How Much Walking For Weight Loss? (Calculator & Miles Chart)
Walking is accessible, free, and one of the easiest ways to get more exercise. Its health benefits are well known, from protecting against heart disease and some cancers, to boosting your mood and improving your immune system. Walking could add years to your life. But is walking good for weight loss?
The answer is maybe. It all depends on how much you walk and the other steps you take to reach a healthy weight. So how does it work, how much should you walk to lose weight, and how many miles to reach a healthy body mass index BMI? What’s the best walking challenge for fat loss?
Ready to get started: follow the 9-Week Fat Buster Walking Exercise Plan.
How Long And How Often Should I Walk To Lose Weight?
The recommended level of physical activity for adults is 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity, such as brisk walking, per week. That’s just 30 minutes of walking, 5 days a week. Enough to keep you healthy, but not enough for optimal weight loss.
Weight loss is based on building a calorie deficit. You need a 3,500-calorie deficit to burn off one pound of fat. The choice is to diet or lace up those shoes and go for a walk. If you take the walking option, one mile burns about 100 calories (depending on your current body weight). Walk 5 miles a day (35 miles a week) and in 10 weeks you’ll lose 10 pounds of body fat.
Easy right? It could be if you’re prepared to walk for 90 to 100 minutes a day and avoid rewarding yourself with high-calorie treats. For weight loss, what you eat is always important.
Is Walking Good For Weight Loss?
When you diet, you need to eat 500 fewer calories than your recommended daily intake to lose 1 pound a week. The recommended calorie intake for a woman is about 2000 a day, or 2500 for a man. A deficit of 500 calories is between 20% and a quarter of a person’s daily calorie intake. It’s the reason diets fail. Most people get too hungry.
Cutting 500 calories a day from your diet rarely leads to long-term weight loss. Instead, your body gets more efficient at burning calories and survives on a lower daily calorie intake.
Body Fat vs Muscle
When you’re walking to lose weight you’re building stronger muscles from the increased daily exercise. If you’re just dieting, your body will indiscriminately burn body fat and muscle to make up the calorie deficit. You may end up lighter on the scales, but losing strength has a negative effect on your metabolism and long-term health.
Regular walking combined with eating better and two or three short strength-training sessions a week will produce the best results.
Related post: Fat vs. Muscle: How Does It Affect Your Weight?
Eating Less Calories
What you eat is important. It’s the biggest reason people gain weight. Most people eat more calories than they burn every day. You still need to cut out those excess calories – the donuts, M&Ms, burgers, and cakes – if you want to lose weight by walking.
Eat a healthy diet built around lean protein, whole grains, fresh vegetables, and some fruit, plus a small amount of healthy fats to get the best results from your walking for weight loss program. Lean protein and a high fiber diet of whole grains and fresh vegetables will satisfy your appetite. Aim for 30% lean protein in your diet during your weight-loss phase, and don’t forget to hydrate. Drink adequate amounts of water, especially before, during, and after exercising.
Related post: What To Eat After Walking To Lose Weight
How To Lose Weight By Walking
Before you start, make sure your weight-loss goal is realistic and set a target for your ideal, healthy, normal weight based on your body mass index, BMI.
- Calculate Your Weight Loss Goal – subtract your target weight from your current body weight.
- Measure Your Walking Speed – use this information to calculate calories burned per mile.
- Set A Weekly Target – decide how far you will walk every day using our chart.
- Increase Intensity – as you get fitter, walk faster to maintain your calorie burn rate.
1. Measure Your Walking Speed
To get the most out of your walking for weight loss plan, aim to walk at a brisk pace. For most people, a brisk pace is 3.5 miles per hour, but it depends on your fitness level. At a brisk pace, you’ll be able to talk and walk, but your heart rate will be elevated, and you’re making a conscious effort to maintain your walking speed.
You can use a fitness tracker or a walking app to measure your walking pace.
- 2.5 mph = 24 minutes/mile (easy pace).
- 3.0 mph = 20 minutes/mile (moderate pace).
- 3.5 mph = 17.1 minutes/mile (brisk pace).
- 4.0 mph = 15 minutes/mile (very brisk pace).
- 4.5 mph = 13.3 minutes per mile (power walking).
If you can only walk slowly, it’s still good exercise. If your brisk pace is just 2 mph, 30 minutes a mile, as long as you’re making an effort, you’re burning calories.
2. Set A Weekly Target
Walk 5 miles a day and you can lose one pound a week provided you keep to the recommended calorie intake of 2000 for women or 2500 for men. This can often be an overestimate and you’ll get a more accurate guide using this calculator for how many calories do I burn a day. If you’re young and male, you burn more calories. Basically, if you’re older and female it sucks!
One pound a week weight loss doesn’t sound very much but that’s 10 pounds in 10 weeks. Permanent weight loss. Not lose 10 pounds in 21 days and pile it all back on a few months later.
Related post: Walking An Hour A Day: Health Benefits And Weight Loss
3. Increase Intensity
As you get fitter, you’ll need to work harder to achieve the same weight-loss results. Increasing intensity can increase calorie burn and will be a big help if you only have limited time for walking.
Increase the intensity of your workout by:
- Adding hills or elevation
- Walking faster
- Using walking poles
- Using walking workouts and walking intervals.
- Walking with weights.
You don’t need to walk outside to benefit from walking for weight loss. Try treadmill walking or walking in place! On a treadmill, you can increase speed and adjust the elevation to make your workout harder.
How Much Walking To Lose Weight Chart
The chart below shows how many calories you’ll burn per hour while walking. Most people burn around 80 to 100 calories per mile, but it depends on so many factors, such as your weight, sex, physical fitness, and walking pace.
Estimated Calories Burned Per Hour By Walking
| Weight | 2.5 mph (4.0 km/h) | 3.0 mph (4.8 km/h) | 3.5 mph (5.6 km/h) | 4.0 mph (6.4 km/h) | 4.5 mph (7.2 km/h) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 120 pounds (55 kg) | 171 | 200 | 246 | 286 | 400 |
| 150 pounds (68 kg) | 214 | 250 | 307 | 357 | 500 |
| 180 pounds (82 kg) | 257 | 300 | 369 | 429 | 600 |
| 210 pounds (95 kg) | 300 | 350 | 430 | 500 | 700 |
| 240 pounds (109 kg) | 343 | 400 | 492 | 572 | 800 |
| 270 pounds (123 kg) | 386 | 450 | 553 | 643 | 900 |
| 300 pounds (136 kg) | 429 | 500 | 614 | 714 | 1000 |
How Much Should I Walk Every Day To Lose Weight?
This will depend on your goals. We’re great believers that anything is better than nothing. Just lacing up some trainers and heading out the door is going to improve your health and fitness.
How Many Days A Week?
It’s regular exercise that makes the difference. Committing to a short walk of one mile a day every day is a good start if you’re the sort of person who never exercises.
If you’re using a step counter, you can convert steps to miles and calories burned. As a rough guide, the number of steps in a mile is between 2000 and 2500 depending on your step length.
Walking Every Day – How Many Calories Burned?
| Daily Walking Distance | Estimated Weekly Calories Burned |
| 1 Mile | 560 – 700 |
| 2 Miles | 1120 – 1400 |
| 3 Miles | 1680 – 2100 |
| 4 Miles | 2240 – 2800 |
| 5 Miles | 2800 – 3500 |
Walking Plan For Weight Loss
The best way to stay motivated is to follow a walking plan. This Love Life Be Fit site has a wide choice of walking exercise plans, all free to download. These plans will ease you into walking regularly and help you build distance and intensity.
Related post: Walking For Weight Loss: Everything You Need To Know
