I can lose weight by just walking, right?

_whatsherface
_whatsherface Posts: 1,235 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm so over the gym. It's so boring and it actually makes me mad to go. It's incredibly to hot and humid in Zumba. It's over crowded and scorching because it's essentially in a warehouse. I don't like at home DVDs, I need to be held accountable for and there is only a small space in my living room to move around and I feel so fat trying to work out in it. Sooo, I decided I would just start walking. I live right by the river and bike trails and I can explore different routes and just walk. I can walk leisurely, or fast. I also play softball twice a week. Granted I probably stand around more then I do swinging and running but I do play OF after moving from 1st base after an injury. Last night I wore my HRM and found I burned 300 calories in 35 minutes of walking =D But is walking enough? Right now it's what makes me happy and gets me off the couch. Opinons?
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Replies

  • thmprdale
    thmprdale Posts: 30 Member
    I, personally, think walking is a great place to start! I've always lost weight walking. it's one of my favorite exercises to do.
  • fiercelittlebird
    fiercelittlebird Posts: 17 Member
    That's all I've been doing lately, 5 miles or so a day, everyday. I enjoy it!
    I've lost 6 lbs just doing that and watching what I eat!
  • chatipati1
    chatipati1 Posts: 211 Member
    I walk about 6 miles or so everyday to every other...it does make a difference..it is not flat walking...I have hills etc included..it can't hurt!
  • reneeeeeh
    reneeeeeh Posts: 54
    I lost 25 pounds from walking 30 mins a day 5 days a week and eating healthy of corse! You may find with time that you need to increase the length or add in some hills etc.

    :)
  • Kimik0123
    Kimik0123 Posts: 52
    I lost 50lbs walking 5 - 8 miles a day at a leasurely pace - It took two years. It's great exercise!
  • SteffieSunshine
    SteffieSunshine Posts: 61 Member
    Absolutely! My sister wasn't even trying, and as a postal worker with all the walking, lost over 30lbs!
  • Jynus
    Jynus Posts: 519 Member
    no more so than by not walking and eating less. walking and cardio does nothing more than if you were to just eat less.
  • Penelope2Plyr
    Penelope2Plyr Posts: 166 Member
    I have lost a lot of weight by walking in the past and I think it is an excellent way to take care of your body properly along with clean eating food choices. Enjoy nature along the way, take your camera, you never know what you will see. Enjoy and gl to you.
  • gypsykitchen
    gypsykitchen Posts: 34
    Your situation sounds similar to mine - I have a hard time getting motivated to go to the gym and feel really cramped working out in my living room to DVDs, but I live right by a lake that's 3 miles around, so I walk several times a week. It's definitely been working for me! I also do some stretching and basic calisthenics after my walks. Maybe if you're trying to really buff up, these things are not enough, but I think they're great for weight loss. Good luck!
  • delaney056
    delaney056 Posts: 475
    no more so than by not walking and eating less. walking and cardio does nothing more than if you were to just eat less.

    Please explain. I'd love to hear.
  • Sbehlmer
    Sbehlmer Posts: 464 Member
    You most definately can lose weight walking....I've been with MFP for 72 days & have lost 42 pounds, & my primary exercise is walking (I started out walking a moderate to fast pace, & now I'm power walking for around an hour a day 6 days a week). I also do the Jillian Michaels 30-day shred series (on Level 3), & I incorporate weights into my routine 3 days a week. I believe walking is absolutely great (you can do it anywhere & no special equipment is needed, except a good pair of walking tennis shoes) :)

    Best of luck in your weight loss journey!!! WCDT (We Can Do This) :)
  • reyopo
    reyopo Posts: 210 Member
    Granted I do power yoga 3 days and Zumba and strength training 2 days a week...but, that said, I hadn't seen a pound lost for over 2 months. Well, my car was broken this past week, and I walked to work and everywhere else for 7 days (avg about 5-6 miles a day), then rode my bike on the last day. This week, I've lost 3 lbs! After I had my daughter, I got back in to shape by walking 3 miles every morning, then slowly adding in some yoga etc. Walking is the best!
  • debussyschild
    debussyschild Posts: 804 Member
    Ever thought of finding a bike to ride on those trails? Walking... Yeah, you can lose weight that way. But you're probably not going to be in amazing shape by just walking. I think it's a great supplement to a good workout regimen, but it shouldn't be the only thing you do. Now, backpacking could be really beneficial. Especially on trails that have lots of big hills!
  • Chelsea_Laura
    Chelsea_Laura Posts: 32
    I started fast walking at first, then after awhile I would get a random burst of energy (especially if a good song came up on my ipod) and I would run for a few seconds, then walk again. I guess my walking naturally turned into intervals of jogging and walking (over months and months). Now I'm running one minute, walking 3 minutes, 5 times in a row. It's a natural progression for some people, like myself. I hope to slowly work up to running 20 minutes straight. :)
  • yustick
    yustick Posts: 238 Member
    Yes walking is enough and it doesn't have to be all at once. You can just move more, clean your house, park in the last row, etc. the Fitbit is a nice tool to measure your progress. My goal is to register 25 miles a week. It is a lot more active than I used to be, it certainly takes effort, but it doesn't make me miserable. It also helps me focus on my primary goal to eat healthier.

