10,000 Steps a Day

JMChattelle
JMChattelle Posts: 8 Member
edited November 24 in Health and Weight Loss
I keep hearing that it is recommended to take 10,000 steps a day. My question is, is it enough to lose weight through walking only? Some have told me you better be drenched in sweat by the end of a workout in order to drop weight. What have you experienced? Have you lost weight through increasing your steps?

Replies

  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    It's enough to lose weight without walking at all. Walking can help. I get about 20K steps a day, on average, and that definitely gives me more calories to eat.
  • PinkPixiexox
    PinkPixiexox Posts: 4,142 Member
    I have a full time Mon-Fri office job where I am literally not moving for 8 hours. There is no WAY I'd get anywhere NEAR 10,000 steps a day. I *do* work out (cardio and weight training) four times a week however. There are a lot of people here who own FitBit's to track their steps and activity - for me, it would be totally pointless and not worth the money as I barely move ;)!

    I think the 10,000 steps a day recommendation is just a way to get people in to a healthy habit. After all, as humans - we aren't designed to be stationary 24/7! I wouldn't worry about it though. Like I said, I certainly don't take 10,000 steps a day and I've lost 30 lbs (7 until my goal weight!).

    You don't have to be 'drenched in sweat' to lose weight either. Exercise is FANTASTIC but it's a calorie deficit that causes weight loss :)
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    you can be sedentary and lose weight if you're in a caloric deficit. No walking or sweating required.
  • MommyL2015
    MommyL2015 Posts: 1,411 Member
    I try to get 10-15,000 steps a day or more, and it's easy for me to do that, even get all the way to 20K but lately, my job has picked up A LOT and I find it hard just to get my minimum goal of 7K in. Heck, i'm lucky if I get over 1,000 on my really busy days, but on the days where I can't walk a lot, I just make sure I stay right at my bare minimum calorie goal and that works too.

    I love to walk, though. I feel tired and miserable when I have to sit in one spot for so long.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,683 Member
    I don't count steps, but out of curiosity, approx how many steps might be in 1 kilometer?
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    Machka9 wrote: »
    I don't count steps, but out of curiosity, approx how many steps might be in 1 kilometer?
    Probably much fewer for me than for you. About 1000 for me.

  • soapsandropes
    soapsandropes Posts: 269 Member
    You don't have to exercise at all to lose weight, that can be done by diet alone. Exercise is for helping your keep your body in good shape (including your cardio vascular system). I like having a step goal for the day because it reminds me to get up and move throughout the work day. Plus, it is a great way to spend time when the weather is nice. I am averaging 8400 steps a day with more on the weekends.
  • JMChattelle
    JMChattelle Posts: 8 Member
    All interesting responses. I too sit in a office Monday - Friday, so I get few steps into my day. I've been logging my calories and macros for over a month now with MFP. I think I need to be more strict with my macros if I am to see results and I plan on continue doing intervals on the treadmill.
  • JMChattelle
    JMChattelle Posts: 8 Member
    PinkPixiexox wrote: »
    I have a full time Mon-Fri office job where I am literally not moving for 8 hours. There is no WAY I'd get anywhere NEAR 10,000 steps a day. I *do* work out (cardio and weight training) four times a week however. There are a lot of people here who own FitBit's to track their steps and activity - for me, it would be totally pointless and not worth the money as I barely move ;)!

    I think the 10,000 steps a day recommendation is just a way to get people in to a healthy habit. After all, as humans - we aren't designed to be stationary 24/7! I wouldn't worry about it though. Like I said, I certainly don't take 10,000 steps a day and I've lost 30 lbs (7 until my goal weight!).

    You don't have to be 'drenched in sweat' to lose weight either. Exercise is FANTASTIC but it's a calorie deficit that causes weight loss :)

    Congrats on your progress!
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    JMChattelle wrote: »
    All interesting responses. I too sit in a office Monday - Friday, so I get few steps into my day. I've been logging my calories and macros for over a month now with MFP. I think I need to be more strict with my macros if I am to see results and I plan on continue doing intervals on the treadmill.
    What results are you seeking that you believe being more strict with your macros will assist?

