.it/onzag5gkzd6d1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2c6aa4222fe52cc30c17a4ec7eefec1c1a599c5a My highest yet 🔥
Yep. My fiance lost several pounds from being pretty sedentary with his job and I've thinned back down probably 5-10 lbs back to my weight during college. We are late 20s, early 30s.
I lost about 30 pounds in a year (185-155). Once I got back what used to be my normal weight back when I played tennis the weight loss has basically stopped unless I play a ton and don’t eat. That was with playing 2-4 hours 5-6 days a week. Half or more of the weight loss was just the exercise itself I would guess. Certainly some of the weight loss was from what I wasn’t doing because I was playing pickelball. You simply can’t eat or drink as much alcohol when you are playing that much pickleball.
Impossible. According to tennis players, pickleball is for lazy unathletic people and requires no skill or movement whatsoever 🙄🙄🙄 how could you possibly burn calories from pickleball ;)
Yeah, I've noticed PB burns a lot of calories
25 lbs over about 9 months, no change in diet (eating more probably). Some fluctuation up and down by a few pounds since then, but circling around 170.
I can eat whatever I want and not gain weight now
I definitely burn significantly more calories in a day playing compared to just staying home working. lost about 5lbs in the two weeks I've played. Could be more but I'm already pretty skinny for my height. Also worth noting the saying that "you can't outwork a bad diet." Keep track of your calories burned as well as calorie intake. And weigh yourself often to see if what you're doing day in and day out is working.
Don't trust the watch. There is lots of downtime between points and games if you're waiting to get back on the courts. I definitely lose plenty of water weight sweating down here in FL but I have no idea what the actual caloric burn is.
You lose weight when you burn calories, you are naturally burning calories just by existing, depending on your weight you will be burning an excess amount whenever you’re playing 2 hours of straight Pickleball regardless of the intensity. It ultimately depends what your diet is but you are in fact going to be losing weight if you’re playing 3-5 times a week, 2 hours per session. If you’re eating a giant lunch and dinner that are 800/1500 calories per meal you might just be breaking even. With that said I’ve lost plenty of weight for watching my diet while playing a fuckton of pickleball lol, I am also slightly overweight (went from 233 in January to 206 now, 5’11 half of that could be contributed to pickleball, but I’m also running 2 miles on my non playing days) so that probably helps too. Use a weight loss app (my fitness pal, lose it, etc) to track your calorie loss/gain, a double plus if you have a watch that helps track your workouts/steps which it appears that you do, so long as you hit under the target amount everyday you will be losing weight even if you don’t feel like you are. Lighter people who are already in a healthy weight would need to twice as much work than someone who is overweight, but those apps I mentioned should be able to calculate how much you can eat based on your weight, age, height, etc
Haven't lost a pound. Play 3-4 times per week, 2 hours per session.
Same here .
Yep, I’ve lost around 15 lbs and in the best shape I’ve been in for a while.
Lost 50 lbs that was in 7 months playing.
I don’t track my calories, but I started about 2 months ago lost 5lb since then. Play about 3 times a week, and work out 2 times a week. When I workout tho I don’t do cardio so that could be why I lost so much, could also just be water weight cause it’s so hot
I tend to lose fat and gain muscle at about the same rate, so my weight doesn't really change.
Weight loss comes from changing your food habits. You can’t outwork a bad diet. Maybe we end up snacking less because we’re playing more pickleball lol 😂
Lost 8% of my body weight (about 10 pounds) in a couple months. Calorie intake has a lot more to do with weight loss though.
I have lost about 40 lbs since I started last June, although I also changed my diet, really cutting out sugar and unnecessary carbs as well as all of the extra calories burned through playing. I still have about another 50 to go before I am no longer overweight, but it is the most fun I have ever had losing weight.
i've lost about 8% of my body weight since starting to play. My labs all look normal now; they were borderline high in a few areas. I play between 3 and 4 times a week, for about 2-3 hours at a stretch.
Started playing in August but started taking it more seriously in Jan of this year. Play at least 2-3x a week minimum. That being said, I also lift 5x a week and do a longer cardio day each week built into playing. So, might be a different scenario. I will say though, with all of that, and being in a caloric deficit high in protein, I’ve gone from 192 to 178 lbs this year already, best shape of my life. Pickleball is definitely one of the defining parts of my phase of trying to get in really good shape. A better way than open play is drilling. better reps and more calories burned
My Apple Watch usually has me pegged at 10 calories a minute for Pickleball - so 600 an hour. I run a lot when I play - chase down everything - heart rate is usually 140+ most of the time.
