Jump to our 9-week fat-buster walking plan
Walking has got to be the most accessible form of exercise. You don’t need any special equipment or clothing, just a comfortable pair of walking shoes or trainers – and away you go! It’s a great way to lose weight and reach your target BMI – plus it’s one of the best ways to improve your fitness level.
Walking is better than just dieting and comes with so many health benefits from protecting against heart disease to improving your moods and helping you maintain a healthy weight.
So how does it work, how much should you walk to lose weight, and how many miles to reach a healthy BMI? What’s the best walking challenge for fat loss?
Let’s get started!
How Much Walking For Weight Loss (How Many Miles)
- The ideal target for weight loss is walking 5 miles a day. This will burn around 3,500 calories a week, the equivalent of one pound of excess fat.
- Build up to walking 5 miles a day gradually. If you have a high body mass index BMI, and you’re carrying a lot of excess weight, your calorie burn rate will be much higher. Just walking 1-2 miles a day may be enough to lose weight.
- You don’t need to walk 5 miles all in one go. If you’re short of time, split the distance into 2 or 3 short walks.
- If you don’t have time to walk 5 miles, aim for 30 minutes walking a day and try to increase the intensity of your walks.
When it comes to burning calories, walking is almost as good as running, especially if you’re walking at a fast pace. While running is a big step if you haven’t laced up your trainers since high school, most people can manage a walking for weight loss program.
✅ Skip ahead to the Fat Buster Walking Challenge or keep on reading to understand how walking can help you reduce your BMI and lose excess weight.
How Much Weight Can You Lose By Walking?
Weight loss is based on building a calorie deficit. You need a deficit of 3500 calories to burn off one pound of fat. The choice is to do this by dieting or lacing up those shoes and going for a walk.
Calorie Burn
In theory, diet is more important than exercise for weight loss but that’s only because it’s easy to undo some of the benefits of walking by rewarding yourself with high-calorie treats. Don’t head to a cafe for a latte and a cake after finishing your walk! Instead, try these non-food treats!
When you diet you need to eat 500 calories less than your recommended daily intake to lose one pound a week. The recommended number of calories for a woman is 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 and 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 sessions a week of strength training will produce the best results. These bodyweight exercises are great for both runners and walkers.
Related post: Fat vs. Muscle: How Does It Affect Your Weight?
Eating Less
What you eat is still 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 whole grains, fresh fruit, vegetables, and lean protein to get the best results from your walking for weight loss program.
Related post: What To Eat After Walking To Lose Weight
Target Weight Loss From Walking
Losing one pound a week is a sensible target for most people. It may not sound like much but the aim is permanent weight loss.
Actually burning fat, not just losing water weight, and sticking to an eating plan you can maintain. We’ve all been on diets where the weight piles back on the minute you stop.
If you have a lot of weight to lose, (your body weight is 200 lbs+), you’ll lose more than one pound per week when you first start walking for weight loss. Heavier bodies burn more calories from walking.
How To Lose Weight By Walking
Before you start make sure your weight loss goal is realistic and target your ideal normal weight based on your 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.
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 for your health!
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
Increase Intensity
As you get fitter, you’ll need to work harder to get the same weight loss results. Increasing intensity can increase calorie burn and can be a big help if you only have limited time for walking.
Increase the intensity of your workout by:
- Adding hills
- 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!
How Much Walking To Lose Weight Chart
The chart below is a guide to how many calories you’ll burn per hour by walking. Most people will burn around 80 to 100 calories a mile but it depends on so many factors such as your weight, gender, 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 Of The Week?
It’s regular exercise that makes the difference. So 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 |
How Much Walking Every Day Based On Your BMI?
Check your current BMI and find out how much weight you need to lose to hit your target BMI. Each pound of weight loss will represent one week following the Fat Buster Walking Challenge.
If you need to lose more than 9 – 10 pounds, keep repeating Week 9 of the walking challenge, walking 5 miles a day, until you hit your weight loss goals.
Most people find they love walking. They enjoy the physical and mental health benefits so much that walking becomes a permanent habit! You don’t have to stop walking when you get to the end of the Fat Buster challenge!
The Love Life Be Fit Fat Buster Walking Challenge
This walking for weight loss plan gradually builds to walking 5 miles a day. It’s for beginner walkers – anyone who can walk at a slow pace for 20 to 30 minutes.
Most people will lose 10 pounds over the 9-week program.
There’s no need to diet on the fat-buster walking program but we recommend eating nutritious meals and trying to cut back on sugar. Just follow the program and stick to your recommended daily calorie intake based on your height and weight.
The program uses different speeds.
- Slow is 25 minutes per mile or 2.4 miles per hour. It’s a stroll.
- Moderate (Mod) is a normal walking pace for most people 20 minutes/mile or 3 miles per hour. You can still talk as you walk.
- Fast is walking at a brisk pace where you’re pushing yourself. 3.5 miles + per hour, 17 minutes/mile. Talking will be harder and you’ll be out of breath if you hit a hill. Pushing the pace will help boost your metabolism.
