Walking is not a good workout for weight loss. It is no longer the old-fashioned advice to burn as many calories in an activity. The new science says that it is unnecessary to burn 500 calories on the treadmill at once if you want to lose weight. Instead, make a slight calorie loss through your diet and increase your activity in a sustainable way that doesn’t leave any hunger pangs—enter: walking.

Is walking a good way to lose weight?

Yes! Yes! Tami Smith, the ACE personal coach and owner of Fit Healthy Momma says that if you burn more calories than what you eat, it will lead to weight loss.

A study showed that women who exercised for 50-70 minutes per day, three days a week, for 12 weeks lost more belly fat than those who were sedentary. Are you short on time? According to a study published in Obesity, you might get better results if you do two shorter walks. Women who walked for 25 minutes per day, six days a week, lost more weight and inches than those who walked 50 minutes per day. Both had the same calorie-controlled diet.

A study released in the Journal of Nutrition found that one group of women and men followed a restricted-calorie diet. The second group, however, walked 2.5 hours each week. Both channels lost weight, but the walking group lost more than the one that followed a calorie-restricted diet without walking.

Combining dietary changes and exercise is the finest way to lose weight. This will be sustainable. If you are doing well in the dietary department but still haven’t seen the results you want, consider walking.

How much time does it take to walk off 10 pounds?

Your current weight, diet, and activity level will determine how much you can lose by walking. We recommend that you lose at most 1 to 2% per week for sustainable weight loss. This means that you can lose 10 lbs in just five weeks. A realistic timeline would be between 10 and 24 weeks. Most people need more time to walk every day. You can also enjoy holidays and vacations while slowly losing weight and still seeing long-term results.

How many calories can you burn walking?

Alex Davis, co-creator and co-creator of Alex Duo Life, says that walking can burn calories depending on many factors. “Generally speaking, a mile or roughly 2,000 steps equates to [burning] 80-100 calories.” Three thousand five hundred calories are contained in one pound. To lose 1 pound, you will need to walk 35 miles or 70,000 steps. Davis says that this would mean 10,000 steps per day over a week. This will allow you to lose 10 pounds in just 10 weeks.

Your body weight will determine how many calories you burn. The American Council on Exercise calculated that a person weighing 185 lbs walking at a fast pace of 3.5 miles an hour would burn 318 calories, while a person weighing 155 lbs walking at 3.5 mph would burn 267 calories.

You will lose more calories if you walk faster. So, increase your pace to lose 10 pounds in less time.

Based to the American Council on Exercise, this is how many calories a person weighing 155 lbs burns by walking for an hour at different speeds.

2 mph (a stroll): 140 calories

3 mph (moderate pace): 232 calories

3.5 mph (brisk pace): 267 calories

4 mph (high-speed): 351 calories

5 mph (fast pace): 632 calories

Walk to Lose 10 Pounds

Your fitness level, current walking pace, and schedule will determine the best walking plan. If you are already walking 10,000 steps per day and have yet to lose weight, you likely need to change your diet or increase the intensity of your walks. You can also consider weight training and higher-intensity workouts a few times per semaine.

Walking for 30-60 minutes is a good option if you are still waiting to get results from your 15-minute walk per day. You can lose 10 pounds quicker if you don’t have the time to walk daily. Instead, start walking for 30 minutes at a fast pace and increase the intensity with weights or hills.

These are two 5-week walking plans: one for beginners and one for seasoned walkers who already do regular walking. To continue seeing results, increase your walks’ intensity, duration, and frequency after five weeks. To help you lose fat and preserve your muscles, create a calorie deficit in your diet. Strength training should be added two to three times per week.

5-Week Beginner’s Walking Program

Smith designed this 5-week walking program for newbies. “If someone is new to walking for exercise or sedentary, it’s a good idea to start off on the lighter side.”

Week 1: Three 15-minute walks at a moderate pace, 2-3 mph, with very little or no incline. This should feel more like a leisurely walk than something strenuous.

Week 2: Three 20-minute walks at 2.5 to 3.5 mph with very little or no incline. You should feel like you are urgently walking but not in a hurry.

Week 3: Three 30-minute walks at a moderate pace (2.5-2.3.5 mph) with very little or no incline.

Week 4: Four 30-minute, incline- or hill-adjusted walks. Your speed can be higher than the 2.5-3 mph range. You will feel more engaged and can increase your heart rate and calorie burning by adding incline variations to your walks.

Week 5: Five 30-minute walks at an incline or hill pace, with speeds ranging between 3.5 and 4.5 mph. This should be a deliberate power walk.

5-Week Intermediate Walking Program

This walking plan was created by Brett Durney, cofounder, personal trainer, and running coach at Fitness Lab. It is best suited to those who already walk a lot each day.

He says, “At a high-level, I would always set 10,000 steps dially as a minimum goal and often recommend that this be broken down into three 20- or 30-minute purposeful walks.” I aim to help my clients reach 15,000 steps per day and increase the number of walks per month by increasing their sessions by one minute each month for five to six months.

Week 1: Three 15-minute walks to achieve approximately 7,500 steps daily.

Week 2: Three 16-minute walks to achieve approximately 8,000 steps daily.

Week 3: Three 17-minute walks to achieve approximately 8,500 steps daily.

Week 4: Three 18-minute walks to achieve approximately 9,000 steps daily

Week 5: Three 20-minute walks to get approximately 10,000 steps per day

There are many ways to increase the burn.

These plans increase the walking time each week. However, walking at a fast pace for 60 minutes daily only burns 250-350 calories. More than this is needed to lose 1 pound per month—these five ways to increase your calorie burning without walking longer.

1. Accelerate

Walking speed directly impacts your calorie burning. Davis says walking faster (3 mph) will burn 33% more calories.

2. Look for hills

Hill walks are great for your muscle. Hill walks are more effective than flat walking and lower the risk of injury. Hills increase heart rate and workload and help you burn calories. Davis says that a treadmill with an 18% steepness can help increase calories burned.

3. Upbeat music available

Walking to music is one of my favorite ways to increase my walking speed. Spotify allows you to search playlists with a range of beats per minute (bpm) up to 180 BPM. Davis suggests you increase your walking speed each week by listening to faster songs.

4. Hike

Walking on uneven terrain is a standard part of hiking, requiring more muscle activity. Your workouts and recovery will be more efficient if you have more muscle. You can increase your calorie burning by hiking uphill.

5. The Run-Walk Method is a great option

“The key to burning calories is not to stop moving during exercise. Running-walking is an easy way to burn more calories. You run for a short time without feeling tired. Then, you take a break and walk for the remainder of the route. This will help you reduce stress and exhaustion, which in turn will allow you to do the exercise for longer periods and burn more calories. This is a great thing because it doesn’t require a complicated routine to help you reach your goal quicker,” said Andrea Chapman, personal trainer, and marathon runner.

Bottom line

Walking is an effective and free way to lose weight. Combining walking with diet changes can help you lose 10 to 24 pounds in just 10 to 24 weeks. You can start by walking for 10 to 15 minutes each day. Then, you can increase your pace to 30 to 60 minutes dially, depending on your fitness level. To increase calorie burning, speed and intensity should be increased. Consider doing three to four shorter walks per day instead of one long walk. Combine daily walks with strength training sessions or high-intensity workouts for faster results.