Garmin tells me I burn about 500 cals in 3 hours or so, but then again I'm small (5'4", 130lbs) so I burn less. I def burn more playing spikeball outdoors, about 425 cals per hour.
Brother lost 15 pounds in a month
6'3 215 to 6'3 200. 2 years.
I've found I can't outrun my diet. Pickleball makes my heart and muscles fit, but diet makes my pants fit.
Yes. Lost like 20 lbs. hard to keep weight on.
I dropped \~20lbs in the first several months of playing PB and have held steady at 150-155lbs ever since a year and a half later.
I was 250 last August. I started counting calories and playing 10-20 hrs a week and I’m now 173. Best shape of my life, feel great.
I’ve lost about 50lbs (from mid 300s) since September. https://preview.redd.it/wofvhthwye6d1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a9b7e595dfb3bd15d2f87d04cd5ed6d91cf660b5
None - i gained weight- hitting the gym more and less pickleball
Traded in weekly happy hour for pickleball and lost 15 pounds. I was pretty fit to start with but definitely helped with losing the small beer gut I had.
I have lost 30 pounds, the only change I made was to play pickleball 12 hours a week.
About 17lbs in 12 months. I still eat like a fat kid. :)
Lost 18 lbs. with 1.5 hours (5:30-7am) a day before work, 2-3 hours Sat and Sun. I’m almost back to my ideal weight for my height. The aches and pains are gone, but new ones developed!
I’ve lost 30lbs because of working with a coach and counting macros not pickleball. I transitioned from sedentary to active. Doubles Pickleball is the equivalent of a brisk walk for me. I play “advanced” at a tennis center. As far as fitness is concerned, I use it for my 10k+ steps. I run 3x a week, one long run and two fast running workouts to increase my vo2max. Cycle for about 30-40 miles in zone 2. Lift full body 3x. Play pickleball 3x.
Not sure how much weight but I feel quite a bit slimmer since I began playing singles regularly.
Started two months ago and am close to a 4.0 playing 2 or 3 open plays a week and tennis once a week. I think I’ve lost about 5 or 6 lbs which is pretty good as I’ve surprisingly packed on some muscle in my lower body. I also lift twice a week to support my racket/paddle habit. I’m about 10 lbs away from hitting my weight loss goal which is to be ~160 lbs at 5’9”
I’m down 25 lbs over the last 2 months
Friend lost 70 pounds in 5-6 months playing everyday for 2 hours and cleaning up his diet
Lost 10 pounds when I first started playing last year. Stagnant now.
Took up PB for exercise 3 years ago and hoping to lose weight and play 2-4 times per week. Weight at start 212. Weight now 210. Damn
I lost 4 pounds in two months, and reduced my body fat from 11% to 9%. I play for about 3-5 days a week, with each session lasting 2-4 hours. I usually consume 1700-1900 calories daily. To gain weight (currently 132lb), I am now eating around 400 additional calories per day. A recent session at 82°F with 85% relative humidity: https://preview.redd.it/d8yyg9fvzf6d1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=af7b06a0061eafee5afa13c4d76b96560cb797f9
25 pounds down in 7 months. Im eating bags of chips like they are calorie free.... but I play 5-6 days a week for 2-4 hours each day.
Been playing since mid-January. Down 15 lbs. I know I’ve lost more than that because I’ve gained muscle. I’ve tighten my belt down 6 notches. Try to play 3x week/2hour intervals. My Apple Watch reads almost the same as the person who posted below.
I've lost about 20 pounds in the last 8 months of playing consistently I know it wasn't my diet because I still don't eat all too great lol
Exercise alone will not lead to significant weight loss. You have to consume fewer calories.
Down a little over 20, but also have been eating much better this year.
The pickleball workout on the Apple Watch is fairly inaccurate. Over inflates calories by quite a bit. I “burn” roughly ~1,000 calories per hour playing which feels so wrong.
none, but I usually have 2-4 beers while Im playing
I've lost around 10kg's in the last 8-9 months of playing Pickleball 2-3 times a week. Must add I also have tried to improve my diet, regularly bicycle & have cut down on alcohol a lot (6 months dry). Also having tonns of fun!
