Walking not enough?

T

TLaude

New member
So after about 2 weeks now, I haven't dropped 1 pound. I'm really watching what I eat (not going out near as much, if at all; cooking my own food, etc). Every night I walk 2 - 2.5 miles.

Is this not going to make much of an effect or do I need to be in the gym 3-5 days a week doing the elliptical / treadmill and lifting weights?

I've been meaning to get back to the gym, but with recent family happenings, I've been distracted.

So the question stands.. is walking not enough?

Thx
 
Walking isn't going to have much effect on its own if you're not in a calorie defecit. Thats true of any exercise though. You have to consume less than your body needs, regardless of how much exercise you're doing.
 
I'm not counting calories, bout I'm fairly positive I'm in a calorie deficit. I know this next statement is not right, but here is the truth:

My first meal is lunch, were I have a 6" sub from subway (400-600 calories according to their nutrition guide; pending the sub I get), and dinner, which is anywhere from 500-800 calories. I drink nothing but water. In the evening I will eat an orange or an apple if I get the munchies.

So yea.. I'm at I'd say a MAX of 1500 calories a day.

I think if I stick to how I'm eating but bump up the exercise, I will see the #'s start going down maybe?
 
I walk every day and the weight is dropping off. Of course if you are strolling for a couple of miles its not going to burn many calories but if you are in the 15 min per mile pace then you will burn a decent amount.

I do 5 miles a night and aim for 1 hour 15 minutes. I also am being pretty careful about what I eat. You say you are watching what you eat and cooking at home but you should give us some examples of what you are actually cooking at home.

I cant stand gyms, I hate doing cardio work inside as I find it boring as hell. Walking outside has proven to be the key for me. I do as many nights per week as I can and then a long hike at the weekend. I aim for 35 miles per week. Roughly speaking you will burn 100 calories per mile. At 35 miles you will burn 3500 calories which is what you need to burn to lose 1lb. This coupled with a calories deficient diet is going to equate to 2 or 3lbs per week of healthy weight loss.

When walking I try stick to loops at parks etc where when I start I have to finish because if it is a 5 mile loop and I get 2.5 miles in to it I either complete the 5 miles or turn back... which will be 2.5 miles anyway... :) On a treadmill I stop when I get bored.

Walk the lbs away, it is incredible how quickly I have seen results. I put on one of my suits today that was kinda tight on me last time I wore it and it is hanging off me.
 
how tall are you and what do you weigh? also, you really should focus a bit more on counting calories to be more precise because walking alone isn't enough to make a defecit
 
TLaude said:
I'm not counting calories, bout I'm fairly positive I'm in a calorie deficit. I know this next statement is not right, but here is the truth:

My first meal is lunch, were I have a 6" sub from subway (400-600 calories according to their nutrition guide; pending the sub I get), and dinner, which is anywhere from 500-800 calories. I drink nothing but water. In the evening I will eat an orange or an apple if I get the munchies.

So yea.. I'm at I'd say a MAX of 1500 calories a day.

I think if I stick to how I'm eating but bump up the exercise, I will see the #'s start going down maybe?
Click to expand...

I understand what you were saying, but if you were really in a defecit, the weight has to come down.

Have you been losing weight for a while and this is a 2wk plateau, or did you just start out and you haven't lost yet? How much do you currently weigh? maybe you're not eating enough (has caused stalls or slow downs of weight loss for some people).

It might not hurt to try out counting your calories a little closer for a few days or a week to confirm the number you think you're eating.

It takes a 500 calorie defecit per day to lose a lb per week. If you're already exercising and not losing, the energy equation is balanced. If you kick it up a little, burning an extra 100-200 per day or something, that might lead to 1/4 to 1/2 lb lost per week. Sometimes, stuff like water retention can hide weight loss from the scale. I've also read that fat cells can be burned but then refill (temporarily) with water, and suddenly flush out one day causing a whoosh where you lose a couple pounds overnight.
 
Sorry for not giving a whole lot of information :)

Weight: 190
Height: 5'10"

According to the BMR calculation, I need 1,989 calories per day.

I don't do just a lollygag walk, I do a fast paced walk with my dog. My shoes SUCK, so when I have time to go to the sports store, I will be purchasing a solid pair of running shoes.

After thinking about it for a couple weeks and doing some reading, I decided to give p90x a shot. I ordered it today and should be getting that next week.

I guess we will see where it takes me..

Edit: As for the things I cook at home.. I love stirfry. I've made chicken and beef stirfry a few times thus far. Also things like spaghetti with wheat noodles, chicken breasts, etc. I also eat a lot of oranges and apples. Smoothies as well. Strawberry / Banana smoothies = DELICIOUS.

I'm always on the look out for new recipes to try.
 
I know its boring and annoying and time consuming, but really, just try this for one week (10 days is best) see if you don't notice a difference.

Weigh and measure everything. Yes a Sub may have X calories in it, but a slight twitch of the wrist and suddenly its 100kcals more, don't rely on details they provide for the energy inside them. Weigh what you eat, cereal, milk, everything, its quite often a huge suprize and can make all the difference.

You really need to be very careful with food when your trying to lose weight as its so very easy to slip up without even being aware. Its up to you, its your diet plan but all I am saying is this works, if you want something that works, this does. What have you got to lose by trying? a few days of weighing stuff? not going to kill you! ;)
 
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