Is walking a good enough exercise to be doing?

Walking is great! That's the way I started Its relaxing and if you walk fast enough you can really work up a sweat! Good luck with everything!

Yes it is.

Specifically, you were walking for 2hrs, so yes you will burn a lot of calories. I have suspected that the calorie figures on here are a little excessive for exercise. But having followed my predicted kcal intake for a week, I lost a pound, exactly as it said, so you can trust it. As a heavy person, you'll be burning even more calories on that walk than someone of a lower weight, so it's possible that that figure is even conservative.

Keep it up, and don't forget to make your walk faster as your body gets used to the exercise over the weeks. Only then will you be able to progress to more intensive exercises like swimming and jogging.

Keep up the good work.

walking is good hun, sounds bout right to me keep it up x

Walking is an awesome way to start! Go at your own pace and then work your way up. Create challenges that YOU can complete not anything someone else makes for you unless you need this. Maybe Day I to the mailbox and back then progress. Walking a little is better than sitting alot. Any activity burns calories - cleaning, washing clothes, playing with kids - just do something.

I would say don't eat back all the calories as MFP tends to over estimate. I say split the difference with half.

I think you should start trying the www.c25k.com program. If you can walk for 2 hours, you can jog for the little bit that they require you to in the first week. You'll be surprised at how quickly you can make progress if you push yourself. For example, when I started losing weight, I was 280. I decided if I was going to lose weight, I needed to start running, so everyday I tried to go one more lap around the track. By the time I was down to 260 I was running a 7 minute mile!

Hi - well done on the 7mile walk in 2 hours that's good going - I find the calories burned on MFP a little high and tend to use them with a pinch of salt. You might find this website helpful as it maps your walk and then figures out the calories, you can get an app for the iphone/ipod touch/blackberry as well.

http://www.mapmywalk.com

Walking is a great exercise - I'm training for the Moonwalk a power walking marathon and have lost lots of inches if not the pounds at the mo.

You will need to buy a HRM to be sure...and mostly because your eating you exercise calories, or you could be eating to many calories. I have a heart rate monitor, and only eat half of my calories back. If your going to buy one....make sure it has a chest strap to be more accurite. Good luck.

Sounds like a great walk by the way, and walking is a great exercise....just keep your heart rate up ; )

Yes, walking is a great exercise, and the fact that you're walking 7 miles is amazing - great job! I've tried walking a 9 mile loop around the lake near my home, and I can only do it once a year - then I'm in pain for a week, and swear it off for another year. The calories burned sounds about right (they would be higher for swimming and jogging) and it is dependent on weight, so as you lose weight, you would burn fewer calories doing the same thing. At the same time, you'll be building more muscle from exercise, which burns more calories at rest, so it all works out. Just get out there and keep moving!

If the walking you're doing is more than you would've done before you came here and make an effort to get fit then yes I'd say that's great - anything is better than nothing at all
As far as the calories goes, it does sound about right since the more you weigh the more you burn so I'd aim to eat at least most of them back. If you're still unsure about the calories burnt though, a HRM would probably be best as those are going to be the closest to what you're actually burning.

no! you need resistance training also....eating back what you walked not such a good idea

Walking is a great way to get back into exercising. That's how I started too.

I think your numbers sound about right. I've heard several people say a good way to estimate is about 100 calories per mile. You'll burn it off faster running, but you still cover about the same distance. (In other words you burn about the same calories to run a 10 minute mile as to walk a 20 minute mile.) And at 7 miles in 2 hours, that's about 3.5mph, which is a somewhat brisk walk. So that should be good for getting your heart rate up a bit.

Congratulations on a great start.

Activity is good! My wife is exactly where you are in fitness. We are walking together to help get her started back with an exercise routine. Right now she can injure herself just walking uphill. But she will stick with it and when she can she will add cycling and swimming. After that she wants to join me in doing P90X, and the long range goal is doing a triathlon. Fourteen years ago she was an AT thru hiker, but years of office work and no exercise has taken a toll. I encourage you as I encourage her - stick with it! We all have the rest of our lives; no need to try to do it all in one day/week/month. Success is attained by those who stick with it, not those who start with a sprint but quit after a short time. Four years ago I was overweight, out of shape, had high blood pressure, etc. But over these last four years I have ploddingly attained the best fitness of my life. I adore trail running, cycling, P90X, and several other activities. My wife knows that she can do it because she watched me do it. So can you! Do what you can and increase as you can. Find activities that you enjoy, it well help keep you motivated. You can do it!