walking to lose fat ?

[Audacious]

Hello

 

I have a problem with working out , I have posted a thread about it right here

 

I still have that problem , I cannot workout in public , and cannot even go running , the best I can do is walking , I have been walking daily for 45 min. or so , burning about 230 calories each time ( is that even close to being enough ? )

 

anyways , I read an article that says walking just won't cut it when it come to fat loss as it is not intense enough

 

what are your thoughts ?

[xxoo]

As long as the calories you expend in the course of your days exceed the calories you consume, you'll lose weight.

 

Walking is helping you burn calories, but how is your diet? How many calories do you consume daily? Do you consume a lot of empty calories?

[Audacious]

As long as the calories you expend in the course of your days exceed the calories you consume, you'll lose weight.

 

Walking is helping you burn calories, but how is your diet? How many calories do you consume daily? Do you consume a lot of empty calories?

 

I usually diet on fruit , veggies , organic peanut butter and sugar free jam.

I do Chinese takeout once or twice a week , grilled chicken and mean here and there , and I do have two drinks almost daily or 6 times per week

[xxoo]

I usually diet on fruit , veggies , organic peanut butter and sugar free jam.

I do Chinese takeout once or twice a week , grilled chicken and mean here and there , and I do have two drinks almost daily or 6 times per week

 

That sounds pretty good. Is that "on a diet" or your normal diet?

 

How much weight do you need to lose?

[Audacious]

That sounds pretty good. Is that "on a diet" or your normal diet?

 

How much weight do you need to lose?

 

on a diet and that is on a good day , the thing is I am single living alone in studio apartment that has a laughably small kitchen that has not enough space for a stove ( the best I can afford near work ) .

 

I need to lose around 20-25 lbs

[Satu]

In your living situation a stepper might be useful.

 

They take up very little space, and you could burn up the calories at a higher rate than walking. They can also give your more of a cardio workout.

 

You can of course, do both.

[Audacious]

In your living situation a stepper might be useful.

 

They take up very little space, and you could burn up the calories at a higher rate than walking. They can also give your more of a cardio workout.

 

You can of course, do both.

 

I am thinking of investing in a treadmill , I don't care how cramped my place would be but it is the silver bullet in my case

[PogoStick]

Why spend on a treadmill when you can walk for free anywhere you want?

 

2 drinks / day, you mean alcohol? Get rid of that + walking and you're losing 4 pounds a month already.

 

Spend the money on a kettlebell or two, and there is plenty of home exercise you can accomplish. Look into something like https://www.bodyrock.tv/

 

But honestly, you don't sound committed to change.

[Tayla]

Anytime you are exerting yourself, be it walking or intense, you are creating an improvement in your body.

 

The problem most have when starting a life long change in work out habits is wanting results :NOW!

 

The saying inch by inch ,life is a cinch, works. One step at a time.

 

Try Bike riding...you are less likely to be aware of "others" and more in tune with the exertion and scenery ...

[RecentChange]

I usually diet on fruit , veggies , organic peanut butter and sugar free jam.

I do Chinese takeout once or twice a week , grilled chicken and mean here and there , and I do have two drinks almost daily or 6 times per week

 

This doesn't sound like the best diet.

 

How much protien a day are you consuming? Total calories a day?

 

What do you order when you get Chinese take out? It's easy to rack up 2,000 calories depending on the dish.

 

What type of drinks? Just a shot of vodka has 70 calories.

 

As for walking, do you have access to trails, or hills, or stairs? Any of those will help increase calories burned

[RecentChange]

Oh, and as for the studio, do you have room for a hot plate? Also, look into these things called "nuwave" ovens, littl counter top dealy, that will give you a bunch of cooking options (essentially a plug in tiny convection oven).

 

It's hard to eat healthy / count calories when eating out often - you can't control how things are prepared etc. Usually way too much oil, salt and sugar!

[fitnessfan365]

I'm still confused as to why you can't do other forms of exercise by yourself.

