Weight Loss Through Walking..Should I even bother?
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Walking is the best! I walk around 15kms every single day. I'm walking right now as I'm typing this
However, i could walk to the moon and back everyday, but if my calories in were off/inaccurate i could very easily put on weight.
Calories are my number 1 focus when trying to lose weight or maintain it. Exercise is an added bonus that helps staying in a deficit easier.6 -
LERadicalDreamer wrote: »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.
I absolutely LOVE this post and I am cracking up about The Queen of England reference.2 -
You all are so great! Thank you for sharing your experiences and your advice.
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Maybe not for weight loss but, for sanity it's a great thing. Woke up this morning wanting to punch a baby. Drank a cup of coffee and walked a mile listening to Black Sabbath and now I'm perfect5
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krichard08 wrote: »You all are so great! Thank you for sharing your experiences and your advice.
Thank you for being so open to reading and not just listening but hearing that we that care about you. We really do have your best interest in mind and want you to succeed! @krichard08
You're going to do great, baby steps back to where it was working for you and you'll not only keep the weight off but continue with your original goals.
Looking forward to seeing you in the Success thread
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I'm so glad you've been receptive to the advice given! It's all about the calories... I wish I'd started paying attention closely to them years ago, but if wishes were horses then beggars would ride!
Walking is excellent, sustainable exercise that helps your heart, tones your muscles and can be very stress-relieving. Depending where you walk, you can meet new people or recoup your inner peace in solitude. Sometimes I enjoy listening to music, sometimes the news.. often I simply listen to the sounds of nature. It's wonderful, and its definitely helped me on my way to reclaiming the life I enjoyed before.4 -
krichard08 wrote: »Hi All,
I have been on this weight loss journey for quite some time now. It's been a loooonnnnggg slooooow process (due to my own fault). I started at 215 lbs. a few years ago and managed to go down to 185 where I have been hanging out and stuck for a couple of years. I start one thing, try it for awhile and become discouraged and give up. I tried the Beachbody thing for a while with the 21 day fix and the 22 min. hard corp but I was not getting results at all. I became so frustrated that I stopped everything for a couple of months and decided to stop obsessing over losing weight and counting every single calorie and to try and use a common sense approach as of 3-4 weeks ago. 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. In this time I have lost ZERO. I weighed myself this morning even though I REALLY REALLY didn't want to because I didn't want to become discouraged. Even though I am not strict and obsessive about my calories I am tracking them and log it in my diary. There are days that I do go over but not by HUGE margins. Do I need to starve myself? Do I need to go back to counting out every single thing that I put in my mouth? Because that became overwhelming and just tedious. Should I keep up with the walking or am I completely wasting my time? Is there anyone out there that has had success with moving the scale and fat cells this way?
You do not need to starve yourself but you do need to weigh and measure whatever you consume if you are serious about those extra pounds. Obsessively counting calories means you weigh prepackaged foods, eggs, or each slice of bread you eat. That's okay for some but not necessary. Weighing and measuring oils, butters, mayo, gravies, sauces, and things like grated cheese is totally necessary. You should definitely keep up with the walking. When I travel I make sure to walk 3 miles/day because I eat out. It keeps me from gaining weight and keeps my blood circulating which prevents high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Exercise alone will not make you lose weight but knowing how much cheese (a very high caloric food) you're adding to your chili and how much butter or oil you're using to sauté your meals will help you understand why the pounds don't seem to come off.1 -
I'm so glad you've been receptive to the advice given! It's all about the calories... I wish I'd started paying attention closely to them years ago, but if wishes were horses then beggars would ride!
Walking is excellent, sustainable exercise that helps your heart, tones your muscles and can be very stress-relieving. Depending where you walk, you can meet new people or recoup your inner peace in solitude. Sometimes I enjoy listening to music, sometimes the news.. often I simply listen to the sounds of nature. It's wonderful, and its definitely helped me on my way to reclaiming the life I enjoyed before.
I've found this, as well. I'm a photographer, and I often come up with some of my more creative ideas when I am out walking. I have a nighttime shoot planned just based on my mind relaxing, being away from the computer, and seeing different things on my neighborhood walk. It's enjoyable in many ways.
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krichard08 wrote: »Hi All,
I have been on this weight loss journey for quite some time now. It's been a loooonnnnggg slooooow process (due to my own fault). I started at 215 lbs. a few years ago and managed to go down to 185 where I have been hanging out and stuck for a couple of years. I start one thing, try it for awhile and become discouraged and give up. I tried the Beachbody thing for a while with the 21 day fix and the 22 min. hard corp but I was not getting results at all. I became so frustrated that I stopped everything for a couple of months and decided to stop obsessing over losing weight and counting every single calorie and to try and use a common sense approach as of 3-4 weeks ago. 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. In this time I have lost ZERO. I weighed myself this morning even though I REALLY REALLY didn't want to because I didn't want to become discouraged. Even though I am not strict and obsessive about my calories I am tracking them and log it in my diary. There are days that I do go over but not by HUGE margins. Do I need to starve myself? Do I need to go back to counting out every single thing that I put in my mouth? Because that became overwhelming and just tedious. Should I keep up with the walking or am I completely wasting my time? Is there anyone out there that has had success with moving the scale and fat cells this way?
