Walking.... is it enough?

It's more about getting your heart rate up than how far you go. If you don't get into that aerobic zone you're not doing much to burn fat (or anything really). You are getting a strength component in your legs, but not a lot.

Every little bit counts, but if you aren't sweating at then end of it you probably won't see much result.

I'm certainly not an expert, but if you are going from almost no exercise, with an injury, to walking a mile a day, I think that's a great first step. Why not do that for a week or two, and then when that feels comfortable, up it to another mile for another couple of weeks? I think if you add more, or challenge yourself to go faster every couple of weeks, that should help you lose weight but also stick with it.

Walking is great exercise. If you want to increase benefits without adding a lot of impact to the knee; try adding distance, finding routes with hills (or add some stairs). Try increasing your pace to a good power walk to increase your heart rate.

Pick up a heart rate monitor if you can, that can help you find your optimal zone wile you walk (as well as track calories).

If you can do more (without risking injury)...then do more. Maybe jog a few feet at a timeuntil you build up your cardio endurance....whatever is comfortable.

I walk for at least an hour a day, I wear my heart rate monitor, and usually burn somewhere between 250-400 calories. I think that's enough. lol.

walking is my main exercise, i do work up a sweat as it is usually uphill and when it isn't i try and maintain at least a 3mph speed, it's a good way to start imo

Walking is a great start if you don't regularly exercise! Walk at your normal pace for a couple weeks then start power walking for a set amount of intervals, then after that start jogging for a certain amount of intervals and eventually over time you will see progress!

Welcome aboard!
Sorry about your knee injury, I am sure that makes things harder.
As for your question, it depends - how much change would you like to see and in what measurement? Weight loss? Inches lost? Progress is a very relative term and the best way to measure it is to know where you've started and where you'd like to be.
Since you are a beginner, getting your eating under control will be very beneficial, assuming you are staying in a deficit, you will lose weight. Exercise is always going to be the icing on the cake, so to speak.
Can you add in some resistance training perhaps with resistance bands and moving to weights once your strength increases?
Adding a mile may not do much besides increase your endurance, if you can add in intervals of walking faster or on hills, that will make a bigger difference because it will force your muscles to work harder and adapt. Also, remember that your body gets used to what you're doing very quickly so as soon as something seems easier, it means it's time to mix it up and add in something else it can adapt to.
Hope that helps!

I walk every morning for a minimum of 30 minutes at a time, sometimes up to 60 minutes. I've been doing this for 5 weeks now and I've lost over 25 lbs with a strick eating regimen that my doctor and nutritionist are monitoring.

I also have a lot to lose, so that may be why I've lost so much so quickly, but none the less, I've lost several inches off my hips and thighs and waist. So something must be working with just walking.

It's more about getting your heart rate up than how far you go. If you don't get into that aerobic zone you're not doing much to burn fat (or anything really). You are getting a strength component in your legs, but not a lot.

Every little bit counts, but if you aren't sweating at then end of it you probably won't see much result.

This is exactly right. A lot of people think that you have to have your HR up at 180 to lose weight however, research shows that you only need your HR up at 40-60% of your max HR to burn fat. More than that is athletic training and won't burn much fat but will focus morw on strengthening the lungs and heart. Soooo, get sweaty!!!

You are doing great! Along with your walks, maybe try something else to mix things up, like a rowing machine or stationary bike that puts less pressure on the knee.

First of all, good for you for moving! A heart rate monitor is a great tool and you start making a game of keeping your heart in the right range! I walk 40 minutes a day at lunch and make sure my heart rate is staying in the "zone". I walk a treadmill on a hill setting at 3.2mph and the sweat pours like rain. The cardio zone is the key to getting the most out of your walks.

I've lost 90+ lbs through walking and calorie counting, so yes, it works. It's a dramatic change as you come down, but it gets easier and easier. The only different thing I do now is hill climbs because I live in a river valley and most of the city is uphill from me.

I'm not a gym bunny but I realize I need to do toning as well. I don't count this toward exercise calories though.

I wouldn't really say walking's a huge calorie burner, but on the other hand, if you think about the fact that we calculate BMR to come up with what we should have for calories in a day (BMR x 1.2 for example), it says that any calories we expend, whether they build muscle or not, count toward that goal.

I also realized something important and probably obvious to everybody but me: time x distance = energy expended (simplistically speaking) so you can walk slower for longer or walk faster for less time to equal the same calories.

Remember that although this is a new lifestyle, it still has to fit in around your family obligations and joys, your work and your off-work obligations to others. Do you have time to go whole hog on the fitness thing or do you want to make sure it stays in your life by not burning out on it?

Moderation will get you there and likely keep you there.

My knees are my weak spot as well. When I started my journey I could barely walk a mile without pain. The things that helped me most are: I purchased an over the counter compression knee braces at a sporting goods store. I made sure that I had good sneakers and replaced them often. I added an extra arch support in my sneakers. I elevate and ice my knee after working out. I started slow. Every single time I think that I am going to make a big jump in my exercise routine I end up injured. Last, I did exercises to strengthen the muscles surrounding my knee and stretches to lengthen the muscles and tendons in my thigh and hip.

Hope that helps a bit!

Congratulations on your decision to be healthy!!! Measure your success by how you feel and not the scales!

D

I started off walking 3 miles 3-4 days a week about two to three months ago. Now I'm up to 5 miles 3-4 times a week with a combination of walking/jogging. It's all about getting the time in and keeping the calories down. You can lose all the weight you need by walking and counting your calories. Just make sure to walk long (time wise) enough to get your heart going.