Running/walking... Is it the same amount of calories lost?

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So I do a 40minute workout on the treadmill by usually warming up with walking on the treadmill but then my aim to run as much as I can. I'm 9st 13lbs so I'm just looking to burn those 13lbs. I was reading a forum on the net and read that you pretty much burn the same amount if you ran or walked. So is it true that if I were to walk for 40minutes it would be the equivalent lost to running for 40minutes? I thought I would burn more running :? X
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Replies

  • thatshistorical
    thatshistorical Posts: 93 Member
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    Calorie burn and fat burn is determined on your heart rate when exercising so I think that forum was incorrect.

    Walking will not raise your heart rate as much as running (unless you are power walking at 4.5mph and your run speed is around 5.5mph, then they might be close.) my heart rate tends to be almost the same when I'm running (ok, jogging) and walking fast. So I tend to walk fast (4-4.5mph) with some bursts of 6.5 mph running for 60 min to keep my heart rate in its target zone.

    Also weight loss is most importantly a matter of calorie deficit. So focus on the food first! When it comes to working out, it matters a little less. As long as you get your heart rate up and keep it up for 40+ minutes, and combine resistance training to keep muscles strong.
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
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    For equivalent amounts of time, one burns more running.
  • mel35645
    mel35645 Posts: 267 Member
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    Makes sense to me that your heart rate will be higher when running but I agree with thatshistorical most important is being at a calorie deficit
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    I thought I would burn more running :? X

    Running burns about twice as many calories per distance as walking will, give or take a bit of margin.

  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    Calorie burn and fat burn is determined on your heart rate when exercising

    Calorie expenditure is more about mass, distance and mechanical efficiency. Running consumes around twice the calories that walking does.

    Heart Rate can act as an indicator of calorie expenture, in a limited set of circumstances
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    Calorie burn and fat burn is determined on your heart rate when exercising

    Calorie expenditure is more about mass, distance and mechanical efficiency. Running consumes around twice the calories that walking does.

    Heart Rate can act as an indicator of calorie expenture, in a limited set of circumstances

    Pretty much this...
  • sunglasses_and_ocean_waves
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    No that's not correct. i think they may be suggesting that it's the same calorie burn for the same miles ... not the time it takes to walk or run those miles. I never agreed with that though.

    But you know if you love walking, then go for it. I speed walk and run. Sometimes I just really prefer speed walking . I like to hit the hills hard so my muscles are getting worked.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
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    Calorie burn and fat burn is determined on your heart rate when exercising so I think that forum was incorrect.

    Sorry, there's no linear correlation between heart rate and caloric expenditure.

    An unfit 200lb person will typically have a higher heart rate than a fit person of the same weight yet they would both expend almost the same number of calories running or walking the same distance. HR is an indicator of fitness, nothing else.

    To estimate net calories expended Runners World has proposed the following formula.

    Walking .30 x weight (in lbs) x distance (in miles)

    Running same but use .63

    Apparently, however, race walking at 5mph or more expends more calories as result of mechanical inefficiency walking at that speed.

    OP - the weight loss will come as a result of a caloric deficit, you can lose it with or without exercise. Exercise is for fitness and health (but numerous studies have also shown that people who exercise on a regular basis are more likely to keep the weight off in the long term) and IMO cardiovascular fitness is more important than the number on a scale (and may mitigate some of the consequences of being moderately overweight)

  • rippedhippie
    rippedhippie Posts: 24 Member
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    My girlfriend can run 6.5 miles on level treadmill for 30 minutes. At the same time I can walk at 4 miles an hour on a 8% incline and burn the same calories. A lot less impact on my joints..But on a level playing field running burns a lot more then walking.
  • robertw486
    robertw486 Posts: 2,388 Member
    edited March 2016
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    A couple of good links that apply.....

    exrx.net/Aerobic/WalkCalExp.html

    The chart at the top appears to be based on gross calorie burns, not net calorie burns. And as with anything else it's based on accepted formulas, not exacts.

    exrx.net/Calculators/WalkRunMETs.html

    A calculator based on the methods. Very close to the numbers stated by some from the Runners World article and studies if you use net calorie burn for running.



    This brings up a point I thought about recently due to another thread. Though treadmills often know miles moved, as well as user weights and such, I'm not sure if any of them allows programming or a button to push to differentiate between walking and running. I'd have to guess that if they don't have a way to specify, they probably use some standard formula or averages to transition the calories burn calculations from walking to running. The extremes of either (fast walking or slow running) might grossly skew the machine calculations.

    We had a cheap treadmill years ago, and I know they have progressed a lot on all levels. Does anyone use a home or commercial treadmill that differentiates between walking and running somehow?



    Personally I discount HR as an estimation, unless a user has enough data or some other form of power measure to allow them to have an accurate indication of HR vs speeds or loads.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    My girlfriend can run 6.5 miles on level treadmill for 30 minutes. At the same time I can walk at 4 miles an hour on a 8% incline and burn the same calories. A lot less impact on my joints..But on a level playing field running burns a lot more then walking.

    Weight makes a difference. At the same weight, running at 6.5 mph would burn approx 25%-29% more calories per minute than the workload you described.

