Wasting time walking??

dave_eire

Morning folks,

Just a quick question is gentle walking a wasting of time when it comes to losing weight?

Me: 25 year old male, 6ft, large build, 96KG.

I am no very fat, but I have a bit of a belly that id like to lose over the next few months.

I have quit smoking (20 major a day) and started do some gentle exercise and eating better, my diet has never been that bad really, 3 weeks ago! From NO exercises!!!!

Typical daily diet -

morning - nuts (walnut, cashew, hazel), seeds (dry fried pumpkin and sunflower), sultanas, dried apricots soaked for 20 odd mins in hot milk - disgusting you might say - but I love it!!! - banana and a coffee (3 shot Americano)

lunch - bean salad or leaf salad - canned beans with dressing, usually something like olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, birds-eye chili, salt and black pepper or olive oil, lemon and wholegrain mustard or similar

dinner - homemade omelet, lasagna, shepards pie, fish chicken, homemade burger etc. All homemade. With salad leaves and sometimes salad veg.

snacks - fruit and nuts and salad leaves.

exercise - taking the stairs in work - 72 steps - 3 - 5 times a day. walking - walk in the evenings for about and hour nearly every evening listening to the radio, but gentle walking, not breaking a sweat.

booze - few glasses of whiskey/ brandy (well quite a few) but trying to cut down on that too!! and a few beers!

so my question I suppose has just multiplied. what do you knowledgeable folk think of the above in terms of diet and exercise for a chap trying to loose his belly and man-boobs!?

thanks for taking the time and reading this. And for any comments/ advise you may have.

Dave

windowgazer

Walking certainly helps you lose weight if you haven't previously been doing much. A few years back I started to go for 1 40 minute walk 5 times a week, at the same time I reduced my carb intake. I lost about 11/2-2 stone over 18 months and haven't looked back. Walking is a great first step to weight loss and encourages further activity. I am now in training for the mini marathon and do a 40 minute jog 3 times a week. I never thought I'd be doing that 3 years ago! I also cut out the fags... found it harder to dump the drink but I'm getting better. Good luck with it. Everyone here is quite informed so you can always check in with queries as you progress.

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

dudara

As daveirl said, walking and running burn up a rather similar amount of calories. It's just that walking isn't was intensive as running, and is a good first step, especially if you make the effort to walk quickly and briskly.

Good luck to you

dave_eire

Thanks a lot to all for your informative and encouraging comments!

CheersD

digiking

walkings great, Really helped me, Its amazing how fast you actually see results...But i'm plain lazy again. but if someone asks me to go for a walk i'm all up for it

At First i felt i looked like an ejit going for walks listing to my ipod...But i got over it...

Keep it up.

Digiking