Weight Loss Through Walking..Should I even bother?
Replies
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The key is finding something you can stick with. Walking will help but it will go "faster" if you are also eating at a deficit. Find a plan and keep going, it is slow but slow is better than fast as you will be able to maintain your loss for a low time if it is slow.1
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Sorry, but you do have to weigh everything. And make sure you are accurately as best as possuble counting your walking burn. Fast walk, 4 mph, = about .53 x your weight. You might try recalculating your weight loss goal based on your lower weight, too. Once I dropped 30 pounds I had to recalibrate and eat even less.
This is correct. You don't need to weigh everything. You just need to keep track of it - even the "just one bite" of something.
I have lost 127 pounds now without weighing one single bite of food. Not a bite.1 -
seekingdaintiness wrote: »Regardless of your weight, walking is good for your heart. People have made a terrible error in thinking exercise is for weight loss. It isn't. Exercise is for cardiovascular health. Your diet is the determining factor of your weight to an 80% margin. Lower your calorie intake by 10% or 100 calories a day and DO be strict about logging daily. You WILL see a difference in your weight.
this is completely true. Although i really hate that 80/20 thing people always talk about.
Calorie intake determines weight.
Macronutrient intake determines body composition.
micronutrient intake determines nutrition.
(which are all equally important)
And exercise determines physical fitness, strength, agility, speed, balance, and more. As i said in my post above and just like you said a certain amount of exercise is needed just for general cardiovascular health (without any of the other aspects).
IMO- We should look at diet being 100% important and exercise being 100% important as an outlook on our overall quality of life. But that's just my 2 cents5 -
Is walking good? Yes! If you're able to walk 4-5 days a week that is great. Any amount of additional physical activity you can put into your day is beneficial.
There is no magic though. Eat at a caloric deficit and you will lose weight. If you haven't lost weight then it is because your logging is inaccurate. You're overestimating your expenditure and underestimating your intake.
I personally don't like to include the calories you "earn" back from exercising. If you base your calculations based on your intake you will have the most conservative estimates.
If you calculate accurately what your intake is every day and you eat at a deficit every day you will lose weight.
Also you mentioned you had previously dropped from 215 to 185. Thats great. But you need to understand that a 30lb drop means your maintenance is also lower. It also means you need to eat less than you were before or you need to increase your energy expenditure just to maintain. This is why most people plateau. As you lose more and more weight you need to eat less as your daily maintenance also decreases.2 -
rainbowbow wrote: »seekingdaintiness wrote: »Regardless of your weight, walking is good for your heart. People have made a terrible error in thinking exercise is for weight loss. It isn't. Exercise is for cardiovascular health. Your diet is the determining factor of your weight to an 80% margin. Lower your calorie intake by 10% or 100 calories a day and DO be strict about logging daily. You WILL see a difference in your weight.
this is completely true. Although i really hate that 80/20 thing people always talk about.
Calorie intake determines weight.
Macronutrient intake determines body composition.
micronutrient intake determines nutrition.
(which are all equally important)
And exercise determines physical fitness, strength, agility, speed, balance, and more. As i said in my post above and just like you said a certain amount of exercise is needed just for general cardiovascular health (without any of the other aspects).
IMO- We should look at diet being 100% important and exercise being 100% important as an outlook on our overall quality of life. But that's just my 2 cents
Yeah exactly. Stopping walking would be bad and she would gain back some weight slowly without changing her diet. But also walking, regardless of weight, is an awesome form of exercise for the heart, lungs, and general well-being like mental and otherwise. It's kind of a good maintenance weight-control thing. But largely to control the weight or bring it down food needs to be addressed.3 -
@krichard08
I took the liberty to do a bit of <snipping> . Keeping the positives in your post may help you move forward instead of staying stuck and unhappy.krichard08 wrote: »Thanks everyone. I had been thinking I have to pull out the food scale. You are right..krichard08 wrote: »Hi All,
I have been on this weight loss journey for quite some time now. I started at 215 lbs. a few years ago and managed to go down to 185 counting every single calorie and to try and use a common sense approach.
I started brisk walking on my lunch breaks at work because I knew it was a routine that I could easily keep. I have an hour lunch break and I typically eat within the first 15 minutes and walk for the remaining 45 minutes. In that time I am averaging 3 miles. I do this every day M-F that it doesn't rain, and when it does rain, I take it to the treadmill that evening instead.
my calories I am tracking them and log it in my diary.
