How Much Do I Have To Walk To Lose Weight?

Walking represents a great way to lose a few pounds -- you can walk almost anywhere, and all it takes is a good pair of walking shoes. However, if you have more than just a few pounds to lose, you may want to consider picking up your pace and also adding some diet measures to your walking exercise routine, since you'll lose weight very slowly otherwise, according to Harvard Medical School.

Calories Burned

To lose one pound of fat tissue, you need to burn about 3,500 calories above and beyond what you take in as food, according to Columbia University. In most cases, dieters tackle this through a combination of calorie cutting and increased physical activity. Walking makes a great physical activity to incorporate into your weight loss efforts, especially if you haven't exercised in a long time, since it's low-impact.

Walking Results

Walking at a leisurely pace -- around 3.5 miles per hour, or at a pace that covers a mile every 17 minutes -- can burn between 240 and 360 calories an hour, according to Harvard Medical School. If you walk faster -- at 4.5 miles per hour, for example -- you can burn between 300 and 450 calories in an hour.

Weight Loss Speed

If you want to lose 10 lbs., you'll need to cover about 10 to 15 miles at a slow pace, and about eight to 12 miles at a faster pace, according to Harvard Medical School. Although seasoned walkers can accomplish this much walking in one day -- a 10 kilometer race covers 6.2 miles, for example -- new walkers will need to build up their strength and endurance before tackling large distances.

Considerations

If you're just starting a walking weight-loss program, you should get clearance from your physician first. Then, start out by warming up and then walking for just five to 10 minutes, according to the University of Virginia Health System. Gradually increase the amount of walking you do, and push yourself to move faster each day. However, if you find you're not losing as much weight as you desire, you may need to cut back on calories in addition to following your walking program.