Walking to lose weight

eddieguerrero891 · January 2021

Hello everyone,

I was wondering if you had any tips on how much I should walk per day (km) in order to lose weight.

I weight 125kg now but would like to get into shape and get to 85kg within the next two years.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your time, in advance.

kimny72 · January 2021

To lose weight, you need to walk enough while controlling your calories in to stay at a calorie deficit. Set MFP to a goal of losing 1 lb per week.

For health and fitness, I believe the recommendation is at least 150 minutes of activity per week.

I'm no expert mind you, but I'd recommend to just start walking as much as is comfortable for a few days, and then start to slowly increase how long you walk sometimes. You can also try walking intervals, where you you push your speed up for a minute or two every once and awhile, then return to a more moderate pace.

When I get out of shape and want to get back in gear, I start with two 10 minute walks per day, and go from there.

Good luck!

TeaBea · January 2021

Walking does burn some calories, but weight loss is going to come from managing your calorie intake.

It's too easy to take an extra cookie, or a larger scoop of pasta because you walked today. That cookie can wipe out the calories earned walking.

With My Fitness Pal, you get a calorie goal before exercise.....you would lose weight without exercise. When you log workouts you earn extra calories. This gets you back to your original weekly weight loss goal.

Look up walking stretches, take care of yourself.

LisaGetsMoving · January 2021

This is what's working for me to lose about 1.5 lb per week, which I think is 3kg per month: I'm eating about 1400 kcals per day and drinking 60-70 ounces of water. I started walking 15 minutes per day 6 weeks ago and added 5 minutes per week. I am now walking 45 -60 minutes per day, 6 days per week. I weigh a little less than you and am short and 63 yrs old. Someone younger, taller, more active would need to eat more than I do.

Indialove901 · January 2021

I agree that you should start off walking. As far as eating habits, I started my journey doing intermittent fasting. I didn’t cut out any foods initially and lost 20 pounds. I hope you find what works for you.

sijomial · January 2021

Tip - MyFitnessPal's calorie estimates for walking are badly inflated (it's a gross calorie estimate which is double counting the calories you would have burned in that time frame anyway).

I prefer to use the net calorie option from this calculator to overwrite the suggested cals - https://exrx.net/Calculators/WalkRunMETs

Walking is a great habit for health (and even for the environment if you can leave your car in the garage) but if you are intending your walking to create a calorie deficit then be prepared to invest the time. Building it into your daily routine as opposed to specifically for exercise can be very time efficient and establish a good habit.

Walking away from the kitchen is very effective for weight loss.

bcalvanese · January 2021

Between 6 and 7 years ago I had to have surgery for diverticulitis. I was obese, smoked for over 40 years (3 packs a day), and was extremely out of shape. I got out of breath and started sweating if the wind blew...lol

Had to have my heart and lungs tested to see if I would survive the surgery. My heart testing revealed that I had a heart attack at some point. My lung test revealed that I had COPD and had the lung capacity of a person with one lung. I was 57, 5'7", about 240 lbs (size 40 pants), and was a pathetic example of a human being.

I survived the surgery but was told flat out that if I did not start exercising, lose weight, and quit smoking that I would not be around much longer. They recommended walking every day.

So...

I started walking around my apartment complex. Could only make it about 1 mile at a slow pace before I would have to lay down because I felt like I was literally going to die. Got an activity tracker that I could log my calories, and set it to lose 1 lb per week. I would walk a mile, lay down, get back up, then walk another mile, then repeat sometimes 4 times a day. After about a month I could walk 2 miles... then 3. I logged my food (just ballparked it), and always kept 500 calories aside for grazing, because I did not feel like logging every single little thing that I put in my mouth. And "damn" if I did not start losing 1 lb per week.

I got a better fitness tracker that had a heart rate monitor so I could monitor my HR zones while doing my walks. I started picking up my walking pace and distance, and after a few months or so I could walk at a fast pace for 3 miles and keep my HR in zone 3 and 4 for the whole way. I became known as "the old walker dude" around my apartment complex, and noticed that some of the people who have been watching me walk started walking too. I think I may have motivated some people...lol

Eventually I could not keep my HR up high enough walking so I started going to parks that had a lot if hills so I could get a good cardio.

I lost 57 lbs in 52 weeks, cut my bad cholesterol in half and more than doubled my good cholesterol, and went from a size 40 to a size 32 pants. My resting heart rate went from the high 80's to the high 50's too.

After that, I started adding running into my walks. I wound up doing a 12 week half marathon running program, and on the 12th week I ran 13.57 miles. I also hike, ride my bike, and kayak.

I got my heart retested and was told that it actually healed itself from the heart attack (which is rare). They told me it was probably from all the cardio I have been doing. I did not get the full lung test, but I did blow in one of those tubes to check my lung capacity and almost blew the thing all the way to the end. I also used electronic cigarettes to quit smoking a few years ago and have not smoked a cigarette since. I still use the electronic cigarette though.

I do at least 1 activity per day (7 days a week) from 1 to 2 hours per activity, and have been doing so for about the past 6 years now, and can probably count on one hand the number of times I missed a day.

If you can start making it a habit to walk every day, increase the time and intensity, and do it consistently, over time you can lose a good amount of weight as long as you monitor your calorie intake.

Walking to lose weight

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