If you'd like to lose weight, walking can help. But the number of calories you burn on a walk depends on your weight and your walking pace. The heavier you are and the faster you walk, the more calories you'll use up. Walking for a longer time, up hills, on sand or uneven ground, or in very cold or warm weather will also burn additional calories.
A pound of body weight is equal to 3,500 calories. If you weigh 150 pounds and take a brisk one-hour walk each day, you can burn through 3500 calories in under two weeks. That means those walks could help you subtract a pound of body weight, assuming you don’t take in extra calories. To avoid these excess calories, it's important to eat a healthy diet when you’re home.
Here are some estimates of the calories you’re likely to expend walking. Numbers are based on weight and pace.
Weight: 120 pounds
Pace and calories burned per hour:
- Walking while pushing a stroller: 109
- Walking a dog: 164
- Walking briskly: 218
Weight: 150 pounds
Pace and calories burned per hour:
- Walking while pushing a stroller: 136
- Walking a dog: 205
- Walking briskly: 273
Weight: 200 pounds
Pace and calories burned per hour:
- Walking while pushing a stroller: 182
- Walking a dog: 273
- Walking briskly: 364
Weight: 250 pounds
Pace and calories burned per hour:
- Walking while pushing a stroller: 227
- Walking a dog: 341
- Walking briskly: 455
Weight: 300 pounds
Pace and calories burned per hour:
- Walking while pushing a stroller: 273
- Walking a dog: 409
- Walking briskly: 545
With this data in hand—plus a good accounting of the calories you’re taking in each day—you can be more informed about how to meet your weight management goals.
Sources: Cleveland Clinic. Walking: Can It Help Y... + 2
- Cleveland Clinic. Walking: Can It Help You Lose Weight? November 19, 2021.
- Calorie Control Council. Get Moving! Calculator. Accessed February 9, 2024.
- USDA National Agricultural Library. I want to lose a pound of weight. How many calories do I need to burn? Accessed February 28, 2022.