  • JMChattelle
    JMChattelle Posts: 8 Member
    I am 5'5, current 133lbs and wanting to reach 125lbs. Of course, if I exchanged fat for muscle I wouldn't mind the number as much. I'm just very uncomfortable in my own skin.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    JMChattelle wrote: »
    I am 5'5, current 133lbs and wanting to reach 125lbs. Of course, if I exchanged fat for muscle I wouldn't mind the number as much. I'm just very uncomfortable in my own skin.

    Weight loss is related to calorie consumption, not macro consumption.
  • sherbear702
    sherbear702 Posts: 650 Member
    Walking only isn't enough to lose weight. Like others have said, you have to eat a calorie deficit too. Walking certainly helps. I try to get 10,000 steps in every day. I work in an office too, but I walk during my lunch break and eat at my desk. Maybe other people aren't allowed to eat at their desks at work? I don't know, but I see no reason why having a Monday-Friday 8-5 office job would prevent you from exercising.
  • The_Invisible_Boy
    The_Invisible_Boy Posts: 568 Member
    I have a very sedentary job at times. I'm basically confined in a 10'x8' box from 6-12 hours a day. I think there are many days I don't even get 500 steps in. When weather and time permits I do walk and hike. Have made most of my loss with mostly no exercise at all. Like others have stated above nutrition is for weight loss. Exercise is to be healthy.
  • sshintaku
    sshintaku Posts: 228 Member
    I walk between 13,000 and 20,000 steps a day. I think this helps A LOT, at least for me because it gives me more calories to eat and allows me to easily stay in a deficit, even on days when I don't formally work out. It's hard for me to get time to make it to the gym for a formal workout, but I'm still relatively sucessful because I move a lot throughout the day.
  • Optimistical1
    Optimistical1 Posts: 210 Member
    PinkPixiexox wrote: »
    I have a full time Mon-Fri office job where I am literally not moving for 8 hours. There is no WAY I'd get anywhere NEAR 10,000 steps a day. I *do* work out (cardio and weight training) four times a week however. There are a lot of people here who own FitBit's to track their steps and activity - for me, it would be totally pointless and not worth the money as I barely move ;)!

    I think the 10,000 steps a day recommendation is just a way to get people in to a healthy habit. After all, as humans - we aren't designed to be stationary 24/7! I wouldn't worry about it though. Like I said, I certainly don't take 10,000 steps a day and I've lost 30 lbs (7 until my goal weight!).

    You don't have to be 'drenched in sweat' to lose weight either. Exercise is FANTASTIC but it's a calorie deficit that causes weight loss :)

    Exactly!!
  • chaoticdreams
    chaoticdreams Posts: 447 Member
    Desk job here too, but I've made it a point to get up and move more and am blessed to have a job that lets me. I walk on my two daily breaks, about 20 min each, a mile each, with my coworkers. I walk to the restaurant I will eat at (small town) for lunch on days I don't go home. And after dinner I walk my dogs another 2-4 miles. Mon-Fri I make sure I get my 10k steps in with my Fitbit. On weekends, I take a break but usually get 5-6k. I don't eat back the calories earned, but it's nice to know they are there if I need them or want them. I used to do the gym, but just don't have the time anymore with my husbands new schedule. So walking has become my exercise for the moment. It and I do kettlebell circuits three days a week. I'd love to do 18-20k a day, but just don't have enough daylight. :)
  • North44
    North44 Posts: 359 Member
    I try to get 10,000 a day. I have been exercising regularly for 5 years now but tend to be too sedentary the rest of the day so I got a Fitbit to help me get in more steps. I'm in maintenance now actually. I don't eat back the calories. I do it for health reasons and to have that extra cushion to help keep the weight off. Monitoring my calorie intake is the key for me though.
  • bjess8411
    bjess8411 Posts: 68 Member
    JMChattelle wrote: »
    I keep hearing that it is recommended to take 10,000 steps a day. My question is, is it enough to lose weight through walking only? Some have told me you better be drenched in sweat by the end of a workout in order to drop weight. What have you experienced? Have you lost weight through increasing your steps?

