The American College of Sports Medicine and other health and fitness authorities recommend that healthy adults get at least 30 minutes of moderate aerobic activity, such as walking, at least five days a week. The amount of weight you lose by walking depends on the frequency and duration of your walks as well as the amount of effort you put into the exercise.
Calories
Weight gain is almost never caused by a flaw in your metabolism, according to MayoClinic.com. Rather, the reason for weight gain is simple: you're consuming more calories than your body can burn. The calories you didn't need are stored as body fat. Over time, the pounds begin to add up. A pound of body fat contains 3,500 calories. To lose 1 lb. of weight every week consistently, you must either trim 3,500 calories from your diet or burn the excess by adding physical activity to your weight-loss plan.
Examples
The number of calories you burn depends on your body weight and the intensity at which you exercise. If you weigh 180 lbs., a casual stroll maintained at 2 miles per hour burns roughly 82 calories -- 0.05 percent of a pound. However, if you pick up your past to a brisk 4 mph pace, you'll burn around 204 calories. Double the time of your walk, and you burn 408 calories. An hour-long daily walk maintained at a 4 mph pace burns more than 2,800 calories, putting you right at the 80 percent mark after one week. To find out how many calories you burn walking given your weight and the duration of the exercise, use a physical activity calorie counter (See Resources).
Recommendations
The ACSM's position on exercise for weight loss is different than for that needed to maintain your current weight, increase your energy level and keep illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes at bay. You'll notice nominal weight loss by walking at a moderately intense pace 150 to 250 minutes every week. However, when you put in more than 250 minutes of moderately intense exercise each week, the number of pounds that melt away is clinically significant, states the ACSM.
Tips
If starting a fitness program is daunting, the Weight-control Information Network suggests establishing short-term goals when you first start. Walk for 10 minutes a day a few days a week until you're comfortable with increasing the duration and frequency of your walks. Combining a healthy, reduced-calorie diet with your exercise plan yields the best chance of success. The American Council on Exercise looked at weight loss plans used by members of the National Weight Control Registry. Only 1 percent lost weight through exercise alone, while 89 percent lost weight through a combination of diet and exercise. ACE suggests making it your goal to lose 1 lb. a week. Trim 250 calories from your diet every day and burn the other 250 by walking or another type of exercise.
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