Has anyone lost weight with regular walks as the only exercise?

[Tranquiltess]

How long did you walk for and how long did it take? Was your diet very restricted?

I'm rubbish at sustained diets or even mostly healthy eating - I don't drink loads of alcohol or soda, but I do have a little dessert or crisis every day. Due to family /work setup I can fit in about an hour walk out days. Can't afford the gym. Am I kidding myself I can lose substantial weight doing this? Am 5 ft6 and creeping up on 14 St, so do need to lose quite a bit.

5'6" 14st means you are eating a lot just to maintain that weight. Based on your post I would guess that you are an emotional eater. For that reason I think that walking an hour a day will indeed help you lose weight. Not from calories burned but from emotion management and thus less likely to comfort eat.

You won't lose weight eating what you want even if you were doing a lot of exercise and it was more intense than walking!

I'd agree with the emotional eating I guess. This weight has been put on over a number of years. I didn't think I ate a tremendous amount, but I guess at my age even a packet of crisis and two biscuits a day adds up.

I'm similar, my diet isn't bad but I have a real sweet tooth and my lifestyle is pretty sedentary.
I've been doing a daily walk of minimum 2 miles every day for 2 months and have only lost about 9 lbs BUT I have lost my muffin top and my trousers are noticeably looser (or actually less tight! ).
But you need to ensure you elevate your heart rate consistently to have any benefit. You should be able to do 3 miles in an hour and if you can follow a route with some slope to increase the workload you should see some weight loss

Walking will benefit your health and sooth your mind so it will be easier to cut back on the treats. I don't think you'll lose much weight unless you adjust your diet though

I think it is a great idea to start walking, it will improve your fitness and elevate your mood. Give it a try at least 5 days a week, and see how you feel in 3 weeks. Once you get into the habit you will begin to enjoy it.

Can you run for an hour insteasy? That would be better.

I'd eat 1500 calories a day and jog/walk/jog/walk for 3 - 4 miles a day.

Do that for 3 months and see how your weight is

You really can't outwalk a bad diet, and you must be eating enough to maintain this weight. Will it help, yes, of course, it is better than not walking, but you need to sort your diet out. 😔

Yes, an hours brisk walk every day will certainly help you lose weight..and if you could cut down just a little on food, by a few hundred calories each day you could have a good daily deficit going which will enhance that loss. Go for it!

I did it on next to no exercise. It really is more about the food.

I did log everything I ate in the My Fitness Pal app, it showed me just how much extra I was eating. :(

It gives you a rough idea how many calories to eat to lose/gain/maintain weight based on how sedentary or active your life is.

I still eat whatever types of thing I want, no restriction, except not vast quantities like I used to. It really amounted mostly to less snacking, I'm very much a comfort eater and it's helped me get that a bit more under control.

A packet of crisps and two biscuits is probably over 300 extra calories a day.

That was the only exercise I did/do, plus an active job. As others have said though, have to keep an eye on the food/drink too. Walking does more than burn calories though, it's good for the soul. I don't believe in banning certain foods, never do diet foods and chuck the scales! You can tell by your clothes.

I lost 5 stone through walking and eating healthily. Sadly it's all gone back on since my life has changed and I emotional eat again.

I'm pretty sure that you need fewer calories as you age because your basal metabolic rate is lower, don't you? So yes, I am obviously eating more than I should to stay at my 40yr old weight, but it's not like I'm stuffing my face with cake . I regularly cut out deserts and bad stuff for weeks, but barely see any change at all. Now I am in a position to be able to add regular walking in, I'm hoping the combination will have more effect, and I know from past experience that I'll fail with a low calorie or very restrictive diet. I take the point about exercise being good for elevating mood, but I don't really think that would cut out a lot of emotional eating as I don't do that most days. Or maybe I do and I just don't notice. I do feel hungry after walking though....
I don't have a lot of motivation to deprive myself of normal food atm (I think maybe depression is a factor) which is why I wanted to see if a more moderate exercise has worked for anyone, and in what timeframe.
Can't run, have bad knees nowadays, unfortunately.

