Ack!! My doc said walking is useless!!??

mrramsey1969

walkergirl64 wrote: »

I love to walk and am feeling discouraged. My new family doctor said walking is essentially useless for losing weight and only weight-lifting is going to help me reach my goals. He is a highly respected doc in our area and so I took what he said to heart and feel discouraged now because I have loved walking for years. I have started weight training 3 times a week, but still want to walk for cardio and because otherwise I would never get outside.
What do you guys think? Does walking help you with weight loss or not?

I think the guy is full of it. I am down 1.5 this week just from tracking and walking albeit I am at 30 miles and over 100k steps. I keep my heart rate at 118-120 a 3.4-3.6 mph. Weight lifting does burn calories but it also adds muscle density which does not necessarily equate to weight loss. It depends on your goal. Nothing I hate more than some jackwagon making blanket statements. Everyone's composition, metabolism etc are all different. Chose something to start with and modify until you are seeing g positive change. For me walking works. I push myself to a sweet spot with a good heart rate and just breaking a sweat. My muscles get a good warm burn going but I am not killing myself.

Find your sweet spot and go. Let me tell you I am 47 was 244lbs after Christmas, my job has been nothing but sheer stress for the last year. I was not sleeping well. I would wake up with heart burn every single night. Just walking this week has made a world of difference. I have slept like a baby and zero heart burn. I have lots of energy and feel better than I have in the last year. I have a long way to go... 54 lbs but I will get there and so will you.

Yeah walking is useless, pffftt.

briannadunn

I lost 120lbs just walking after my second child. Enough said.

thelovelyLIZ

Ummm I would maybe look for a new doctor! That's ridiculous. I know people that, because of bad knees or other injuries, could only walk for cardio and lost a bunch of weight! Adding in strength training will definitely help a lot, but weight loss is calories in vs calories out, and the easiest way to help tip that in your favor, in my experience, in cardio. And running doesn't actually burn that many more calories per mile than walking!

ninerbuff

mrmarkharding wrote: »

He is right if you don't hit your ideal heart rate when walking. If you walk at a normal pace and your heart rate stays the same, it is useless.Do some research before changing doctors as some of these people have said.

You DON'T need to hit an ideal heart rate. Any physical activity burns calories and if it helps to put one in calorie deficit, they will lose weight.
The whole "ideal heart rate" is majoring in the minors. If one is trying to improve their "fitness", then fine, but for weight loss, it doesn't really matter.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

ninerbuff

candythorns wrote: »

Walking does help with weight loss. It just takes longer cause obviously 10 minutes of walking doesnt burn what 10 minutes of running does. But if you walk all day...! There was a story on a guy who stood for a full month, exception was sleeping. And he lost 5 lbs.

Thing is if one ate back the same amount of calories from exercise, both would lose the same as long as they were in deficit. It's the deficit that makes the difference, not always the activity.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

snickerscharlie

walkergirl64 wrote: »

I love to walk and am feeling discouraged. My new family doctor said walking is essentially useless for losing weight and only weight-lifting is going to help me reach my goals. He is a highly respected doc in our area and so I took what he said to heart and feel discouraged now because I have loved walking for years. I have started weight training 3 times a week, but still want to walk for cardio and because otherwise I would never get outside.
What do you guys think? Does walking help you with weight loss or not?

What *are* your goals?

As far as weight loss goes, being in a calorie deficit is the most important.

As far as exercise goes, for weight loss, cardio is king. *Any* kind of cardio is better than no cardio.

For strength/muscle gain, weightlifting is the route to take.

Be aware that gaining muscle while in a calorie deficit to lose weight, though, is all but counterproductive.

All depends on your goals.

Elise4270

I had a doc's assistant tell me walking is for mental health... I get what they are saying. Yes weights will help. But come on! Walking will absolutely help with weight loss.

Good luck OP! Keep walking!

GailLee4

I lost 60 pounds walking and watching calories this past year. Your doc, no matter how respected, is wrong. Very wrong. Just now I've added strength training. It was all walking and using MFP to track calories.

4sumpi

Physics doesn't lie. If you move a mass (your body) some distance (how far you walk), you will use energy (calories.) Again, Physics is Physics.

Bentforkx

Hi,
You don't mention how much you walk (distance x intensity)
A walk around the block is better than not walking at all
A kilometre walk in 12 minutes is better than a kilometre in 24 minutes
An hour walk up hill is better than an hour walk on flat land
and as mentioned before, all that walking will be negated if your caloric intake is greater than the calories your burnt walking
I am wondering if your Dr's statement of walking being no good was in relation to your caloric deficit (or lack there of)..
Keep up the walking, do it longer, do it faster, do it more intensely, get some walking sticks and get your upper body involved with your walking too!!
Keep it up!!
Cheers

ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken

I once lost 75 lbs using walking as my only exercise. Don't listen to that doctor. Some truly have their heads in the sand. If walking is your choice of exercise that you enjoy then do it.

taraskaminskyj

I never post but felt I had to after reading this. I ONLY walk as my exercise - yes I control my calories too, but I pretty much eat my daily fill. I have lost 56 pounds over a year and a half at a steady rate through walking. I also feel really good about myself and enjoy my walking a lot. Go and walk and tell your doctor to walk too. Good luck and post back when your target weight has been reached (because it WILL).

lorrpb

Most exercise is useless for weight loss. You can't out exercise a bad diet. Exercise is for fitness and all exercise is good for health and fitness! If you like to walk, then walk! It's one of the best things to keep you moving. Lifting weights is great because helps you retain muscle while losing weight. I lost 149 pounds while walking, lifting, and EATING AT A CALORIE DEFICIT.

You don't need to tell doctor what you think of his remarks. Just tell him what routine you're doing.

markrgeary1

Wife and I lost our first hundred pounds with walking as our only exercise. We did weight lifting later.

Walking is good exercise but. For weight loss exercise is second to diet. I had a twenty pound loss over a ten week period. Based on the calorie deficit from diet and the calories exercise burned only 20% of the loss was from walking, 80% diet.

dutchandkiwi

Walking has been my main form of exercise during my weightloss journey. What your doctor says is simply incorrect. In the end it is about CiCO and I know that with one of my favorite hikes I burn many more calories than with my usualy weight training.