Will Walking Help Me Lose Weight? How Much to Walk and How to Progress

Yes, walking helps you lose weight when you pair it with a calorie deficit. Walking burns modest calories, so diet does most of the work, but it adds up. Aim for 150 to 300 brisk minutes a week, or 8,000 to 12,000 steps a day. Add strength training two to three times a week to keep your muscle.

How much walking does it take to lose weight?

The American College of Sports Medicine found that 150 to 250 minutes a week of moderate activity gives modest weight loss, and more than 250 minutes a week tends to give meaningful loss, especially combined with diet (Donnelly et al., 2009). Walking at a brisk pace counts.

My usual targets:

• Minimum: 150 to 200 minutes a week
• Fat loss focus: around 300 minutes a week

That can be two 30 minute walks a day, or five one hour walks a week. Pick what fits your schedule.

How many calories does walking burn?

Roughly 80 to 120 calories per mile for most adults, depending on your body weight and pace. A heavier person burns more per mile. A 30 minute brisk walk might burn 120 to 200 calories. That is why food matters more for the scale. Walking helps the deficit, protects your health and makes fat loss easier to keep.

Is walking or running better for weight loss?

Running burns more calories per minute. Walking is easier on the joints, easier to recover from and easier to do every day. The best one is the one you will do consistently for 6 to 12 months.

If you hate running, are carrying a lot of weight or have joint problems, walking should be your main cardio. Walking 300 minutes a week for a year beats running for three months, getting hurt and starting from zero.

How fast should I walk?

Brisk. You should be breathing harder but still able to talk in full sentences. That usually lands around 60 to 70 percent of your max heart rate. A heart rate monitor helps you keep the pace honest. I explain how in benefits of using a heart rate monitor.

How do I progress my walking?

Your body adapts. Last month’s hard walk becomes this month’s easy one. Progress one thing at a time:

• Add 5 to 10 minutes per walk each week
• Add hills, stairs or treadmill incline
• Walk a bit faster at the same heart rate as you get fitter
• Add one more walk every couple of weeks
• Later, try a weighted vest or rucksack if your joints are healthy

Does walking help with more than weight?

Yes. More daily steps are linked to a lower risk of early death, with benefits leveling off around 6,000 to 8,000 steps a day for adults 60 and older and 8,000 to 10,000 for younger adults (Paluch et al., 2022). A walk after dinner also helps with stress and sleep for a lot of my clients.

What walking mistakes slow fat loss?

• Eating back the calories, often with a post-walk snack or drink
• Strolling while scrolling your phone
• Walking only on weekends
• Skipping strength training, which helps you keep muscle while you lose fat. See can lifting weights help you burn fat.

If you want a plan that combines walking, lifting and food for your body type, take the XPL quiz.