Is it Possible to Lose Weight just by Walking a lot?

We all must have thought at one point, how intense must our workouts be in order to lose weight? Is it possible to lose weight just by walking? The simple conclusion is that it “varies” by person. You need to run rather than walk, and the appropriate intensity of exercise should be such that it feels “physically challenging.” Of course, “physically challenging” varies from person to person.

Higher intensity of exercise will have a greater effect on weight and body fat loss. However, the more intensive you exercise, the higher the risk you put yourself at risk of injury making further exercise dangerous, so it should be done at an appropriate level where your physical fitness and health level allow. If the intensity of the exercise is high, the effect of weight loss is high, but you should never blindly increase the intensity of the exercise to an extent that your body cannot handle.

The Society for Obesity recommends moderate to highly intensive exercise, which is the intensity with the highest percentage of fat being used. The heart rate corresponds from 60 to 80% of the maximum heart rate, so it is an intensity that makes your body feel 'slightly hard' or 'difficult' when you exercise for more than 10 minutes. 

Some say that low-intensity exercise, such as walking, is effective for weight loss because it has a high rate of energy metabolism from fat. Low-intensity exercise is sometimes introduced as the ideal exercise for weight and fat loss.

The Society for Obesity explains that low-intensity exercise consumes more energy than sitting and resting but consumes less calories and does not lose much fat. Relatively high-intensity exercise increases calorie consumption and increases the secretion of thyroxine, a hormone that increases metabolism. In addition, if you do high-intensity exercise, the secretion of thyroxine increases for a certain period of time even after the exercise is over, causing additional calorie consumption.

Low-intensity exercise is suitable for people with relatively low fitness levels when they first start exercising, such as an obese person, but it is not an appropriate exercise intensity. Low-intensity exercise is recommended for obese people because they often have little exercise experience and are overweight, which can put strain on the joints. The Society for Obesity explains that ultimately, the exercise intensity should be increased to the highest within the range allowed by the physical fitness level, and even if obese, it is desirable to increase the exercise level from low to medium to high intensity within the range allowed by physical strength and health.