More steps?
lynn1
Posts: 20 Member
I’m 62 yr old and I’m walking 3 miles a day keeping my calories at 1200. I’ve been dieting since 10-14-21. I’ve lost 28 lb since then. Last week I only lost half a pound. Should I raise my steps?
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Replies
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You've lost a lot of weight very fast. How much weight do you still have to lose?
I wouldn't worry about one week with less of a loss. If your body is holding on to water for some reason, your weight can stay the same or go up. Weight loss isn't linear.
I also wouldn't expect the rapid loss that you've experienced so far to continue indefinitely. As you lose weight, your body needs fewer calories so weight loss slows down. Your metabolism may also slow for various reasons, including inadvertently moving less since you aren't fueling your body enough.
That said, you can increase your walks if that is something you enjoy doing. 3 miles a day is enough exercise for health. Walking more will burn a little more, but walking isn't a huge calorie burner.7 -
Agree with everything @spiriteagle99 said. You’ve been at it 14 weeks and are averaging 2lb/wk. that’s a lot, usually appropriate for people with 75+ pounds to lose. That may be perfectly appropriate for you now. Most will advise slowing the rate of loss as you near goal.
Rate of loss aside, some weeks are just like that. I’ve had the scale seem stuck for 3 weeks even with a steady deficit. The math always works in the end if you just stick with it. After that 3 weeks of no apparent loss, I dropped 3 weeks worth in a couple days. As @spiriteagle99 said, lots of things can cause temporary water retention.5 -
@spiriteagle99 I’d like to loose another 39. I’m at 219.4 now and I’d like to get to 180. I was at 248 when I started this time.5
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Just to repeat what's been said already, walk more if you like it.
Or change it up by wearing a backpack with a little weight, add some hills, walk faster, etc. Three miles a day is great! You've done well so far! But there does come a time when weight loss slows down and our patience needs to kick up. Good luck in reaching your goals and living a healthier life!! 1 -
@spiriteagle99 I’d like to loose another 39. I’m at 219.4 now and I’d like to get to 180. I was at 248 when I started this time.
Are you eating a couple hundred more calories on days you walk? That's the way this site's calculations are meant to be used.
1200 is very low and I think you need to take a break from that. How's your energy? Is it difficult for you to stick to your calories? I agree that you've lost that weigh really fast and that can't continue without some changes. We just aren't meant to eat so little on a long-term basis.
I also started at 1200 (and 220) and about three months in I started losing hair. My skin and nails were cracked and dry. I was tired, cranky, irritable. I raised my calories to 1500 PLUS 300 extra calories on days I exercised for an hour like you're doing. So for the rest of my weight loss that's where I stayed. That's 1800 on exercise days. I'm now 140.
I hope you slow it down before you make yourself sick, miserable or just give up. Here's the Refeed thread - just read that first page at least:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10604863/of-refeeds-and-diet-breaks/p15 -
I’m 62 yr old and I’m walking 3 miles a day keeping my calories at 1200. I’ve been dieting since 10-14-21. I’ve lost 28 lb since then. Last week I only lost half a pound. Should I raise my steps?
Sounds like you have had a remarkably consistent rate of loss in the past 14 weeks and five days. Weight loss normally looks like the chart on the right:
That said, with 40 pounds left to lose, I agree with the others saying it is time to slow your rate of loss / adjust your weekly weight loss goal:
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You’re losing at a very fast rate. Slow down and be patient.1
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As others have said, slowly down is probably a good idea.
But also, make sure your logging is spot on - weigh everything with a food scale and use the most accurate mfp data entries.0 -
I agree with others that you've been going hard at it, and it may be time to slow the loss rate, and/or take a break for a couple of weeks (eat at maintenance calories, which will cause a small scale jump from more food in your system, but not something to worry about.).