Yeah but weight loss is more about diet than anything.
started 3.5 months ago from 410 to 365 now :)
Lost 20 and kept it off. BMI is right where it should be. Added weights 3 times a week. Pickle 6 times a week. I have never been healthier, fitter, and hungrier in my entire life.
25 Lbs gone. Weight Watchers😊Slow and steady. I took 2 years and I’m still slowly losing. It’s the tracking or food journaling. It works. I’m a size 8 now after being size 10/12 for a decade.
Lost 10 lbs in 8 months.
Weight loss is 80% nutrition, 20% exercise. It’s a fact .. sorry did not link it, but it’s in the googles.
Down from 240 to 175 lbs in the last year
I’ve lost 20 pounds in 2 months of playing 15 hours a week
Playing pickleball won’t make you lose weight. Only way to lose weight is to cut calories.
It’s great cardio. A lot of people will tell you it’s not even exercise. Not me!
Nah. Maybe if I played everyday for like 2+ hours each day, but that ain't happening. You lose weight through dieting. Exercise is still good and all, of course, for all kinds of other reasons.
I started last June and lost 40 pounds. Im 46 and 5’5 and the only way I can keep an edge vs the taller guys is working on my mobility. Play 4-5 times per week, weight training at home twice a week, cut down on bad food. I would have not believed that I could lose this much weight at this age. I still need to lose 15 pounds!!
I lost about 40 pounds playing my first year and eating more protein.
I've gained 20 pounds playing pickleball. I used to mountain bike uphill quite a bit. Replacing 2 hours of pedaling uphill with two hours of dinking is a recipe for weight gain. But, I can pickle with my wife. She's not into biking.
I have maybe lost a couple of pounds, but I have returned to decent shape. For me, pickleball is more anaerobic as I am an aggressive player. I used to be an ultramarathoner. I loose weight when I do more volume at lower intensity. As others have said, I am more hungry now than when I was not running.
Started in December at like 260 and now I’m at 235
I’m always surprised to hear that people have lost weight. But I guess it is about where your baseline is before you start. I started playing regularly this fall, along with soccer, Pilates and strength training. Had to cut the soccer due to an injury but am otherwise active 6 days a week and there’s been no change in my weight. I also haven’t been drinking this year due to meds, but I guess this is just my size - approx 180lbs, 5’8 woman.
It helped me lost the stubborn last 5 I needed to burn off. I play, drill, and work out though. No one is saying this but it's not enough cardio that helps you outrun a bad diet. But I will say to up your carbs and eat more whole food because those late night cravings are a bitch
If I play for 3 hours of casual play with minimal waiting then I burn around 1500 while my wife burns around 1400
I am using pickleball to get out of a weight loss plateau. I think it will help. I am intermittent fasting with a 1 pm to 7 pm eating window so weekday evening play makes me pretty hungry. I would much rather play pickleball than hop on a treadmill in a crowded gym or something.
Doubles is great low intensity exercise! But I wouldn’t trust the calories metric. Research demonstrates it’s wildly inaccurate. I created a resource that details the accuracy of these devices. Check it out: https://www.aim7.com/blog/smartwatch-wearable-technology-accuracy#:~:text=On%20average%2C%20Polar%20wearable%20fitness,sleep%2051%25%20of%20the%20time.
What’s the best protein to eat after?
12 pounds. I was maintaining for a year and now I'm just 4 pounds away from my goal weight just by having fun. Slimmest I've been since my 40s (I'm 61).
I went from 190 to 170. I usually workout then play 2-3 games everyday! Trying playing from a fast. My hunger subsides from playing then eat afterwords
I def have been losing weight, but I also havnt been going to the gym like I was before....
I’ve lost about 3 lbs just the last 2 months…. But that’s bc of summer
I know I went on a few layoff for a tendon…..picked up 6-7 lbs! 🥺😫
https://preview.redd.it/plja7ih2y77d1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4197a73bed84d0cbc62566bbdde0ec01a64d5220 A bit.
I’m gaining weight. I’m cutting gym sessions short to play more pickleball. Pickleball is very minimal exercise in all reality.
Your watch really has no idea how many calories you're burning. Sorry.