I know it seems logical to starve yourself and cut alot of calories but cutting calories by a significant amount will actually have the opposite effect. The walking that you are doing is GREAT! Exercise (walking counts) Especially when you are sitting at your desk all day it is a greatttt way to make sure that you keep moving! Keep in mind that a 3 mile walk is just about equivalent to a 5k. So you are walking a 5K every DAY which is AMAZING!!!! Like everyone here has said if you are trying to lose wight, nutrition programs for aiding in weight loss is a great way to do so. Also, as is weighing your food is something that is effective but it does get tedious and there are other ways to see great results. Im sure being a busy mom its close to impossible to weigh all your food all the time. That is way i do love nutrition programs that focus on convenience and weight loss. But please remember, most importantly don't get discouraged progress is progress even if it is painfully slowwwww, progresses is still being made! You are doing fantastic!1 -
krichard08 wrote: »Thanks everyone. I really wish I had a magic pill.. I had been thinking about adopting the 21 Day Fix food portion container system again without the workout DVDs. It's either that or I have to pull out the food scale. You are right..i just wish it wasn't so..lol
Look up the container info on Pinterest. All the measurements are there. But everything I've seen of 21 DF is that's it's very inflexible. These are "ingredients" .....not dishes, not meals. Using 21 DF containers for recipes is a joke.....1/4 fat container, 1/2 starch.....nonsense. It's just easier to log in MFP. Besides, these containers aren't going to help me one bit when I get to maintenance. I won't be eating like that in the future.
Walking can move the scale with walking, but you have to keep EVERYTHING else the same. You can't excuse a snack here, or give yourself an extra portion there. How many hours a day do you have to devote to walking? Because if it's exercise alone.....it's going to take quite awhile.0 -
krichard08 wrote: »Thanks everyone. I really wish I had a magic pill.. I had been thinking about adopting the 21 Day Fix food portion container system again without the workout DVDs. It's either that or I have to pull out the food scale. You are right..i just wish it wasn't so..lol
Look up the container info on Pinterest. All the measurements are there. But everything I've seen of 21 DF is that's it's very inflexible. These are "ingredients" .....not dishes, not meals. Using 21 DF containers for recipes is a joke.....1/4 fat container, 1/2 starch.....nonsense. It's just easier to log in MFP. Besides, these containers aren't going to help me one bit when I get to maintenance. I won't be eating like that in the future.
Walking can move the scale with walking, but you have to keep EVERYTHING else the same. You can't excuse a snack here, or give yourself an extra portion there. How many hours a day do you have to devote to walking? Because if it's exercise alone.....it's going to take quite awhile.
I agree with the 21 Day fix. It is just so not flexible especially with all the containers and it's true that its very hard to maintain without the containers. I have tried and tried and it totally did not work for me. the only thing that has been working is Isagenix.
As far a snacking just make sure you are snacking on healthy snacks. Fruits and veggies i always find you cannot go wrong with. Snacks will help to keep your metabolism going throughout the day as well. Walking will work, butttt it like @teabea said it will be much more effective in conjunction with something else!1 -
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.
Yes! Continue walking! Walking is the only exercise that I have done for 8 months. I have lost about 35 pounds or so. I walk 3x week with a good 66-86 minutes with each walk. I do watch my calories with MFP. I use walking to get more calories to eat.0 -
kristennn714xox wrote: »krichard08 wrote: »Thanks everyone. I really wish I had a magic pill.. I had been thinking about adopting the 21 Day Fix food portion container system again without the workout DVDs. It's either that or I have to pull out the food scale. You are right..i just wish it wasn't so..lol
Look up the container info on Pinterest. All the measurements are there. But everything I've seen of 21 DF is that's it's very inflexible. These are "ingredients" .....not dishes, not meals. Using 21 DF containers for recipes is a joke.....1/4 fat container, 1/2 starch.....nonsense. It's just easier to log in MFP. Besides, these containers aren't going to help me one bit when I get to maintenance. I won't be eating like that in the future.
Walking can move the scale with walking, but you have to keep EVERYTHING else the same. You can't excuse a snack here, or give yourself an extra portion there. How many hours a day do you have to devote to walking? Because if it's exercise alone.....it's going to take quite awhile.
