walking weight loss

chevygrl2017
chevygrl2017 Posts: 4 Member
in Motivation and Support
Hi I am wondering if anyone has had any real success losing weight walking? Also do you find the fitbit charge hr accurate? I walk 6-7 days a week uphill 4.5 miles a day for about an hour 45 minutes and it states that I am burning like 800-900 calories and usually another 100-150 afterwards with no activity...im just wondering ...kind of getting discouraged. So if anyone have any success stories please share them with me : ). I need the motivation! Also please no negative comments please.

Thanks in advance

Replies

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,932 Member
    Walking is great exercise.

    Just use your best estimates, log all your food for a month and see how it goes. Adjust if you aren't seeing the results you expect. Depending on those hills (and is it all up hill?) and how big you are, I would say 800-900 is pretty high for a calorie burn, but you won't know until you try. I would think 400-500 is more reasonable.

    You could use 50% of that (so 400-500)and see how that goes. Lots of people find that effective. The key is logging your food accurately and using consistent exercise calories over time. Pick one way or the other, stick to it, adjust if needed.
  • gamerbabe14
    gamerbabe14 Posts: 876 Member
    I have an injury and the only thing I can do right now is walk. I've been counting calories and walking 10k a day and have lost 18lbs.
  • Annie_01
    Annie_01 Posts: 3,096 Member
    The amount of calories burned will depend on a few different things. The main one is how much you weigh. The more that you weigh the more calories that you will burn. Speed also will affect the calorie burn. As will the incline factor in.

    I usually apply 50 calories per mile just to make it simple regardless of how fast I am walking. That number is probably a little low but at my goal weight that is probably all that I will burn.

    Here is a chart that might be useful...
    https://www.verywell.com/walking-calories-burned-by-miles-3887154

    Keep in mind that all of it is just an estimate.
  • joseccastaneda
    joseccastaneda Posts: 267 Member
    Weight Loss is achieved thru a calorie deficit. Walking will help you achieve more of a deficit and is a good start for fitness, but focusing on your intake is crucial.
  • Moobear214
    Moobear214 Posts: 39 Member
    all I do is walk for exercise. still have pain from a hip replacement. my weight loss slows the more I exercise but I still lose
  • Annie_01
    Annie_01 Posts: 3,096 Member
    Also OP...many people on this site have successfully lost weight with walking being their only form of purposeful exercise. Staying within your calorie goal will be the main cause of your weight loss.
  • Sigma28
    Sigma28 Posts: 83 Member
    As others have said above, you can definitely lose weight walking if you are careful about your caloric intake as well. In answer to your question about your fitbit, it uses an optical sensor to monitor your heart rate. They're known to do well at rest and walking speeds. They get a little inaccurate at fast heart rates (eg when running). Since you are walking I trust your readings. You are walking 4.5 miles uphill for almost 2 hours. I walk 45 minutes at a fast pace (4.5 mph?) and burn around 400 calories, so I feel your numbers are feasible. Having said that, keep in mind that I'm female, overweight, out of shape, 5'5", and my heart rate goes up to a sustained rate of 165 during my walk. For those who are extremely athletic, they'd have to push themselves hard to get the same calorie burn because their hearts beat so much more efficiently (can push more blood through on less beats). Also, don't be alarmed about the afterburn you get. I suspect you are developing some serious muscle walking uphill for two hours. More muscle equals more caloric burn after you work out, which is why incorporating weight training is ideal. Just my 2 cents worth. Good luck! You've got this! Feel free to add me as a friend if you'd like. We can all use motivation! :smile:
  • chevygrl2017
    chevygrl2017 Posts: 4 Member
    gamerbabe14 wrote: »
    I have an injury and the only thing I can do right now is walk. I've been counting calories and walking 10k a day and have lost 18lbs.

    Hi , thanks for replying. How long did it take to lose the 18lbs?
  • chevygrl2017
    chevygrl2017 Posts: 4 Member
    cmriverside wrote: »
    Walking is great exercise.

    Just use your best estimates, log all your food for a month and see how it goes. Adjust if you aren't seeing the results you expect. Depending on those hills (and is it all up hill?) and how big you are, I would say 800-900 is pretty high for a calorie burn, but you won't know until you try. I would think 400-500 is more reasonable.

