Walking: Is it enough for weight loss? (2024)

Can I lose weight if my only exercise is walking?

Answer From Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.

You might be able to lose weight that way, depending on how long and how intensely you walk and what your diet's like.

A combination of physical activity and cutting calories seems to help with weight loss more than does exercise alone.

Physical activity, such as walking, is important for weight control because it helps you burn calories. If you add 30 minutes of brisk walking to your daily routine, you could burn about 150 more calories a day. Of course, the more you walk and the quicker your pace, the more calories you'll burn.

However, balance is important. Overdoing it can increase your risk of soreness, injury and burnout. If you're new to regular exercise, you may need to start out with short walks or walking at a light intensity, and gradually build up to longer walks or more moderate or vigorous intensity.

Once you've lost weight, exercise is even more important. It's what helps keep the weight off. In fact, studies show that people who maintain their weight loss over the long term get regular physical activity.

So keep walking, but make sure you also eat a healthy diet.

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Nov. 30, 2022

  1. Mabire L, et al. The influence of age, sex and body mass index on the effectiveness of brisk walking for obesity management in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Physical Activity and Health. 2017; doi:10.1123/jpah.2016-0064.
  2. Hensrud DD, et al. The Mayo Clinic Diet. 2nd ed. Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2017.
  3. Walking: A step in the right direction. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/weight-management/walking-step-right-direction. Accessed Oct. 8, 2020.
  4. Hensrud DD, et al., eds. The Mayo Clinic Diabetes Diet. 2nd ed. Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2018.
  5. 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. https://health.gov/our-work/food-nutrition/2015-2020-dietary-guidelines/guidelines. Accessed Oct. 8, 2020.
  6. Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. 2nd ed. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://health.gov/our-work/physical-activity/current-guidelines. Accessed Oct. 8, 2020.
  7. Pizzorono JE, et al., eds. Obesity. In: Textbook of Natural Medicine. 5th ed. Elsevier; 2021. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed Oct. 8, 2020.

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Walking: Is it enough for weight loss? (2024)

FAQs

Walking: Is it enough for weight loss? ›

Physical activity, such as walking, is important for weight control because it helps you burn calories. If you add 30 minutes of brisk walking to your daily routine, you could burn about 150 more calories a day. Of course, the more you walk and the quicker your pace, the more calories you'll burn.

Is walking just enough to lose weight? ›

People interested in walking for weight loss should consistently hit at least 10,000 steps each day. Some people may even want to increase their total number of steps beyond this amount. However, any steps that a person takes beyond their normal daily step count can help them lose weight.

How many days will it take to lose weight by walking? ›

Depending on your calorie intake, a deficit of 500 calories per day may lead to 0.5–2 pounds (0.2–0.9 kg) of weight loss per week ( 10 ). A 500-calorie deficit per day is sufficient for most people to lose weight. You can burn some of these calories by walking for one hour daily.

How much should you walk a day to lose weight? ›

To lose weight, Bryant recommends walking 45 to 60 minutes a day, five or six days a week. But, he says, you can break up those walks into smaller walking sessions if that helps you to fit in the steps.

How long does it take to see results from walking? ›

After 3-4 days of walking: you will notice the “better fit” or more room in your clothes! After 7 days of walking: real changes are happening! You have used body fat as energy (fat burning!) Muscles feel more toned!

Can I lose belly fat just by walking? ›

Simply walking more often can help you lose weight and belly fat, as well as provide other excellent health benefits, including a decreased risk of disease and improved mood. In fact, walking just one mile burns about 100 calories.

Can I lose 20 pounds in a month by walking? ›

The key to losing 20 pounds by walking is to set appropriate goals and understand the fundamentals of weight loss. How Long Will it Take Me to Lose 20 Pounds? At a weight loss rate of ½ -1 pound per week, it will likely take you at least 20 weeks to lose 20 pounds.

How can I lose 10 pounds in a week? ›

To lose 10 pounds in one week, you'll need to burn between 3,500 and 5,000 calories more than you consume each day by restricting your diet to small portions of nutritious yet low-calorie foods, and significantly increasing your aerobic exercise with interval training, sports, and other vigorous activities.

How can I lose 5 pounds in a week? ›

Losing 5 pounds a week comes to reducing your food intake by 3500 calories over seven days. The value that represents the decrease in calorie intake is known as the calorie deficit. If you want to lose 5 pounds in a week, you will need to reduce your food intake by 17,500 calories, which is a huge calorie deficit.

How long does it take to lose 20 pounds by walking? ›

After walking for 1 hour, a 150-pound person burns: 224 calories at a moderate 3 mph pace. Done daily, they'd lose 1 pound in 2.23 weeks and 20 pounds in 44.6 weeks. 340 calories at a very brisk rate of 4 mph.

What is a flat tummy walk? ›

A “flat tummy walk” is a type of exercise that is intended to help tone and strengthen the. abdominal muscles, leading to a flatter stomach. This type of exercise typically involves engaging the core muscles and walking at a brisk pace. It can be done indoors or outdoors and doesn't require any equipment.

How to lose 10 pounds in 3 weeks by walking? ›

"Generally, 1 mile (or roughly 2,000 steps) walked equates to [burning] 80 to 100 calories." There are 3,500 calories in 1 pound. "This means to lose 1 pound, you'll need to walk roughly 35 miles or 70,000 steps. Over the course of a week, this means targeting 10,000 steps a day," says Davis.

Is it better to walk in the morning or evening? ›

Morning walks offer a range of health benefits that can set a positive tone for the rest of the day. One of the key advantages of a morning stroll is its impact on metabolism. A brisk walk in the morning helps kickstart your metabolism, ensuring that your body burns calories more efficiently throughout the day.

What is a good distance to walk everyday? ›

The recommended number of steps accumulated per day to achieve health benefits is 10,000 steps or more.

Why am I not losing weight walking 10,000 steps a day? ›

However, without understanding your net caloric balance, walking 10,000 steps, 15,000 steps, or even 20,000 steps a day might not be enough to cause any meaningful fat loss or improvements in body composition. To achieve fat loss, you need to burn more calories than you get from your food.

Is 30 minutes of walking enough to lose weight? ›

You can lose weight by walking 30 minutes a day, provided you walk most days of the week, or at least 5 days of the week. Simple physical activities can help in your weight loss journey because it can help you burn calories. However, how much weight you will lose depends on factors such as: Your speed of walking.

Can I lose weight walking 1 hour a day? ›

Walking can help weight loss, however. Walking a mile burns approximately 100 calories, depending on your sex and weight, according to Healthline, and studies have indicated that walking for an hour multiple times a week reduces belly fat.

Why walking is not helping me lose weight? ›

Fat burning hormones need high intensity, and walking is low intensity exercise. Though a large percentage of calories burned is of fat, the total amount of fat burned is negligible. Added to this is that the moment you stop walking, the metabolism is back to base line and you stop burning calories.

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