Walking to lose weight

[Anonymous]

I started walking 45 min to 1 hour 5 days/week. Brisk walking. Then I injured my knee, and stopped walking altogether for about a month now. Now that it’s starting to feel better, I’d like to resume walking as my main daily exercise. But I want to do it right, and get weight loss results too! Please share your experience / advice on how to properly do this so I can be a lifelong walker. TIA.

[Anonymous]

It is all about the food. Eat less, walk more

[Anonymous]

OP is there any way you can cycle or swim, and then work your way back into brisk walking?

Other than that, it's all diet.

[Anonymous]

Daily walking is great. The way to become a life long walker is to make it something you enjoy and makes you feel good. However, it is not a great way to lose weight. I would estimate that a brisk hour walk burns about 250 calories, and even fewer as you gain strength and fitness. You are only going to lose weight by cutting calories. You need to track them, and not do things like "treat yourself" because you were "good" and walked every day this week.

The best weigh loss "trick" I know is to drink more water, if you are not drinking a lot already, and don't drink any calories. Juice, smoothies, coffees, etc. I lost 10 pounds by giving up what I thought was a "reasonable" amount of high sugar drinks. It was too much, apparently.

[Anonymous]

OP here. I agree I’ll have to change my diet too. My body is so fatty. I’m 5’ 5” and 155lbs, the highest since my last pregnancy. My thighs are visibly fatty (lumpy). I am starting to get short-breathed when I walk up stairs or hills. I’m starting to get worried about long term health. The past year I kind of let myself go, eating junk food and watching tv more. I’ve gotten out of my funk enough (thank goodness) to start making some changes. Thank you for great tips. Please keep them coming. Exercise schedules would be helpful as that is where I struggle the most. I work full time and have a young child. I could wake up as early as 5:30am but no earlier.

[Anonymous]

I would recommend seeing your doctor for a physical. Just in case there are things they can help you with before you embark on this.

[Anonymous]

Walking every day is great for health. It’s low impact and if you can get your heart rate up high enough, it’s good for the heart. Plus the mental health benefits of being outside in nature.

Most people also need to adjust their diet to see weight loss results but walking is a great way to go toward good health. Maybe you’d like to change things up by learning to play golf (you can walk, they make these really light golf bags that are like a backpack) and it adds fun/interest to your walks. Or join a hiking group. Or sign up for a local 5k! There are so many things you can do with this interest.

[Anonymous]

Get a Fitbit or Apple Watch. Life changing.

[Anonymous]

This is going to depend on your weight, but for most people, walking by itself barely burns many calories.

There are great benefits, especially if you walk outside (get some sunshine, air, see other people, makes you leave the house, etc) and it's good for basic circulation and joint health, and certainly good for your mental health. You should walk and exercise for the many great benefits, and irrespective of lost weight/calories.

If you're very obese, walking can burn a fair amount of calories. If you're closer to a healthy weight, it won't burn many at all - I burn about 200 calories walking at a steady brisk pace for an hour - probably more like 180, to be honest.

Weight loss is about calories - you have to burn more than you consume, period.

[Anonymous]

If you're very obese, walking can burn a fair amount of calories. If you're closer to a healthy weight, it won't burn many at all - I burn about 200 calories walking at a steady brisk pace for an hour - probably more like 180, to be honest.

Weight loss is about calories - you have to burn more than you consume, period.

Walking, like anything else, can vary in intensity. I was in a similar place as OP (5'4 and 160 pounds) and dropped to 115 over about 7 months. I cut out most processed foods and other junk food, but did not count calories or cut out meals or snacks, and I walked for about an hour every day. i've kept the weight off for about 18 months and I eat a lot (2000+ calories/day), so I really don't think I am burning <200 calories per walk. Maybe PP weighs 90 pounds or something.

I do find it easier to stay in a consistent fat burning zone for most of an hour by walking on the treadmill. I usually maintain a pace of 4.3 mph and an incline of 10 for about 4 miles with a brief warm up and cool down, and usually one or two laps of slow jogging (like 6.5 or 7 mph). I had to work up to this a little bit, but even when I was starting out, I didn't have trouble with a 4mph pace and a 5 or 6 incline. I am often drenched in sweat when I'm done. I have not had any joint injuries though - it's possible that this would be too much with a bad knee.

I am also older (late 40s), so my kids and their tempting snacks were gone before I really attempted to do something about my weight. That definitely made it easier for me to clean up my diet.

[Anonymous]

I find it easier to wake up early to exercise, but I think I’d have better luck weight-wise if I could talk myself into doing it between dinner & bed, which is when I tend to do my snacking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

If you're very obese, walking can burn a fair amount of calories. If you're closer to a healthy weight, it won't burn many at all - I burn about 200 calories walking at a steady brisk pace for an hour - probably more like 180, to be honest.

Weight loss is about calories - you have to burn more than you consume, period.

Walking, like anything else, can vary in intensity. I was in a similar place as OP (5'4 and 160 pounds) and dropped to 115 over about 7 months. I cut out most processed foods and other junk food, but did not count calories or cut out meals or snacks, and I walked for about an hour every day. i've kept the weight off for about 18 months and I eat a lot (2000+ calories/day), so I really don't think I am burning <200 calories per walk. Maybe PP weighs 90 pounds or something.

I do find it easier to stay in a consistent fat burning zone for most of an hour by walking on the treadmill. I usually maintain a pace of 4.3 mph and an incline of 10 for about 4 miles with a brief warm up and cool down, and usually one or two laps of slow jogging (like 6.5 or 7 mph). I had to work up to this a little bit, but even when I was starting out, I didn't have trouble with a 4mph pace and a 5 or 6 incline. I am often drenched in sweat when I'm done. I have not had any joint injuries though - it's possible that this would be too much with a bad knee.

I am also older (late 40s), so my kids and their tempting snacks were gone before I really attempted to do something about my weight. That definitely made it easier for me to clean up my diet.

I'm 130lbs at 5'3". Tracking walking with my Garmin, I burn about 55 calories/mile. 200 calories in an hour at a fast pace with some stairs is a good estimate, if a little high.

I lost about 60lbs and have kept it off for almost 9 years. Walking is a good start, but higher intensity exercise was critical to getting my heart rate up to get not only a higher calorie burn with exercise, but also a surge in my overall metabolism.

Walking is great for the reasons mentioned above, but I think for most people it just isn't enough to burn many calories.

btw, walking uphill on the treadmill at 4.3mph, with a 10 incline, for 4 miles is awesome!! Bravo--that's badass!

OP, incline/uphill walking is great and will burn more calories. If you do it on a treadmill, please be sure to not hold on to the machine. I find uphill to be ok on my knees, but holding on will torture your back (with zero benefit). Start slow and steady with what you can do with good form, and gradually increase the intensity.

[Anonymous]

Agree with pp, 4.3 and a 10 incline is BOSS. That’s really hard to do for 4 miles and you’d need to work your way up to it.

[Anonymous]

Easier to just eat less. NO SNACKING. More protein and vegetables. NO SUGAR.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree with pp, 4.3 and a 10 incline is BOSS. That’s really hard to do for 4 miles and you’d need to work your way up to it.

+1 And of course you'll burn a ton of calories doing that. I read incline power walking is the best alternative to running for weight loss.