    You could use 50% of that (so 400-500)and see how that goes. Lots of people find that effective. The key is logging your food accurately and using consistent exercise calories over time. Pick one way or the other, stick to it, adjust if needed.

    Thanks. I will try this.
  • chevygrl2017
    chevygrl2017 Posts: 4 Member
    Sigma28 wrote: »
    As others have said above, you can definitely lose weight walking if you are careful about your caloric intake as well. In answer to your question about your fitbit, it uses an optical sensor to monitor your heart rate. They're known to do well at rest and walking speeds. They get a little inaccurate at fast heart rates (eg when running). Since you are walking I trust your readings. You are walking 4.5 miles uphill for almost 2 hours. I walk 45 minutes at a fast pace (4.5 mph?) and burn around 400 calories, so I feel your numbers are feasible. Having said that, keep in mind that I'm female, overweight, out of shape, 5'5", and my heart rate goes up to a sustained rate of 165 during my walk. For those who are extremely athletic, they'd have to push themselves hard to get the same calorie burn because their hearts beat so much more efficiently (can push more blood through on less beats). Also, don't be alarmed about the afterburn you get. I suspect you are developing some serious muscle walking uphill for two hours. More muscle equals more caloric burn after you work out, which is why incorporating weight training is ideal. Just my 2 cents worth. Good luck! You've got this! Feel free to add me as a friend if you'd like. We can all use motivation! :smile:

    Thanks soo much , I really appreciate the feedback. Yes walking uphill is quite a task especially when your not fit. I'm 190 and 5'2 so you can imagine it's not easy . Although I walk uphill for a hour 45 minutes when I'm done my fitbit states that I have walked about 11,000 steps and 4.5 miles (awkward ) but I will see at the end of the month what my results are. Thanks again and I will add you as a friend.
  • mcmasters06
    mcmasters06 Posts: 19 Member
    How do you log walking in the exercise place on this app?
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    mcmasters06 wrote: »
    How do you log walking in the exercise place on this app?

    Under the cardiovascular section look up walking

    You will get selections like this:
    Walking, 2.0 mph, slow pace
    Walking, 2.5 mph, downhill
    Walking, 2.5 mph, leisurely pace
    Walking, 3.0 mph, mod. pace
    Walking, 3.5 mph, brisk pace..................then put in the number of minutes.

    If you don't know your pace, find the distance. For example - 3 mph would be 1 mile for every 20 minutes (60/3=20). Phone apps like MapMyWalk can help.
  • kenyonhaff
    kenyonhaff Posts: 1,377 Member
    Logging walking can be a little tricky because you might not be the same pace the whole time. The good news is that you burn more or less the same calorie amount for the same distance whatever the pace.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
    Great job on the walking! There's a formula for estimating walking burn that works out to about 60% of your body weight in calories per mile. So 150 lbs person burns about 100 cals per mile.
  • Snow__White
    Snow__White Posts: 1,650 Member
    Sync your fit bit with mfp
    It will tell you the exact calories you are burning
    It's not the same on your wrist as it is in the diary
  • CoachJen71
    CoachJen71 Posts: 1,200 Member
    edited April 2017
    Walking worked for me! You can do this. You are obviously already committed to getting your exercise. :)
  • JenHuedy
    JenHuedy Posts: 611 Member
    Walking is great! I lost over 70 pounds just counting calories and walking. I used FitBit to take care of the calorie adjustments but generally ate about half back.

    After I got to a lower weight, I even started running and lifting weights. Just start by doing whatever you like and see where it takes you!
  • Picklefrits
    Picklefrits Posts: 18 Member
    Weight loss is a mental game more than anything it's 90% what you eat and about 10% exercise so if you are eating and logging your calories the walking is going to help you but the majority of your weight loss or lack of will be your diet. I've lost 44 pounds since November and all I do at the gym is walk for 30 minutes at an incline of 5 and speed of about 2.7-3.0 and row for about 10
    Minutes. I will say however that even though the majority of my weight loss has been Diet, I feel better getting exercise.

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