The #1 Reason Walking is the Key to Losing Belly Fat (compared to other exercise) 

I find walking triggers less post exercise hunger personally

Walking is the most underrated thing for losing fat, thanks to walking I have main gained muscle without gaining fat and at a very decent pace, when you walk you practically only burn fat and nothing else. And let's not forget all the benefits for health, a longevity. Thanks for the video.

Thank you for this. I was sickened by the two fitness “experts” on the Internet, who said walking was not exercise this week. I would say to them what isn’t exercise is Botox, fillers, and steroids.

I walk on the average of 7 miles a day and I'm in the gym 5 days a week since I retired. Participating in step and walking challenges with my Garmin watch keeps me motivated. At 69, I'm probably in the best shape since I retired from the Army 29 years ago.

I'm experiencing this right now. I've been walking 7-14k steps a day (for the most part) for about 4 months and I've lost 25lbs while keeping (and actually gaining) muscle... I went from 213lbs to 193lbs and I feel/look great. I do light workouts with weights and push-ups and focused on high protein foods/shakes...it has made a huge difference 💪

3 major advantages of walking for me: 1. I don't need to change my clothes or shoes and can do it any time of the day as I don't sweat my ass off. and I am presentable the whole day. 2. I concentrate better on podcasts and no fear of earphones falling off or getting sweaty. 3. Can do it on any surface literally. no fear of poor roads or slippery surfaces. even while its raining with an umbrella.

Plus, if you’re completely blasted from your cardio, you’re probably not getting as much NEAT. The running burns more calories up front, but you get sedentary the rest of the day because you’re tired.

I am down 38kg (83lbs) since Jan from walking and intermittent fasting.

I put a walking pad under my desk. Now i am not sitting anymore. Walking 20k steps a day.

Walking with a weighted vest. The best!!!

You’ve worked hard and done great work for a long time. Just wanted to say I know it’s not always easy but you’re doing a great job.

Walking uphill or high incline treadmill you lose weight pretty quickly

My experience is that walking zaps cortisol whereas running or hardcore movements can increase it

Walking is incredible. Pair that with fasting and you will no longer be a big back ❤

Years ago I made a 70km trekking. At that moment I didn't know what to carry to eat, so, not eating the calories I need and walking I've lost all my belly fat: 5kg.

I was stuck at 145 for about 4 months. Started incline walking with a 25lb backpack on. Doing a minimum of 10k steps along with intermittent fasting and got down as low as 130 in about 6 weeks.

TOTALLY agree. Was up at Yellowstone NP this past winter and those daily walks - in the snow, 10,000 steps easily in a day over a 7 day period. Dropped about 7 lbs. Where I live now, the walking is annoying and dangerous in the desert summer heat. At the gym on the treadmill, I can maybe do a max of two miles before I become frustrated. I do laps in the pool at home for about 30 minutes. Walking is the key, living in Coastal California as many do helps a lot!

i combined IF, weight training and walking to lose 120lbs, from 280lbs im now 164lbs. i walked going to my gym and also walked home which was a total of 8km everyday and didnt do anyother type of cardio exercises.

The walking to get out of the kitchen made me laugh because thats so true

*_When I have a headache, I go for a walk; and the headache goes away._* *_When I am hungry, I go for a walk and the hunger goes away._* *_I go for walks around 75,000 steps a week. I hope it's enough._*

I've been doing 10k to 15k steps a day for the last 5 yrs. It maintains the weight. That is it. Sub 10% no way.... simply it does not happen UNLESS you add other things like proper diet, supps, etc.

Boy, was that insightful. I did that very same thing just earlier this evening and did see a good drop. I will take to heart moving forward. Ty

Love your videos. Good analysis on running, walking and caloric deficit. Its hard to maintain eating control when so much is there in front of you and it really taste good.

I agree. I walk for at least 45 minutes post workout. 3.5 speed at 5 elevation. Then 50 minutes in my neighborhood with my wife in the afternoon. Turns out to be about 6 miles a day

I’m a 76-year-old female, very sedentary. This may change my life. I have access to a treadmill and a very encouraging husband.

