Walking is a start

When I first begun my quest to take off the excess weight, I had let myself fall into the activity level of a snail. Walking the dog became a Hugh effort since I was about 160 lbs overweight. I eroded my knees to the point they were bone on bone and the pain was unbearable. I had knee replacement surgery and two weeks after physical therapy I got to work. I started by walking since running is not recommended for knee replacement patients. Carrying 347 lbs a mile, twice a day at a slow pace, helped me burn off the first 40 pounds and improved my breathing which allowed me to start cycling which I still do today. So in my opinion walking even at a slow pace can be an excellent beginning but I do not believe walking around in work (12000 steps) a day helps since this is my baseline activity. I also don't believe that cooking rates calorie burn but I see it listed on MFP as such. Exercise is pushing your body to work, increasing intensity is the factor by which more calories are burned but even that moderate daily walk can get you started. Good luck to everyone starting out. Stay motivated.