I've tried logging all my food intake, but it didn't make me cut down by much. I really really don't think I do well if I think I'm depriving myself.

Good to know it has worked well for some though! I'll give it a go.

I think an hour every day would help you lose weight. After a few weeks could u try running for v short intervals? Slimming world is also good and u can still eat quite a lot!

Yes, I walk 3.5 - 4 miles each day and I've lost around 12kg. I did cut down on food, mainly due to nor feeling hungry as I had an awful lot of stressful stuff going on at work and home. That's why I started getting up early & walking, as I wasn't sleeping well. I walk fast (4 miles in 1 hr), although it's pretty flat around here - hills would help I think. I'm back to eating normally, and I think my diet is pretty ok, but there's some chocolate & cheese in there (my weaknesses!) The weight has stayed off, and the physical change is really noticeable - I'm smaller all over (boobs, arms, belly, bum) and my legs are more toned. I could do with losing more weight, so I'm trying to eat better whilst still doing the walking.

I've been walking daily for about 18 months now, and I really enjoy it - I feel quite grumpy if I miss a day for any reason (which is rare). It's harder now the mornings are dark, but I just stick a head torch on and get on with it. It's a great time to listen to podcasts, audiobooks and music. You just need a decent pair of walking trainers & I would recommend wireless headphones.

I do feel hungry after walking though....

Drink a glass of iced water slowly.

Yes I did this, but I did restrict my calories. I would recommend installing the My Fitness Pal app and cutting down calories together with plenty of walking. I think it helps to have an acting lifestyle generally if at all possible rather than planning specific walks, e.g. take stairs at every opportunity, walk to shops instead of drive, carry food shopping home on a walk, lunchtime walk during work. If it becomes part of your life it's much easier to maintain after the 'diet' ends. I lost 3 stone this way and have kept it off for years.

I'm a slow walker, after a well woman clinic, the nurse said about getting the heart pumping, I just find that sensation really uncomfortable. Need to change my lifestyle drastically.

I started off walking, because it was the only form of exercise I could manage when morbidly obese.

But I committed to it and what it did was develop the mentality of spending 30-60 minutes every day with the sole purpose of exercise. It lead to daily running. I was 14st 4 with dodgy knees when I started running and I'm shorter than you so higher BMI. I was 41yo at the time, 42 now and premenopausal and I run 10km most days.

How long did you walk for and how long did it take? Was your diet very restricted?

See attached for time scales - 5 stone in 5 months. Im in Month 10 now and am 2lb off 8 stone. Worth noting though that my weight loss is mostly due to changes in my diet. I exercise to be healthy, not to lose weight.

My diet isn't terribly restricted. I don't follow and commercial diet and have not cut out any food groups. But I make wise, informed and sensible decisions to eat healthily.

I rarely have breakfast. Most of my lunch and dinners are just loads of vegetables with meat or pulses. I only have occasional deserts and never snack outside of meal times. I only eat wholegrain non-processed carbs and not very many of them (2 or 3 portions a week). And I always go for the low fat option.

None of that is about restricting. It's about recognising that this is what healthy eating is. There is no point pretending cakes, biscuits, crisps are healthy because they aren't. I have proper pudding after Sunday Roast and that's it apart from birthdays and special occasions. That's how it will always be - unhealthy foods are a rare treat not a regular fixture in my diet.

I lost a lot walking 3 miles a day but I cut my calories down too.3 miles brisk walking only burns 250 calories that's not even ready meal

I think you need to have a really good hard look at portion size, and cut that down alongside the walking.

It doesn't mean you are restricting yourself, but just choosing a little less on your plate every time.

It's so easy to eat more than you need, even if it's all the "right" stuff. Crisps everyday is a bad idea, though - I'd go cold turkey on that if I were you to break the habit.

I used to walk a lot. I was slimmer and fitter than I am now, but not dramatically so. Food intake is the critical driver of weight.