Just walking?

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Illyanka
Illyanka Posts: 22 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Can you lose with just walking as exercise? I have a knee injury due to being ambushed by a car about a decade back and so there are a lot of things that I just can't do thanks to them causing me pain. I've found walking is the one thing I can do that doesn't hurt *too* much so I didn't know if I could lose just walking or of I had to just grit my teeth through the pain and do other exercises.

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  • jcraig10
    jcraig10 Posts: 477 Member
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    Yes, walking is a great way to lose weight!
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
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    You don't need to exercise to lose weight. All you need is a calorie deficit. Exercise (of any kind, even "just walking") will burn calories which can make it easier to have a deficit.
  • lokihen
    lokihen Posts: 382 Member
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    Here's an awesome success story and his only exercise was walking: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10121458/from-511-to-175-a-336-lb-loss-over-5-years/p1
  • woodwardtm
    woodwardtm Posts: 361 Member
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    Walking is great exercise. You can even walk using the "speed burst" theory to increase heart rate and calorie burn. This can be done by walker at max speed for a 1 minute burst, or between two light poles or whatever you have available as a guide. Putting a burst of speed in at intervals is great aerobically.
  • SonyaCele
    SonyaCele Posts: 2,841 Member
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    NorthCascades wrote: »
    You don't need to exercise to lose weight. All you need is a calorie deficit. Exercise (of any kind, even "just walking") will burn calories which can make it easier to have a deficit.

    ^
  • tbolt76
    tbolt76 Posts: 3 Member
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    Walking, like most exercise in and of itself does not burn a significant amount of calories. What it does is strengthen and build muscle which burns more calories continuously, even at rest. What I believe to be one of the greatest benefits to walking is that it stimulates the Soleus muscle which has been referred to as our second heart See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soleus_muscle. So, yup, I agree with the previous posters, walking is great exercise!
  • Lillymoo01
    Lillymoo01 Posts: 2,865 Member
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    I too have a knee problem limiting what I can do and have found walking to be very beneficial. I recently purchased some dumbells and resistance bags though to work on some upper body and core strength. Plenty of things I can do with them without impacting my knee.
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
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    tbolt76 wrote: »
    Walking, like most exercise in and of itself does not burn a significant amount of calories. What it does is strengthen and build muscle which burns more calories continuously, even at rest. What I believe to be one of the greatest benefits to walking is that it stimulates the Soleus muscle which has been referred to as our second heart See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soleus_muscle. So, yup, I agree with the previous posters, walking is great exercise!

    Walking has one very important benefit to the extremely out of shape: it can be done almost indefinitely, by all but the most physically damaged of people. If I try to run for more than ten minutes, I am gassed and feel like crap, and might have burned a hundred calories. Walking? I can easily do 10-18 miles per day, just by constantly moving, and burn a whoooole lot more. Just as an example, when sedentary, I maintained on 1800. When bulking with my aforementioned walking expenditure, it took close to 4000 on most days, just to keep me gaining between 0.6-1.0 lbs./week.
  • RachelElser
    RachelElser Posts: 1,049 Member
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    totally! Walking is a fine way to exercise. Swimming is a good one too, esp for joint injuries.
  • Illyanka
    Illyanka Posts: 22 Member
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    Relser wrote: »
    totally! Walking is a fine way to exercise. Swimming is a good one too, esp for joint injuries.

    I think I'll stick to walking. I'm not slim enough to be seen in a swimsuit. Got about 35lbs before that happens.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    Illyanka wrote: »
    Relser wrote: »
    totally! Walking is a fine way to exercise. Swimming is a good one too, esp for joint injuries.

    I think I'll stick to walking. I'm not slim enough to be seen in a swimsuit. Got about 35lbs before that happens.

    People of all shapes and sizes swim at my pool. Swimmers swim, not gawk at others' bodies. Many Swimmers at my pool could probably stand to lose 35 lbs but who cares? It's not an issue.
  • Illyanka
    Illyanka Posts: 22 Member
    edited March 2017
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    *I* am self-conscious about my body. *I* don't like how it looks and feel it needs to be covered up. (And its cold as a witch's tits here in the Midwest. Swimming is warm weather activity here.)

    For the time being, walking appears to be my best bet. :)
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
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    Walking is wonderful exercise, especially outdoors with fresh air and sunshine. Enjoy.
  • SoleTrainer60
    SoleTrainer60 Posts: 180 Member
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    Yes, you can lose weight, by just walking. I'm sure it is good to do other exercises, but I usually just walk or jog. Also,make sure you are eating healthy. Many people think you have to be on a diet to lose weight, but If you eat healthy and use portion control. You can stick to this regimen for life.
  • annaclaireblack
    annaclaireblack Posts: 63 Member
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    To lose weight you have to be in a calorie deficit. Walking can increase your NEAT which helps, but overall it's calories in VS calories out. You need a deficit!
  • thielke2015
    thielke2015 Posts: 212 Member
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    i've lost 14 lbs by walking! it's a great thing to do and free!
  • Lillymoo01
    Lillymoo01 Posts: 2,865 Member
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    thielke2015 wrote: »
    i've lost 14 lbs by walking! it's a great thing to do and free!

    It has cost me a small fortune in shoes as one pair can only do about 700kms. Much, much better than being stuck in a gym though.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
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    We can't lose weight by walking or any other exercise alone but it helps us increase our calorie deficit which leads to weight loss when we track our calorie intake accurately. Moving more is great for our health and well being in general. :smile:

    Walking really does help the muscle tone in the legs and tush fabulously :smile:

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