    I hope to one day be one of those people that HAVE TO run or lift weights, but I am far from it and I can't change everything at once....it is too much and I end up quitting.
  • bluefox9er
    bluefox9er Posts: 2,917 Member
    no more so than by not walking and eating less. walking and cardio does nothing more than if you were to just eat less.

    huh???

    Im not clear what you are trying to say. Eating a calorie deficit coupled with cardio leads to weight loss in my limited experience, more effectivley so than diet OR exercise alone
  • Jynus
    Jynus Posts: 519 Member
    no more so than by not walking and eating less. walking and cardio does nothing more than if you were to just eat less.

    Please explain. I'd love to hear.
    you can go for an hour walk every day and burn 120 calories extra daily. Or you can take your daily intake of calories and subtract 120 from that daily.

    either way, in regards to weight loss, walking does nothing more than just eating less would do. diet is kind, without that in check, you're hooped, walking or not.

    that said, in regards to health, walking is better than not walking. but that wasn't the question. the question was about losing weight.
  • Jynus
    Jynus Posts: 519 Member
    no more so than by not walking and eating less. walking and cardio does nothing more than if you were to just eat less.

    huh???

    Im not clear what you are trying to say. Eating a calorie deficit coupled with cardio leads to weight loss in my limited experience, more effectivley so than diet OR exercise alone
    incorrect. In every study i've seen on the subject, cardio + diet when compared to diet alone get similar weight loss results. there is no benefit fat loss weight to cardio exercise.
  • kdeaux1959
    kdeaux1959 Posts: 2,675 Member
    yes, you can lose weight... even by doing nothing... but the more activity you do... the easier it becomes. Sounds like you needed a better gym. But yeah, walking can definitely help...
  • ClareWantsProgress
    ClareWantsProgress Posts: 173 Member
    My legs are far more toned from walking than they would be if I just ate fewer calories, so I'm not sure if I agree completely with the few above poster.

    I lost 22 pounds from walking and watching my diet. I love it, and I sympathize with you since I hate classes and gyms and all of that. I do free weights at home and skip all the other stuff you mentioned because I, too, find it tedious and unmotivating.
  • CharisSunny
    CharisSunny Posts: 276 Member
    By all means! I wear my HRM and walk almost everyday, 500 or 600 cals burned on my lazy days and 1000 otherwise. Walking rocks!!!!
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
    no more so than by not walking and eating less. walking and cardio does nothing more than if you were to just eat less.

    Nonsense.
  • CharisSunny
    CharisSunny Posts: 276 Member
    By the way, walking a dog= super effective and good for the doggy too :)
  • Jynus
    Jynus Posts: 519 Member
    My legs are far more toned from walking than they would be if I just ate fewer calories, so I'm not sure if I agree completely with the few above poster.

    I lost 22 pounds from walking and watching my diet. I love it, and I sympathize with you since I hate classes and gyms and all of that. I do free weights at home and skip all the other stuff you mentioned because I, too, find it tedious and unmotivating.
    congrats. you just discovered how you lost 22lbs.
  • Jynus
    Jynus Posts: 519 Member
    no more so than by not walking and eating less. walking and cardio does nothing more than if you were to just eat less.

    Nonsense.
    great. can you explain to me how doing 200 calories burned worth of walking will give improved fat loss compared to not doing walking and eating 200 calories less?
  • christamt
    christamt Posts: 48 Member
    The answer to your question is simple. YES you can and will lose weight just by walking.

    The faster you walk the better cardio you get and if you incoporate your arms even better = more calories burned.
    I do Leslie Sansone walking DVDs when I can't get outside also. Check her out.
  • supplemama
    supplemama Posts: 1,956 Member
    Yes you can lose weight by walking! I currently walk 7-8 miles a day at 5mph. I burn A LOT of calories, particularly during my 5 mile evening walk (768 calories). I have lost 11 pounds this month alone, and I feel great.
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
    I don't see the problem with walking. You will lose weight as long as you also eat at an appropriate level. At some point, you may find you stop losing weight, in which case, you will need to change things. Come back and ask if you experience this.
  • Prahasaurus
    Prahasaurus Posts: 1,381 Member
    But is walking enough? Right now it's what makes me happy and gets me off the couch. Opinons?

    Do whatever you enjoy. Walking is enough.

    But it's 80% about your diet, anyway. That's the key.

    --P
  • ShrinkingShawna
    ShrinkingShawna Posts: 186 Member
    Definitely walk! There are more benefits to walking than JUST weightloss. I didn't walk for 3 years, and the muscle atrophy in my legs and back were so bad I had to go through physical therapy. I still have to use a wheelchair if I'm going to be somewhere on my feet for more than 15 minutes. IT SUCKS!!!! I long for the day I can take an hour long walk. You enjoy it, you'll stick with it, just do it!

    As my physical therapist says, "Use it or lose it".

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