walking

13

Replies

  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
    There's walking and walking. It sure beats sitting on the couch all day, but it's time that could be spent burning more calories too.

    Although for me walking is done on the treadmill at an incline, so it burns plenty of calories (and it's cardio. Not sure why you're saying you're going to 'add cardio'. As long as you walk at a brisk pace, walking is cardio). Walking was my main exercise while losing too.

    Otherwise, you won't lose weight either way if you eat too much, so it's really about diet... and 'clean eating' doesn't mean anything.
  • beemerphile1
    beemerphile1 Posts: 1,710 Member
    Walking is my primary exercise and probably the best exercise there is. It is low impact, almost anyone can do it, requires no special equipment, and can be done just about anywhere.

    Try to walk fast enough that you breathe harder than normal. A leisurely stroll is good but a purposeful stride is better.
  • asmitty1992
    asmitty1992 Posts: 71 Member
    BruinsGal_91 wrote: »
    I am so fed up with this 'clean eating' bull-kitten. As far as I'm concerned, 'clean eating' means deciding to put my take-out pizza on a plate rather than eat it straight out of the box. And pouring my beer into a glass rather than chugging it straight from the bottle.

    However i put it, you took that wrong. Clean eating to me means no junk chips, candies, pop, energy drink, fried foods, fast foods, ect. No need to be a smarta**
  • dolliesdaughter
    dolliesdaughter Posts: 544 Member
    branflakes1980 wrote: »
    dolliesdaughter wrote: »
    Long answer, my opinion only: I think walking will help you maintain as long as you do not overeat. Now if you are extremely overweight\obese and have done zero activity, walking will help in the beginning, but you will eventually have to move on. Plus you would need to do more than a leisurely stroll, you will have to get your heart pumping.

    Short answer, no, walking is not a waste of time.

    Incorrect, weight can be lost without any exercise at all... A calorie deficit is all that is needed and that can be achieved with only food..
    IN MY OPINION.

  • Afura
    Afura Posts: 2,054 Member
    I've only walked and lost weight because I continued to have a calorie deficit. I've not done any exercise and lost weight because I continued to have a calorie deficit. I walk because I believe cardio health is important to overall health.
  • asmitty1992
    asmitty1992 Posts: 71 Member
    Thanks everyone! I going to get my walking on :)
  • Nikki31104
    Nikki31104 Posts: 816 Member
    When I first started here in 2012 I lost 40 pounds JUST eating at a deficit. I didn't do any exercise. However when I am having a stressful day or I just feel down in the dumps I will go for a walk and I feel much better afterwards. I don't think walking is ever a bad idea but it isn't critical to weight loss.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
    asmitty1992 wrote: »
    I am 28 pounds down from just clean eating. I am now adding exercise. I want to lift a few days and add some cardio videos the rest. I do not want the gym. I want to start walking and have had many people tell me it's a waste of time?

    In what context? Walking is good, light activity. Any increase in general activity is going to increase your energy expenditure. Unless you're walking a ton though, that increase in energy expenditure is going to be relatively small as compared to doing something more intensive. As a matter of fitness, walking is also very limited in regards to improving your fitness unless you are very out of shape. So in context, you might be better off doing something else depending on your goals.

    A waste of time? No...I enjoy a good walk, but it is fairly limited in regards to what it's going to do for you from a fitness standpoint or an energy expenditure standpoint.

    As weight loss goes, the only thing that is necessary is to consume less energy than you expend....exercise and an increase in general activity is helpful in this regard, but not necessary. I lost my first 20 Lbs just eating less than usual and nothing more. I started exercising when I determined that eating like a little old lady wasn't for me, and I wanted to be fit again.
  • Bella77007
    Bella77007 Posts: 78 Member
    I enjoy walking, I am quite unfit and really want to improve on that so I have taken up extra walking, I do a decent pace and break sweat and as an example my calorie goal can go up by 250-400 as a result and depending how much I do of course ( have fitbit linked) so I do get a burn from it even if it's not a huge one.

    I am maintaining now though, when I was losing it was all down to the calories but I can see that if I had been walking back then it would have helped a bit, I know MFP can be a bit generous when converting the activity over to calories but there is usually only a difference of 5 calories between MFP goal and Fitbit 'calories burned' on the dashboard at the end of my day.

    If nothing else I see it as a health benefit, obviously some decent cardio workouts would be better but the walking is better than doing nothing.

    So I don't think it's a waste of time to walk but I do still have to watch my calorie intake and now that my stamina is improving I am looking to get into some actual cardio workouts to add to it.