 

For example, you could do bodyweight circuits in your apartment. Or you could find flights of stairs and briskly walk every other step all the way to the top, one at a time down, and repeat for 45 minutes. Or find yourself some good hiking trails with some hills and go for a long hike. Getting back to nature in combination with exercise can be almost meditative.

 

Now don't get me wrong. Walking is great for general activity and low impact exercise. But that alone won't reshape your body. Strength training and higher intensity exercise is important for fat loss. But of course, nutrition/calorie count is like 80% of success.

[RecentChange]

Or what about after dark? I can send you a link to a story of a guy who weighed 380 pounds - a s was too embarrassed to exercise - he started the couch to 5k program walking and jogging at night...

 

A couple of weeks ago he completed a 100 mile run!

 

It can be done - if you can walk, you can start jogging a few steps - and yes, stairs or hills around? (I am in San Francisco - great outdoor gym here!)

[KatZee]

I'd say you need a diet change as well.

 

Two drinks a day? No.

Chinese take out 2x a week? HELL NO

Grilled chicken on occasion? NO. Should be grilled chicken 2-3x per week, Chinese takeout on occasion.

 

You need tons of vegetables. Fruits are high in sugar and can induce IBS and bloating which makes you think you're fatter than you are: watermelon, apples, for example.

 

You're kind of just making excuses for why you won't change your weight. Your diets not good, you're sedentary and won't workout correctly. You can't expect any change going by this guideline.

 

Motivation has to come from within, but once you get into the routine it becomes a life style. Its not gonna be easy, or quick, but small amounts of progress and if you get started, in one years time, if you commit and take it seriously, will see a huge change.

[Audacious]

Why spend on a treadmill when you can walk for free anywhere you want?

 

2 drinks / day, you mean alcohol? Get rid of that + walking and you're losing 4 pounds a month already.

 

Spend the money on a kettlebell or two, and there is plenty of home exercise you can accomplish. Look into something like https://www.bodyrock.tv/

 

But honestly, you don't sound committed to change.

 

You can refer to my topic that I mentioned in my first post , I have a problem exercising in front of people .

 

it is baffling to me what you said about not being committed , you don't know me nor my struggles , just sounded a bit strange to me

[Audacious]

Anytime you are exerting yourself, be it walking or intense, you are creating an improvement in your body.

 

The problem most have when starting a life long change in work out habits is wanting results :NOW!

 

The saying inch by inch ,life is a cinch, works. One step at a time.

 

Try Bike riding...you are less likely to be aware of "others" and more in tune with the exertion and scenery ...

 

I never thought about bike riding before , it sounds like great fun .

however , and this is no excuse , it could be very dangerous to ride a bike where I live because there are no designated lane for bicycles .

 

I just need something more than just a walk for 45 min or so , but I don't know if I could handle it to e honest

[Audacious]

I'd say you need a diet change as well.

 

Two drinks a day? No.

Chinese take out 2x a week? HELL NO

Grilled chicken on occasion? NO. Should be grilled chicken 2-3x per week, Chinese takeout on occasion.

 

You need tons of vegetables. Fruits are high in sugar and can induce IBS and bloating which makes you think you're fatter than you are: watermelon, apples, for example.

 

You're kind of just making excuses for why you won't change your weight. Your diets not good, you're sedentary and won't workout correctly. You can't expect any change going by this guideline.

 

Motivation has to come from within, but once you get into the routine it becomes a life style. Its not gonna be easy, or quick, but small amounts of progress and if you get started, in one years time, if you commit and take it seriously, will see a huge change.

 

Fruit is not good ? I really thought that apples are like the healthiest food in the world , as for veggies I really struggle with them , I just don't like the taste but I will try to force myself to consume more veggies

 

You're correct about motivation , I work 9-5 at an office , by 5 I am completely exhausted and beat , can't wait to go back home and it seems like I lack energy to work out , I tried to rest for an hour and then go for my walk , the same thing happened and I would be drained of energy that I could barely drive back home and on top of that it only burns like 250-290 calories ...

