Advice on brisk walking

[wisewind]

Hello Members,

I have a query to ask you all.

I read in online articles that the minimum speed for brisk walking is 4.5 km/h.

I tired walking in that speed but it is too difficult for me due to my body size (My BMI is currently 40.5).

I am currently walking 4.0 km/h. Will I still be able to lose weight if I do brisk walking at this speed (4.0 km/h) ?

Thank you.

 

[alligatorob]

Will I still be able to lose weight if I do brisk walking at this speed (4.0 km/h) ?

It all comes down to calories, if you eat fewer calories in a day than you burn you will lose weight. If you don't you won't. The walking will increase your calories a bit, at a brisk pace maybe something in the 100 to 150 calorie per hour range. So it will help, but walking alone without the calorie deficit will not. Still good for you, but without the deficit no weight loss.

I read in online articles that the minimum speed for brisk walking is 4.5 km/h.

I am no expert but have heard it is best to walk at a pace where you still have enough wind to talk but not sing, for me that is easier than clocking the km or miles per hours. Of course the harder you force yourself the more calories you will burn, but not a huge amount. For me sticking to a pace I like and will keep to is more important, the longer walks bring up the calorie burn. Maybe LaMa will chime in on this, she knows a lot more than I do about it!

Keep on walking!

 

[Trusylver]

All walking speeds will contribute to burning calories and helping with weight loss however diet will always be to most important factor in achieving your weight loss goals.

If you happen to be short you will burn more calories than a taller person walking at the same pace.

VO2 = 2 * VO2rest + 5.6 * V^2 / H, where VO2 is the total oxygen consumption in ml/kg/min, VO2rest is (essentially) the resting metabolic rate expressed in ml/kg/min, V is the walking speed in m/s, and H is height in meters. (If you want to convert to calories, 1 MET = 1 cal/kg/hour = 3.5 ml/kg/min.) Plug in some rough numbers and you find that walking at 4.0 m/s if you're 5' 7" takes 17 ml/kg/min, which is 4.96 METs -- pretty much bang on the Compendium value. If you're 5' 0", though, you'll burn 5.36 METs, whereas if you're 6' 3" you'll only burn 4.70 METs.

 

[Llama]

If you want the exact numbers: listen to Tru, she really knows her stuff. For the general answer: yes, you´re still burning calories, burning fat if you´re eating fewer calories than your body needs in a day.
The biggest advantage of walking at a pace you can sustain is that you can walk longer and more often than when you´re pushing yourself to reach a certain speed. Same with running vs. walking. Running at 10 km/h will burn twice as many calories per hour as walking at 5 km/h (let´s assume 500 kcal vs. 250 kcal for me personally) but while I can maybe run 10 km/h for 15 minutes I can walk at 5 km/h for two hours no problem. Meaning the running would really only burn 125 kcal vs. 500 for the walking! And then I can walk again the next day, while I need a rest day after running. That´s not to say you have to walk for two hours a day, of course, just to show why sticking to a pace that´s sustainable for you is much better in the long run.

 

[Omega]

I tired walking in that speed but it is too difficult for me due to my body size (My BMI is currently 40.5).

I am currently walking 4.0 km/h. Will I still be able to lose weight if I do brisk walking at this speed (4.0 km/h) ?

I first joined this forum a dozen or so years ago. Back in my big days my BMI was actually over 52.

I can say that if I had believed that I had to walk at a specific speed to be of any benefit I would still be that size or bigger. I could not have possibly walked at the speed that you are doing.

Any walking that you do will be of benefit to you. It burns calories.

The more that you walk - in my experience you build up your stamina and find that you are able to walk further and quicker.

Eating more healthily will also help. Generally the likes of vegetables and lean meat allow you to fill up and feel satisfied on less calories.

As others have mentioned it is all about eating / drinking less calories than you burn through normal life plus exercise.

Drinking water also helps a lot.

 

[Floater]

Hi @wisewind !

I love walking, it helps me to think, I get to look at cool stuff in my environment from birds to clouds to graffiti. Sometimes I walk slowly, meander, just to suck it all in, sometimes I walk briskly because the movement feels so good in that moment. As you are living in a bigger body for right now, maybe it could help to find motivation outside the numbers (while numbers can definitely be helpful!), and look at benefits that walking at any time at all will give you?

Any time you leave your house and take a walk, no matter how small, you are helping your heart and cardiovascular system, because your muscles contracting and relaxing during gait are helping your venous circulation bring the blood back into your heart and lungs, be replenished with oxygen, and then starting the cycle around your body again. Literally every small walk helps against the risk of blood clots.

When it comes to calories in and calories out, every minute spent walking is a minute away from the fridge. But then again, if there's a nice park or pond or city square or something close to you, maybe you could pack a picnic and eat it there? This would add an element of reward to your walking habit.

Psychologically, a walk in the woods is very relaxing. For city dwellers, parks will have to do; but if you live in an area with crappy city planning, you could take a bus to a nicer area and have your walk there. Or drive there, if you have a car. But ultimately, even if your walk is from your home to your corner store and back, it still counts. Every step counts. Walking slowly is better than not walking, and bigger bodied folks have legitimate reasons to start small and slow, so by starting off slow you can protect your joints etc that some day you might find yourself just walking fast without trying.

Best of luck!

 

[wisewind]

Thank you for your replies friends

 

[alligatorob]

Psychologically, a walk in the woods is very relaxing.

Yes it is, do you live where that is easy? Can you walk from home?

Good to see that Trusylver and LaMa chimed in on the calorie thing, pay more attention to them than me on that one, they are the experts. I am always suspect of the calories burned thing, I don't pay much attention to it when figuring my calories. But I do exercise, now more to feel better than to lose weight, it is good for you in many ways.