Walking to lose weight?
sflano1783
Posts: 117 Member
Hi all just a quick question how much walking per day do I need to walk to lose weight??
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Replies
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To lose weight, you need to ensure that you are consuming fewer calories than you are burning. Walking can help burn a few calories (the amount burned varies by your weight, sex, and intensity of the exercise), but it all comes down to your basic stats and what you are putting in your mouth. If you are eating too much, even 5 hours of walking won't make you lose weight.
ETA: Have you set up your profile and weight-loss goals yet in My Fitness Pal? If you spend, say, an hour a day walking, you can enter that exercise into your diary and it will give you a few hundred more calories to eat for the day (while still keeping you in a deficit).10 -
You need to eat less calories than your body burns to lose weight. Exercise is very beneficial for overall health, but not necessary for weight loss. Burning more calories through exercise allows you to consume more calories, as long as you eat less calories than your body burns.0
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Walking was useful in my weight loss efforts because it helped reduce my hunger. I know that seems like an odd thing to say but it could be because it was a stress/boredom reducer? Anyway I get about 125 calories for 8,000 steps a day. Not a huge burn but it has helped in so many other ways it's well worth it. My stamina is better and my joints are much better.11
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sflano1783 wrote: »Hi all just a quick question how much walking per day do I need to walk to lose weight??
You cannot outrun or outwalk a bad diet. Walking helps, but you have to burn more energy than you consume. Walking is a tiny portion of the total for most. It's much easier to take control of your input than your output.2 -
cheryldumais wrote: »Walking was useful in my weight loss efforts because it helped reduce my hunger. I know that seems like an odd thing to say but it could be because it was a stress/boredom reducer? Anyway I get about 125 calories for 8,000 steps a day. Not a huge burn but it has helped in so many other ways it's well worth it. My stamina is better and my joints are much better.
I also find that moderate exercise is a mild appetite suppressant. I frequently walk at lunchtime. It improves my mood and focus, and eliminates the afternoon munchies.10 -
That’s very encouragingcheryldumais wrote: »Walking was useful in my weight loss efforts because it helped reduce my hunger. I know that seems like an odd thing to say but it could be because it was a stress/boredom reducer? Anyway I get about 125 calories for 8,000 steps a day. Not a huge burn but it has helped in so many other ways it's well worth it. My stamina is better and my joints are much better.
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Burn more calories than you eat to lose weight. My 20 minute *brisk* walk/jog burned most of my 320 breakfast calories. I get to "start over" my calorie allotment for the day.11
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To answer the question, I'll use me as an example. I'm ~200 lbs. The general formula for calories burned walking is
weight X .3 X miles
I'm in Canada so I need to convert to KM's
Weight X .3 X miles X .6214
So for each KM I burn ~ 37 calories
1 lb of fat is 3500 calories
I need to walk ~95 KM to burn the equivalent of 1 lb of fat.
For running the factor is .63 (instead of the .3)
So for 1 KM I burn ~ 78 cals.
I need to run ~45 km to burn 1 lb of fat. That is more than a marathon.
There are other formulas that provide a bit better estimate, but the difference is not that great, so the short answer is that walking does not make a huge impact on weight loss, but can be an important factor in health.9 -
Walking is great for your heart, lungs, body and spirit. But sadly burns only about 1/3 of your body weight in calories per mile.4
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I walk regularly outdoors for fitness, stress relief, nature experience, social. Weight loss is hopefully also a benefit, but only if my calorie intake is in check. I often walk in the evenings as an alternative to snacking and watching tv so that helps!7
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Tacklewasher wrote: »To answer the question, I'll use me as an example. I'm ~200 lbs. The general formula for calories burned walking is
weight X .3 X miles
I'm in Canada so I need to convert to KM's
Weight X .3 X miles X .6214
So for each KM I burn ~ 37 calories
1 lb of fat is 3500 calories
I need to walk ~95 KM to burn the equivalent of 1 lb of fat.
For running the factor is .63 (instead of the .3)
So for 1 KM I burn ~ 78 cals.
I need to run ~45 km to burn 1 lb of fat. That is more than a marathon.
There are other formulas that provide a bit better estimate, but the difference is not that great, so the short answer is that walking does not make a huge impact on weight loss, but can be an important factor in health.
95 kms to lose 1 lb of fat @200 lbs? That really does put things in perspective. I guess in the long run it makes a difference.
OP if you weigh less you burn even fewer calories obviously.2 -
sflano1783 wrote: »Hi all just a quick question how much walking per day do I need to walk to lose weight??
