How many miles should you walk in a week

Walking has got to be the most accessible form of exercise. You don’t need any special equipment or clothing, just a comfortable pair of shoes and away you go! It’s a great way to reach your target BMI yet it gets discounted in favor of expensive gym memberships or the popular Couch to 5K running programs.

So how does it work and how much walking for weight loss do you need to do to reach a healthy BMI?

  • The ideal target for weight loss is walking 5 miles a day. This will burn around 3,500 calories a week, the equivalent of one pound of excess fat.
  • Build up to walking 5 miles a day gradually. If you have a high body mass index BMI, and you’re carrying a lot of excess weight, your calorie burn rate will be much higher. Just walking 1-2 miles a day may be enough to lose weight.
  • You don’t need to walk 5 miles all in one go. If you’re short of time, split the distance into 2 or 3 short walks.

When it comes to burning calories, walking is almost as good as running, especially if you’re walking at a fast pace. While running is a big step if you haven’t laced up your trainers since high school, most people can manage a walking for weight loss program.

✅ Skip ahead to the Fat Buster Walking Challenge or keep on reading to understand how walking can help you reduce your BMI and lose excess weight.

How many miles should you walk in a week
How many miles should you walk in a week

Can You Lose Weight Just By Walking?

Weight loss is based on building a calorie deficit. You need a deficit of 3500 calories to burn off one pound of fat. The choice is to do this by dieting or lacing up those shoes and going for a walk.

In theory, diet is more important than exercise for weight loss but that’s only because it’s easy to undo some of the benefits of walking by rewarding yourself with high-calorie treats. Don’t head to a cafe for a latte and a cake after finishing your walk!

Personally, I’d choose exercise any day over dieting. The recommended calorie intake for a woman is 2000 a day, (it’s 2500 for men).

I’d have to cut 500 calories from my daily diet to lose one pound a week. That’s a quarter of my food intake and it’s the reason every diet I’ve ever tried has failed. It makes me too hungry.

Now I’m not going to say what you eat isn’t important. It’s the biggest reason people gain weight. Most people eat more calories than they burn every day. You still need to cut out those excess calories – the donuts, M&Ms, burgers, and cakes – if you want to lose weight by walking.

It’s just that the deficit you need to lose weight will come from walking.

Eat a healthy diet built around whole grains, fresh fruit, vegetables, beans, and lentils, with just a few handfuls of nuts and seeds, and walking for weight loss works.

How Much Weight Can You Lose By Walking?

Losing one pound a week is a sensible target for most people. It may not sound like much but the aim is permanent weight loss.

Actually burning off fat, not just losing water weight, and sticking to an eating plan you can maintain. We’ve all been on diets where the weight piles back on the minute you stop.

If you have a lot of weight to lose, (your body weight is 200 lbs+), you’ll lose more than one pound per week when you first start walking for weight loss. Heavier bodies burn more calories from walking.

Before you start make sure your weight loss goal is realistic and target your ideal normal weight based on your BMI.

Calculate Your Weight Loss

This guide is a rough indicator of how many calories you’ll burn per hour by walking. Most people will burn around 80 to 100 calories a mile but it depends on so many factors such as your weight, gender, physical fitness, and walking pace.

Alternatively, to find out the total calories burned walking, use my calories burned walking calculator.

Estimated Calories Burned Per Hour By Walking

Weight2.5 mph (4.0 kpg)3.0 mph (4.8 kpg)3.5 mph (5.6 kpg)4.0 mph (6.4 kpg)120 pounds (55 kg)171200246286150 pounds (68 kg)214250307357180 pounds (82 kg)257300369429210 pounds (95 kg)300350430500240 pounds (109 kg)343400492572270 pounds (123 kg)386450553643300 pounds (136 kg)429500614714Based on this Calories Burned By Activity Calculator

Walk 5 miles a day and you can lose one pound a week provided you’re sticking to the recommended calorie intake of 2000 for women or 2500 for men. This can often be an overestimate and you’ll get a more accurate guide using this calculator. If you’re young and male, you burn more calories. Basically, if you’re older and female it sucks!

One pound a week weight loss doesn’t sound very much but that’s 10 pounds in 10 weeks. Permanent weight loss. Not lose 10 pounds in 21 days and pile it all back on a few months later.

