Any walkers here?

Hi Y'all! I am a walker here doing an hour everyday now for almost two week and scared to look at the scale in case I don't see any numbers go down but my body is getting more toned. I have no problem eating healthier but it takes more motivation to excercise! I weigh at 154 couple weeks ago at 5'8. Want to be 125. I have self image issues and in the past I struggled with bulima. I was very skinny last year but been through some stressful times and turned to food :-( I am new to this website and ready to be healthy :-D
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Replies

  • ScorpDX
    ScorpDX Posts: 93
    I do an hour(or sometimes more when I feel the urge) walking on the treadmill 4-5 days a week with my strength workout. Trying each time to better myself by going farther or faster. It's been a huge stress reliever along with helping me shed quite a bit if weight. I noticed my legs and thighs dropping fat and shaping up very quickly. That along with working up a sweat and getting rid of retained water helped jump-start things. You're welcome to add me if you like.
  • liznotyet
    liznotyet Posts: 402 Member
    Walking is not the greatest for weight loss, but it has really helped me not gain, especially when I add in some jogging and some other dance/pilates stuff. Endurance gains have been the best. One thing that has helped has been a thread where we report our mileage each couple of days towards reaching a real-world place virtually through our accumulated mileage. Pick a historic walk or a long hike you would love to take as a tourist.
  • tabicatinthehat
    tabicatinthehat Posts: 329 Member
    Me! An hour at least 4 times a week. I used to run, but I broke my foot and now it's very uncomfortable. Walking has been super helpful for my depression and anxiety. That's actually the biggest benefit I get from it.
  • sarahkeedwell
    sarahkeedwell Posts: 18 Member
    Keep up the great work! And pictures are awesome! Lately I been doing it 7 days a week but I heard that would overstrain muscles? Hope not because I am trying to lose 2 pounds a week. And making the small changes like eating raw veggies but it has to have marzetti dip that I love. I hate things plain lol. I would love to add you because need some friends here :-) If you take a look inside profile that was at my biggest and wish I lost weight for my wedding :(
  • sarahkeedwell
    sarahkeedwell Posts: 18 Member
    I am sorry about that. I hope it got better and also thanks for tips everyone! I know how that feels. Depression sucks and walking does help get your mind clear. It also helps with music :-)
  • ittybittybadonkadonk
    ittybittybadonkadonk Posts: 11,634 Member
    I do walking the pounds off with Leslie Sansone along with walking outside
  • Do any of you who walk use a counter?? I have one but it doesnt sync up so I am looking for one that shows the steps and I can down load info on. Any hints??
  • hilts1969
    hilts1969 Posts: 465 Member
    Hi Y'all! I am a walker here doing an hour everyday now for almost two week and scared to look at the scale in case I don't see any numbers go down but my body is getting more toned. I have no problem eating healthier but it takes more motivation to excercise! I weigh at 154 couple weeks ago at 5'8. Want to be 125. I have self image issues and in the past I struggled with bulima. I was very skinny last year but been through some stressful times and turned to food :-( I am new to this website and ready to be healthy :-D

    Barring any health issues i would make the step to running, better results, walking is for people who can't run
  • domeier
    domeier Posts: 2 Member
    Don't look at the scale for a while. Instead tape your hips / below your belly button and keep track of it. After you've made progress with that, weigh yourself. Weight isn't everything.
  • bethmeyer357
    bethmeyer357 Posts: 13 Member
    I use Pacer. It counts my steps on my iPhone and syncs with myfitnesspal. I used to use a pedometer, but found it easier just to use the app.
  • 777Gemma888
    777Gemma888 Posts: 9,578 Member
    Hi Y'all! I am a walker here doing an hour everyday now for almost two week and scared to look at the scale in case I don't see any numbers go down but my body is getting more toned. I have no problem eating healthier but it takes more motivation to excercise! I weigh at 154 couple weeks ago at 5'8. Want to be 125. I have self image issues and in the past I struggled with bulima. I was very skinny last year but been through some stressful times and turned to food :-( I am new to this website and ready to be healthy :-D

    Walked initially and only 3 months ago [broken ankle]. Am running again now. Remember to take measurements of your body too and progress pics. Whilst eating well and walking, I'd discovered there were weeks I'd lose some weight daily [I was a weighing fanatic] and days/weeks with zero scale drops, then BOOM, I'd lose like a lot of weight. Stay the course and congratulations for choosing a healthier path to achieve your ideal body goals.
  • AndyRogan
    AndyRogan Posts: 195 Member
    I walk quite a bit.
    I have a Fitbit, started out aiming for 10k steps, now getting 12k minimum each day, some days as high as 20k.

    I've lost 39lb in a year from mainly walking and staying within my calorie goals.