An exercise only approach to weight loss rarely works. Many people relax their eating habits a bit "because they are exercising." So without diligently monitoring food intake, weight loss doesn't happen at the rate they expect.
https://www.fitnessblender.com/articles/calories-burned-walking-can-you-lose-weight-walking1 -
AwesomeOpossum74 wrote: »Burn more calories than you eat to lose weight. My 20 minute *brisk* walk/jog burned most of my 320 breakfast calories. I get to "start over" my calorie allotment for the day.
Burn rates vary based on individual's stats. A 20 minute 'brisk' walk burns around 50 calories for me. One slice of my breakfast toast is 70 calories, so it has a pretty insignificant impact in the scheme of things. I walk for health but I don't factor it into my weight management goals/calorie intake.4 -
Nice brisk walk today:
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Just FYI. Walking can help and is worth incorporating into one's routine, but its benefits are frequently exaggerated
https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/is-walking-enough#10 -
AwesomeOpossum74 wrote: »Burn more calories than you eat to lose weight. My 20 minute *brisk* walk/jog burned most of my 320 breakfast calories. I get to "start over" my calorie allotment for the day.
Burn rates vary based on individual's stats. A 20 minute 'brisk' walk burns around 50 calories for me. One slice of my breakfast toast is 70 calories, so it has a pretty insignificant impact in the scheme of things. I walk for health but I don't factor it into my weight management goals/calorie intake.
THIS. A lot of people say that walking is excellent exercise, but it's benefits are very much marginal... especially the way most people do it.4 -
All the answers are great. Let me share with you my personal experience. In my current journey, I've had my greatest weight loss month the month I got in 12 days of walking one hour. Walking is time consuming but is contributes to great results. Wishing you the best in your journey.6
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Walking was great for My weight loss because it kept me out of the kitchen.9
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French_Peasant wrote: »To lose weight, you need to ensure that you are consuming fewer calories than you are burning. Walking can help burn a few calories (the amount burned varies by your weight, sex, and intensity of the exercise), but it all comes down to your basic stats and what you are putting in your mouth. If you are eating too much, even 5 hours of walking won't make you lose weight.
ETA: Have you set up your profile and weight-loss goals yet in My Fitness Pal? If you spend, say, an hour a day walking, you can enter that exercise into your diary and it will give you a few hundred more calories to eat for the day (while still keeping you in a deficit).
This ^^ pretty much sums it up.
Walking may not seem like much, but in my opinion any exercise is better than none. Sure, it doesn't burn a huge amount of calories when compared to other types of exercise, but it helps. In my case (with the numbers MFP has given me), it has been helping immensely: I burn around 200 calories an hour and that makes a difference when my daily allowance is 1200 calories.
Sometimes joining a gym or exercising at home aren't an option. Sometimes walking is the first step a person can take to feel better. Start with 5 or 10 minutes, it doesn't matter how small it sounds. Soon you'll feel more confident to extend that time and start seeing results!2 -
Also remember that walking doesn't have to be "going for a walk". Adding incidental movement to your day is just as good.
For example a trip to the shops:
10 extra minutes by parking at the far side of the car park rather than by the door (5 mins each way).
10 extra minutes by taking the scenic route through the shopping centre to the store.
10 extra minutes by unloading the car 1 bag at a time in multiple trips.
That's 30 minutes of walking movement added to your day. All you need to do if look at your routine and try and find ways to add in some movement. Usually it's just a matter of doing a couple of things a little bit inefficiently.
G'luck.9 -
And eventually, it can become, "Do I really just want to go to the supermarket 7 minutes walk from here, when I can go to the one half an hour away?"
Yesterday, I walked for 2 hours to get some canned mild green chilis, but that's also because there's only one place I know of where I can consistently find them with kosher certification and that's downtown at St. Lawrence Market... Took the subway home, tho.8 -
you lose weight in the kitchen.
you gain fitness by working out.1 -
So we can agree that walking isn't much, but it still counts for something? Or conversely, that it's better than nothing but pales in comparison to most other exercises?
However we choose to emphasize its pros and cons, that's a balanced viewpoint. Elsewhere on MFP, I've seen people get really angry when others suggest that walking isn't really "excellent" exercise. Facts are facts, though. Walking is a low-effort exercise with comparatively little benefit. It's still worth incorporating into one's daily routine though, as background activity. And for a select few (people with serious joint issues, for example), it might be more appropriate than more vigorous exercise.
If you choose to walk as exercise, it's important to maintain a brisk pace. Or perhaps increase the intensity by going up hills or stairs, or by carrying some extra weight (sandbags, heavy backpacks, whatever). Most people who walk for exercise stay at a leisurely pace, which means that they quickly reach the point of diminishing cardio and fat-burning returns.
