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Walking For Weight Loss

Heather said: "[QUOTE=stroutman81]For me, I'd say a hobby. For Patty, a 550+ lb woman I'm currently helping, you damn well better believe it's an exercise. I don't think you can label one or the other, kwim?[/QUOTE] That has to be a real challenge. How long have you been working with her? How much has she lost so far? [QUOTE]Yeah for sure, there are literally thousands of Podcasts you can subscribe to on Itunes all under different categories.[/QUOTE] That's a great way to stay on top of the news. Is there a charge for these podcasts?"

Heather said: "That's pretty impressive, Steve. Do you work with her daily?"

Darren said: "One thing about walking: I've seen plenty of fat mailmen walking their routes. And they walk all day for the most part."

Darren said: "Don't me wrong. I'm a fan of walking. It's a damn refreshing thing to do. It really can't hurt you in any way, plus it's fun."

Darren said: "So, is walking exercise or a hobby? I think the calorie burn rate is very low."

Darren said: "You have to learn to walk before you can run, as the old saying goes. At 550, your joints are in for a shock no matter what you attempt. How much weight is targeted for her each week? Do you have a target set up for her?"

stroutman81 said: "You have to put things into context. Weight loss is about TOTAL energy balances. There's a bunch of things you can do to add to an energy deficit. In addition to walking, you can be more active in general. Remain cognizant of things like parking further away from the building, taking the steps, gardening over television, etc. Couple this with a healthier, controlled approach to eating and losing weight will most certainly happen. The more weight you have to lose, the more walking becomes a viable option. I have a great friend that's lost over 100lbs and her only form of exercise is walking. If it's what you can and enjoy doing.... go for it. Are there more optimal ways to go about it? Certainly. At the very least, it's an excellent starting point."

stroutman81 said: "[QUOTE=mahesh67]I think it takes too long because you never really work up a sweat. Well maybe on a hot day. But I think you gotta sweat to get rid of the fat![/QUOTE] Though it may seem like that, sweating really doesn't correlate directly to losing fat. That said, the more exertion you put into it, the more calories you'll expend. The more calories you expend through activity means the more food you can eat. For most though, walking will be the starting point. And if you want more than simply a drop in the reading on the scale, I suggest a more balanced approach. Proper nutrition AND exercise (cardio and resistance training) work in synergy. Good nutrition = A Resistance training = B Cardio = C Total Health and Good Physique = D A+B+C=D Take A, B, or C out of the equation and you are operating sub-optimally and giving up unique benefits associated only with the dropped variable. Can you lose weight without intense exercise? Certainly. Losing weight is a function of being in a chronic/consistent energy deficit, meaning, more calories out than in. This deficit can be established however you see fit.... less food, more activity, a combo, etc. Will you look good only eating less without exercising? Probably not, unless you are genetically blessed. And this also depends on your definition of good, of course. If the number on the scale was all that mattered, this would be a VERY simple process. Unfortunately for some, total health and appearance matter more than the scale and those things require more intensive exercise."

stroutman81 said: "[QUOTE=mahesh67]How come some people can eat terrible diets but never gain weight? What is your theory?[/QUOTE] Genetics man. There are so many pathways in the body that lead to what you look like it's insane, and they're all genetically pre-determined. I have a friend who looks like he was carved out of stone. Barely works out and has abs-galore. Eats whatever he wants. It's all in the genes."

stroutman81 said: "[QUOTE=Darren]One thing about walking: I've seen plenty of fat mailmen walking their routes. And they walk all day for the most part.[/QUOTE] Right, it's all about the synergy from A+B+C from above. And really it's about energy balance. If you walk all day long, but at the same time, stuff your face with Big Macs, guess what. Your energy balance is probably going to sway to the surplus side. I've got numerous clients over 400 lbs though. And walking as well as some dynamic flexibility work is about the extent of their activity at the moment."

stroutman81 said: "[QUOTE=Darren]Don't me wrong. I'm a fan of walking. It's a damn refreshing thing to do. It really can't hurt you in any way, plus it's fun.[/QUOTE] But it's not enough for *some* people. I know if I only walked, I'd get fat, haha. My hunger is too high... I need more intensive forms of exercise that call on more energy to balance out my food intake with my energy expenditure."

