I have written numerous articles explaining how to walk to lose weight and on time there are people who write to me in turn saying that, even if they walk even an hour and a half a day every day they do not lose weight. For what reason? Are there cases in which walking makes you lose weight and cases in which it does nothing? Let’s see them together.

When does walking make you lose weight?
1) If we are on a low-calorie diet: in this case, a brisk walk at a brisk pace every day for an hour and a half can be useful as an early activity, especially if we are very sedentary people. The few calories expended are added to the dietary caloric deficit and at the same time the overtraining effect that a sporting activity in totally sedentary subjects would produce with a caloric cut is avoided.

If, on the other hand, we compensate for the few calories burned while walking with food, we will always be of the same weight.
2) If we are overweight or obese and we are also sedentary: many success stories in weight loss are not stories from “The biggest loser” but stories of people who, even ashamed to go to the gym, have started to lose weight by walking for hours (two , three hours), every day. In this way, by associating this first movement with healthier lifestyle choices (no junk food, reduction of portions, etc.) and, subsequently, with the first pounds lost, by combining other physical activity, the walk has speeded up the slimming path. Considering also the limited mobility of those with obesity problems, walking becomes the simplest and risk-free activity.
3) If we are very sedentary: even in this case, walking makes you lose weight if we use it as a first step. We are not trained at all, so any activity can initially stress us. Instead of joining a gym that we will abandon after a month, we practice walking consistently every day, taking care not to compensate with the diet, that is, to eat more. At the first improvements, we can then alternate with another activity.
4) If we practice it as a sport: there is more than one sport that is based on walking. In some gyms, for example, walking is practiced , which combines a walk on a magnetic mat with some aerobic exercises. Or Nordic walking , also organized in Italy in various cities, in the open air.
Read more: how to walk to lose weight?