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I lost 23 lbs walking in about 3.5 months. I started with 5000 steps and went up to 15000-20000 in less than a month clocking in anywhere between 4-6 miles a day .But I did mindful eating. My calorie goal for day was 1200 (age/weight/activity level - everything matters). But I was lot less hungry after I started to walk on daily and always craved for healthy food. So even after eating tummy full, I still would have about 300-500 calories left. I know you need to have minimum amount of calories. But I couldn't get in more . That was my limit. I was full ! My fitness pal helped me show how much less food I could survive on and how much extra I was eating. I never starved. That's the point.
Carbs / fatty / sugar would make me want to throw up. Not that I didn't eat them at all. What and how I ate was what mattered. my sugar craving was satisfied by eating just 1 single dates. Carbs craving by a spoon or 2 of rice. I would feel satisfied and I didn't have to eat more. But I would gorge in healthy stuff. Just couldn't get enough.
So walking alone wouldn't help. A planned healthy diet combined with calorie burning definitely works wonders.1 -
Walking has helped me a lot. I have been walking 2-3 miles at lunch and then about 5 days a week I do another 3-5 miles after work or in the evening. My lunch walk is flat, but my evening walks are full of hills. Not only has this helped me stay within the caloric deficit easier (because I have less time to eat lol) but it's a great stress reliever for me to be in nature. It has also given me something to do with my boyfriend besides decide what is for dinner, and we get to spend an hour or two together talking about our days. It's also great for your heart and low impact for chronic pain sufferers like myself.
So there is no magical formula of how much you have to walk to lose weight, but it can be a really helpful tool for meeting your weight loss goals.9 -
I do think walking is worth it - especially for those of us who are fat and/or old and/or a bit broken and can't go legging it around like the young'uns do. I was actually surprised by the number of comments here along the lines of its barely worth it. Its certainly worth it for your health if you can't do anything else (for whatever reason) and the more efffort it takes (distance, speed, incline) the better. Like with all exercise, we have to be careful about if/how we reflect this in our diets.10
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@OooohToast I was also very surprised to see people saying its barely worth it.7
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AwesomeOpossum74 wrote: »Burn more calories than you eat to lose weight. My 20 minute *brisk* walk/jog burned most of my 320 breakfast calories. I get to "start over" my calorie allotment for the day.
Yeah, that is crazy. Unless you are relatively young, a male, and morbidly obese walking 4mph, you aren't going to get anywhere near that kind of calorie burn. You might want to check the accuracy of whatever calculator you're using. Assuming a pace of 3.5-4mph, the average person will burn 9 calories per minute.1 -
sflano1783 wrote: »Hi all just a quick question how much walking per day do I need to walk to lose weight??
Without further information on your stats, and calorie intake and how much you are walking no one could tell you.
As others have said you lose weight when you burn more calories than you take in. If you are maintaing your weight currently, start walking every day and keep your calorie intake the same you may slowly lose weight. If you lower your calorie intake and start walking you may lose a bit faster. If you walk but increase your calorie intake you probably will not lose any weight.
I would not expect high calorie burns from walking. Maybe 60-200 calories per mile depending on your size and walking speed.
If you are just starting out with exercise walking can be great. Increase your steps/time/distance gradually.
Beyond weight loss I walk for stress management and to get places. I am in better overall shape from being more active no matter my weight. I can walk anywhere with no special equipment.
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I walk about 1.5 miles a day with my dog and while it doesn't pack a super high calorie burn, the health benefits have been startling.
My anxiety is better, as is my overall stress level. I find that I have more energy and I rest better at night. It's nice to get out and put the headphones in and listen to music or a podcast and have that time for myself. Between losing 20ish pounds and walking my cholesterol (LDL) has gone from "borderline" to "low" and my liver tests went from being about twice normal limits to being "normal". I can feel an increase in my stamina. I now outwalk my 11 year old dog (hey, I know he's old but a year ago he could outwalk me significantly). My joints feel better and I feel good about being active 6 or 7 days a week. My blood sugar is within the pre-diabetic range (and any diabetic friends know that this isn't exactly an "easy" accomplishment).
I've spent the past 6 weeks walking. I started with 3 times a week, then 4, then 6, and now I walk almost every day. At first I was quite winded walking a mile. Now I do 1.5 with ease. I'm about ready to trade in 3 of my walks for elliptical workouts. I'm having a hard time keeping my heart rate up with my dog stopping for a tinkle every quarter mile (it seriously gets me really off pace) so I think doing more focused workouts 3 times a week is a good goal (for now).
Listen, the most important thing is to pick an activity that you enjoy, fits within your lifestyle/schedule/budget, and is sustainable. It is no use signing up for CrossFit and then doing it twice a week because you hate it. Or trying to run and injuring your leg. Or joining a gym that is out of your budget and then being stressed about it. If walking is the right fit, then it is the right fit. End of story.11
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