I need to go back to counting out every single thing that I put in my mouth
I Should keep up with the walking...
What a great post, way to keep it positive! Working to keep a positive mind set makes all the difference in the world. Even if someways we don't wake up positive we have the power to change that. We can wake up and start out our day in which ever way we choose! Yes, we have that power, it's ours to use to help or to hinder our path in life!
I find weighing (dry foods) and measuring (liquids) rather fun & quite empowering as it helps me reach my goals and I know if something goes array it's not my food intake. Unless of course I'm not in a deficit, perhaps thinking of it that way will put a positive spin on this whole experience as you start fresh! :happy:
You shared things haven't worked in the past, oh but they have! You've lost weight and kept it off that is HUGE, many don't keep it off and come back and restart and have to start from the beginning. Which is great that they know to come here because we all know it works.
Give yourself a HUGE Pat on the back for keeping the weight off and checking back in.
Edit:
Some will share they don't track their food, I prefer tracking mine as do others on here for accuracy. Different stroke for different folks I guess. The thing about tracking is if one remains at the same weight and is working out and feels they are stuck they can look over the calorie intake in their food diary and spot the problem right away.
Instead of wondering why they aren't losing and wondering if they have to starve themselves. They think the problem is within when it's not. It's the food intake and find they are often taking far more food in than they had thought.
You come here in frustration and looking for help, we'd love to help! From what you've shared the only thing left to suggest is monitor your food by looking closely at your intake. What works is weighing and measuring and if you don't want to do that long term that's of course your choice.
But when a person is stuck it's the best place to start looking!4 -
OP, you don't need to weigh everything that goes into your mouth if you find it tedious. You will fail if you are forcing yourself.
Instead, you can put your effort into rationalizing, realizing that you DON'T HAVE to eat when you are feeling fine. Feeling a bit of empty, craving is fine. You literally cannot run into any health issue (assuming you're healthy in the first place), let alone starve, if your bathroom scale shows an average loss of 2 lbs / week.
You can undereat or overeat by a few hundred calories in a day but the overall in a week should be under which isn't difficult to "count". The whole challenge in dieting is finding the willpower (or specifically in my case finding strategies) to eat less. Get in touch with the people in this place who could manage to eat less (eg 300 in the AM) and function all day until dinner. Learn their strategies.1 -
This isn't even my post and I have found everyone's advice very helpful! It's smart to think of weight loss coming from what you eat and exercise for health and strength.4
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Kelly_2013 wrote: »This isn't even my post and I have found everyone's advice very helpful! It's smart to think of weight loss coming from what you eat and exercise for health and strength.
I know, right? It's reintegrating the power of keeping the focus on it for me too! That's what's so great about this Community. You can be reading or responding to someone and realizing how important the basics really are, more so than you already did. I think telling someone else really puts in even more perspective within ourselves.2 -
krichard08 wrote: »I asked the question whether walking is worth it or not because it is really the only thing that I can manage right now. I have 2 small children and an elderly parent that I take care of 24 hours a day so sneaking in time to exercise is tough and this was manageable because I am at work anyway and have the time to do it. If it's not going to do anything for me to help achieve my goals, then I would be wasting my time. I realize that I am not going to lose weight quickly. I have been maintaining for 2 years NOT taken 2 years off. I agree that I need to start counting calories and tracking them more closely. This was really a question about walking being an effective enough weight loss tool to go along with that rather than the workout DVDs that I have or the weight training that I used to do before Mom was moved in with me. I appreciate the feedback.
To get to the heart of it, walking is NOT a waste of time. It's physical activity. It burns calories, gets you out of your seat, gives you some quiet time to think, if you go outside you get sunshine and it can boost your energy and your mood. I love walking, and wouldn't give it up.6 -
For health, exercise is important. My motto is: something is better than nothing. If walking is something you can keep doing, then do it.2
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Though, gotta resist the thought of "Oh I walked for almost an hour today, I can eat this 300 cal cookie... x2 .... x3 ......... surely I burned at least that since I jogged instead of walked"2
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Ok here's my short story
Tracked everything. Lower carb and sugars, walked lots 35 lbs came off and I met my first goal.
Became more casual with tracking calories and walking over last month, very little loss in weight and so I'm going back to upping the walking and tracking everything I eat.