    Feel free to add me on mfp or fitbit
  • ScottH_200
    ScottH_200 Posts: 377 Member
    Do any of you who walk use a counter?? I have one but it doesnt sync up so I am looking for one that shows the steps and I can down load info on. Any hints??

    MapMyWalk is an app I use on my cell phone. It tracks your walk/run/hike/biking using the GPS capabilities of your phone. Very easy to use and it syncs to MFP.
  • cdoesthehula
    cdoesthehula Posts: 141 Member
    You can keep your Fitbits. I have a Max. The handsomest bit of excercise equipment to have ever lived.

    <--there he is.

    If you can borrow a dog, walking becomes easy. Your local shelter will love you if you offer to take one for a walk regularly.

    Just a thought if you struggle with the motivation.
  • srmchan
    srmchan Posts: 206 Member
    Yes... Just started this month thanks to a 10k-a-day challenge at my local gym. I've averaged a little over 14k steps per day this month and am tracking steps with a Garmin vivofit. It's still a little early to tell, but it feels like my weight loss has accelerated slightly since I've started walking. (I was already strength training 3x per week and inconsistently doing cardio.)

    Sam
  • katrinadulce
    katrinadulce Posts: 61 Member
    Walking is my go-to activity. Don't let anyone tell you that it isn't good for weight loss. It is a full body workout, and if you walk at a pretty good clip, but not so fast that your heart is racing, you can keep your target HR at a level optimal for fat loss.
    I lost my last 30 pounds by walking. One of the ways I stayed motivated was by joining a group. I have a friend that is a breast cancer survivor and was training for the 3-Day. At the time, I had no interest in signing up, and thought that walking 60 miles was a bit unrealistic for me, but I asked her if I could join her and other walkers on their training walks and she said yes. Most of the week night ones started at 3 miles and ended up at about 7. the weekend walks were longer. Having all the other people walking made it social and fun, and I had not only a set schedule for walks, I had the accountability of the group to help me keep to that schedule.
    I started with a 6 mile and a few months later was walking 15-18. I realized then that I could actually do it and signed up for the 3-Day the following year. I trained again that year, did the walk, and now love walking.

    One of the ways I get my miles in now is to break them up during the day. I find I do much better when I take 2 walks (sometimes 3) a day than when I try to go for an hour or more straight. Last month I walked 102+ miles.
  • icrushit
    icrushit Posts: 773 Member
    Love walking, and walk about 4 miles every day :) I find it great for weight loss too, and would attribute it to about 3/4's of a lb of my weight loss every week :)
  • JacqueJo
    JacqueJo Posts: 33 Member
    Yep! I have tried to run several times, but I have an old ankle injury that swells up and then I can't even walk....so the doctor said "no running". That is ok. I actually like walking better, I think. Love nature trails. :)

    I use Map My Walk and have a FitBit. If you are a Walking Dead (zombies) person, there is a REALLY fun app called "Zombies Run". I use it when I walk, though it is probably intended for running. It provides a story line of the zombie apocalypse. It definitely keeps me entertained! You can use your own music within the app too. Total fun!
  • blackcrossknight
    blackcrossknight Posts: 26 Member
    I'm 5'7 and walk about two hours every day. Last year I was walking about three on average, or nine miles but now I'm just in walking in the morning and evening to stay away from the heat. I am aiming for 130, but am going to stop at 135 first to see how I like it and then go from there.
  • cnadiger
    cnadiger Posts: 168 Member
    Wow! cdoesthehula what a great idea! I have a shelter right around the corner and I miss my border collie like crazy. Since I'm not in a position to be a dog mom right now, maybe I should become a foster dog-mom??
  • SomeNights246
    SomeNights246 Posts: 807 Member
    I have struggled with an eating disorder myself. Namely EDNOS. It can be tough, but recovery is definitely worth it. The main problem I have with exercise is reminding myself not to do it too excessively. I've pretty much gotten the hang of that. Just listening to my body. This goes for walking, too. If I ever wake up and think I don't think I want to walk today, then I don't walk.

    I'm a walker. I do resistance training and cardio, too, but I mostly walk. I don't drive - never learned how to, and really have no desire to. It's not that I'm afraid to, I just... really don't have the drive to learn to (pun intended ;) ). So, I walk. I walk to school, I walk to the store, I walk to my sister's house. If I need to go grocery shopping, I just pay someone gas money to take me.. or I just don't go overboard. I have found that my legs have gotten far more toned than they were before I was sedentary. I had a lot of hanging areas. I'm not sure I'd exactly call it 'loose skin', but it was rather unattractive, regardless. I got them from drastic weight loss (see the ednos mentioned up there). I never intended to lose them. I had actually come to terms with having them. I'd do say, leg raises on the floor and see the areas just hanging, and I'd accepted them. And then one day, I noticed that area was firmer and even toned. This is, largely, thanks to walking as I don't do leg exercises often.

