These shoes are made for walking..

Dante_80

..and that's just what they'll do. One of these days I have to buy some shoes for walking too!

Hello, some help is needed.

I want to start walking again. I've lost a good chunk of weight in the last five months, and I think that I can start incorporating some cardio into my week. I know that it won't help much with weight/fat loss, I mainly want to do it for my general health though. So, I was thinking of starting with 30min of walking in nature, every other day.

I want to buy a proper pair of shoes for walking. I'm a man, 309lbs currently, and my size is 42.5-43 (9-9.5). The last time I was walking some five years ago, I used a pair of Asics gel shoes, don't really remember the model. They were pretty good.

I live in Athens, Greece, very close to a park (Filopappou Hill). Thus, the roads I will be walking on will be both paved and dirt.

Which type (or even model) of shoes would you recommend? I'm especially interested of hearing from other heavy guys like me, since one of the things to look out for would be if the shoe can support my weight. Any help would be vastly appreciated, cheers!

Onedaywriter

Congrats on how far you’ve come in five months!

When I was your weight I used Brooks Beasts. They are really a running show but provided great support and cushioning for walking. One knock against them for walking is that they have a slightly aggressive heel to take the pounding of running. But these held up so well and helped me keep moving.

Now my weight is down a lot and I use Brooks Adreneline for both running and walking (I sort of walk a couple of hundred meters, then run a couple of hundred). These are great as well. Slightly less stabilizing but I like them better for walking. Also now my weight is down so I don’t need quite as much cushioning on the running side and don’t get the shin splits anymore.

Dante_80

@Onedaywriter Many thanks for taking the time to reply.

I'm looking over the two shoes you are talking about (don't know the Brooks brand personally), both are available here in Greece.

https://www.skroutz.gr/s/22550421/Brooks-Beast-20-Mens-110327-1D051.html
https://www.skroutz.gr/s/21581786/Brooks-Adrenaline-GTS-20-110307-1D040.html

A question, my foot is a little on the wide side, do you think those would work (is their fit maybe narrow, from your experience?)

NorthCascades

Do you have a running or outdoor store nearby? Shoes are so personal, one person can hate a pair somebody else loves and vice versa. I wear New Balance 840s because of an injury, there's really nothing better for me.

buddy352

Brooks has wide and extra wide available.

Dante_80

NorthCascades wrote: »

Do you have a running or outdoor store nearby? Shoes are so personal, one person can hate a pair somebody else loves and vice versa. I wear New Balance 840s because of an injury, there's really nothing better for me.

Not close by, but I can go to one and try out some models if I know what to look for more or less.

Dante_80

buddy352 wrote: »

Brooks has wide and extra wide available.

As in a certain, distinct model? Or a wide option of the same model?

AliNouveau

New balance comes in different widths. They used to be my favourite ones to get. Now I go for Asics to Saucony because of foot issues

Try on a few though everyone's feet are so different, for instance I cannot wear Nike they give me blisters and make my feet hurt

Dogmom1978

Depending on the ruggedness of these nature trails, hiking shoes/boots might be warranted.

I find the brand Merrill to run on the narrow side. I can’t remember the brand name, but there was an Italian brand that was narrow also.

I mostly stick with Vasque for both hiking and causal walking as I find sneakers to break down too easily for my tastes. I do wear sneakers at home on the treadmill and arc trainer though and then I just get whatever brand I can find the best price on

Dante_80

Thanks for the replies friends, I really appreciate the feedback.

Dogmom1978 wrote: »

Depending on the ruggedness of these nature trails, hiking shoes/boots might be warranted.

I find the brand Merrill to run on the narrow side. I can’t remember the brand name, but there was an Italian brand that was narrow also.

I mostly stick with Vasque for both hiking and causal walking as I find sneakers to break down too easily for my tastes. I do wear sneakers at home on the treadmill and arc trainer though and then I just get whatever brand I can find the best price on

Wait!! Now that you say that, I have a pair of hiking shoes, could these work? I bought them last year for a vacation to Pilio, and they worked like a charm. The dumb-*kitten*, I had forgotten that I had them in my closet.

It's this model.

https://www.adidas.co.uk/terrex-tracerocker-gtx-shoes/CM7593.html

Should I try it, or would asphalt walking be too bad for it?

NorthCascades

Dante_80 wrote: »

NorthCascades wrote: »

Do you have a running or outdoor store nearby? Shoes are so personal, one person can hate a pair somebody else loves and vice versa. I wear New Balance 840s because of an injury, there's really nothing better for me.

Not close by, but I can go to one and try out some models if I know what to look for more or less.

Comfort. 🙂

I don't mean that to sound flippant, sometimes a thing can be slightly uncomfortable, enough that you really don't notice, until three hours later when it's added up to being really sore. A lot of running stores will have you try lots of different shoes on and they'll watch how you walk in them, trying to help you figure this out. It's really helped me a lot.

I mostly wear the same shoes to hike on trail in nature and to walk on the sidewalks in my neighborhood. I like running shoes, a lot of people hike in running shoes.

But I don't need ankle support, I need cushion and a shape for people who supinate.

Onedaywriter

Definitely try the Terrex since you have them already!! I’m considering getting the same ones because they are waterproof and I’m gearing up for winter stuff in case gyms close again.
Give them a try. I’ve never tried them on but they can be perfect for your needs if they’re comfortable. They get decent reviews for wear so the asphalt will probably be ok

Dante_80

So, I started walking again today!!

A couple of days ago, the elevator in our building broke down. It was the push I needed to starting some exercise again, after years. Today, I tried walking to my mothers home and back, for the first time in years! I used the Terrex shoes that I posted above, and it worked.

Well,..sorta. The reason I had stopped working out for quite some time now is that I suffer from vascular claudication in both feet. I do have a major (~55%) blockage on my left thigh artery, which my doctor thinks is also the main culprit for a stroke I went through some years ago. Chain smoking, a diet consisting exclusively of junk food and a sedentary job - and life - certainly didn't help at all. Caveat emptor!!

Anyway, the result is that walking - something that I immensely enjoy(ed) btw - is extremely painful to both of my feet. Even for small distances. The symptoms abate as soon as I sit down (although the first minute after sitting is even more painful, due to the blood rushing back to my veins). You can imagine that this is somewhat aggravating, especially since quitting smoking has brought back a good chunk of my endurance. And, I seriously love walking (growing up/living right next to a park helps too).

So, today my feet were killing me, but I soldiered on. I think I can handle the pain at this level, and I suspect that losing 80+ pounds has helped with that a lot. So, I decided to start walking regularly. Every other day for starters, 30 minutes look manageable.

Many thanks for the replies guys, will use the Terrex shoes I got for the time being. They seem to do the job pretty well, at least for now. Wish me luck, I'm gonna need it!!