    When comparing "walking" vs "running", it is assumed that both are on a flat surface. Incline walking is a completely separate type of exercise (an excellent one, I might add, but irrelevant to this discussion).
  • dewd2
    dewd2 Posts: 2,449 Member
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  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    robertw486 wrote: »
    A couple of good links that apply.....

    exrx.net/Aerobic/WalkCalExp.html

    The chart at the top appears to be based on gross calorie burns, not net calorie burns. And as with anything else it's based on accepted formulas, not exacts.

    exrx.net/Calculators/WalkRunMETs.html

    A calculator based on the methods. Very close to the numbers stated by some from the Runners World article and studies if you use net calorie burn for running.



    This brings up a point I thought about recently due to another thread. Though treadmills often know miles moved, as well as user weights and such, I'm not sure if any of them allows programming or a button to push to differentiate between walking and running. I'd have to guess that if they don't have a way to specify, they probably use some standard formula or averages to transition the calories burn calculations from walking to running. The extremes of either (fast walking or slow running) might grossly skew the machine calculations.

    We had a cheap treadmill years ago, and I know they have progressed a lot on all levels. Does anyone use a home or commercial treadmill that differentiates between walking and running somehow?



    Personally I discount HR as an estimation, unless a user has enough data or some other form of power measure to allow them to have an accurate indication of HR vs speeds or loads.

    The calculations for walking are valid for speeds up to 4.2 mph. The calculations for running start at 5.0 mph. Outside of those parameters, there is too much variability to come up with an equation that will be valid and consistent.

    Since there are no valid equations, the treadmill uses the running equation for speeds of 5.0 and above and walking equations for less than that.
  • xLyric
    xLyric Posts: 840 Member
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    Calorie burn and fat burn is determined on your heart rate when exercising so I think that forum was incorrect.

    Sorry, there's no linear correlation between heart rate and caloric expenditure.

    An unfit 200lb person will typically have a higher heart rate than a fit person of the same weight yet they would both expend almost the same number of calories running or walking the same distance. HR is an indicator of fitness, nothing else.

    To estimate net calories expended Runners World has proposed the following formula.

    Walking .30 x weight (in lbs) x distance (in miles)

    Running same but use .63

    Apparently, however, race walking at 5mph or more expends more calories as result of mechanical inefficiency walking at that speed.

    OP - the weight loss will come as a result of a caloric deficit, you can lose it with or without exercise. Exercise is for fitness and health (but numerous studies have also shown that people who exercise on a regular basis are more likely to keep the weight off in the long term) and IMO cardiovascular fitness is more important than the number on a scale (and may mitigate some of the consequences of being moderately overweight)

    Unrelated to the original question, but why are heart rate monitors so popular in that case? Aren't they calculating calorie expenditure based on heart rate? If there's no correlation, are all of the posts saying "get a HRM for better accuracy determining your burn" pointless and misleading? Genuine question, I think I must be misunderstanding something about HRMs.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    xLyric wrote: »
    Calorie burn and fat burn is determined on your heart rate when exercising so I think that forum was incorrect.

    Sorry, there's no linear correlation between heart rate and caloric expenditure.

    An unfit 200lb person will typically have a higher heart rate than a fit person of the same weight yet they would both expend almost the same number of calories running or walking the same distance. HR is an indicator of fitness, nothing else.

    To estimate net calories expended Runners World has proposed the following formula.

    Walking .30 x weight (in lbs) x distance (in miles)

    Running same but use .63

    Apparently, however, race walking at 5mph or more expends more calories as result of mechanical inefficiency walking at that speed.

    OP - the weight loss will come as a result of a caloric deficit, you can lose it with or without exercise. Exercise is for fitness and health (but numerous studies have also shown that people who exercise on a regular basis are more likely to keep the weight off in the long term) and IMO cardiovascular fitness is more important than the number on a scale (and may mitigate some of the consequences of being moderately overweight)

    Unrelated to the original question, but why are heart rate monitors so popular in that case? Aren't they calculating calorie expenditure based on heart rate? If there's no correlation, are all of the posts saying "get a HRM for better accuracy determining your burn" pointless and misleading? Genuine question, I think I must be misunderstanding something about HRMs.
    @xLyric
    They are so popular mainly through ignorance and a desire to measure something that is actually quite hard to measure. They are also very cheap & convenient compared to going to a sports science lab and being hooked up to a gas analyser that can measure your oxygen uptake.

    They can be a really good training aid for advanced cardio but they really don't (can't) measure energy.
    Some more advanced ones that either have the ability to be custom calibrated or have a more advanced algorithm may do a better job at providing an estimate.

    A basic HRM can give a reasonable approximation for someone doing an appropriate exercise if they happen to have an average exercise HR - that's about it.
    Take an unfit person quite probably doing an inappropriate exercise (walking, intervals, strength training, dancing.....) and it's a complete lottery.

    Then again the need to be accurate about exercise calorie burns is vastly inflated too. Consistency and "reasonableness" is fine.

  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
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    sijomial wrote: »
    xLyric wrote: »
    Calorie burn and fat burn is determined on your heart rate when exercising so I think that forum was incorrect.

