10lbs down in just 10 days
Trying to lose weight can seem impossible, especially when you’ve never really managed it before.
Weight tends to fluctuate but seeing a consistent drop in weight takes a long time. If you’re anything like me then you might find it incredibly disheartening to put in so much effort and see no gains (or in this case losses).
Changing my diet and adding in extra exercise was the right thing to do but when the scales are being stubborn it feels like something has gone wrong.
Willpower is something that I only have a short supply of. I need to see proof that something is working and I need to see it quickly.
I doubt I’m the only one who feels this way, and so I thought I would write a little guide about how I finally proved to myself I could lose weight.
All it took was a little walking.
It’s All In The Foot Work
Walking is the best form of entry-level exercise to help you achieve your fitness and weight loss goals. Unless you have disabilities that prevent you from walking, it is something that any able-bodied person can do.
In fact, studies have shown that people who exercise more regularly are going to be better at maintaining their weight loss. While those who exercise the least are more likely to gain weight again.
Walking is a low-intensity form of exercise and so it is easier to develop and maintain a regular walking habit compared to more intensive exercises like running or swimming.
The key success to weight loss isn’t in any fad diet, it is down to lifestyle changes. If you can incorporate walking into your lifestyle and maintain that habit, you will be able to reap many benefits.
Cedric Bryant of the American Council of Exercise agrees that walking is an excellent way to lose weight. However, he admits that it is difficult to predict how much weight can be lost by walking as many factors are involved.
He says people who are walking thousands of steps a day can expect to burn hundreds of additional calories.
Bryant’s advice is to try and walk around 45 minutes a day, which should be sufficient to fit into anyone’s diary. Walking for an hour or more a day is worth working your way up to as this will continue to burn additional calories.
How To Lose Weight with Walking
To lose weight while walking, you need to go the extra mile by pushing yourself. Things that will help increase weight loss are walking faster than usual, at an incline, or for a longer period of time.
If you’re new to walking for exercise then start slowly as you can injure yourself if you’re not careful. Start with a 30-minute routine and add to this with 10-minute increments when you’re ready.
Try to aim for an hour or more each day if you can. You don’t need to do this all at once, you could split it up throughout the day. It is also recommended to invest in some good, comfy trainers or walking boots.
When I started developing a regular walking routine I found that I really enjoyed it. I picked out routes that would bring me closer to nature which is known to boost your mood.
Taking part in the exercise you enjoy can increase your mood, motivate you to maintain it, and in turn support weight loss.
Most people burn 80 to 100 calories per mile, but that depends on many factors, including weight, gender, physical fitness, and walking speed.
A person can burn more calories when walking fast than when walking at their usual pace. At a brisk pace, you can burn 100 to 300 calories (depending on weight) for half an hour or 200 to 600 calories for an hour or more of walking.
You can easily achieve 3500 calories burned (over a week) just by walking around 5 miles a day. This is the equivalent of one pound of body weight.
Regular exercise such as walking increases the amount of energy that you burn every day, but can also help you build lean muscles so you can burn even more calories at rest.
Although walking is not the most strenuous exercise form, it is an effective way to get into shape and burn fat. An increasing number of diet and health experts recommend brisk walking if you want to lose weight.
How To Maximise Your Results
To burn as many calories as possible and maximize weight loss, you must operate in the right heart rate zone. Aim for around 60–70% of your maximum heart rate.
If you want to accomplish 10,000 steps in 24 hours then you should be trying to increase your pace to hit the right heart rate. Alternatively, you may wish to divide your day into three 10-minute bursts of fast walking.
You can lose a lot of weight if your body weight is above 200 lbs as you can lose more than a pound a week. This is due to the increased body mass and how much you lose each week will surely decrease as you lose weight.
Try and reduce excess calories from unhealthy foods. A clean diet is exercising’s best friend and is the best way to lose weight overall.
You don’t have to give anything up if you don’t want to. However, calorie counting, eating in moderation, and choosing healthier foods will supercharge your results.
There is no magic formula for how many steps, miles, or hours you need to walk to lose weight. Just like there are no weight loss programs that claim you can lose a lot of weight by walking for 10 minutes a day.
If they do, they’re lying.
How I Lost 10lbs By Walking More
The headline for this article is not a lie. I really did lose 10lbs in a little over one week just by walking more. It was, however, a one-off and I never expect it to happen again.
A few years ago I was in a bit of debt and decided to walk to work instead of getting the bus. This would free up $30 a week to pay down my debt but it meant a longer commute.
My place of work was an hour and a half walk away so I suddenly had a very intense walking habit. The minimum I could spend on my feet was 3 hours since I had to do this at the start of the day and at the end.
After a couple of days, I checked the scales and could see I had lost a couple of pounds. Losing weight has always been hard for me so I felt really excited by this.
I started walking for my entire one-hour lunch break — I was up to 4 hours a day, every day. I kept this up all week and my weight loss remained staggeringly high. After the week was up I had lost 6 pounds.
Because I could see the weight loss happening it prompted me to change up my diet and eat healthier. This was the proof I needed that weight loss was possible and helped me get over the mental hurdles I had imposed on myself.
At the weekend I decided to go all out and do 30,000 steps in one day. Over 5 hours spent walking. Two times over the weekend meant my weight loss continued.
At the end of 10 days, I had lost 10lbs, my diet had changed, and I felt so motivated to continue. Although subsequent weeks were not as lucrative, I was able to keep losing weight at a reasonable rate.
Eventually I added in new habits such as weight lifting, intermittent fasting, and eating whole foods. Thank to my regular walking habit I really started to make progress.
10lbs is obviously quite a lot to lose in a short space of time. However, it’s not that unusual for someone who was 250lbs+, and in his first week of weight loss.
If you are thinking about losing weight, if you’ve tried to do it before, or you’re someone who gets discouraged by lack of results, I suggest you try walking. Developing a good walking routine can help kick start your weight loss, and most importantly, give you proof that it is possible.
Final Thoughts
When you make the decision to lose weight, you probably don’t immediately think about walking. Personally, I think walking is one of the best things you can do for yourself.
Walking is also thought to prevent muscle loss that occurs during calorie restriction. For those who are trying to look leaner or build muscle as well as losing weight, this is a great benefit.
Walking is low impact and reduces the risk of getting injured compared to intense exercises. So walking can help you achieve a calorie deficit for weight loss, in conjunction with a healthy diet.
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