I agree with the 21 Day fix. It is just so not flexible especially with all the containers and it's true that its very hard to maintain without the containers. I have tried and tried and it totally did not work for me. the only thing that has been working is Isagenix.
As far a snacking just make sure you are snacking on healthy snacks. Fruits and veggies i always find you cannot go wrong with. Snacks will help to keep your metabolism going throughout the day as well. Walking will work, butttt it like @teabea said it will be much more effective in conjunction with something else!
No to 21 Day Fix, but yes to Isagenix?0 -
If you find weighing, measuring and logging tedious you don't have to do it. But you do need to pay attention to what you are eating. If you aren't losing then you know you are either overeating (if you are gaining) or eating at maintenance (if the scale isn't moving at all) and you need to eat fewer calories or burn more calories, or both.
Keep up with the walking. Fat loss is about calories but you will burn extra calories with walking. It won't be a lot but your heart and vascular system will still thank you for it.1 -
kristennn714xox wrote: »krichard08 wrote: »Thanks everyone. I really wish I had a magic pill.. I had been thinking about adopting the 21 Day Fix food portion container system again without the workout DVDs. It's either that or I have to pull out the food scale. You are right..i just wish it wasn't so..lol
Look up the container info on Pinterest. All the measurements are there. But everything I've seen of 21 DF is that's it's very inflexible. These are "ingredients" .....not dishes, not meals. Using 21 DF containers for recipes is a joke.....1/4 fat container, 1/2 starch.....nonsense. It's just easier to log in MFP. Besides, these containers aren't going to help me one bit when I get to maintenance. I won't be eating like that in the future.
Walking can move the scale with walking, but you have to keep EVERYTHING else the same. You can't excuse a snack here, or give yourself an extra portion there. How many hours a day do you have to devote to walking? Because if it's exercise alone.....it's going to take quite awhile.
I agree with the 21 Day fix. It is just so not flexible especially with all the containers and it's true that its very hard to maintain without the containers. I have tried and tried and it totally did not work for me. the only thing that has been working is Isagenix.
As far a snacking just make sure you are snacking on healthy snacks. Fruits and veggies i always find you cannot go wrong with. Snacks will help to keep your metabolism going throughout the day as well. Walking will work, butttt it like @teabea said it will be much more effective in conjunction with something else!
If your metabolism stops during the day, you don't need a snack. You're dead.
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Just want to throw in how important weight bearing exercise like walking is, especially for women. Just as the body builds up muscles in response to use, it builds up bones in response to how much mechanical stress they are under as a result of bearing weight and exerting force. As we get older the calcium content in our bones starts to reduce, which can eventually result in osteoporosis. You need to keep the weight on those bones because then the body will continue to build them up instead of breaking them down. Use them or lose them, basically. And walking is about the best way you can do that. EVERYONE should be walking regularly.4
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Walking is best way to lose weight. But I all depends on how much miles you walk.0
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Judging by your diary, not going over "by much" means around 500kcal. That is actually quite a bit. Guessing from the variation in your daily goals, you also seem to be eating back all your exercise calories. MFP tends to overestimate how many calories you burn, especially for walking. It seems best to not eat all of them back - most people appear to eat back 50-80% of their exercise calories.
Going further back there are plenty of days with less than 1000 calories consumed. If you've really logged everything on these days, that is just not enough and could (have) cause(d) you to lose muscle. Less muscle = lower metabolism = fewer calories burned.
That is all I could think of why you might not be losing at the moment - there is no need to starve but I would probably mix up your food choices a little.2 -
BrokenSomething wrote: »MFP tends to overestimate how many calories you burn, especially for walking. It seems best to not eat all of them back - most people appear to eat back 50-80% of their exercise calories.
Excellent point. I was very frustrated years ago when I first started on MFP, using their exercise estimations. I bought a Polar HRM, and was stunned - walks didn't burn 500-700 calories, they burned 300-400 for me. Huge difference.
Now I use a Fitbit because I am super competitive, and it helps motivate me. I have no idea if the HRM aspect of it is accurate (I use the Blaze), but in terms of results, it seems to be working. If you don't have one, it might help you work towards your goals.
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I also would recommend to keep up with the walking. It brightens your outlook and is a great stress reliever. You will feel better about yourself and then be able to feel motivated to work on the weight loss goal. Remember your heart, circulation, muscles, and all other systems are healthier from the walking workout. With the daily exercise your hormones are working more efficiently which greatly effects the ability to lose weight, control appetite, and get a good night's sleep.
All these factors are more important than a ineffective dietary program. Rome wasn't built in a day, it takes time. Keep up the good work!1 -
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Echoing the sentiment of most people here ...
- walking helped clear my head and airways, and it upped my fitness level
- mindful eating + calorie counting drove the majority of my weight loss
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