Does walking do anything for your waistline?

[WeLoveLilo05]

Since the beginning of May I have been walking (sometimes jogging a little, but mostly walking lol) 3-4 miles a day 5-6 days a week. I walk pretty fast, so its kind of like power walking. I haven't really changed my eating all that much, just NOT eating AS MUCH as I usually do, eating in moderation more or less. For example I'll have 2 mozzarella sticks, I usually could eat 5 or 6 but I'll stick with 2 (and no I'm not eating mozzarella sticks everyday).
I haven't stepped on a scale b/c I am afraid that if I didn't lose anything I'll be discouraged and stop altogether. My mom says I lost weight in my face. So does walking really do anything for you tummy?

 

[ckay87]

The way to lose your tummy is to lose weight. You can do all the situps in the world and you (not *you* specifically) will still have a gut until you lose fat. You lose fat by burning calories. You burn calories by walking. So there you go. Keep it up.

Do push yourself though. You generally have to walk pretty far and fast to burn a significant amount of calories. If you can jog, do it.

 

[kwelch10377]

Yes it can, but it will really vary from person to person and after some time it may stop unless you change it up a bit . The one suggestion that I have is that when you walk make sure you are walking in an area that has hills and vary your walking pace. This helps get your heart rate up.

Even if you haven't really lost anything keep it up, not all results are visible on the scale.

 

[MIGrandma]

When I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes I started a walking program, and changed my eating habits drastically. I tried to stick to 1200 - 1500 calories per day, and I walked 2-5 miles 3 to 5 times a week. If the weather was bad, I exercised to Leslie Sansone's "Walk Away the Pounds" DVD. I dropped 40 pounds within 5-6 months. I went from a size 20 jeans to 14, so yes, it did help my stomach.

Walking is an excellent form of exercise, for your entire body, mind and soul.

 

[momrek06]

Since the beginning of May I have been walking (sometimes jogging a little, but mostly walking lol) 3-4 miles a day 5-6 days a week. I walk pretty fast, so its kind of like power walking. I haven't really changed my eating all that much, just NOT eating AS MUCH as I usually do, eating in moderation more or less. For example I'll have 2 mozzarella sticks, I usually could eat 5 or 6 but I'll stick with 2 (and no I'm not eating mozzarella sticks everyday).
I haven't stepped on a scale b/c I am afraid that if I didn't lose anything I'll be discouraged and stop altogether. My mom says I lost weight in my face. So does walking really do anything for you tummy?

OP, I few suggestions that I may add is get yourself a pedometer! Record your steps. Everyone should try to walk 10,000 steps daily. Of course, everyone cannot but 10,000 steps = 5 miles. You are already walking 6000-8000 steps doing your 3-4 miles!!! Start out trying to just walk a few extra steps each day heading towards 10,000 steps.
You can buy a pedometer in any sporting goods store and they range in price from $10.00-$50.00. I keep a little journal on my desk and I write my steps down after every single w/o!!!

The other suggestion would be maybe to give up those mozzarella sticks ... try it for a week ... see if they are something you just have to have OR you can live without.

Here is a link to their nutrition content: HIGH in saturate fat ...

http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-compliments-cheese-sticks-mozzarella-battered-i90953

GOOD LUCK and keep up the walking!!!!

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Like a previous poster said, the only way to trim your waistline is to lose weight.

The only way to lose weight is to burn more calories than you take in.

So, as long as you are walking and eating less, you should lose weight. But it will be slow going, since 1lb of fat is equal to 3500 calories. That would mean you would need to burn an extra 500 calories per day to lose 1lb a week.

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

Thanks everyone! I do have a pedometer on my iPod (which has been a great motivator with walking) and at the end of my walk I am usually between 6000 and 7000 steps.
Thanks, I have to look at that link you posted

 

[Christine]

As others have said, it's about weight loss. Walking is not going to specifically target your stomach fat.

Now, as a 40+ year old woman, for the first time in my life I am having issues in the tummy area. I am picking up weight there and I never used to. I find that if I avoid lots of refined food/carbs, my stomach starts to flatten out on its own. I think a lot of the foods I used to eat that never did a thing, are now causing bloating and blubber around the mid-section. That's nothing unusual for my age group though as we "mature" ladies start putting upper body weight on over lower body weight due to estrogen flucuations.

Not sure if this might be your situation.

Anyway, keep walking but you might try to either push yourself harder during those walks or cut back some food so that you can decrease some calories.

 

[Dismagic1]

You should incorporate some type of weight lifting into your routine to lose the weight quicker. Building muscle in your body will help your body burn up fat and calories at a quicker pace.

Also try to eat 6 small meals throughout the day. Each meal should be approximately 3 hours apart.

Do not eat 3 hours before you go to bed.

Drink a gallon of water each day.

Burn at least 300 calories through exercise every other day.

Don't drink your calories.

Stay away from these carbs (potatoes, white rice, white bread). Instead eat whole grain bread and brown rice at lunchtime to get some carbs. Then as the day winds down, try to just eat protein (turkey, chicken breast, salmon filet, steak).

 

[bumbershoot]

For me, walking does very little. It just doesn't cause my body to lose anything.

But jogging, even 10 minutes of it a day, THAT helps me. It's astonishing what just bursts of jogging will do for my particular body.

As for trimming small parts...for me, Pilates is an absolute miracle worker. It's like wearing Spanx AND a real corset at the same time. Just sucks me right in, even if I don't change anything else.


I drove my instructors crazy while in my Exercise Science program in college (it was my major). They'd say stuff like "you can't spot reduce", and "it's just burning calories, no matter how you do it" and I would call BS on them because that's not right for *everyone*.