    I am a stay at home mom, and I have found that I only get even close to 10,000 steps a day on a day where I am cleaning/working all day and exercising on top of it. I find I can lose weight just at a calorie deficit and trying to include more lifestyle activity (like cleaning and cooking.) Structured exercise doesn't really increase my weekly weight loss I have learned because I can't do things like running or intense walking but lifestyle activity does increase it significantly. I need a good couple hours a day moving to have great weight losses.
  • rhtexasgal
    rhtexasgal Posts: 572 Member
    I have a full time desk job and I still manage to get over 10,000 steps a day and it isn't too difficult. Of course, it helps that I am alone a lot in the office. I will read my emails and march in place. I will re-arrange my desk so that my keyboard and mouse are elevated so I can stand and work. I will put on a song once every 30 minutes and march in place. That garners about 1,000 steps an hour. At lunch, I go for a walk. At home, when I cook (and watch water boil or something), I will march or dance in place. When I wait in lines, pump gas, etc., I am marching in place or doing some rhythmic toe-tapping. It all adds up quickly. Oh, at night when I veg out with a TV show, I will march in place too. With my mind occupied, I don't realize that the 30 minute or 1 hour show goes by so fast.
  • tiny_clanger
    tiny_clanger Posts: 301 Member
    I always get 10000 steps in unless I'm ill. If I'm not there by the time I'm almost ready for bed, I run on the spot until it's done. It all still counts :)
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Machka9 wrote: »
    I don't count steps, but out of curiosity, approx how many steps might be in 1 kilometer?

    1400 steps per kilometer, I'm 5'3"
  • tressie99
    tressie99 Posts: 16 Member
    PinkPixiexox wrote: »
    I have a full time Mon-Fri office job where I am literally not moving for 8 hours. There is no WAY I'd get anywhere NEAR 10,000 steps a day. I *do* work out (cardio and weight training) four times a week however. There are a lot of people here who own FitBit's to track their steps and activity - for me, it would be totally pointless and not worth the money as I barely move ;)!

    I think the 10,000 steps a day recommendation is just a way to get people in to a healthy habit. After all, as humans - we aren't designed to be stationary 24/7! I wouldn't worry about it though. Like I said, I certainly don't take 10,000 steps a day and I've lost 30 lbs (7 until my goal weight!).

    You don't have to be 'drenched in sweat' to lose weight either. Exercise is FANTASTIC but it's a calorie deficit that causes weight loss :)

    I am a bank teller and I spend a lot of time in one specific area. My total for the last seven days is over 100,000. It is possible! I do walk on my lunch break, and still work out at the gym but what helps me get my goal of 10,000 every day is I walk in place or even sometimes will walk laps around our work area. Just get out of your chair every once and awhile and you can do it!
  • CostaRica120
    CostaRica120 Posts: 274 Member
    Upping my steps to about 20,000 per day at least 3 days per week has made a huge difference! The weight has been melting off almost! And it doesn't ramp up my appetite like more intense workouts.
  • tressie99
    tressie99 Posts: 16 Member
    rhtexasgal wrote: »
    I have a full time desk job and I still manage to get over 10,000 steps a day and it isn't too difficult. Of course, it helps that I am alone a lot in the office. I will read my emails and march in place. I will re-arrange my desk so that my keyboard and mouse are elevated so I can stand and work. I will put on a song once every 30 minutes and march in place. That garners about 1,000 steps an hour. At lunch, I go for a walk. At home, when I cook (and watch water boil or something), I will march or dance in place. When I wait in lines, pump gas, etc., I am marching in place or doing some rhythmic toe-tapping. It all adds up quickly. Oh, at night when I veg out with a TV show, I will march in place too. With my mind occupied, I don't realize that the 30 minute or 1 hour show goes by so fast.