stroutman81 said: "[QUOTE=Darren]So, is walking exercise or a hobby? I think the calorie burn rate is very low.[/QUOTE] For me, I'd say a hobby. For Patty, a 550+ lb woman I'm currently helping, you damn well better believe it's an exercise. I don't think you can label one or the other, kwim?"

stroutman81 said: "[QUOTE=Darren]You have to learn to walk before you can run, as the old saying goes. At 550, your joints are in for a shock no matter what you attempt. How much weight is targeted for her each week? Do you have a target set up for her?[/QUOTE] We started with no targets. She hates structure. She hates expectations. Behind the scenes, without her knowledge, I'm shooting for 5 lbs per week. For the most part, we've realized this goal. At this point in time though, consistency is her biggest challenge. It takes a long time to reach the point she's at. There's a whole lot of bad habits that need to be broke before she's "safe." I'll add that on top of walking and dynamic flexibility work, I've got her doing a lot of resistance work with bands. I'd love for her to find a pool that she can use, but that hasn't happened yet."

stroutman81 said: "[QUOTE=Heather]That has to be a real challenge. How long have you been working with her? How much has she lost so far?[/QUOTE] Just over 40 lbs in just over 3 months. She's motivated, but consistency is still hard to come by."

stroutman81 said: "[QUOTE=Heather]That's pretty impressive, Steve. Do you work with her daily?[/QUOTE] It's all via web actually, which makes it that much more difficult. She doesn't have me there pushing her."

xlilphishx said: "Walking is great because it is free! I started out by walking on the treadmill and it has contributed to my weight loss for sure!"

xlilphishx said: "I started out walking and lost a lot of weight the first month back in 2005."

2littlemessmakers said: "i lost about 22 kilos walking before i had my daughter .. then i had her and poof it was all back and it found some friends lol... walking does work and quiet well but it takes a long time . i am walking everyday at the moment and also doing arobics at home its on the tv in the afternoon so very convieniant anything they do that i cant i just walk on the spot till the get to something else lol.. im happy with my results so far ive lost about 10 kilos.. but im measuring this time not weighing my scales are gone"

Diamond said: "A lot of people try walking for weight loss. I'm wondering if this is a viable way to lose weight? It seems like a real basic way to get started but that it might not be enough to really burn enough calories to lose weight."

Diamond said: "You've gotta start somewhere! Walking makes a lot of sense, but like you said - without a lower calorie diet it could take some time to lose weight, simply because it isn't really aerobic. You could always start with walking and then work your way into jogging or running if you don't have hip/knee troubles."

mahesh67 said: "I think it takes too long because you never really work up a sweat. Well maybe on a hot day. But I think you gotta sweat to get rid of the fat!"

mahesh67 said: "How come some people can eat terrible diets but never gain weight? What is your theory?"

smarchee said: "I love walking because I can listen to my many podcasts on my Ipod. I have so many that I listen to that I need to use that hour of walking just to get through some of them. I am a news junkie; world news, US politics, sports news, so I use the walk to help me get through all of the ones I subscribe to."

smarchee said: "[QUOTE=RudyOrtiz67]Do you listens to news on the Ipod?[/QUOTE] Yeah for sure, there are literally thousands of Podcasts you can subscribe to on Itunes all under different categories. Assuming you are from the US, I get these news podcasts: MSNBC Countdown with Keith Olbermann MSNBC Hardball with Chris Matthews NBC Meet The Press NewsHour with Jim Lerner PBS Washington Week Keeps my US news/politics bug satisified :lecture:"

RudyOrtiz67 said: "Do you listens to news on the Ipod?"

princess said: "I love to walk because it's the easiest and most convenient way to exercise, for me at least."

priji said: "people try it walking for weight loss.plz try . this very good exercise.:wave:"

nancy_mrn said: "I have always enjoyed walking, but where I live it rains--alot--and I am just not a hugh fan of walking when wet. So.. I was inspired and bought this "mini" stepper, it is like a small stair machine that really works my legs and gets my cardio in (I had to get creative and I use two long dowels as "polls" and move them back and forth as I am stepping). I just started this two days ago and boy am I out of shape LOL. But the first day I could only go 5 min at a time then rest until I managed to get in 20 min but yesterday I was stepping 10 min at a time with a two min break inbetween"