I have at least another 15 lbs to lose (at least that's my next goal and then we will see could go even lower.)2 -
OP, with what you're dealing with, I'm going to suggest you stick with walking (or some other out of the office activity) for no other reason than to have some 'me' time. No work, no taking care of anyone else but yourself. I think you will find it valuable for that reason alone.4
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Walking is good for the brains too:
http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/walking-helps-us-think
Don't underestimate this, it's a brilliant way to unwind, let your thoughts roam free, de-stress.5 -
I mostly walked during my weight loss. It really comes down to diet in the end though, but being on your feet more is always a good thing.1
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Thank you so much everyone for weighing in!! Pardon the pun..lol. In all seriousness... I posted because I am so frustrated but also knowing that I have to start from square one. I need to go back to day one as if I have never lost that original 30 lbs. and like I am starting from scratch. All in..2
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My opinion on walking is that, while it doesn't burn a ton of calories, it's good for my body regardless. Also, while I'm walking, I'm not snacking. And finally, after I've put some effort into my health at the gym or by walking, I'm better at keeping to my food goals. It makes me not want to undo the work I've done.2
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Hearts_2015 wrote: »@krichard08
I took the liberty to do a bit of <snipping> . Keeping the positives in your post may help you move forward instead of staying stuck and unhappy.krichard08 wrote: »Thanks everyone. I had been thinking I have to pull out the food scale. You are right..krichard08 wrote: »Hi All,
I have been on this weight loss journey for quite some time now. I started at 215 lbs. a few years ago and managed to go down to 185 counting every single calorie and to try and use a common sense approach.
I started brisk walking on my lunch breaks at work because I knew it was a routine that I could easily keep. I have an hour lunch break and I typically eat within the first 15 minutes and walk for the remaining 45 minutes. In that time I am averaging 3 miles. I do this every day M-F that it doesn't rain, and when it does rain, I take it to the treadmill that evening instead.
my calories I am tracking them and log it in my diary.
I need to go back to counting out every single thing that I put in my mouth
I Should keep up with the walking...
What a great post, way to keep it positive! Working to keep a positive mind set makes all the difference in the world. Even if someways we don't wake up positive we have the power to change that. We can wake up and start out our day in which ever way we choose! Yes, we have that power, it's ours to use to help or to hinder our path in life!
I find weighing (dry foods) and measuring (liquids) rather fun & quite empowering as it helps me reach my goals and I know if something goes array it's not my food intake. Unless of course I'm not in a deficit, perhaps thinking of it that way will put a positive spin on this whole experience as you start fresh! :happy:
You shared things haven't worked in the past, oh but they have! You've lost weight and kept it off that is HUGE, many don't keep it off and come back and restart and have to start from the beginning. Which is great that they know to come here because we all know it works.
Give yourself a HUGE Pat on the back for keeping the weight off and checking back in.
Edit:
Some will share they don't track their food, I prefer tracking mine as do others on here for accuracy. Different stroke for different folks I guess. The thing about tracking is if one remains at the same weight and is working out and feels they are stuck they can look over the calorie intake in their food diary and spot the problem right away.
Instead of wondering why they aren't losing and wondering if they have to starve themselves. They think the problem is within when it's not. It's the food intake and find they are often taking far more food in than they had thought.
You come here in frustration and looking for help, we'd love to help! From what you've shared the only thing left to suggest is monitor your food by looking closely at your intake. What works is weighing and measuring and if you don't want to do that long term that's of course your choice.
But when a person is stuck it's the best place to start looking!
This ^^1 -
Hey, I first wanted to tell you that I'm so proud of your weight loss! I know that it's not easy, especially when you reach a plateau. I think the walking is great if you enjoy doing it. My mom lost 25 pounds by just walking and gradually walking farther when she felt up to it. However, I would every once in a while add a new work out in cause sometimes my body gets used to one workout and once I change it up a bit, I see more results on the scale. Keep up the great work!2
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I find walking makes a small but significant difference to my calorie allowance which, as an average height, sedentary woman, tends to be a bit too low for comfort. Even a mile a day makes a noticeable difference in how much I can eat. I've really noticed it this last while because of a knee injury which has limited how much walking I can do - it's made it much harder to stick to my goals, and life on a weight loss plan will be much easier once I'm back to full mobility.
