Steps

CarlaMartinez3607

Proud of my self today how much days per week would I need this to get 2 pds down per week

cmriverside

Steps really don't account for a whole lot of calories. Being active is its own reward, though, with other benefits.

As far as how quickly it's safe to lose weight, that depends.

rsccore

"Steps really don't account for a whole lot of calories."

Depends on context. When you are trying to lose a lot of weight and shooting for that 1 to 2 lbs a week and need a deficit of 500 to 1000 calories a day, an hour of walking a day only accounts for 300 calories and doesn't seem like a lot, especially when you think to yourself it is easier to just eat 300 calories less. But, after you finish losing the weight, and the fat that was actually backing you up during that restrictive eating phase, being more active to the tune of 300 calories a day means a lot. It can allow you to eat normally to fullness again and not regain the weight. While it seems to be the hardest part of fixing this thing, ramping up your activity throughout the diet and landing in a more balanced state at the end does appear to be the best way for sustaining a healthy weight.

springlering62

Walking is awesome. I would never sniff at walking. That’s what started me on my large weight loss, and I averaged 10 lbs a month the first few months before I got the nerve to branch out. But, I was also walking 10-15 miles a day, and weight loss was “easy” at first because I was well into obese BMI range.

However, the smaller and fitter I got, the fewer calories I burned. I have to do 10,000 (appx 5 miles) steps to get a single “move ring” (300 calories) to close on my Apple Watch- and even then it’s probably not going to fully close.

If you genuinely enjoy long distances (and I do, sometimes!), by all means, have at it.

But also consider what else you might enjoy doing? Running? Weights? Pickleball? Rebounder? Yoga? Power walking? Cardio class?

Is it possible to add to or replace walking two or three times a week with something else?

I decided at 58 to try to run 5k, just for my own satisfaction. I had not run -at all- since middle school, and then pitched a fit over it.

My trainer at the time warned me running would make the weight fall off. It did, but I kept tripping and having hard, bruising falls, and just didn’t enjoy it anyway. I’d reached my goal of running 5k without stopping. So I found other things I like better, that didn’t involve body parts randomly hitting concrete. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Do what you enjoy to aid your loss. If walking makes your heart happy, that’s all. that. matters.

nossmf

If walking starts to lose its appeal and/or effectiveness, time to spice up the walking: rather than walking on flat terrain, try cross-country walking, or hill work going up/down, or walking on alternative surfaces (sand walks are harder than sidewalk), or setting a treadmill to a steep incline and effectively walk uphill the entire time. (In an hour of a steeply inclined treadmill, I can burn 800+ calories, all at a steady walking pace.)

springlering62

my first trainer also had me walking sideways and backwards on the treadmill.

That was actually pretty effective for my mobility.

Of course, being as clumsy as I am, it was at a very slow pace and at least one hand had a death grip at all times.

There’s studies that say walking backwards is quite good for your brain and muscles. I try to do it when walking the dog. Not hard, since he stops every twenty feet to mark stuff.