Is walking enough?

has anyone walked off a significant amount of weight? like 40 or more pounds? i started walking to get my cardio in and i know it wont tone much besides the 1 pound hand walking weights. but is it enough? bc it doesn't seem to be enough. i did a 10 minute jumping jack exercise but i have just got back on the wagon and was wondering what walking will do. any Davie would be nice.
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Replies

  • rompers16
    rompers16 Posts: 5,404 Member
    I've pretty much only done walking..down almost 30 lbs. I do plan on adding strength training though and I do walk almost 2 hours a day, so it's time consuming.
  • auntdeedee87
    auntdeedee87 Posts: 706 Member
    Walking is considered cardio.

    Consider mixing intervals into your walking-- fast for thirty seconds, then a slow pace for a minute, and repeat

    You can absolutely lose weight just walking, 30 minutes a day even.

    No matter how slow you may be going you are still lapping everyone on the couch.
  • KeRAWRi
    KeRAWRi Posts: 79 Member
    I have actually read that walking burns more fat than running, and I have lost a few inches from walking in a week so forgive me if my information is wrong. you never know! Besides, being active is what is important. If that is what you like to do then just try and eat as clean as possible. :)
  • Spartan_Maker
    Spartan_Maker Posts: 683 Member
    Implicit in everyone's goal to "lose weight" is that they want to lose fat without losing muscle. As far as cardio is concerned, walking at a normal pace is the best exercise while on a diet because it's not taxing, burns quite a few calories, and uses little to no glycogen (it uses mostly fat stores). You'll need glycogen to perform resistance training. Resistance training is the only way to guarantee that you preserve most of your muscle while losing weight. If you want to lose as little muscle as possible while losing weight, you should perform the big compound movements like bench press, squats, and deadlifts with a weight that is challenging at 4 to 6 repetitions.

    I've used this strategy and lost more than 105 lbs. and 27% body fat in 9 months.

    My advice is to walk for an hour a day and strength train 3 to 5 times a week, depending on your ability to recover.
  • auntdeedee87
    auntdeedee87 Posts: 706 Member
    Implicit in everyone's goal to "lose weight" is that they want to lose fat without losing muscle. As far as cardio is concerned, walking at a normal pace is the best exercise while on a diet because it's not taxing, burns quite a few calories, and uses little to no glycogen (it uses mostly fat stores). You'll need glycogen to perform resistance training. Resistance training is the only way to guarantee that you preserve most of your muscle while losing weight. If you want to lose as little muscle as possible while losing weight, you should perform the big compound movements like bench press, squats, and deadlifts with a weight that is challenging at 4 to 6 repetitions.

    I've used this strategy and lost more than 105 lbs. and 27% body fat in 9 months.

    My advice is to walk for an hour a day and strength train 3 to 5 times a week, depending on your ability to recover.

    This.
  • amann1976
    amann1976 Posts: 742 Member
    i've done it 60+pounds gone and a lot of inches but in my opinion just like with any other form of cardio you have to get your heart rate up and the sweat flowing for it to be most effective.

    if you have time to laugh and giggle at whats being played on the tv on the treadmill you ain't working hard enough
  • Juliette320
    Juliette320 Posts: 144 Member
    thank you all for the feedback, i didnt want to give my life story here, but i walked 70 minutes 2.1 miles today and 60 minutes yesterday dont know how far, but 1 pound hand weights, and after i did 10 minute jumping jack video. if i continue doing this i hope to lose fat sorry for saying weight bc i do know the difference. but yeah i want to lose fat first whatever faster and but id kinda like to be just done in the end (: lol
  • caitlyn30
    caitlyn30 Posts: 207 Member
    I've hit 40 lbs ...only walking
  • Skinny_Beans
    Skinny_Beans Posts: 405 Member
    I walked everyday at about 3-3.5 mph for 40-120 minutes a day and with a change in diet lost over 30 pounds. Walking is severely underrated for weight loss :]
  • Lalouse
    Lalouse Posts: 221 Member
    I think you can do it, as long as you do at least 20 minutes every day of the week.

