Can you lose any weight walking 10k steps?

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Has anyone had any success?

I’m very sedentary and usually average about 3,400 for the entire day, please don’t judge. The last two days I’ve done 10,000 and my legs ache so much I genuinely feel like I’ve done a workout. Do steps even count though for weight loss?

I’ve only got about 10ths to lose so didn’t want to do anything too dramatic and also just want to move a little more anyway

10lbs sorry it autocorrected

It will help make you a bit fitter, never a bad thing.

Deep down you know that weight loss / being healthy is 90% food.

Have you made your diet a wee bit healthier to fit in with this looking after yourself extra exercise?

Eat more vegetables and squeeze out a couple of the unhealthier things.

Not by itself, no. I’ve upped my steps to over 10K a day as I commute to work, rather than WFH. I’m also buying the odd extra crisps or chocolate, so the steps haven’t done anything.

Of course they do, although if you're eating more than you're burning you'll always put weight on (or maintain if about the same).

I lost 20lb a couple years ago through walking 10,000 steps a day and calorie counting. Couldn't have done it without the latter though, well not without a lot more steps!

I make sure I walk fast and this gives her my exercise minutes on my tracker.

*me

Personally no for me, sorry. I went from an average of 6-10k steps to a more active job and average 17000 steps a day, at least once a week I go over 20k, and I didn't lose any weight with this change. In theory if your eating habits are very consistent you should lose some weight, but it might be so slow it's unnoticeable (slow weight loss is best anyway).

You may need better trainers maybe? Are the ones you're using now v old?

Don't forget doing anything is better than doing nothing :)

Depends on how much you're eating!

I always managed 10K, it’s my baseline. Now I walk 20K and still not losing weight.

My brother lost quite a lot of weight with daily walking. He joined an online group where you had, ever increasing, monthly distance targets to achieve.

It worked well for him. He is target driven and was all certainly very inactive beforehand.

The walking needs to be fast and up/down hills, it needs to be almost a job, then you ll lose weight.

I walked two hours a day, and ate a bit better and lost 3 stone in a year

Yes it will, but only if you burn more calories than you consume overall. So if you do 10k steps a day but eat too much you won’t lose weight. If you do 10k steps and adjust your diet, you will.

It’ll only burn a few hundred extra calories, so really depends how many calories you’re eating. Best thing to do if you want to lose weight is work out how many calories you need (search TDEE calculator which will take your age, height, weight and activity levels into account). Then work out what you’re eating. Apps like My Fitness Pal are great, and free.

If you don’t want to count calories, then try a more simplistic goal like cutting down on any unhealthy snacks, alcohol, sugary coffees etc.

Yes providing your net calorie use is then higher than your intake. But it won’t make a huge difference so the odd snack here and there could undo the benefit

Steps definitely help - but you need to track calories too. Otherwise you can unknowingly up you food intake to compensate.

I’ve just started fitfans, the fitfans method is based on 10k steps and eating healthy. So must work as it’s a nationwide approach funded by the lottery.

Walking and exercising in general is great to stop you gaining weight, not so sure about losing weight - I think you need to do a lot. I once took part in a work steps challenge and as apparently I'm more competitive than I imagine, I was doing over 20000 steps a day. That month I lost 2-3 lb with no change to my diet.
However it did take about 2 hrs of walking a day, so not sustainable in the long term.

On its own, walking 10k won't lose you THAT much weight (in fact with enough walking you might see more leg muscle developing) - but it'll stop you eating in those hours, and it'll have huge benefits for your health and well-being which can help motivate you to lose weight.

The difference between 3400 steps and 10000 is 6600. For me (10 stone female with average length stride) that 6600 is about 3 miles, and I burn roughly 70 cals per mile. So the extra steps would burn 210 cals per day. That's assuming I didn't eat a scrap of extra food to make up for the fact I'm tired and probably hungrier.
If you are not also 10 stone, you will burn a different amount per mile.
Basically it's not much, but it IS a deficit, so eventually you'd see results.

If you keep it up the aching legs should ease as you get used to it. Have the odd day off for recovery. It’s not surprising you ache as you are doing much more than normal.

It's worth keeping it going regardless, it can only do you good. You'll need to do it consistently but you might well end up stacking habits and it starting a great thing for you - moving more, getting fresh air, daylight will help you feel good and then that starts a positive spiral

Yes it will make a difference to your general health especially heart health and well being

Plus of course whilst you're walking you're not eating like you would at home

It's worth it anyway. Improves mood and circulation. I have a little stepper from decathlon to use in front of the TV. Makes no noticeable difference but makes me feel a bit better on those days when I'm WFH and barely moving.

If you're currently doing 3400 per day then I would absolutely up your steps. You've made quite a jump so perhaps you've tried to do too much too soon.

If you're trying to lose weight this is one thing that will form part of the picture. By itself it won't do anything but it will make you feel better (even if you don't lose weight).

This is the second time I've recommended this today but I have been working with Dr Rangan Chatterjee's Four Pillar Plan the last 4-5 weeks. He suggests changing habits across food, movement, relaxation and sleep. At the moment 10k steps is the only part of the movement pillar I'm regularly meeting, but am managing more for food, sleep and relaxation.

Shift your focus to feeling fitter and better about yourself in general and weight will follow.