So don't give up walking. It will also be good for your sanity and mood, as it sounds like you're going through a stressful time.2 -
Hearts_2015 wrote: »@krichard08
I took the liberty to do a bit of <snipping> . Keeping the positives in your post may help you move forward instead of staying stuck and unhappy.krichard08 wrote: »Thanks everyone. I had been thinking I have to pull out the food scale. You are right..krichard08 wrote: »Hi All,
I have been on this weight loss journey for quite some time now. I started at 215 lbs. a few years ago and managed to go down to 185 counting every single calorie and to try and use a common sense approach.
I started brisk walking on my lunch breaks at work because I knew it was a routine that I could easily keep. I have an hour lunch break and I typically eat within the first 15 minutes and walk for the remaining 45 minutes. In that time I am averaging 3 miles. I do this every day M-F that it doesn't rain, and when it does rain, I take it to the treadmill that evening instead.
my calories I am tracking them and log it in my diary.
I need to go back to counting out every single thing that I put in my mouth
I Should keep up with the walking...
What a great post, way to keep it positive! Working to keep a positive mind set makes all the difference in the world. Even if someways we don't wake up positive we have the power to change that. We can wake up and start out our day in which ever way we choose! Yes, we have that power, it's ours to use to help or to hinder our path in life!
I find weighing (dry foods) and measuring (liquids) rather fun & quite empowering as it helps me reach my goals and I know if something goes array it's not my food intake. Unless of course I'm not in a deficit, perhaps thinking of it that way will put a positive spin on this whole experience as you start fresh! :happy:
You shared things haven't worked in the past, oh but they have! You've lost weight and kept it off that is HUGE, many don't keep it off and come back and restart and have to start from the beginning. Which is great that they know to come here because we all know it works.
Give yourself a HUGE Pat on the back for keeping the weight off and checking back in.
Edit:
Some will share they don't track their food, I prefer tracking mine as do others on here for accuracy. Different stroke for different folks I guess. The thing about tracking is if one remains at the same weight and is working out and feels they are stuck they can look over the calorie intake in their food diary and spot the problem right away.
Instead of wondering why they aren't losing and wondering if they have to starve themselves. They think the problem is within when it's not. It's the food intake and find they are often taking far more food in than they had thought.
You come here in frustration and looking for help, we'd love to help! From what you've shared the only thing left to suggest is monitor your food by looking closely at your intake. What works is weighing and measuring and if you don't want to do that long term that's of course your choice.
But when a person is stuck it's the best place to start looking!
Just wanted to point out, as a non-tracker, lol, that if one finds oneself stuck, if you've been meticulously logging, you still might not find the problem right away (ferreting out inaccuracies in the database comes to mind). If you haven't been tracking, all you have to do is start. I was lucky (?) enough not to need to weigh and measure food, but it is a tool that is still available to me if ever I find eating low carb ceases to be enough to maintain my ideal weight.
2 -
Walking is an awesome way to help maintain and/or lose weight. Once I had been walking on a regular and steady base, I added arm weights to my walk. That way I was adding muscle and getting a better work out.1
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Walking is my main exercise but only shifts pounds if I keep my calories way down around 1200. Otherwise -as happened a few years ago- I unconsciously ate up all the calories I burned walking 2-3 hours a day.
All healthy foods but I very gradually put back 50 of the 60 pounds I'd lost. This time, I'm walking a bit less but logging daily and its staying off.
I hope this is some way useful for you.2 -
I know many people will say walking is not a "work out", however, I will have to argue. I was 215lbs about 5-6 years ago. I have never set foot in a gym to work out, I am unable to follow routines such as programs in front of my TV or computer. I had a treadmill and used that for the first year or so, got bored with that and sold it. I took up walking and hiking outside. I have successfully lost 100 lbs, and for the most part kept it off for the last 2+ years. I done no other workouts but walking. My walks were all at least an hour, many times more, and as fast as I could handle walking. I wore a heart rate monitor, and used that for an estimated cal burn. Some walks burned more than others, anywhere from 250-600 cals. Hiking, of course, burned a little more than that. No fancy equipment, no gym fees, no jumping around my living room. I have to agree with some of the above comments that if you aren't losing you need to look at your diet. If you are looking for weightloss, you will need to track your calories. It is a tedious task, but one that is worthwhile when you begin to see results. It do take time, after all you didn't gain it all overnight, so it will take a while to come back off.7
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Almost 90 lbs down here in just under 5 months with walking as my primary exercise...yes, you should bother.3
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I don't post here often, but walking does work. I used excuses (SAHM of 3 kids age 6 and under), the weather (97 degrees in 100% humidity), just being busy in general. I tried jogging, but got an Achilles' tendon injury after some idiot teenager ran me off the road - there went 6 months.