How many miles should you walk in a week
How many miles should you walk in a week

How Much Do I Need To Walk Every Day To Lose Weight?

This will depend on your goals. I’m a great believer in anything is better than nothing. Just lacing up some trainers and heading out the door is going to improve your health and fitness.

It’s regular exercise that makes the difference. So committing to walking one mile a day every day is a good start if you’re the sort of person who never exercises.

If you’re using a step counter, you can convert steps to miles and calories burned.

Walk One Mile A Day

One mile a day will burn around 560 to 700 calories a week so if you’re also improving your diet this is going to be a big help.

Of course, more is better. If you can build up to walking 5 miles a day that’s a massive 2,800 to 3,500 calories burned and you’ll be hitting your one pound a week weight loss goal. Just don’t reward your daily exercise with a sticky treat. That’s a good way to make sure your weight loss is slow!

Walk 5 Miles A Day

With a little thought, you can fit 5 miles a day into your daily routine. That’s about 85 minutes at a brisk walking pace. Try walking to work and back or get off a few stops early. Take a walk at lunchtime or leave the car behind when you go to pick up food. You don’t have to do your 5 miles all in one go.

I find heading out for a walk or run every day boosts my mood and helps me work more efficiently when I return. It’s a case of building a habit. Once you’re used to moving more every day you’ll find you need it and will learn to love it.

How Much Walking Every Day Based On Your BMI?

Check your current BMI and find out how much weight you need to lose to hit your target BMI. Each pound of weight loss will represent one week following the Fat Buster Walking Challenge.

If you need to lose more than 9 – 10 pounds, keep repeating Week 9 of the walking challenge, walking 5 miles a day, until you hit your weight loss goals.

Most people find they love walking. They enjoy the physical and mental health benefits so much that walking becomes a permanent habit! You don’t have to stop walking when you get to the end of the Fat Buster challenge!

How many miles should you walk in a week
How many miles should you walk in a week

Walking For Weight Loss Program – The Fat Buster Walking Challenge

Some people will be able to launch straight into walking 5 miles a day but for most, it will make sense to gradually increase how far you walk.

This easy-to-follow, fat buster challenge is for someone who’s starting from rock bottom when it comes to exercise. It is a big commitment but it gets results. Most people will lose 10 pounds over the 9-week program.

There are walking for weight loss programs that pretend you can lose a lot of weight just walking for 10 minutes a day. This isn’t one of them. Of course, 10 minutes a day is better than nothing but here the aim is real weight loss without a restrictive diet.

There’s no need to diet on the fat buster walking program although I do recommend a healthy eating program or trying to cut back on sugar. Just follow the program and stick to your recommended calorie intake.

The program uses different speeds.

  • Slow is 25 minutes per mile or 2.4 miles per hour. It’s a stroll.
  • Moderate (Mod) is a normal walking pace for most people 20 minutes/mile or 3 miles per hour. You can still talk as you walk.
  • Fast is walking at a brisk pace where you’re pushing yourself. 3.5 miles + per hour, 17 minutes/mile. Talking will be harder and you’ll be out of breath if you hit a hill. Pushing the pace will help boost your metabolism.
  • If you find any week on the program hard work, it’s okay to repeat a week. The aim is for gradual improvement. Not overdoing it.
  • It’s okay to split each day’s session into two or even three blocks if it fits better with your schedule. Look for opportunities to walk during the day instead of jumping in a car!