  • Panda_brat
    Panda_brat Posts: 291 Member
    edited May 2016
    All my cardio is walking. I have lost 160+ pounds. You still need to burn more calories than you eat. Do whatever exercise you enjoy.
  • branflakes1980
    branflakes1980 Posts: 2,516 Member
    edited May 2016
    dolliesdaughter wrote: »
    branflakes1980 wrote: »
    dolliesdaughter wrote: »
    Long answer, my opinion only: I think walking will help you maintain as long as you do not overeat. Now if you are extremely overweight\obese and have done zero activity, walking will help in the beginning, but you will eventually have to move on. Plus you would need to do more than a leisurely stroll, you will have to get your heart pumping.

    Short answer, no, walking is not a waste of time.

    Incorrect, weight can be lost without any exercise at all... A calorie deficit is all that is needed and that can be achieved with only food..
    IN MY OPINION.

    I can read, and saw that the first time, but you went on to say "YOU WILL EVENTUALLY HAVE TO MOVE ON. PLUS YOU WOULD NEED TO DO MORE THAN A LEISURELY STROLL, YOU WILL HAVE TO GET YOUR HEART PUMPING"

    That was not an opinion, that was telling her what she needed to do so as I stated before, INCORRECT...
  • dolliesdaughter
    dolliesdaughter Posts: 544 Member
    branflakes1980 wrote: »
    dolliesdaughter wrote: »
    branflakes1980 wrote: »
    dolliesdaughter wrote: »
    Long answer, my opinion only: I think walking will help you maintain as long as you do not overeat. Now if you are extremely overweight\obese and have done zero activity, walking will help in the beginning, but you will eventually have to move on. Plus you would need to do more than a leisurely stroll, you will have to get your heart pumping.

    Short answer, no, walking is not a waste of time.

    Incorrect, weight can be lost without any exercise at all... A calorie deficit is all that is needed and that can be achieved with only food..
    IN MY OPINION.

    I can read, and saw that the first time, but you went on to say "YOU WILL EVENTUALLY HAVE TO MOVE ON. PLUS YOU WOULD NEED TO DO MORE THAN A LEISURELY STROLL, YOU WILL HAVE TO GET YOUR HEART PUMPING"

    That was not an opinion, that was telling her what she needed to do so as I stated before, INCORRECT...
    Still my opinion on what one would have to do, they could take it or leave it.

  • lc355
    lc355 Posts: 91 Member
    Walking is my only exercise. I've got no motivation at all to do weight lifting or cardio. I dont think of it as exercise as it has become habit to walk instead of drive. I'm at maintenance now after losing 28lb, not eating any cleaner than before.
  • DisneyDude85
    DisneyDude85 Posts: 428 Member
    Walking is a perfect use of my time! I try and walk for ~2 hours once I get out of work. Either for a purpose (walk to store to pick up ingredients for dinner) or just to get out of my apartment (working from home isn't as glamorous as one thinks). Perfect now that is baseball season and I can listen to the games on the radio.
  • choppie70
    choppie70 Posts: 544 Member
    I always find it a little ironic when people ask for advice, but then dictate what advice they want.

    Anyway....

    I have lost 45 lbs and my main exercise is walking. I get about 20K steps a day. But, I would not have lost the weight if I did not make sure I was in a calorie deficit. "Clean" eating is very vague and means different things to different people. I can eat just kale all day and not lose weight if I eat over maintenance.
  • cbelc2
    cbelc2 Posts: 762 Member
    Any exercise trumps sitting on the couch. Sure! Walk, cycle, dance, swim, whatever makes you want to do it again. Strength training is also a great idea. I do it twice a week. Eat more from nature's bounty and less from a box or bag or wrapper. Mind your limits. Be consistent and watch your body transform into what it was meant to be. Oh, and some folks are just plain irritable and are looking for a reason to be offended, so keep using your style of punctuation.
  • ElizabethOakes2
    ElizabethOakes2 Posts: 1,038 Member
    I started just walking 20 minutes a day. That's all I could manage after my back surgery. Am now walking 5-6 miles a day 3 or 4 days a week. My blood pressure is down to normal range and I've lost 30 pounds.
    Walking is an underestimated power!
    BUT the key to losing fat is calorie intake- combine a reasonable intake with walking, and you'll be great!
  • KFH146
    KFH146 Posts: 1 Member
    When I first started dieting I used this app and runtastic to track my walks. I walked my dog 3 times a day to the cliff top and back which was a one mile round trip. My calorie goal was 120 and I ate what I fancied and if I went over my calories my dog got an extra walk :) I now have a very fit dog and I lost 3 and a half stone in 18 months. Unfortunatley I got complacent and stopped the walking and calorie counting so I've put some back on so I am back to being a good girl. I now walk my daughter to school and back as often as I can and I walk to work when I can and this can clock up to 5 miles a day. I don't think I could lose weight without walking as I am partial to crisps and chips so I use walking to burn the excess calories therefore I don't feel like I am having to give up what I like :)

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