IS WALKING ENOUGH?

The more you walk the more stamina you will gain! Start adding more fruits and veggies to your diet and cut back on some of your portions and start sucking down the water. I would suggest you make water your drink of choice for everything thing. If you do not like water then add Crystal Lite to it and go that route. But I think your walking is working, it just takes time and you have to be patient with yourself.

Walking is plenty....the most important factor is your diet. Get that in check and you will be a losing maaaccchhhiiiiinnne!

Walking is wonderful. I started out walking for the first couple of months. Its easy on the joints and it gets you moving! When I was ready for move of a challenge I got Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. Which is only $10 at Walmart. But walking is great by itself too.

Eventually you might need/want to step it up a little bit, but walking is a great way to do cardio. Losing weight is mostly diet anway, but any time you're moving your body, you're doing yourself good! As your stamina builds up and the weight starts to drop, you can always aim to pick up speed (maybe adding in sprints or light jogging eventually), or maybe use those little hand held weights to help work the upper body more. You can absolutely be successful without joining a gym.

Best of luck to you!

Don't know if anyone remembers Susan Powters (Stop the Insanity-lady) from the 1990's, but when she began her weight loss efforts she was happy to get off of the couch and walk down her driveway!!!!!
Moving is moving.....the more you do the more you'll be able to do. And there is a lot that you can do without needing a gym....use park bench to stretch and do push ups, do calf raises on the curb, walk up and down hills for more resistance. Nature is a great place to work out and your lungs will thank you!!!!!

a friend of our lost 65 lbs. the only excercise she did was walking

Walking is so good for you! Keep up the good work! :flowerforyou:

YES!!! Walking is one of the best exercises as there is little strain/impact. Try to walk fast and also try to find places to walk where there are hills/inclines. That will add to the calorie and fat burn. I lost 75 pounds several years ago by eating 1500 calories a day and walking 30 minutes a day. Granted, I was in my 20's at the time but it worked!

I would suggest that walking is enough for you at this time. However, don't fool yourself into thinking you can "eat back" extra calories because you walked. The number of calories you might burn from the walking is probably not as great as you think it is. Just add the walking calories to your caloric deficit for each day. Eating them back will stall your weight loss. Weight loss is 80% diet and 20% exercise according to Tom Venuto in "The Body Fat Solution." The important thing is to maintain a caloric deficit of -500 calories a day from your BMR to lose 1 pound a week. Walking will urge your body not to burn the muscle but rather burn the fat. As you lose weight, increase the pace of your walk to brisk. Increase that to jog as your weight loss become safe for your knees. The important thing is not the walking but rather your diet.

HAS ANYONE ELSE LOST THEIR WEIGHT JUST BY WALKING? IT IS THE ONLY EXERCISE I HAVE AVAILABLE REALLY, AS THE GYM IS TOO EXPENSIVE.
I TRY TO WALK AT LEAST 3 TIMES A WEEK, FOR 2 HOURS EACH TIME, IS IT ENOUGH THOUGH, OR SHOULD I BE PUSHING MYSELF MORE? I HAVE OVER 100LB TO LOSE.

:explode:
:grumble:

Yes. It absolutely is enough. When I first started losing weight after my second son, I lost 30 lbs doing nothing but walking (and that was only 30 minutes per day) and eating right. It's all about getting your heart rate elevated. Keep up the great work!

Walking is a great way to exercise! What is more natural?
Since funds are tight, you may get a stationary bike or a few hand weights on Craig's List, for those days you can't get in a good walk. Good Will is also a good place to get low cost videos, books and equipment. Your public Library will have some good books on fitness and may have some suggestions that appeal to you.
Many before you have started, and continued, on the fitness path with walking.
Keep up the good work. :flowerforyou:

I would suggest that walking is enough for you at this time. However, don't fool yourself into thinking you can "eat back" extra calories because you walked. The number of calories you might burn from the walking is probably not as great as you think it is. Just add the walking calories to your caloric deficit for each day. Eating them back will stall your weight loss. Weight loss is 80% diet and 20% exercise according to Tom Venuto in "The Body Fat Solution." The important thing is to maintain a caloric deficit of -500 calories a day from your BMR to lose 1 pound a week. Walking will urge your body not to burn the muscle but rather burn the fat. As you lose weight, increase the pace of your walk to brisk. Increase that to jog as your weight loss become safe for your knees. The important thing is not the walking but rather your diet.

While I agree with the comments later in this post, I must disagree strongly with the idea that eating back exercise calories, including those burned by walking, will stall weight loss. It is important not to overestimate calories burned, of course - use a pedometer or HRM to have a more accurate idea - but a two-hour walk at a steady pace will burn a significant number of calories. I walk for exercise because I can fit it into my commute, which is my only 'blank' time in the day - between tracking my calories, burning some off through walking, and eating those back if necessary to ensure that my net calories are never too low, I've lost just under 30lb in three months. Walking absolutely can be enough, is free and can be done anywhere.

The only thing I'd suggest to the OP - is it possible to do an hour six days/week, instead of two hours three times/week? It is likely to be less hard on your body, and easier to sustain in the long run. Good luck!

Yes! Absolutely - don't ever let anyone convince you that walking is 'only for beginners'! I consider myself to be very fit, and walking is still my primary form of cardio. (I also lift weights and sometimes I'll do step aerobics or cardio drills when I don't have enough daylight to fit in a walk).

Start off with walking at a moderate pace on level terrain. As you progress, go faster - add hills - wear a weighted vest or carry a backpack.

I am currently walking at a 4-4.5 mph pace and I climb hills (I live in the mountains) with a 15 pound backpack. I can easily burn 600 calories in an hour - walking really gets my heart rate going!

Walking is great ! If you have a library some have exercise d v d "s , and another friend on here uses you tube says they have 10 min. videos like of kick boxing and other work outs-- have not check that out yet-- but both would be free + to build muscle do push ups, left food cans or any thing with weight to it keep up the great work -- walking will slim all parts of you , hard to believe but true Maybe not the arms not to sure on that . :happy:

I would also suggest an hour six days a week, vs. 2 hours/3 days, I would not eat all of your calories back, but make sure you are at least eating 1200 calories after the deficit. Also, Leslie Sansone has some great videos and some that also include toning bands, should work your muscles to start as well.

Walking is great, if I don't feel like doing high impact, it's what I do.