- If you find any week on the program is too hard, it’s okay to repeat a week. The aim is for gradual improvement. Not overdoing it.
- It’s okay to split each day’s session into two or even three blocks if it fits better with your schedule. Look for opportunities to walk during the day instead of jumping in a car!
Check In With Your Doctor: If you haven’t exercised for a while, you’re carrying a lot of excess weight or you have any pre-existing medical issues, it’s always best to check with your doctor before starting an exercise program.
Fat Buster Walking Challenge
| Week 1 | Workout |
|---|---|
| Mon | 25 min slow |
| Tue | 5 min slow, 20 min mod |
| Wed | 25 min slow |
| Thur | 5 min slow, 20 min mod |
| Fri | 25 min slow |
| Sat | 25 min slow, 20 min mod |
| Sun | 25 min slow, 20 min mod |
| Total Miles | 9 |
| Week 2 | Workout |
|---|---|
| Mon | 20 min mod |
| Tue | 20 min mod |
| Wed | 40 min mod |
| Thur | 40 min mod |
| Fri | 20 min mod |
| Sat | 20 min mod, 17 min fast |
| Sun | 60 min mod |
| Total Miles | 12 |
| Week 3 | Workout |
|---|---|
| Mon | 20 min mod, 17 min fast |
| Tue | 40 min mod |
| Wed | 25 min easy, 40 min mod |
| Thur | 20 min mod, 17 min fast |
| Fri | 40 min mod, 25 min easy |
| Sat | 40 min mod |
| Sun | 20 min mod, 17 min fast |
| Total Miles | 16 |
| Week 4 | Workout |
|---|---|
| Mon | 20 min mod, 17 min fast, 20 min mod |
| Tue | 40 min mod |
| Wed | 20 min mod, 17 min fast, 20 min mod |
| Thur | 40 min mod, 17 min fast |
| Fri | 40 min mod |
| Sat | 20 min mod, 17 min fast, 20 min mod |
| Sun | 25 min easy, 34 min fast |
| Total Miles | 19 |
| Week 5 | Workout |
|---|---|
| Mon | 20 min mod, 17 min fast, 20 min mod |
| Tue | 25 min easy, 34 min fast |
| Wed | 60 min mod |
| Thur | 20 min mod, 17 min fast, 20 min mod |
| Fri | 20 min mod, 34 min fast |
| Sat | 60 min mod |
| Sun | 25 min easy, 34 min fast |
| Total Miles | 21 |
| Week 6 | Workout |
|---|---|
| Mon | 60 min mod |
| Tue | 25 min easy, 34 min fast |
| Wed | 20 min mod, 34 min fast, 20 min mod |
| Thur | 20 min mod, 34 min fast, 25 min easy |
| Fri | 60 min mod |
| Sat | 60 min mod, 17 min fast |
| Sun | 20 min mod, 17 min fast, 20 min mod |
| Total Miles | 24 |
| Week 7 | Workout |
|---|---|
| Mon | 20 min mod, 17 min fast, 20 min mod |
| Tue | 20 min mod, 34 min fast, 25 min easy |
| Wed | 20 min mod, 34 min fast |
| Thur | 100 min mod |
| Fri | 20 min mod, 17 min fast, 20 min mod |
| Sat | 40 min mod, 51 min fast |
| Sun | 80 min mod |
| Total Miles | 27 |
| Week 8 | Workout |
|---|---|
| Mon | 20 min mod, 34 min fast, 20 min mod |
| Tue | 20 min mod, 51 min fast, 20 min mod |
| Wed | 20 min mod, 34 min fast, 20 min mod |
| Thur | 20 min mod, 51 min fast, 20 min mod |
| Fri | 20 min mod, 34 min fast, 20 min mod |
| Sat | 20 min mod, 51 min fast, 20 min mod |
| Sun | 20 min mod, 34 min fast, 20 min mod |
| Total Miles | 31 |
| Week 9 | Workout |
|---|---|
| Mon | 20 min mod, 51 min fast, 20 min mod |
| Tue | 20 min mod, 51 min fast, 20 min mod |
| Wed | 20 min mod, 51 min fast, 25 min easy |
| Thur | 20 min mod, 51 min fast, 20 min mod |
| Fri | 20 min mod, 51 min fast, 20 min mod |
| Sat | 20 min mod, 51 min fast, 25 min easy |
| Sun | 20 min mod, 51 min fast, 20 min mod |
| Total Miles | 35 |
Thoughts From Love Life Be Fit
Combine your walking for weight loss program with good nutrition and you’ll see a big change in your health and fitness. It really is one of the easiest ways to get fit and invest in your health.
Follow these tips to get more steps in a day. Our advice is to make your walks a priority and mark them in your daily schedule.
10,000 steps or 4 to 5 miles a day is an achievable goal for most people if they’re trying to lose weight. Take the time, invest in yourself, and make it happen!
Don’t be discouraged if you don’t lose weight in the first few weeks of the walking for weight loss plan – that’s normal. Find out why you’re not losing weight walking!
Related post: Walking For Weight Loss: Everything You Need To Know
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