    I'm doing Couch to 5K, so I'm jogging. But I walk on days when I can't jog (like when I'm traveling or when my husband wants to go with me to walk).
  • Celeigh12
    Celeigh12 Posts: 763 Member
    I walked off my 120. I've recently added more cardio/ weights, but walking has worked great for me.
  • rckymtgrl14
    rckymtgrl14 Posts: 4 Member
    Walking, paired with a healthy diet seems to work. I struggle to do both. My friend had a walking challenge at work over the summer. She was challenged to walk 10,000 steps (5 miles) every day over three months. She had the help and support of co-workers and her husband, who likes to workout, and she lost 30 lbs. I tried walking 10000 steps over six weeks and didn't see much for weight loss. Diet seems to be my challenge.
  • I have been walking for awhile now! the only excercise I have done is walking. But it is fast, on my device I walk with said I'm walking about 4.0 mph and I walk 6.5 miles a day (split it up 3 in morning, 3 at night). As of today I have lost 48 pounds! I just started using weights (5lbs). so we will see how that all works! Good Luck!
  • jmc0806
    jmc0806 Posts: 1,444 Member
    Mine was all walking and watching my calories.
  • Mads1997
    Mads1997 Posts: 1,494 Member
    I lost 22 kg just walking 3 days a week.
  • sisyoli
    sisyoli Posts: 11 Member
    I have done...by dvd...Walk a Mile with Leslie Sansone...and lost 30 pounds and stop for 2 weeks and starting to walk again..you can walk one mile ... two milies....three miles,...four miles or 4 miles..and the more you walk the more you lose. I use 3 pound weight sometimes cause you can add it... hope it helps.
  • mollz007
    mollz007 Posts: 168 Member
    I think that walking alone should be fine as long as you are walking fast enough to get your HR up (at least some of the time.) I would also consider adding some strength training. But ya, walking is my main workout. I hate running. Walking uphill on the treadmill is a great workout:smile:
  • kdeaux1959
    kdeaux1959 Posts: 2,675 Member
    It can be. Yes, it does seem like it is "not enough". I pretty much only cardio on the treadmill most of the time but I do intervals on incline. My pace at peak approaches 4mph and during warm up about 3 mph. After warm up I try to make sure I am @ 3.5 mph or more. The incline really helps increase the exertion rate. I also do weights... As for the little 1 lb weights I have actually heard that they may be more of a risk than a benefit as far as any fitness benefit is concerned. Lifting heavy will yield an increase in lean body mass which will in turn cause a higher rate of metabolism. So I would probably stick with the walking with perhaps an increased pace and try adding some resistance training to the mix... Oh, and I would not worry about bulking up by lifting heavy... It is really hard for a female to bulk due to differences in hormones.
  • ktrn0312
    ktrn0312 Posts: 722 Member
    Walking has been a very effective tool in my weight loss journey.
  • thats all i do is walking and I am down 20 lbs in 6 wks but i am also trying to stay under 1200 calories
  • I love walking, so that's what I do for exercise. You do tend to need more time but I break it into two half hour walks a day. Still burns calories and is pretty relaxing.
  • lrcross
    lrcross Posts: 42
    ...in the beginning, I walked and did swimming...it is how I lost the first 15lbs relatively quickly. I stopped walking and am now going to add it back. I believe it is more of a significant benefit to my weight loss (journey) than I've given it.
  • fluffynut4
    fluffynut4 Posts: 12 Member
    Im in Australia so Ill talk in Kilograms. But i weighed about 152kgs and all I did was walk for an hour a day and I got down to 101.9kgs with in a few months, I did lose it very quickly but everyones body works differently... I unfortunately have put almost all of that back on due to being put on four different weight gaining meds but I am in the process of working my butt off to get that off again and keep it off... I had stopped walking in that time also because I recently found out I have heart issues and dr's wanted me to be on full rest for a while, but now Im back to walking and Im planning on doing it all over again (just not putting it back on this time!!)..
    Good luck with it!! xx
  • angelique_redhead
    angelique_redhead Posts: 782 Member
    Down 15.2 pounds from September 20. Just walking. MFP says only 7 but that's because the weight is from July when I first joined and couldn't make MFP work for me.
  • AEFidgets
    AEFidgets Posts: 243
    Walking is the gateway drug of exercise. It gets you into other activities such as running and hiking. Honestly its fun easy and cheap. What's not to like?
  • sarah3333
    sarah3333 Posts: 222 Member
    I lost my first 30-40 lbs just walking a half hour everyday without exceptions and watching my diet without exceptions.
  • kimosabe1
    kimosabe1 Posts: 2,467 Member
    hey, BTW-if you do 7000 jumping jacks you could lose an entire pound. I found that fact on pinintrest and am going to do 1000 a day...
  • has anyone walked off a significant amount of weight? like 40 or more pounds? i started walking to get my cardio in and i know it wont tone much besides the 1 pound hand walking weights. but is it enough? bc it doesn't seem to be enough. i did a 10 minute jumping jack exercise but i have just got back on the wagon and was wondering what walking will do. any Davie would be nice.

    ADD the JOGGING in your walks start at 1 min walking 1 min jogging and like that as much you like pump that heart rate that helps alot in your lose and inches and of corse watching what you eating is a plus to your journey we all have our days and we fail but is a challege and a journey for life we learn form each failers like me i lose 39 pound so gain 7 but i am like a elevator witch is not good only make ppl lazy hehe well point is yes walk is great for losing weight and control your portions carbs and sugar.
    keep it up we can do wearever we put in our minds i will lose those i gain cuz i did it before and i will gonna do it know :)
  • FitFabFlirty92
    FitFabFlirty92 Posts: 384 Member
    I say if you can do more, do it. It'll only benefit you in the end and make you stronger and more fit. I don't see the point in limiting yourself to walking if your capable of doing more. I think everybody should work to whatever their level of fitness is, and if they can, try to push beyond that. :)
  • coolraul07
    coolraul07 Posts: 1,606 Member
    Mine was all walking and watching my calories.

    Ditto. Once I complete my Stage 2 goal (see profile for details), I'll add resistance training. I'm deliberately doing only walking (albeit 3mph @ 8-10% incline) in the first 2 stages to ensure that it's an activity level that I can maintain for decades. I don't want to rely on an exercise level to lose weight that's so high that I can't guarantee myself that I won't fail to maintain the weight loss. YMMV