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aliry209
aliry209 Posts: 22 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
What would happen if I walk 3-4 miles a day ? Will I actually lose weight? Will my blood work be better? Does walking even " matter" ? I ask because every thing is so confusing on what to do to lose weight .. I am reading the get started section about calories in and calories out .. I just read so many articles that walking is so great and healthy..I do need to lose 40 lbs by the way ..

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  • nrbutton
    nrbutton Posts: 165 Member
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    Your sedentary calorie burn rate is less than if you were to add in additional activity ie. walk. It's the difference between me having to restrict my calories to 1200 to lose a pound a week or adding walking and being able to add a couple extra 100 calories and still lose that same pound per week.

    I personally don't like exercising just to exercise. Treadmills and exercise machines seem like a huge waste of time to me, but I love working in my yard clearing out brush, raking, mowing, etc. I wear a fit bit and there are days I've spent 6 or more hours in my yard and burned way more calories than I would have at the.

    Does that mean I couldn't have spent a couple hours in the gym or walking around town for the same calories burned? Nope. Just means I found an activity I enjoy that gets my heart pumping and keeps me off my behind and out of the kitchen.

    If you love to walk, it can definitely aide your weight loss goals. Same goes if you love biking, hiking, mountain climbing, cleaning, building things, or lifting weights. If you enjoy it and it gets you off the couch then it will help you reach your weight loss goal WITH a sensible calorie deficit.
  • gamerbabe14
    gamerbabe14 Posts: 876 Member
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    I've lost 23 lbs in 83 days by walking an average of 10k steps a day and staying at a calorie deficit. Sometimes I walk to get myself into a calorie deficit but either way I focus 95% on what I'm eating and 5% on how many calories I'm burning through walking.
  • HermanLily
    HermanLily Posts: 217 Member
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    aliry209 wrote: »
    What would happen if I walk 3-4 miles a day ? Will I actually lose weight? Will my blood work be better? Does walking even " matter" ? I ask because every thing is so confusing on what to do to lose weight .. I am reading the get started section about calories in and calories out .. I just read so many articles that walking is so great and healthy..I do need to lose 40 lbs by the way ..

    It's a great place to start
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    You'll lose weight if you're in a calorie deficit. I walk 4+ miles a day at my job but I still have count calories to make sure I'm going to lose.
  • aliry209
    aliry209 Posts: 22 Member
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    Ok so MFP has me set at 1780 calories.. so as long as I stay at that I will lose every week?
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,680 Member
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    Weight loss is not linear. If you are accurate in your weighing/measuring and logging, and consistently eat at or under your goal, you should lose weight. Some days you may seem to gain weight though, because of water retention or if you eat food with a lot of fiber, but give it time and it will go back to a loss. Is the 1780 set so you lose 1 pound a week?

    To your original question, walking is very good for your health. If you do enough it will also help with weight loss, but it's prime purpose is to keep you healthy. It is also one of the easiest and cheapest exercises you can do. However, it is good to find several activities that you enjoy doing so you don't get bored or burn out.
  • aliry209
    aliry209 Posts: 22 Member
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    Yes.. goal set for 1 lb to lose a week
  • STEVE142142
    STEVE142142 Posts: 867 Member
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    Congratulations on making the decision to start. As far as losing weight all you have to do is eat less calories than your body Burns.

    Weight loss is not linear. You're going to have some weeks where you lose and then you may have weeks where you gain and you may have weeks where you stay the same. It's just a matter of being consistent in what you do. You have to look at it this way it didn't take you a short time to gain the weight and you didn't gain it evenly over time. The same thing is going to apply as weight loss it's a long-term commitment.

    Walking is a good exercise. Do a Google search for some walking calorie burn calculator and you'll find on average you made Burn 100 - 200calories per mile walked depending on your weight. Exercise has other benefits that are mental physical and spiritual.

  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
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    Exercise, such as walking, is the best thing you can do for your health, even if you don't lose weight. But losing weight is also good. For that you must eat less than you burn.
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
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    aliry209 wrote: »
    so as long as I stay at that I will lose every week?

    it worked for me, for what that's worth. just remember you might not lose exactly a pound every single week, because bodies are weird like that. but if you're eating fewer calories than your body is using, then yes, you ought to lose weight.



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