 

I would start the day by an organic peanut butter sandwich and coffee then snack on an apple and a banana but it all goes down hill from there , I would be hungry , groggy and weak , I tried to include almonds as a snack but they just won't do it for me and I find myself ordering fast food only to feel horrible and guilty afterwards

[Audacious]

are the two drinks a day really that harmful ?

should I stop drinking everyday ?

[salparadise]

I never thought about bike riding before , it sounds like great fun. however , and this is no excuse...

 

I just need something more than just a walk for 45 min or so , but I don't know if I could handle it to e honest

 

If you ride a bike to elevate your heart rate it's great, however, if you're choosing it because it looks easier... waste of time. Whether you walk or bike, getting the heart rate up to the appropriate level and sustaining it there is key.

 

I'd say walking 45 min twice a day, and concentrating on increasing the speed and your heart rate would be the best strategy.

 

are the two drinks a day really that harmful ?

should I stop drinking everyday ?

 

The alcohol triggers an insulin response and turns the calories into belly fat. It's not so much harmful as self defeating.

 

Hint: tequila doesn't trigger the insulin response, or at least not as much - article.

 

When you get out there and spend time and energy walking to lose weight, don't walk back in the house and eat (or drink) something that is going to negate all of that hard work you just did! Eat something that will enhance the effect. Protein and complex carbs. A small portion of chicken with a green vegetable, enough to take the edge off but not fill you up. Use salt and pepper and a bit of real butter as flavor enhancers (sparingly).

 

But the biggest thing you can do, the way to think about it - starve yourself of sugar. No in-between meal snacks. No liquid sugar. Fruit juices and alcohol are liquid sugar. Not much different than a candy bar with a big ole 32 oz. Pepsi.

 

You control diet to keep from producing more fat, you exercise to burn off what you want to lose. If you can quit this kind of thinking that doesn't make you accountable for the result, you will be successful.

[Taramere]

are the two drinks a day really that harmful ?

should I stop drinking everyday ?

 

Not really, but they're empty calories. Re fruit, I have to reluctantly agree that although fruit has lots of health benefits, it's easy to eat too much of it - forgetting that it can be pretty calorific (due to the sugar content) in comparison to veggies...and won't tend to give you the same sense of fullness.

 

I think walking is great. It gets you outdoors, is a free way of getting from A to B, if you have a dog then long walks meets it exercise needs and bring joy into its life (and yours). If you have the kind of job that involves speaking to people on the phone, and a level of autonomy where you don't have to spend all day sitting in an office under the eye of a supervisor, you can get a fair bit of that part of your job done while you're out walking...provided (depending on the nature of the call) you're not surrounded by people.

 

The gym - not so much. You're stuck indoors with the noise of all the exercise equipment, other people huffing and puffing and (all too often) loud music. The approach that says "high intensity and lots of weight training or you might as well not bother at all" is great news for all sorts of people. Retailers specialising in exercise clothes, shoes and equipment and injury treatment products. Physiotherapists and chiropractors. Gyms and personal trainers. It's not necessarily going to be quite as great news to your body as it is to all those people and industries. As others are saying, burn more fat than you take in, and you'll lose weight. You'll do it more quickly if you hit the gym and do the high intensity stuff - but you'll also run a greater risk of the kind of injuries that limit your exercising potential.

 

I find Callanetics good for building non bulky muscle, and I tend to think that unless you're heavily into the kind of sport that requires supplementary work at the gym, or are determined to get an exceedingly muscular look, you don't need the gym 1/20th of the extent to which the gym needs you (in order to help it stay in business).

[Audacious]

If you ride a bike to elevate your heart rate it's great, however, if you're choosing it because it looks easier... waste of time. Whether you walk or bike, getting the heart rate up to the appropriate level and sustaining it there is key.

 

I'd say walking 45 min twice a day, and concentrating on increasing the speed and your heart rate would be the best strategy.

 

 

 

The alcohol triggers an insulin response and turns the calories into belly fat. It's not so much harmful as self defeating.

 

Hint: tequila doesn't trigger the insulin response, or at least not as much - article.

