Walking for weight loss?

Rosesandhealth

Does anyone walk regularly and achieve weightloss? I'm a full time student struggling to lose a few extra pounds. Tips?

jarrettduncan

Find some podcasts, or music if that is more your speed, embrace the walking grind, do your 10k+ steps every day, stay at a caloric deficit, eat all the green vegetables you want. Figure out nice walking 'loops' in your area, and do 'em, making sure you hit that 10k minimum. Walk instead of driving or taking public transport when it is possible. I lost almost 100lbs in less than a year doing it (was ~275lbs, now ~180).

catgb56

We walk almost every night, for about 45 minutes, in the neighborhood; longer when we hit the trails in the woods. Always take the pooch with us. Weight and inches are coming off slowly but it does work. Need to walk at a decent pace if possible.

CoachJen71

It worked for me.

TeaBea

Walking is great exercise.

Sketchy neighborhood or bad weather? Take your "walk" indoors. There are walking style workouts on YouTube.....look for Leslie Sansone or Jessica Smith.

IVMay

Walking for a considerable period is brilliant for losing weight and keeping in good health. Big park optional but preferential for a bit of 'peace' and solace in an otherwise busy life

Theo166

I try to walk several times a week, but it's just a slight boost to what must be done in the kitchen

malibu927

I walked twice a week and lost 60+ pounds due to being in a calorie deficit

dfwesq

Most of my exercise is walking or hiking and I've had good results. My only tip is to find an enjoyable place and time to walk. A lot of people find outdoor walking more fun than indoor. ETA: Dress properly, eat enough snacks so you have energy and aren't hungry, and stay hydrated.

There are also a lot of other fun and convenient activities that are good exercise, like dancing.

leanjogreen18

I live by a national park and love love walking and hiking it's my primary method of exercise.

It might be hard to lose weight by just walking unless you are creating a deficit in calories. It can be done if you are not replacing the calories burned though.

DietPrada

Weight loss is entirely due to what you stick in your mouth. If you eat less calories than your body uses you will lose weight. Having said that, walking or any form of activity will make you use more calories in your day, allowing you to possibly eat a bit more and still lose weight. But walking and still eating too much will not result in any weight loss.

debbiebondklein

I have just started doing weight loss videos, doing walking.

KosmosKitten

I walk and read alongside monitoring what I eat and how much.

However, back when I lived in Japan and was doing the same thing, I lost 40lbs relatively easy doing the same thing and walking 5 days a week for about 2 hours each day. I didn't monitor my dietary choices as much as I do now, but still created the deficit needed.

So it can be done, but what most others have said is correct: you really have to monitor and accurately (to the best of your ability) log you foods/drinks.

JohnnyPenso

I routinely walk 6000 steps or more a day according to my phone and I do a lot of heavy lifting, stair climbing, squatting etc. at work. I only lost weight when I counted calories and was in a consistent deficit. Just for perspective, a 160lb person would have to walk more than 40 miles to lose 1 lb. 800 miles to lose 20 lbs. And that's 40 miles more than you are already walking right now.

Christine_72

Walking is the only exercise i do, you can burn quite a few calories plodding along at a brisk pace. Obviously i still count calories, as without watching what i eat all the walking in the world wouldnt save me.

omakase619

Someone on here lost like 80+ lbs just by walking and diet. I was really amazed by the progress she made and how her body looked like she strength trained but didn't do any other form of exercise

Christine_72

omakase619 wrote: »

Someone on here lost like 80+ lbs just by walking and diet. I was really amazed by the progress she made and how her body looked like she strength trained but didn't do any other form of exercise

Do you remember her name @omakase619 ? I would love to read her story.

Findingmyself086

I have lost 40+ by walking daily(try my best to get anywhere between 12,000-20,000 steps), I drink tons of water and log daily...i say it works, yet we are all different

RedfootDaddy

I hate myself for it, but I take the stairs instead of elevators or escalators when I can. Gets those step counts in. Take advantage of downtime between classes, even ten minutes of brisk walking can make a difference. Take a lap of the library (make it look like you need to find a book, no one will look at you twice). I remember when I was in school I walked *everywhere*.

trim_the_fat

Walking doesn't burn many calories, but it's definitely a mood-booster, and it's much easier to make good decisions (like eating a healthy dinner) when you're feeling happy. I agree with the previous post saying weight loss is primarily controlled by what you eat.

I recommend finding something interesting to listen to and trying to build a sustainable habit. In my opinion it's much better to have a reliable habit of a pleasant 15 minute walk every day than to go on 2 hour walks you don't enjoy whenever you can force yourself. Once you have the small habit in place, you can choose to build on it by walking longer, or gradually turning your walk into a run.

I personally make it a habit to go on a walk/easy jog for a half hour in the morning, and then walk around my office complex for another half hour or so at lunch. I listen to audiobooks. It ends up being like 150-200 calories per day for me (5'0", 105 lb) which is great for an activity where you're basically exercising, reading, and de-stressing at the same time.

rainbow198

Yes! I lost 80+ pound mainly walking (and watching what I eat).

I figured once I reached my goal walking wouldn't be enough would have to join a gym. However, between my home workouts and my walking, I'm maintaining my weight just fine.

Walking on a beautiful trail or a track with some good music in my ears clears my head and makes me feel great.

I do a variety of walks. Sometimes it's a consistent moderate pace (active rest days), a good, fast power walk for continuous miles and my heart rate gets up there and now that I'm really fit I sometimes do walking/running intervals.

Leslie Sansone videos are also great and I have a huge collection.

I also walk my puppy about a half mile 3 - 4 times a day, but I don't count that as a workout.

enoughisenough3565

I've lost 70 lbs just by walking and calorie deficit. I walk 4-5 miles a night besides my normal daily activity. In bad weather I do Leslie Sansone or Biggest Loser Power walk 1-4.

jaci66

Rosesandhealth wrote: »

Does anyone walk regularly and achieve weightloss? I'm a full time student struggling to lose a few extra pounds. Tips?

Yes, totally. There are two factors. Walking and CICO. That's how I lose weight. For inclement weather, I do have a gym membership where I walk on a treadmill. If you're a college student, they should have a gym for student use. Mine did.