If you do want to increase your calorie expenditure, more exercise isn't the only option. There's also consciously working to increase daily life calorie expenditure. Lots of ideas for that in this thread:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10610953/neat-improvement-strategies-to-improve-weight-loss/p1
Some of those ideas might not be workable for you, but I'd bet some will. They're not things you can log and add to your calorie goal, but they can be a helpful nudge to weight loss.
Best wishes!0 -
‘Walking more will burn a little more, but walking isn't a huge calorie burner.’
I have to disagree with the above comment. Since purchasing a treadmill (on which I walk, not run) it has helped with my weight loss. Just saying….1 -
kathymhardy wrote: »‘Walking more will burn a little more, but walking isn't a huge calorie burner.’
I have to disagree with the above comment. Since purchasing a treadmill (on which I walk, not run) it has helped with my weight loss. Just saying….
Cool...but walking really isn't a big calorie burner...it's just not...like factually, it's not that many calories relative to other exercise modalities. Net calories for walking can be calculated .33*bodyweight*miles. I burn around 200 calories walking 3 miles, which takes an hour. I burn more than double that in an hour of road cycling.
Walking is great and very good for you and I do a lot of it...but relatively speaking, it isn't a particularly big calorie burner. It's a very efficient movement that humans have evolved to be able to do without great effort.2 -
kathymhardy wrote: »‘Walking more will burn a little more, but walking isn't a huge calorie burner.’
I have to disagree with the above comment. Since purchasing a treadmill (on which I walk, not run) it has helped with my weight loss. Just saying….
Um, what she actually said was "Walking more will burn a little more, but walking isn't a huge calorie burner."
I think that was meant to be a relativistic statement. It's a true (relativistic) statement, for reasons Wolfman outlined - just arithmetically factual.
At my fastest sustainable walking pace (about 4mph), I'd burn around 118 net calories in half an hour. At about my slowest recent machine rowing pace (mostly heart rate zone 2, so not that intense), I'd burn about 246 calories in half an hour.
Walking is great, can be a good contributor to improved health and weight loss, well worth doing for a bunch of reasons. But she's right, it isn't a huge calorie burner. (Some sources of walking calorie estimates can exaggerate the value, besides.)
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cwolfman13 wrote: »kathymhardy wrote: »‘Walking more will burn a little more, but walking isn't a huge calorie burner.’
I have to disagree with the above comment. Since purchasing a treadmill (on which I walk, not run) it has helped with my weight loss. Just saying….
Cool...but walking really isn't a big calorie burner...it's just not...like factually, it's not that many calories relative to other exercise modalities. Net calories for walking can be calculated .33*bodyweight*miles. I burn around 200 calories walking 3 miles, which takes an hour. I burn more than double that in an hour of road cycling.
Walking is great and very good for you and I do a lot of it...but relatively speaking, it isn't a particularly big calorie burner. It's a very efficient movement that humans have evolved to be able to do without great effort.
Aah yes, I understand what you’re saying. I also have an exercise bike which I know longer use since I bought my treadmill. Would that be more beneficial?
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Um, what she actually said was "Walking more will burn a little more, but walking isn't a huge calorie burner."
I think that was meant to be a relativistic statement. It's a true (relativistic) statement, for reasons Wolfman outlined - just arithmetically factual.
At my fastest sustainable walking pace (about 4mph), I'd burn around 118 net calories in half an hour. At about my slowest recent machine rowing pace (mostly heart rate zone 2, so not that intense), I'd burn about 246 calories in half an hour.
Walking is great, can be a good contributor to improved health and weight loss, well worth doing for a bunch of reasons. But she's right, it isn't a huge calorie burner. (Some sources of walking calorie estimates can exaggerate the value, besides.)
I get what you’re saying. Thank you 👍🏻
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kathymhardy wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »kathymhardy wrote: »‘Walking more will burn a little more, but walking isn't a huge calorie burner.’
I have to disagree with the above comment. Since purchasing a treadmill (on which I walk, not run) it has helped with my weight loss. Just saying….