    Sorry, there's no linear correlation between heart rate and caloric expenditure.

    An unfit 200lb person will typically have a higher heart rate than a fit person of the same weight yet they would both expend almost the same number of calories running or walking the same distance. HR is an indicator of fitness, nothing else.

    To estimate net calories expended Runners World has proposed the following formula.

    Walking .30 x weight (in lbs) x distance (in miles)

    Running same but use .63

    Apparently, however, race walking at 5mph or more expends more calories as result of mechanical inefficiency walking at that speed.

    OP - the weight loss will come as a result of a caloric deficit, you can lose it with or without exercise. Exercise is for fitness and health (but numerous studies have also shown that people who exercise on a regular basis are more likely to keep the weight off in the long term) and IMO cardiovascular fitness is more important than the number on a scale (and may mitigate some of the consequences of being moderately overweight)

    Unrelated to the original question, but why are heart rate monitors so popular in that case? Aren't they calculating calorie expenditure based on heart rate? If there's no correlation, are all of the posts saying "get a HRM for better accuracy determining your burn" pointless and misleading? Genuine question, I think I must be misunderstanding something about HRMs.
    @xLyric
    They are so popular mainly through ignorance and a desire to measure something that is actually quite hard to measure. They are also very cheap & convenient compared to going to a sports science lab and being hooked up to a gas analyser that can measure your oxygen uptake.

    They can be a really good training aid for advanced cardio but they really don't (can't) measure energy.
    Some more advanced ones that either have the ability to be custom calibrated or have a more advanced algorithm may do a better job at providing an estimate.

    A basic HRM can give a reasonable approximation for someone doing an appropriate exercise if they happen to have an average exercise HR - that's about it.
    Take an unfit person quite probably doing an inappropriate exercise (walking, intervals, strength training, dancing.....) and it's a complete lottery.

    Then again the need to be accurate about exercise calorie burns is vastly inflated too. Consistency and "reasonableness" is fine.

    This in bold ^^.

    They are reasonably accurate with error rates of <10% for calories. Their real role is HR & distance as a training tool for recovery.

    For someone guesstimating their burns, they exceed what is provided by tables or mfp database. Particularly if you only eat back 25% or 50% of burns. HRM are not SO off as to miss 25% of burns in general steady state. And the newer ones (using firstbeat tech) report better error rates for non-steady state and daily activity.
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    edited March 2016
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    xLyric wrote: »
    Calorie burn and fat burn is determined on your heart rate when exercising so I think that forum was incorrect.

    Sorry, there's no linear correlation between heart rate and caloric expenditure.

    An unfit 200lb person will typically have a higher heart rate than a fit person of the same weight yet they would both expend almost the same number of calories running or walking the same distance. HR is an indicator of fitness, nothing else.

    To estimate net calories expended Runners World has proposed the following formula.

    Walking .30 x weight (in lbs) x distance (in miles)

    Running same but use .63

    Apparently, however, race walking at 5mph or more expends more calories as result of mechanical inefficiency walking at that speed.

    OP - the weight loss will come as a result of a caloric deficit, you can lose it with or without exercise. Exercise is for fitness and health (but numerous studies have also shown that people who exercise on a regular basis are more likely to keep the weight off in the long term) and IMO cardiovascular fitness is more important than the number on a scale (and may mitigate some of the consequences of being moderately overweight)

    Unrelated to the original question, but why are heart rate monitors so popular in that case? Aren't they calculating calorie expenditure based on heart rate? If there's no correlation, are all of the posts saying "get a HRM for better accuracy determining your burn" pointless and misleading? Genuine question, I think I must be misunderstanding something about HRMs.

    The fact that there isn't a linear correlation doesn't mean that there isn't a correlation.

    It's like saying there is no linear correlation between speed and fuel consumption (there isn't - it's a functional curve) and assuming that going faster suddenly doesn't consume fuel. Under consistent conditions there is a relatively reasonable curve between HR and oxygen consumption which in turn corresponds to an estimate to total energy consumption - ideally if one knows max HR and a few other factors.
  • kes840
    kes840 Posts: 66 Member
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    Sadly I don't run that much faster than I walk...and running makes me a lot hungrier. So from a weight loss standpoint walking makes the most sense.
  • meritage4
    meritage4 Posts: 1,441 Member
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    I disagree with the poster that says running and walking SAME distance that running burns twice as many calories.

    No it doesn't.

    Same distance calories burned are close.

    It's time that makes the difference 30 minutes running burns more than 30 minutes walking because you go further.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    meritage4 wrote: »
    I disagree with the poster that says running and walking SAME distance that running burns twice as many calories.

    No it doesn't.

    Same distance calories burned are close.

    It's time that makes the difference 30 minutes running burns more than 30 minutes walking because you go further.
    @meritage4
    Actually no - the efficiency ratios (converting power to movement) of walking and running are very different. Watch a runner's head and you will see it's constantly rising and falling, unlike a walker.
    Lifting your mass repeatedly takes energy and a lot of that is wasted (we aren't kangaroos!) - hence the different efficiency of the two movements.