    For people that have struggled with EDs and body image, I usually suggest avoiding the scale. It can trigger for many of us. The best thing to measure your successes by, in our case, is health. If you feel healthy, then you're probably going forward, not backward.

    Good luck in your goals. I wish you all the best. :flowerforyou:
  • nykismile
    nykismile Posts: 198
    Nearly every day this summer I've been trying to go for one walk per day. I've been losing weight but I also work out at a gym as well so I don't know if that's what lead to the weight loss.

    However, walking, to me, is a very peaceful and inward experience and is just as relaxing for me as yoga. I'm recovering from an eating disorder as well and since I tend to thrive better in recovery in the summer rather than the winter when I take no walks, I wonder if it's related somehow to a better mindset.
  • SomeNights246
    SomeNights246 Posts: 807 Member
    Do any of you who walk use a counter?? I have one but it doesnt sync up so I am looking for one that shows the steps and I can down load info on. Any hints??

    Not often. Occasionally, I use my 3DS as it has a pedometer built in. I find that most of the apps I've tried get the count wrong (many of them will even count when you're in a car or on a bus). But seeing how many steps you've taken can be motivating. The 3DS only counts when I'm walking, and seeing I've taken 'so and so' steps sometimes motivates me.
  • icrushit
    icrushit Posts: 773 Member
    Oh, re: the scale, don't jump on it until you're ready :) I definitely wasn't ready until I built up a bit of a head of steam, and to be honest so many people don't even bother with a scale, being happy to use other methods like checking their clothes/ pictures/ measurements every so often to keep an eye on progress.
  • jacobhyatt91
    jacobhyatt91 Posts: 120 Member
    nope still living
  • lastchance2010
    lastchance2010 Posts: 494 Member
    Hi Y'all! I am a walker here doing an hour everyday now for almost two week and scared to look at the scale in case I don't see any numbers go down but my body is getting more toned. I have no problem eating healthier but it takes more motivation to excercise! I weigh at 154 couple weeks ago at 5'8. Want to be 125. I have self image issues and in the past I struggled with bulima. I was very skinny last year but been through some stressful times and turned to food :-( I am new to this website and ready to be healthy :-D

    Hey! I'm a walker too. I consider myself a wogger. LOL (walker/jogger) Even if you don't see the numbers on the scale going down you are getting toned, so I guess that would equate to inches being shed, so, YAY!! It's good that you eat healthier, I struggle with that, as I'm an emotional eater, something I am getting better at daily. The weight your at now is actually my goal weight, as I am 5'8" as well (I'm at 288 now my highest was 337). It definitely takes motivation to exercise. I prefer not to take rest days unless I REALLY need it so that I can keep the momentum going. :D I also have self image issues. I try really hard to see my progress and notice so I'm a weigher and an inch taker so that I can really stare at myself in the mirror and say, Ok, I do see it here or there or where ever, I don't care as long as the numbers continue to decrease, I'm good. So I can relate to you with that. Welcome to MFP. Would love to connect if you would like. Good luck to you!
  • chickwithpencil
    chickwithpencil Posts: 26 Member
    I walk my dog (sometimes, this turns into a run because we live in a rural area and when he sees a deer or rabbits, he takes off after them. Heh;) while playing Zombies, run. The two together keep me motivated (the dog more than Zombies, run, tbh. All he has to do is look at me with those big brown eyes and I'm like "okay, okay, let me get your harness!" LOL!) I haven't lost a lot of weight - about 10-14 pounds in about three months - but I've started building some nice muscle in my legs and my pants are a lot looser now. :)
  • Timelordlady85
    Timelordlady85 Posts: 797 Member
    Walking is not the greatest for weight loss, but it has really helped me not gain, especially when I add in some jogging and some other dance/pilates stuff. Endurance gains have been the best. One thing that has helped has been a thread where we report our mileage each couple of days towards reaching a real-world place virtually through our accumulated mileage. Pick a historic walk or a long hike you would love to take as a tourist.

    ^^ that's a great idea ,I walk a lot myself and think I'm going to look at the mileage on the great wall of china lol
  • ifeelpretty21
    ifeelpretty21 Posts: 25 Member
    I walk for thirty minutes three days a week. Also, days I can't walk outside I use Leslie Sansone's walk away the pounds dvd. Keep up the good work! :)
  • MMarvelous
    MMarvelous Posts: 1,067 Member
    I use Pacer. It counts my steps on my iPhone and syncs with myfitnesspal. I used to use a pedometer, but found it easier just to use the app.

    I have downloaded and installed Pacer. I might take a walk today to see how it works. THX