How Much Success with just Walking?

2

Replies

  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
    Walking works!

    Walking was my primary form of exercise. I lost 62 pounds and ate 2000+ calories a day.
  • caroleileen
    caroleileen Posts: 5
    That is exactly what I have done. I have lost 25 pounds by watching my calories and walking the dog every day. No major excercise on my part, and the dog needed to be walked anyway.
  • lisacornell
    lisacornell Posts: 29 Member
    My sister has lost around 90 pounds by watching her portions more and by walking. It's really the only exercise she is doing so far. She started out just walking a little and now she walks for miles at a time. You just have to start out slow and walk a little farther each time.
  • annamc18
    annamc18 Posts: 198 Member
    awesome! These reply's are making me feel so motivated!

    I currently do try to maintain a 1200 cal a day like MFP wants me to - I know I'm not perfect everyday but I do pretty well. I don't really workout at all right now, and I've really just maintained but lost a little bit. I keep going back in forth with the same 5 pounds or so though so I am sure if I just add 2 or 3 miles at first the weight will start coming off much easier

    Plus my puppies need to get out of the house! I cant walk them both, so now I have to figure out how to convince my SO to go with me lol
  • Ke22yB
    Ke22yB Posts: 969 Member
    It makes sense yu start out walking I started with 2 blocks one out and one back as the weight came off I increased the distance went faster after a year or so I added a mens fitness class and do some hand weights It can start small and build and now everyone in town knows me as the walking man because I am all over town I now walk to post office shopping and I say Hello to everyone so make friends as well
    when you get ready
    Stop reading posts and put on comfortable shoes and get out the door
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
    Walking is great exercise, but you have to walk really far, like six miles.

    Nonsense!
  • IronPlayground
    IronPlayground Posts: 1,594 Member
    If you are just trying to lose weight.......calorie deficit is all that really matters......eat less and/or workout more. If you are worried about body composition as well that is a bigger debate/question.

    ^^Exactly!
  • findfan4ever
    findfan4ever Posts: 153 Member
    Walking is a great exercise for those just starting or starting over. Walking is very easy and, for the most part, low impact. You do it everywhere.

    Keep in mind the human body is made to move AND to conserve energy. Exercise, while healthy and very beneficial, induces a "starvation" response in the body. As the body expends energy, it will try to conserve energy for basic survival. Kind of weird, isn't it? Your body is also very good at adapting to activity to more effectively use energy and conserving at the same time.

    Many of you have probably noticed you have to walk longer, increase your walk speed, changing exercise locations, etc to continue to see progress. Eventually your body will adjust to all the changes you can throw at your walking program and weight loss will plateau or fall off, while health benefit continues.

    Strength training will add to your success. Quite simply, strength training will increase your lean body mass which will increase more your body burns body fat. This will also help to increase your metabolism. The higher the metabolism, the more you burn. an interesting point, too, is lean tissue continues to burn body fat even after your workout. Energy is required during the "recovery" phase of exercise to repair muscle tissue, etc.

    As one person stated in an earlier post, it also depends on the person and their individual goals.

    I would also recommend to STOP using the scale as your tell all unless you are considered clinically obese or extremely overweight. The scale will tell you your body mass, but not your body fat percentage. Lean mass is more dense that fat mass per unit volume. 1 cubic inch of lean tissue weights more that 1 cubic inch of body fat. As lean mass increases and body fat decrease, one can remain the same in overall body mass (weight) or even increase in mass, while body measurements tighten and clothes fit better.

    I hope this helps some. Feel free to message me for additional help.

    BMI indices can be misleading due to them being based on age, height, and weight. Your local fitness center should be able to measure your body fat via caliper calculations or bio feedback instruments.
  • annamc18
    annamc18 Posts: 198 Member
    thanks for all the responses, everyone!

    I'm totally getting my walking shoes on after I get off work & start making it a habit!
  • noirnatural
    noirnatural Posts: 310 Member
    I think you can have success with just walking,
  • 5stringjeff
    5stringjeff Posts: 790 Member
    I dropped 20 pounds in 3 months, and walking was the only exercise I did. Thankfully, my neighborhood is a 3/4 mile loop. Four laps in about 40 minutes, 3x a week, was sufficient for me. Your mileage may vary. :)
  • cfred40
    cfred40 Posts: 151 Member
    @Trud72....Thanks.