Cool...but walking really isn't a big calorie burner...it's just not...like factually, it's not that many calories relative to other exercise modalities. Net calories for walking can be calculated .33*bodyweight*miles. I burn around 200 calories walking 3 miles, which takes an hour. I burn more than double that in an hour of road cycling.
Walking is great and very good for you and I do a lot of it...but relatively speaking, it isn't a particularly big calorie burner. It's a very efficient movement that humans have evolved to be able to do without great effort.
Aah yes, I understand what you’re saying. I also have an exercise bike which I know longer use since I bought my treadmill. Would that be more beneficial?
It would really depend on how you ride. Unlike walking, cycling can be done at any number of intensity levels. A recreational "cruise" on a bike for example wouldn't be materially different calorie wise than going for a walk. Calories for cycling are derived from the power that is being put to the pedals...this is measured in watts on a power meter and is a highly accurate way to determine calories burned for cycling. The more power you are putting down, the more calories you are burning...so to burn a lot of calories cycling, you have to be putting in a fairly strenuous effort...more akin to running than walking.
In terms of "beneficial," I don't really look all that much at calories in determining the benefit of my exercise or my exercise modality. My primary driver for regular exercise is my fitness and my overall health. Burning some additional calories that I otherwise wouldn't burn is just a nice bi-product. I'm a regular exerciser regardless of what my weight management goals are at any given point. I've done more training for cycling endurance events in maintenance than I ever did when I was losing weight.
I personally have a passion for cycling and mountain biking...so that's primarily what I do for exercise. From a fitness standpoint there are great benefits to working at varying intensities. My rides vary from strenuous to very easy to intervals of high stress and low stress in the same session. I also walk quite a bit as it is very relaxing and it makes my dog happy. I also find great benefit in engagement of other physical activities to avoid overuse injuries as well as to alleviate boredom from doing the same thing all of the time. As a cycling junky, swimming is a great cross training exercise which I engage in regularly come summer. Resistance training in some form is also a very important component of fitness.
In general, diet is going to have a far greater impact on weight loss and weight management in general. Regular exercise is just kinda calorie gravy...really, the calories you burn with regular exercise are relatively small compared to the calories you burn just being alive and the calories you burn going about your day to day. They're a relatively tiny piece of the whole pie. But regular exercise has numerous health benefits...to many to list.
I would try to make efforts to de-couple exercise and your choice of exercise and calorie expenditure. Do what you enjoy doing because you enjoy doing it and it's good for you. Regular exercise also tends to lead to just being a more active person in general because it improves your fitness and makes other physical activities more attenable and enjoyable. 10 years ago I would never think to hike to the top of the Sandia Mountains that I look at every morning while the sun rises...it is a difficult hike and takes the better part of a day...but thanks to regular exercise and my physical fitness, it has become an annual tradition for my wife and I.
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kathymhardy wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »kathymhardy wrote: »‘Walking more will burn a little more, but walking isn't a huge calorie burner.’
I have to disagree with the above comment. Since purchasing a treadmill (on which I walk, not run) it has helped with my weight loss. Just saying….
Cool...but walking really isn't a big calorie burner...it's just not...like factually, it's not that many calories relative to other exercise modalities. Net calories for walking can be calculated .33*bodyweight*miles. I burn around 200 calories walking 3 miles, which takes an hour. I burn more than double that in an hour of road cycling.
Walking is great and very good for you and I do a lot of it...but relatively speaking, it isn't a particularly big calorie burner. It's a very efficient movement that humans have evolved to be able to do without great effort.
Aah yes, I understand what you’re saying. I also have an exercise bike which I know longer use since I bought my treadmill. Would that be more beneficial?
Honestly, exercise you enjoy and want to do is the best exercise. Walking is great: Over the summer, I was doing it regularly, getting benefits from it. (Some calorie benefits, some enjoyment benefits, healthful effect of fresh air and natural light, etc. I was also rowing (boats) and cycling on trails - all fun, all good in different ways, for my particular tastes.)