 

When you get out there and spend time and energy walking to lose weight, don't walk back in the house and eat (or drink) something that is going to negate all of that hard work you just did! Eat something that will enhance the effect. Protein and complex carbs. A small portion of chicken with a green vegetable, enough to take the edge off but not fill you up. Use salt and pepper and a bit of real butter as flavor enhancers (sparingly).

 

But the biggest thing you can do, the way to think about it - starve yourself of sugar. No in-between meal snacks. No liquid sugar. Fruit juices and alcohol are liquid sugar. Not much different than a candy bar with a big ole 32 oz. Pepsi.

 

You control diet to keep from producing more fat, you exercise to burn off what you want to lose. If you can quit this kind of thinking that doesn't make you accountable for the result, you will be successful.

 

I once was able to lose weight by eating veggies and alot of chicken , sometimes I would opt for tuna since it has alot of protein .

but within a year or less I gained alot of weight , especially when I turned 29 , the past two years were aweful and I gained a crazy amount of weight .

 

I am considering walking double the distance but I can barely do 45 min , my legs would be killing me so there is some sort of a limit which sucks big time .

 

don't walk back in the house and eat (or drink) something that is going to negate all of that hard work you just did!

 

This happens to me all the time , I would go back home starving and in no mood for salad and I would fall into this most of the time but I just have to fight it

 

I kinda feel like it's way too late for me now to even start

[Audacious]

Not really, but they're empty calories. Re fruit, I have to reluctantly agree that although fruit has lots of health benefits, it's easy to eat too much of it - forgetting that it can be pretty calorific (due to the sugar content) in comparison to veggies...and won't tend to give you the same sense of fullness.

 

I think walking is great. It gets you outdoors, is a free way of getting from A to B, if you have a dog then long walks meets it exercise needs and bring joy into its life (and yours). If you have the kind of job that involves speaking to people on the phone, and a level of autonomy where you don't have to spend all day sitting in an office under the eye of a supervisor, you can get a fair bit of that part of your job done while you're out walking...provided (depending on the nature of the call) you're not surrounded by people.

 

The gym - not so much. You're stuck indoors with the noise of all the exercise equipment, other people huffing and puffing and (all too often) loud music. The approach that says "high intensity and lots of weight training or you might as well not bother at all" is great news for all sorts of people. Retailers specialising in exercise clothes, shoes and equipment and injury treatment products. Physiotherapists and chiropractors. Gyms and personal trainers. It's not necessarily going to be quite as great news to your body as it is to all those people and industries. As others are saying, burn more fat than you take in, and you'll lose weight. You'll do it more quickly if you hit the gym and do the high intensity stuff - but you'll also run a greater risk of the kind of injuries that limit your exercising potential.

 

I find Callanetics good for building non bulky muscle, and I tend to think that unless you're heavily into the kind of sport that requires supplementary work at the gym, or are determined to get an exceedingly muscular look, you don't need the gym 1/20th of the extent to which the gym needs you (in order to help it stay in business).

 

very interesting .

 

I've always liked fruit more than veggies , vegetables are like a punishment to me , they just taste awful no matter what I put on them to enhance their flavor , but I will have to force myself into liking them since there is really no other way .

 

all what I want is to be able to "hit the gym" like normal people , work out and have fun .

believe it or not , this is like a dream for me , to walk into the gym and know exactly how should I work out and how to use the equipment and other stuff ...

 

the other day , I almost fainted when I was trying to go to the gym reception and ask about programs and memberships , I was scared out of my mind as if I was going to be executed or something .... just aweful

[clia]

Fruit is not good ? I really thought that apples are like the healthiest food in the world , as for veggies I really struggle with them , I just don't like the taste but I will try to force myself to consume more veggies

 

You're correct about motivation , I work 9-5 at an office , by 5 I am completely exhausted and beat , can't wait to go back home and it seems like I lack energy to work out , I tried to rest for an hour and then go for my walk , the same thing happened and I would be drained of energy that I could barely drive back home and on top of that it only burns like 250-290 calories ...