    Congrats on your outstanding loss as well....Spectacular
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    awesome! These reply's are making me feel so motivated!

    I currently do try to maintain a 1200 cal a day like MFP wants me to - I know I'm not perfect everyday but I do pretty well. I don't really workout at all right now, and I've really just maintained but lost a little bit. I keep going back in forth with the same 5 pounds or so though so I am sure if I just add 2 or 3 miles at first the weight will start coming off much easier

    Plus my puppies need to get out of the house! I cant walk them both, so now I have to figure out how to convince my SO to go with me lol

    Please bear in mind that 1200 is probably unnecessarily low. MFP is not a one-size-fits-all tool when it comes to calorie estimation... It is totally worthwhile to do your own research on BMR, TDEE, and tailor your calorie allocation to something that suits you.

    1200 calories a day was NOT a sustainable amount of food for me (personally) to eat for the rest of my life, which is why I'm eating 1800 and not having a problem keeping weight off. Just remember that if you're feeling hungry a lot of the time, you could probably eat more. You are doing a really great job! Thankfully summer is here and this is a great time for enjoying the outdoors :)
  • EvanKeel
    EvanKeel Posts: 1,904 Member
    I walk a little more so that I can eat more because I like food, and I don't like feeling like I'm depriving myself. I've tried the whole "moderation" thing, and for me it really only works to a degree. It's very personal. Some people have no problem with just eating to moderation and meeting a stricter calories goal than I'm comfortable with, without doing some additional exercise.

    I also lift weights and up my protein because I want to keep my muscle.
  • Jscanland
    Jscanland Posts: 26 Member
    I also have a nice library of 'dusty' workout videos. walk walk walk. it works.
  • iLoveMyPitbull1225
    iLoveMyPitbull1225 Posts: 1,690 Member
    thats what my mom did to start her weight loss. Worked like a charm!
  • Jacwhite22
    Jacwhite22 Posts: 7,010 Member
    I fell like to me, since I have an issues feeling mentally overwhelmed with the videos & stuff - it's less threatening to me to just walk/jog...if that makes sense to anyone else lol

    I truly don't understand this "mentally overwhelmed with the videos and stuff" can you explain a little more? What is overwhelming about it....It's just a workout.....not trying to be an *kitten*......Seriously trying to understand the apprehension...
  • EvanKeel
    EvanKeel Posts: 1,904 Member
    I fell like to me, since I have an issues feeling mentally overwhelmed with the videos & stuff - it's less threatening to me to just walk/jog...if that makes sense to anyone else lol

    I truly don't understand this "mentally overwhelmed with the videos and stuff" can you explain a little more? What is overwhelming about it....It's just a workout.....not trying to be an *kitten*......Seriously trying to understand the apprehension...

    I saw a show about this recently, and I can relate a little bit. If we're talking about someone who has never been active at all, ever, then yeah. All these new movements and exercises can be intimidating, especially if you're trying to do them by yourself. Walking is something we already know how to do, and if we can be successful at losing weight while walking, then we can progress to trying more activities.
  • Jacwhite22
    Jacwhite22 Posts: 7,010 Member
    I fell like to me, since I have an issues feeling mentally overwhelmed with the videos & stuff - it's less threatening to me to just walk/jog...if that makes sense to anyone else lol

    I truly don't understand this "mentally overwhelmed with the videos and stuff" can you explain a little more? What is overwhelming about it....It's just a workout.....not trying to be an *kitten*......Seriously trying to understand the apprehension...

    I saw a show about this recently, and I can relate a little bit. If we're talking about someone who has never been active at all, ever, then yeah. All these new movements and exercises can be intimidating, especially if you're trying to do them by yourself. Walking is something we already know how to do, and if we can be successful at losing weight while walking, then we can progress to trying more activities.

