Will walking help me lose weight?

MummatoSkye
MummatoSkye Posts: 42
in Fitness and Exercise
I don't normally exercise, so I'm trying to ease myself into it, I'm doing 60 minutes of brisk walking every day and 20 sit ups, is this enough to help me lose weight at the beginning.

Should I be doing more?

Replies

  • Eric_DeCastro
    Eric_DeCastro Posts: 767 Member
    walking is fine if that is all you can do. just go for duration and maybe a little running when your body tells you it can handle it.
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
    That sounds fine.

    Just remember that you still need to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight. As you continue to exercise and lose, you can reevaluate whether you need (or want) a more aggressive exercise plan.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,178 Member
    Yes, walking is a good exercise, and not just for losing weight.
  • MummatoSkye
    MummatoSkye Posts: 42
    Hopefully, I will soon be active enough to go jogging, I just don't want to embarrass myself by failing
  • tibili
    tibili Posts: 8
    I walk tons and it doesn't do a thing :(
  • SuperC_85
    SuperC_85 Posts: 393
    Just remember that you still need to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight.

    ^^ This

    Food 80% and exercise 20% when it comes to weight loss.
  • Dashippy
    Dashippy Posts: 1
    Walking is great, especially to get yourself back into exercising. The first time I tried to lose weight properly I walked for about two hours (six miles) at a time. Even with the really bad diet I had before I was losing weight. The main thing is the calorie deficit. Start out easy and ease your way into more. If you can't walk faster, or longer, try switching up your route. Walk a mixture of uphill and downhill for more of a challenge.
  • webdevsoup
    webdevsoup Posts: 384 Member
    Any movement and change in your daily exercise routine will get you on the right track. As others have said, make sure you eat a balance diet as well (diet as in types of food, not as in "omg I have to crash course and only consume 1000 calories"). If you eat like crap, and walk, you might not see a change. I know it's been said a million times before, but losing weight should be a life change, not just a for-now change.

    A caloric deficit of 500 calories will result in a pound a week of loss (1 lb is equal to 3500 calories). So, make sure you have a deficit of calories consumed, and you'll be good!
  • bethlaf
    bethlaf Posts: 954 Member
    90% of my exercise is alking , walking and stretching and squats, etc, all stuff i can do in my living room , or with my kids , its just so far been increasing the heck out of how much i do, last year in Feb , i bought a Fit bit, and i didnt add any exercise the first two weeks i had it , i was shocked and dissapointed with how little i moved during a normal day, my goal was to add an extra 1000 steps to every day for a week ,, then when that became easy i added more ... etc etc.. now i walkon avg 2.5-3 miles a day, i know others walk more, but for me that works ..
  • Ladyiianae
    Ladyiianae Posts: 271 Member
    Food 80% and exercise 20% when it comes to weight loss.

    This!
  • ihad
    ihad Posts: 7,463 Member
    Easing in is fine. Walking is great. The key is managing your diet well and maintaining a reasonable deficit.
  • matuskap
    matuskap Posts: 131 Member
    Walking is good, but i always felt like you burn only as much as i would doing anything else. For example if you cooked a meal in kitchen of just go to shop groceries, you would burn as much much as if you spend time walking. So i never count it toward my calorie goals cause i feel it already is included in a sense. Also i think walking is not challenging enough unless you are post-recovering from some surgery or ilness. Even people with bad knees are able to do regular/stationary bike or even better, high intensity eliptical and so on. Its actually a good resistance therapy and less stressfull on joints.
  • kemcclell54
    kemcclell54 Posts: 4 Member
    Absolutely - walking, like any other exercise, will help you lose weight. Burning calories in any form contributes to calorie deficit. Walking is less "time efficient" than running or other more intensive forms of exercise, but the bottom line is you burn x calories when you move x miles, whether you are walking, running, or something else. Walking has the added benefit of being easier on your joints. So if you have the time - walk, walk, walk!
  • BigGuy47
    BigGuy47 Posts: 1,768 Member
    As others have said, dietary control is far more important than exercise for weight control. Exercise does help with weight loss, but it's primary purpose is fitness. As you get closer to your goal weight your goals may change from a specific weight to overall fitness. When that happens you will look for ways to ramp up your exercise routine.
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
    Walking is good, but i always felt like you burn only as much as i would doing anything else. For example if you cooked a meal in kitchen of just go to shop groceries, you would burn as much much as if you spend time walking. So i never count it toward my calorie goals cause i feel it already is included in a sense. Also i think walking is not challenging enough unless you are post-recovering from some surgery or ilness. Even people with bad knees are able to do regular/stationary bike or even better, high intensity eliptical and so on. Its actually a good resistance therapy and less stressfull on joints.

    I suspect you either walk really slowly or else do everything else at very high intensity! :laugh: For me, my rule of thumb for walking is 5 calories per minute above my baseline (BMR*activity).

    I tend to agree with you, but don't let the best be the enemy of the good. Walking is a great way to begin exercising. Even though I'm now in great shape and do other high intensity exercises I still walk 30-60 minutes a day.

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