    This is exactly what I do! Do people look at you like you're nuts? So many people make fun of me at work!
  • GeckoSupervisor
    GeckoSupervisor Posts: 12 Member
    I recently installed a pedometer on my phone (if you have a smartphone, there's a bunch of free apps out there!). My job is pretty sedentary, and I work from home - I discovered, to my dismay, that unless I consciously get up and walk around, or get on the elliptical, I can take as few as 1,500 steps a day. Because of this, I changed my activity level from "moderate" to "sedentary" on MFP and I have been losing the predicted amount of weight given my calorie deficit.
    I've also discovered that 2,500 steps is roughly equivalent to 100 calories for me. The system that I've found to work pretty well is any steps after the first 2,500 (since my activity level is sedentary) counts as exercise for the day. If I took 10,000 steps over the course of the day, that would be 300 calories earned!
    So no, you don't have to take 10,000 steps a day to lose weight, as others said. But for me at least, taking 10,000 steps in a day would mean that I could have a nice slice of cake! (or a nutritious meal, whatever)
  • Keith3481
    Keith3481 Posts: 91 Member
    I have a sedentary desk job and I can get in about 1000 steps per day. I ride my bike hooked up to a trainer six days a week 30 minutes a day for fitness, and gets my heart rate up to about 140 bpm. The exercise earns me about 250 calories and lets me have an extra slice of pizza or stop at McDonald's for breakfast. The key to my losing almost 40 lbs this year is that I've run an overall calorie deficit. So to answer your question, you can lose weight walking 1,000 steps a day, walking 20,000 steps a day, or any amount as long as you focus on that deficit.
  • Artemiris
    Artemiris Posts: 189 Member
    I have a question for those that wrote that they march in place. Is it the same as walking? Same calories?
    I tried it, while watching something, but half an hour of it tired me more than a 10km walk.
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
    DeguelloTex wrote: »
    Machka9 wrote: »
    I don't count steps, but out of curiosity, approx how many steps might be in 1 kilometer?
    Probably much fewer for me than for you. About 1000 for me.

    I'm a LOT shorter than you, and it's about 1,000 for me too.

    Walking isn't necessary for weight loss, but it's a nice adjunct to it if you choose to. I get anywhere from 15-20K steps in and I do appreciate the extra calories and pain relief from arthritis I get from it.

    As for a certain intensity of exercise being "necessary"? That's hogwash. Different people have different sweat levels, firstly. I barely sweat, and yet somehow, I've managed to raise my TDEE from 1600 to 2450 while dropping weight too quickly at the moment. I'm starting to run (very slowly), I walk a lot (briskly), and I train with weights. That's it.

  • AntonVan74
    AntonVan74 Posts: 13 Member
    PinkPixiexox wrote: »
    I have a full time Mon-Fri office job where I am literally not moving for 8 hours. There is no WAY I'd get anywhere NEAR 10,000 steps a day. I *do* work out (cardio and weight training) four times a week however. There are a lot of people here who own FitBit's to track their steps and activity - for me, it would be totally pointless and not worth the money as I barely move ;)!

    I think the 10,000 steps a day recommendation is just a way to get people in to a healthy habit. After all, as humans - we aren't designed to be stationary 24/7! I wouldn't worry about it though. Like I said, I certainly don't take 10,000 steps a day and I've lost 30 lbs (7 until my goal weight!).

    You don't have to be 'drenched in sweat' to lose weight either. Exercise is FANTASTIC but it's a calorie deficit that causes weight loss :)

    Congrats on your weightloss. It is possible I work 7-4 in a cubie-work desk job and still do 15,000 steps a day. on my breaks since I work in a highrise I walk the stairs to the top floor and walk to the bottom 2 times a day, and on my half our lunch I walk around the downtown area about 1.5 mile. Plus, I will do around 3 miles when I get home on a treadmill, Plus, walking my dog. There is time for everything if you make it part of your routine. So far i have lost 85lbs so something is working.
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