Is walking actually beneficial for weight loss?

I do Parkrun (you can walk it too) I lose about 1lb each Saturday - I weigh myself before and after. Slimming World will fix your diet too.

I think walking is massively overlooked for weight loss. Yes it's kind of time consuming but that can also be an advantage. If you're out walking you're not hitting the fridge or the snack shelf back at home.

People would say things like 'I do HIIT and I burn 600 calories an hour'. But yeah so do I and after that session I am HUNGRY. It's very easy to overeat either accidentally or because 'you earned it'.

Yes I think HIIT etc are super things to do for your cv system and you get endorphins and mental health benefits - all that good stuff. But walking can be better than all of them, if you can just find the time.

It should as long as you are not consuming more calories than you need. I've lost weight well just by walking 10-12K steps per day but ONLY when I don't combine it with overeating!

The average person isn’t eating 10,000kcals like these athletes do either…

If OPs calories were equal to that of her exercise then she would maintain her weight.

If an Olympic swimmer didn’t eat as many calories then they would lose fat and muscle mass - they’ve not always eaten 10,000kcals - this has increased alongside an increase in exercise.

So to say exercise doesn’t burn calories is inaccurate.

You should not rely on exercise to lose weight as you can’t outrun a bad diet but adding exercise such as walking will absolutely make you lose weight quicker than dieting alone.

Firstly, because you’re burning extra calories but also because of the effects it has on your muscle mass, mental health, sleep etc

Great for weightloss for me. Extra calorie burn and an hour where I am avoiding snacks. Also when I run I feel hungry after, doesnt happen with walking.

Get yourself some low calorie sweet things when you need something. I have rocket ice lollies or can of diet coke.

You need a calorie deficit of around 500 a day to lose 1lb a week (on average, it depends how big you are etc). Running a mile burns around 100 calories, argument has it that walking and running burn the same calories for the same distance (I'm never convinced, my watch is always higher for running), but even if you run or walk 5 miles a day you could still be eating too much to lose weight. I would say though, I have noticeably less body fat and am more toned when I regularly hit my daily step goal. To notice any impact I think I need to be averaging more like 15,000 a day, at 10,000 a day a lot of my steps can just be pottering around the house/office and not really raising my heart rate enough to burn any more calories than if i just sat on my arse.

My weight loss logic was based on ‘eat less, move more’. Walking is a good form of exercise especially if you increase the speed, like power - walking…….gets the heart pumping which is great for the circulation.
Good luck OP, the gym isn’t for everyone and you seem focussed on losing weight.

Yes of course it will, it’ll burn more calories than not moving. Anything is better than nothing.

It's very good for you and you should do it, but at the speed most walk it's not really an efficient cardiovascular exercise (doesn't raise your heart rate).

I run three times a week and have changed shape but not actually lost weight on the scales.

The more active you are, the more calories you burn.

That said, for weight loss, it's best if you do actually track your calories as it would be very easy to feel hungrier and eat back what you've burned.

You're in the minority.

I did intense spin classes multiple times a week, and walked everywhere, and never lost a pound. My body changed incredibly quickly though, I became very toned and looked very healthy, so something worked very well. Just not for weight loss. For me it was all diet.

Now my diet is better, the exercise I still do complements it very well. But on its own it didn't work for me. It seems different methods work for different people.

Zone 2 exertion through walking optimises mitochondrial function and increases your metabolic flexibility to switch between fat and other forms of energy. That, and strength training, is really good.

People who say that exercising doesn’t help with weight loss just don’t exercise enough or hard enough

Well it won’t do any harm but weight loss is about what you eat. Very little is to do with exercise

Can I ask a question ??
..it's not my thread I know
,but I was going to post a thread asking
if it's worth wile getting a stepper because I can't get my steps in walking ?

Walking is great! Best way to increase your TDEE (total daily energy expediture) as it doesn't need much more than a comfortable pair of shoes and starts as soon as you leave the house. Also, you're unlikely to get injured and being active and outside is so good for all of your wellbeing. Just don't make the mistake of eating more because you're exercising! If I were you, I would try to add in a strength exercise class a couple of times a week. Use some of your walking time for something else beneficial. But if you don't have access to that, keep on with the walking! Anything is better than sitting.

Walking won’t make you lose weight. It has a negligible effect on that. What will make you lose weight is a calorie deficit achieved through diet. People lose weight on Wegovy etc because they eat a lot less. Walking g is ok as a mild cardiovascular exercise so is far better than sitting around but you won’t lose weight-especially walking 4 or 5 miles a day.

I‘d say it’s beneficial- especially if done at pace and uphill if possible (to favour posterior chain). Better than nothing but you should try and make the effort with resistance training to strengthen the muscles and for bone density.

Honestly, not for me. Not even x4 spin classes a week helped me lose weight! Yes my bum looked fab but no weight loss.

I put on 2 or 3 stone in my early/mid 40s. I've said on here before I guess it was peri, as I was always slim before then. I spent around the next 5 years being upset at how I looked, (think, 5ft 2", around 11 stone, size 14 clothing, when I'd always been a size 10). I knew I didn't look right. My face and tummy were bloated, and nothing looked good on me.

The ONLY thing which worked for me was totally overhauling my diet. I also took Orlistat to give me that push and kick start it. And it worked wonders. I do however suspect I'd have lost a fair bit of the weight even without Orlistat, as I gave up cheese, chocolate and most sweet things. No way totally though. I'd go mad. All in moderation. And I went down to 8 and a half stone. I do a lot of exercise too. I run and spin a few times a week.

Nail on the head. It's not all about weight loss.

Yes, I've lost several stones over a number of years by ensuring I walk at least 10k steps per day, alongside a standing desk at work. My "diet" (very poor) hasn't changed at all, nor has my binge eating. I was 22 stones and am now down to 14 stones, all due to walking/increasing activity. But it's taken a loooong time!

I find it very helpful. But need to do a lot of it. 10k steps a day to maintain weight and 15 to 20k to lose it, and at pace too.
I'm 57 and 9 stone though so this means I have both the metabolism and calorie needs of a snail.

I agree. There are many benefits to walking, both physical and mental, but realistically it's not going to help you lose much, if any, weight. Even strenuous exercise won't do that though it will tone your muscles and give you a leaner look. As you say, it's really down to diet.

It will do wonders for your general fitness and your mental wellness. Get out there and enjoy it.

With counting calories I lost 3.5 just walking, no gym or anything else. Lots of up hill walking as well. Only started running towards the end of my weight loss