Finally got sick of being stuck at the same weight for three years - can't blame that on pregnancy weight at that point - but realistically knew the following:
1. If I was going to exercise, it had to be in the mornings, it's too hot here after noon.
2. I had to find a way to do this, WHILE having three little kids with me.
3. The gym was out - it's fairly pricey, and I didn't want an added expense.
So, I started walking, while pushing three kids in a double stroller + attached glide board. I look ridiculous. People literally gape as I walk by, but my kids are adorable and polite, so they wave at everyone who passes like they're the Queen of England. This started after a close family member passed away at the end of March. I'm not running at all - my pace ranges from 18 - 22. I *do* go for a long amount of time - started at an hour, now go for about 2.5 hours, at a minimum of five days a week. My kids are happy, because we stop at two neighborhood parks (they play, I walk the perimeter), and it's cool enough to not cause me to collapse in the Southern heat.
Today I'm almost three months into this journey. I'm not perfect. I went to Savannah this past weekend and discovered the joys of walk up liquor stands, lol. I had ice cream cake for my husband on Father's Day. And Mother's Day. And my birthday.
But with all that said, I'm down from 130 in March, to 123 today (I'm 5'0", and was 110 before getting pregnant ages ago). It is SLOW. I do count calories. I do sometimes have chocolate. But I'm finding that the walk is enjoyable, the weight loss is steady, I'm actually building muscle (pushing 120+ lbs in children helps), and it doesn't seem as awful as watching the same workout video every day or even week. I feel better.
So, long story there, but yes, it works. I took a complete week off (people visiting from out of town) and I actually maintained, because I found that I ate more reasonably - even without walking. I don't see myself gaining again, and to me, that's the most important aspect of this.
Good luck. Even if it's slow, if you calorie count and keep up the walking, it will happen.5 -
Keep walking. It still counts.
As for the 21 day fix containers, I use them for portion control on the go, like at work or visiting, never an everyday thing. At home, I put food in measuring cups then on scales to get gram measurements. That's for things with no labels only. Double work yes, but it works for me.1 -
Walking sounds like a great outlet for you.
When I started to get serious about weight loss all I was capable of doing safely was walk so that's what I did. In the beginning, yes I did lose weight without the help of MFP and knowing anything much about calories but then I did start at 278 lbs.
Pretty soon though as others have said you HAVE to get your head around an accurate measurement of your CI to your CO.
You cannot out walk an excess of food....there really just isn't enough hours in the day, especially as you have mentioned you have lots of time constraints with care of children and parents.
Truly, it is about mindset. You have a lot of angst towards weighing and you seem to like to try something for a while then either become discouraged or frustrated with the lack of results in the time frame you want. Can I please just entreat you to try sticking with MFP, weighing and logging everything you eat and be patient and persistent.
I was probably close to your weight when I started weighing my foods, yeah it was a bit to get my head around initially but then I'm a lot older than you and less computer savvy, I continued to walk - adding in extra time and difficulty when time allowed and it still took around 2 years to lose ALL the weight I wanted.
Those 2 years were going to pass by any way and I am damned happy I stuck with MFP learned it wasn't about deprivation but there was the overwhelming knowledge that those who were successful were committed, they did push through the tedium, they did have moments of WTF and they didn't rely on quick fixes, shady diets and unrealistic expectations.
If you give yourself half that chance you will be posting on the success board too one day.
I wish you the best.4 -
Just a thought, but if you are feeling overwhelmed by logging and not ready to start doing it meticulously, one approach can be to create some standard meals (especially for lunch and breakfast) where you know the calorie count and portion them out. Then if you figure out what meals to put together it can simply it.
I have a largely standard breakfast (there are some moving pieces, but the calorie count doesn't change much), a few standard lunches, and a basic dinner template (protein, lots of vegetables, moderate amount of a starch) that I use when pressed on time and not wanting to spend much time thinking about things.4
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