Unless I'm the absolutely only person in the world that is different like that...and I know I'm not, because it's the same with my brother. He worked out HOURS a day, swimming and doing recumbent bike all last year when he had a long-undiagnosed hernia (he went to four specialists, he knew what the problem was, but until the final guy, no one believed him that it was a hernia). He finally got it repaired, waited until he was healed, and now he does his HOUR runs in the morning, and dropped all the padding he had developed while swimming. His diet is the same as it was (he is very disciplined). But jogging did it for him while hours of the other stuff did not, even though he very likely burned more calories while doing the hours of other stuff!



Anyway, scales can be awful. It is probably better to go with how you look and how your current clothes fit, at least for a couple more months.

 

[goodeats]

I can not fathom going five weeks without weighing myself. I weigh myself everyday no matter what. And if I'm actively trying to lose weight forget it, I'll weigh myself every time I'm in the bathroom. Crazy and a little sad I know.

I'm dying to know if you lost anything now. And don't be discouraged if you didn't, just change what you're doing a little bit.

 

[MomNeedsVacay]

I agree about adding some muscle building exercises... do some squats, lunges etc.... also the biggest thing that helped my waistline was dropping most carbohydrates... no bread or pasta, watch your sugar...

 

[Planogirl]

I agree about adding some muscle building exercises... do some squats, lunges etc.... also the biggest thing that helped my waistline was dropping most carbohydrates... no bread or pasta, watch your sugar...

Get some light weights too and exercise. You need to tone up areas where you are losing weight.

 

[Dismagic1]

Anyway, scales can be awful. It is probably better to go with how you look and how your current clothes fit, at least for a couple more months.

Yes weight scales are beyond meaningless. You need to get a tool that measures your body fat %. I don't know what the exact numbers are (it varies by age and by gender) but this will help you determine your health. I believe men should be under 20% and women under 30%. Just a general guideline. As you get older, those numbers go up.

If you weigh 200 pounds, and your body fat is 15%, you're healthy!

 

[Dismagic1]

I agree about adding some muscle building exercises... do some squats, lunges etc.... also the biggest thing that helped my waistline was dropping most carbohydrates... no bread or pasta, watch your sugar...

You definitely know what you're talking about.. you look phenomenal in your avatar! wow

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

I'm Italian, losing the carbs is so hard for me! I love pastas and pizzas and I like cakes.

Last I weighed myself...I guess the end of April I was 127lbs, I am 5'2". It's not BAD, but before I had DD 5 years ago I was 100lbs. About 9 months after DD I was 107lbs. However, the last few years with going to school at night and raising DD really did me in, especially this last semester (which was the fall 09 semester) when I did student teaching, at the end of the day I would come home, have a glass of wine (or beer) and some snacks and continue with lesson plans and prepping for the next day, I'd do all this after putting DD to bed so 10PM I was still eating. Stress of my co-op teacher and supervisor AND the holidays...just was not good. The semester ended and after I calmed down I decided I wanted to do this for myself to look and feel healthier. I don't want to be 100lbs again, but I would like a flatter stomach and some leg muscles, 115lbs would be ideal weight for me I guess. Still scared to step on that scale though lol.

 

[LoriABil]

Adding weights and changing your routine up a little would do a lot to boost your metabolism. And that helps burn calories, even while not working out.

 

[estherhead]

Everyone gave you good advice but now that I see you are tiny I have to recommend Pilates & running. Nothing wittles the waist for me more than these two things. And it doesn't even take a lot. If you type in Couch to 5k program into a search engine & follow that program instead of your current one you'll have a tinier waist in no time at all.

 

[SandrA9810]

this is what i need to figure out. I started spending more time at the water park to get in some exercise... And now i can climb 6 flights of stairs without getting winded. I'd do that quite a few times in a row. Which i could feel the burn, but it didn't make my legs look any better and my stomach is still the same. But it did help when i hiked about 6miles of trails at yosemite national park.

And i'm a hard one to let go of my carbs. Although i try to eat more healthy options, more chicken or fish, and less starchy foods. It's just not helping. At least i'm not gaining weight, right?

Looking at old family photos and seeing how other women in my family carry the weight... I don't want to look like that and i'm starting to at 26.

 

[Dismagic1]

this is what i need to figure out. I started spending more time at the water park to get in some exercise... And now i can climb 6 flights of stairs without getting winded. I'd do that quite a few times in a row. Which i could feel the burn, but it didn't make my legs look any better and my stomach is still the same. But it did help when i hiked about 6miles of trails at yosemite national park.

And i'm a hard one to let go of my carbs. Although i try to eat more healthy options, more chicken or fish, and less starchy foods. It's just not helping. At least i'm not gaining weight, right?

Looking at old family photos and seeing how other women in my family carry the weight... I don't want to look like that and i'm starting to at 26.

I'm Italian, losing the carbs is so hard for me! I love pastas and pizzas and I like cakes.

Last I weighed myself...I guess the end of April I was 127lbs, I am 5'2". It's not BAD, but before I had DD 5 years ago I was 100lbs. About 9 months after DD I was 107lbs. However, the last few years with going to school at night and raising DD really did me in, especially this last semester (which was the fall 09 semester) when I did student teaching, at the end of the day I would come home, have a glass of wine (or beer) and some snacks and continue with lesson plans and prepping for the next day, I'd do all this after putting DD to bed so 10PM I was still eating. Stress of my co-op teacher and supervisor AND the holidays...just was not good. The semester ended and after I calmed down I decided I wanted to do this for myself to look and feel healthier. I don't want to be 100lbs again, but I would like a flatter stomach and some leg muscles, 115lbs would be ideal weight for me I guess. Still scared to step on that scale though lol.

Brown Rice, Whole Grain Bread, Oatmeal, Whole Grain Pasta.. those are healthy carbs!