Fat Buster Walking Challenge

Week 1WorkoutMon25 min slowTue5 min slow, 20 min modWed25 min slowThur5 min slow, 20 min modFri25 min slowSat25 min slow, 20 min modSun25 min slow, 20 min modTotal Miles9Week 2WorkoutMon20 min modTue20 min modWed40 min modThur40 min modFri20 min modSat20 min mod, 17 min fastSun60 min modTotal Miles12Week 3WorkoutMon20 min mod, 17 min fastTue40 min modWed25 min easy, 40 min modThur20 min mod, 17 min fastFri40 min mod, 25 min easySat40 min modSun20 min mod, 17 min fastTotal Miles16Week 4WorkoutMon20 min mod, 17 min fast, 20 min modTue40 min modWed20 min mod, 17 min fast, 20 min modThur40 min mod, 17 min fastFri40 min modSat20 min mod, 17 min fast, 20 min modSun25 min easy, 34 min fastTotal Miles19Week 5WorkoutMon20 min mod, 17 min fast, 20 min modTue25 min easy, 34 min fastWed60 min modThur20 min mod, 17 min fast, 20 min modFri20 min mod, 34 min fastSat60 min modSun25 min easy, 34 min fastTotal Miles21Week 6WorkoutMon60 min modTue25 min easy, 34 min fastWed20 min mod, 34 min fast, 20 min modThur20 min mod, 34 min fast, 25 min easyFri60 min modSat60 min mod, 17 min fastSun20 min mod, 17 min fast, 20 min modTotal Miles24Week 7WorkoutMon20 min mod, 17 min fast, 20 min modTue20 min mod, 34 min fast, 25 min easyWed20 min mod, 34 min fastThur100 min modFri20 min mod, 17 min fast, 20 min modSat40 min mod, 51 min fastSun80 min modTotal Miles27Week 8WorkoutMon20 min mod, 34 min fast, 20 min modTue20 min mod, 51 min fast, 20 min modWed20 min mod, 34 min fast, 20 min modThur20 min mod, 51 min fast, 20 min modFri20 min mod, 34 min fast, 20 min modSat20 min mod, 51 min fast, 20 min modSun20 min mod, 34 min fast, 20 min modTotal Miles31Week 9WorkoutMon20 min mod, 51 min fast, 20 min modTue20 min mod, 51 min fast, 20 min modWed20 min mod, 51 min fast, 25 min easyThur20 min mod, 51 min fast, 20 min modFri20 min mod, 51 min fast, 20 min modSat20 min mod, 51 min fast, 25 min easySun20 min mod, 51 min fast, 20 min modTotal Miles35

Combine your walking for weight loss program with healthy eating and you’ll see a big change in your health and fitness. If you give the fat buster walking challenge a try I’d love to get some feedback.

If you’ve found this post helpful, you may enjoy these related posts including more walking plans for weight loss:

  • How To Lose Weight Walking 2 Miles A Day
  • Walking For Weight Loss Plan – Fat Busting Workout Schedule
  • Treat Yourself With These Non Food Rewards For Weight Loss
  • How Many Steps In One Mile Walking Or Running?
  • How Much Are 10,000 Steps In Miles And Calories Burned?
  • How To Start A Walking Program For Beginners
  • Walking For Weight Loss: Everything You Need To Know

How many miles should you walk in a week
How many miles should you walk in a week
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How long does it take to lose 10 pounds by walking?

Losing about one pound a week is a sensible aim for permanent weight loss. The Fat Buster Walking For Weight Loss Challenge aims to help you lose 10 pounds in 9 weeks. No dieting, just sticking to your recommended daily calorie intake and building up to walking 5 miles a day. That’s a reasonable target for most people.

How much walking for weight loss?

Walking burns around 80 to 100 calories per mile. The exact amount depends on your pace, weight and if you’re walking up hills. Building up to walking 5 miles a day will help you hit a sensible goal of losing one pound a week. You do need to stick to your recommended calorie intake to lose weight, around 2000 calories a day for women and 2500 for men.

How many miles should I walk a day to stay healthy?

How many steps to take for general health. Walking is a form of low impact, moderate intensity exercise that has a range of health benefits and few risks. As a result, the CDC recommend that most adults aim for 10,000 steps per day . For most people, this is the equivalent of about 8 kilometers, or 5 miles.

Will I lose weight walking 10 miles a week?

With that in mind, adding 4 days of walking 10 miles per day with no additional food intake would put you at around 1 pound of weight loss per week, assuming your calorie intake and expenditure were equal before you started your walking program.

Is walking 3 miles a week good?

Therefore, walking 3 miles a day at least two days per week can help you boost your aerobic fitness. The best way to see significant progress in your aerobic capacity is to walk as briskly as possible.

How many walks Should I go on a week?

For walking to count towards your recommended level of physical activity, you should walk at a pace that increases your breathing speed and heart rate. Taking a brisk walk (as if you're late for an appointment) for just 30 minutes a day, at least 5 days per week, can help you feel good.