Cycling may burn more calories per minute, depending on intensity. If you enjoy it, do some. Mixing it up can be good, if you enjoy both cycling and walking: Do some of each.
Maybe it's just me, but I don't want to think about being active as all about calorie burn. Sure, moving more burns more calories, lets us eat a little more at any given weight loss rate. But the health and happiness benefits can be even more substantial, in my opinion.2 -
kathymhardy wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »kathymhardy wrote: »‘Walking more will burn a little more, but walking isn't a huge calorie burner.’
I have to disagree with the above comment. Since purchasing a treadmill (on which I walk, not run) it has helped with my weight loss. Just saying….
Cool...but walking really isn't a big calorie burner...it's just not...like factually, it's not that many calories relative to other exercise modalities. Net calories for walking can be calculated .33*bodyweight*miles. I burn around 200 calories walking 3 miles, which takes an hour. I burn more than double that in an hour of road cycling.
Walking is great and very good for you and I do a lot of it...but relatively speaking, it isn't a particularly big calorie burner. It's a very efficient movement that humans have evolved to be able to do without great effort.
Aah yes, I understand what you’re saying. I also have an exercise bike which I know longer use since I bought my treadmill. Would that be more beneficial?
Honestly, exercise you enjoy and want to do is the best exercise. Walking is great: Over the summer, I was doing it regularly, getting benefits from it. (Some calorie benefits, some enjoyment benefits, healthful effect of fresh air and natural light, etc. I was also rowing (boats) and cycling on trails - all fun, all good in different ways, for my particular tastes.)
Cycling may burn more calories per minute, depending on intensity. If you enjoy it, do some. Mixing it up can be good, if you enjoy both cycling and walking: Do some of each.
Maybe it's just me, but I don't want to think about being active as all about calorie burn. Sure, moving more burns more calories, lets us eat a little more at any given weight loss rate. But the health and happiness benefits can be even more substantial, in my opinion.
Excellent advice, thank you. I find the exercise bike really boring, even while having the tv on. But I do enjoy walking. For me, it’s not only about the calories. I broke my hip 20 months ago and consequently had a hip replacement. So it is also about keeping moving and keeping fit.4 -
kathymhardy wrote: »kathymhardy wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »kathymhardy wrote: »‘Walking more will burn a little more, but walking isn't a huge calorie burner.’
I have to disagree with the above comment. Since purchasing a treadmill (on which I walk, not run) it has helped with my weight loss. Just saying….
Cool...but walking really isn't a big calorie burner...it's just not...like factually, it's not that many calories relative to other exercise modalities. Net calories for walking can be calculated .33*bodyweight*miles. I burn around 200 calories walking 3 miles, which takes an hour. I burn more than double that in an hour of road cycling.
Walking is great and very good for you and I do a lot of it...but relatively speaking, it isn't a particularly big calorie burner. It's a very efficient movement that humans have evolved to be able to do without great effort.
Aah yes, I understand what you’re saying. I also have an exercise bike which I know longer use since I bought my treadmill. Would that be more beneficial?
Honestly, exercise you enjoy and want to do is the best exercise. Walking is great: Over the summer, I was doing it regularly, getting benefits from it. (Some calorie benefits, some enjoyment benefits, healthful effect of fresh air and natural light, etc. I was also rowing (boats) and cycling on trails - all fun, all good in different ways, for my particular tastes.)
Cycling may burn more calories per minute, depending on intensity. If you enjoy it, do some. Mixing it up can be good, if you enjoy both cycling and walking: Do some of each.
Maybe it's just me, but I don't want to think about being active as all about calorie burn. Sure, moving more burns more calories, lets us eat a little more at any given weight loss rate. But the health and happiness benefits can be even more substantial, in my opinion.
Excellent advice, thank you. I find the exercise bike really boring, even while having the tv on. But I do enjoy walking. For me, it’s not only about the calories. I broke my hip 20 months ago and consequently had a hip replacement. So it is also about keeping moving and keeping fit.
Perfect. 🙂0
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