Walking for weightloss? I want to get started

[rubbishfamily333]

So I have started a new job which is very local, if I walk dd to school (30mins walk) then onto work (20-30 mins walk) and back again I could be walking for around two hours per day. Three times per week.

So before getting started I want to know what I should wear on my feet? I don't want to look silly with trainers and a smart coat and skirt

Should I get some willies? Are they even comfortable for walking in? for

[rubbishfamily333]

Sorry I pressed the button too soon.

Should I just buy a decent pair of flat boots? I don't know.

Any suggestions?

Also when walking for weightloss do you have to power walk? Or will the walking alone even at normal or slow pace aid weightloss?

[Shallishanti]

I think you'll find willies quite unsuitable.

[Awks]

I did this when I started to try and lose weight in May 2012. I joined mfp and logged all my walking and that told me how many calories I could consume - you tell mfp the pace you walked at and it calculates it.

In winter I wear black ecco ankle boots and in summer canvas superga's or something simillar. I lost 3 and a half stone and have kept it off for 9 months by continuing walking. Good luck, just put your shoes on and go, you truly don't need to worry about what you look like

[Shybairns]

I would wear trainers and stuff what anyone thinks. If you are walking to work it makes sense to wear correct footwear. People will assume your heels are in you bag. Go for it!!

[rubbishfamily333]

Awks - wow that's very impressive so how often and for how long did you walk per day? And how many calories were you having on mfp?

I'm thinking about doing 5:2.

[rubbishfamily333]

Good start to the day, I have already walked dd to school and myself to work and I'm 15 mins early as I don't have to find a space to park

[Rollermum]

I'd be interested to hear how you get on. I am walking a lot with my newborn 1-2 hrs a day to get out the house. Normally in two walks.

I'm not sure i can lose weight walking - when I was at uni I walked 40 mins twice a day to campus and it made difference! I'm an outlier though

[FunnyRunner]

Just ordered a new pedometer so watching with interest :)

[rubbishfamily333]

Roller - what is a outlier? Lol

Well today I walked dd to school 25-30mins
Walked to work 15mins

Then back again so roughly about 1 1/2 hour when I walk.

So I'm thinking if I did it 3 times per week it must help with weightloss and muscle tone etc.

[rubbishfamily333]

Funny - what is your pedometer measuring?

[cloudskitchen]

I wear fitflops flip flops in the summer and fitflop boots in the winter. very comfy. I rarely wear trainers unless in the gym. as I said, very rarely

[Rollermum]

Rubbish It's like a statistical extreme (spot the ex-research geek). I just find it incredibly hard to lose weight! And gain v easily. Lucky me

I've always found pedometers a bit unreliable with their counts. Then again this is going back 10+ years.

[GobblersKnob]

I find it helps, but it is very slow, I do 6-8 miles on a normal day.

If walking is your only exercise then you will probably need to make some small sustainable changes to diet as well.

Oh and I usually wear Converse or Dm's sometimes I find my feet start to ache, in which case wearing trainers for a few days usually helps.

[AuntyEntropy]

You could always try MBTs - they won't achieve the magic results that they claim, but they are quite joint-protecting, and they will enable you to get a bit more exercise value out of your walk. They look hideous, but I definitely feel the difference when I walk using mine.

[AuntyEntropy]

Or FitFlops are really comfy and don't look too naff.

[Spirulina]

how are you going to deal with arriving at work sweaty?

[TessCackle]

I don't know if you have a smart phone, but map my fitness is a gps tracking system that logs how fast/far you've walked and calculates your calories burnt according to your height and weight. It's helped me shft nearly 2 stone

[rubbishfamily333]

Aunty - what exactly are mbt's meant to do? I thought they were to help back problems?? Obviously clueless

[Rooble]

You need to walk quite briskly (so a saunter up to school with the kids probably won't make a massive difference) and I would definitely wear walking trainers or, if totally determined not to, some shoes/boots that fit your foot properly. I can't drive so walk miles in the average day but had really sore foot bones last year from wearing biker boots which were pull-on and therefore not tight enough (your toes have to grip to hold them on - this left me with cramps in my feet).
Also, don't believe everything MFP tells you about calories consumed: I found it was better to stick to a limit (eg 1400 cals per day) and then only go much over that if I'd done some really mega hike (eg 8 miles across hills and moors). Otherwise any weightloss is so slow it's imperceptible and you become demotivated.
If you get some really good music on your iPod that can help you up your pace without realising it, you could find your walk to work becomes far shorter!
Good luck!

[rubbishfamily333]

Spirulina - well I walked today and I was abit hot but I don't think I was particularly sweaty, I was walking for about 45 mins in total. I wasn't power walking, I was walking at a normal speed (with dd for a lot of that time)

I'm hoping I will still burn calories and tone up even without power walking

[rubbishfamily333]

Tess - I have got that app it is good

[rubbishfamily333]

Tess - how did you shift 2 stone? Was it through walking?

[Spirulina]

unfortunately you wont be doing a great deal then. I run a lot,and even that doesn't burn as many calories as you would think

[BsshBossh]

If you feel hot, puffed out and your legs feel a bit wobbly afterwards then the walking is very effective. But diet is still key. If you're interested in 5:2 then dive in and do it alongside the walking. They say weightloss is 80% diet and 20% exercise. But the walking (and weightloss through the fasting) should give you more energy and you'll move more during the day.

Good luck!

[AuntyEntropy]

The idea behind MBTs is that they simulate walking on uneven ground and hence strengthen a wider range of muscles than simple flat walking. I do feel that they give you slightly more of a burn than just walking briskly, whilst not making your feet ache (no benefit in that) or making you sweaty (arguably beneficial but hugely inconvenient) It's probably a minimal percentage increase in calorie burn over just a flat walk, but IMO, long term sustainable weight management is all about finding a suite of lifestyle adjustments that will work for you, and a small improvement in calorie burn for 10 hours a week, every single week, is worth having.

Not to mention that the muscles you build and maintain now are the ones that you need to keep you active and independent into your seventies and beyond.