    I guess at least in my opinion....you can't be afraid to fail.....You will fail at some things some time.....How you handle that defines you......Failing at a workout is no big deal.....you do what you can and move on........To not try because you are afraid you might fail seems more daunting to me. I mean I get it....what you said makes sense......but I think there is something to be said for truly challenging yourself and learning what you are capable of vs. doing the minimum to make yourself better than you were.......yet still remaining a long ways from what you could be.
  • greatwood1
    greatwood1 Posts: 46 Member
    I am 71 years old and have lost 15 pounds in 3 months by reducing portions, carefully choosing foods, and walking 3 miles a day plus working in the , arden several days a week.
  • EvanKeel
    EvanKeel Posts: 1,904 Member

    I guess at least in my opinion....you can't be afraid to fail.....You will fail at some things some time.....How you handle that defines you......Failing at a workout is no big deal.....you do what you can and move on........To not try because you are afraid you might fail seems more daunting to me. I mean I get it....what you said makes sense......but I think there is something to be said for truly challenging yourself and learning what you are capable of vs. doing the minimum to make yourself better than you were.......yet still remaining a long ways from what you could be.

    And some people who have weight to lose got it because something else might be going on. I'm definitely not disagreeing with what you're saying, but at some point we have to be realistic. Sometimes the ideal attitude isn't an option for everyone, at least not to start. The activity isn't always the most challenging part. And the mental and emotional part of it isn't just a switch we can turn on and off.

    Your minimum may be someone else's maximum, at least to start :) Once people are able to get started successfully, then we can keep the challenges coming.
  • montana_girl
    montana_girl Posts: 1,403 Member
    I lost my first 80 pounds by "just" walking. I started for slow, short walks and gradually over time increased the speed and distance. It's a great workout!
  • PandaCustard
    PandaCustard Posts: 204 Member
    I lost 7 pounds in 17 days (joined earlier, relapsed, Miss Business now, etc) doing the Couch-to-5k and just watching my calories. I also do some other exercises, such as weightlifting at home with dumbbells, resistance training, rebounding, yoga, and pilates, but the Couch-to-5k is my main regime. It's great because it's pretty easy on you at first while still being a great workout, and slowly builds you up to jogging longer distances. If you're not a great runner, I highly recommend it, because I suck at running and I'm at week 3 with an already much high endurance.
  • gward84
    gward84 Posts: 16
    I love walking, I walk 15 mins to and from work, 10 mins at lunch and 45 minutes after work every night, already lost 9lbs since the start of June doing this, am I doing too much walking? probably, but the weights coming off, so i'm happy :)
  • LadyAlthea
    LadyAlthea Posts: 7
    Walking also works pretty good for me. I've already lost 20 pounds in a month by eating a little less and walking for 1-3 hours a day (depending on how busy I am that day.)
  • jadedone
    jadedone Posts: 2,446 Member
    People always forget about walking fast, really fast (like race walking). Once you've mastered your pace. Start walking faster. Once you walk around 5 or 5.5 miles an hour, each mile burns more calories than running. :)

    Just a thought...in case you don't like to run.

    http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-242-304-311-8402-0,00.html
  • chantellove
    chantellove Posts: 63 Member
    I also started out with just walking. At the time I had just moved to a new city, didn't have many friends or money, couldn't afford a gym membership, etc. I started out just power walking, and eating better, and I started to lose weight slowly. Eventually I added jogging/running into the mix, with walking still though, and I started doing push-ups, lunges, and some other basic strength stuff that I just did in my own room. It worked and that's how I started my weight loss journey! Walking is great!
  • chantellove
    chantellove Posts: 63 Member
    And some people who have weight to lose got it because something else might be going on. I'm definitely not disagreeing with what you're saying, but at some point we have to be realistic. Sometimes the ideal attitude isn't an option for everyone, at least not to start. The activity isn't always the most challenging part. And the mental and emotional part of it isn't just a switch we can turn on and off.

    Your minimum may be someone else's maximum, at least to start :) Once people are able to get started successfully, then we can keep the challenges coming.

    THIS!! I couldn't agree more. Well put. :)
  • anaussie
    anaussie Posts: 88 Member
    but you have to walk really far, like six miles.

    Nonsense!

    Agreed.


    36kg.. diet+walk
  • anaussie
    anaussie Posts: 88 Member
    I lost my first 80 pounds by "just" walking. I started for slow, short walks and gradually over time increased the speed and distance. It's a great workout!

    and this

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