 

I would start the day by an organic peanut butter sandwich and coffee then snack on an apple and a banana but it all goes down hill from there , I would be hungry , groggy and weak , I tried to include almonds as a snack but they just won't do it for me and I find myself ordering fast food only to feel horrible and guilty afterwards

 

How many calories are you aiming to eat each day? Ultimately it's about what you are putting in vs what you are burning. Protein helps you stay feeling fuller longer. Try Greek yogurt and/or eggs in the morning rather than a sandwich.

 

Don't try to take on too much all at once. This is a lifestyle change and is going to require adjustment. If you overwhelm yourself, you may get discouraged. If you deny yourself everything you like, you will get discouraged. If you must get fast food, look at the nutritional content and make smart choices. Get a small cheeseburger and a salad with no or light dressing or whatever, not a Big Mac and large fry. Skip the mayonnaise. Etc.... It's all about moderation. Track all the calories you are consuming with My Fitness Pal or some other app. Start small. Get a food scale to help you out. Are you sure there aren't any vegetables you like? Have you tried roasting them or steaming them? There are lots of ways to prepare them.

 

If you get in better shape, you will have more energy. If you don't have energy to exercise after work, then start exercising before work. Take your walk at 6 a.m. If you can't do that, you have to force yourself to do it after work. At your age, you really should have the energy to do things after only a basic 8 hour workday. Try giving yourself something to look forward to -- are there any beautiful trails near you, or can you listen to music you like, or find a podcast you like while you walk? Don't push yourself too hard too fast, though. Work your way up to longer distances, faster pace, etc. Do body weight exercises at home to supplement -- I.e., burpees, push ups, squats, lunges, etc. There's a book (and app) called "You Are Your Own Gym" that has tons of great body weight exercises you can do practically anywhere.

 

As far as fruit...if you are craving sweets, go for fruit rather than candy or pastries. But as others have mentioned, the sugar level is high, so you don't want to eat too much of it. I see no problem with one or two servings a day, though.

 

Try to cut back to one drink a night initially...as others have mentioned, it's just empty calories. If you drink two drinks a night, that's around 300 calories a day (assuming you are talking about beer or wine or a standard drink)...so your walk was a waste.

[RecentChange]

Lack of exercise and healthy food - can make your energy levels very low.

 

I am out the door at 6:20 in the morning, and do not return home until 7:00 PM. On top of that, I have a time consuming hobby (horse back riding) - and do not return home until about 9:15 three days a week (oh and I tend to go out in the non riding nights - so usually home well after 9).

 

How do I have the energy to consistently do 13 hour days?

 

Eating right and exercise. I run miles every day during my lunch break - it helps me handle the stress of my high pressure job, and (once you get over the 2 week hump), increases my energy levels - add riding and stable chores in the evening, I have the energy to remain active all day.

 

Fyi- this is my typical week day diet. I focus on proteins because they keep me feeling satisfied, and fuel me. Next vegis, as they are filling, low cal, and healthy. I watch sugars, don't really limit fats.

 

Breakfast:

Greek yogurt (low sugar variety), apple, black coffee.

 

Lunch:

Large salad + chicken thighs (vinegar based dressing - no ranch!). Tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado etc. Or more often a rice-less sushi roll (salmon, avocado, cucumber, carrot).

 

Dinner:

Protien (fish, chicken, pork, beef, lamb). Roasted vegis, salad if I am feeling exta hungry.

 

Snacks:

Hard boiled eggs, peanut butter and apple, tuna (canned sardines / herring), bananas, berries, low sugar popciles

 

Start reading food labels. Look up the nutrional value of the Chinese dishes you usually order. Educate yourself. Be able to look at something and know how many calories it packs.

[jen1447]

OP, there are a lot of ppl here more knowledgeable about fitness than me, but to answer your original question, no - walking generally isn't rigorous enough exercise to lose weight. It's certainly good for you in more ways than one and it's a good general fitness practice, but if you're trying to drop pounds that way it likely won't have much effect. You need a regular, sustained higher level of activity to lose weight and really stay trim.