I walk 15 k steps everyday

Fascinating. Another great video. Thanks Tomas

Been walking since 2021. Went from 226 lbs to 184. Currently sitting at 189. Walking in conjunction with eating close to the earth and caloric deficit = fat burning & muscle retention.

If you're up for 16hrs per day, it's very easy to spread out 2hrs of walking over the whole day with microdosing shorter walks. A 30 min walk here, a 15 min walk there, a 45 min walk on a lunch break, etc. You can add even more steps on by walking/pacing between sets of lifting. Instead of sitting there for 2-3 min, get up and walk/pace for the 2-3 min. It helps you focus and you can add thousands of steps on after 60-90 min of lifting.

Well as a mail carrier i walk anywhere from 10 to 13 miles a day 20,000 to 40,000 steps. IMO there is too much of a good thing 🤣🤣🤣

Soon as I started working as a nurse I dropped so much weight without trying it’s stupid. Totally true. I’ll walk around for 8 hours and still not really be hungry. Probably 15lbs in 3-4 months. Actually have to watch my intake because of it.

Awesome material, as always, thank you :)

If you dont care much about athletic performance and are purely interested in fat loss i recommend combination of fasting + walking a lot. Its hard to not feel painfully hungry while fasting and doing intense exercises, but with just walking its completely manageable.

Using a mini trampoline to mimic walking, can be more time efficient as the amount of steps taken per min, is vastly greater. If you walk the steps taken could be 98 vs 134 when using a mini trampoline. It is also great for the lymphatic system.

THANK YOU!

Walking doesn't drive your appetite through the roof like high intensity cardio

For those who don't have time to walk, do the "soleus push-up" (seated heel lift) instead. It's great at lowering insulin and blood sugar and can be done anywhere you can sit with your feet on the floor. Since the soleus muscle don't get tired you can do this exercise for hours without any fatigue.

Thomas, your absolutely right. I just came back from an hour and 15 min walk and still don’t feel hungry.

Thanks bro.

T I truly agree with everything in your video. 2 and a 1/2 hour walks daily, along with resistance training, allows me to lose 14 pounds in 3 months and get extremely lean. The key, like you said, is to make sure to resistance train in the muscles you want to keep or your body will also break down. Some muscle, along with the fat.If you don't have adequate protein or calories

Nice video! Walking is great

I do both. Run and walk. Walk everyday and run 3-4 times a week.

Thank you

Yes walking is the best. And I found by putting 20kg on my back and walking the hills at a slow pace for 1 -3 hours when I have the time was a game changer for fat loss

Thought the ending was particularly interesting, actually added to current narratives.

10k steps is SO many. I can be quite sedentary and there are days I dont do more than 1,000-1,500 steps. So my dedicated walk can have 9,000 steps. Thats like almost 2 hours.

walking

I need to start walking! Most of my walking comes from mowing the lawn weekly and it's simply not enough but it's so hard for me to stick to a routine.

Ruckin is great too 👍

Walking = steady state cardio. Mike Mentzer talked about this in the 80s & 90s!

Yep, it's true. On days when I'm too lazy to go to the gym I make myself go for a 3 mile walk. No matter how I'm feeling I can always manage to walk. Just throw on my head phones, put on a podcast and go.

now down 35 lbs since 1/1/2024......rucking with 30lbs that past 30 days (I am now currently 212) I found that 40lbs was putting me more anerobic given my walking is hiking with a decent amount of hills so dropping tp 30lbs has made it so I can walk and stay in zone 2 fo a shorter amount of time but see the same benefits as walking TIME wise for twice as long with no weights....

What about a slow run in z2 HR where you're still burning mostly fat but at a much higher rate than if you were walking? That would be best for fat loss. I guess a lot of people are in z2 HR just walking. You can test that yourself if you have a sports watch or heart rate monitor that connects to your phone and keep your HR under 175 minus your age. 👍🏻

Makes sense, walking is the energy conserving mode.

Been on a mountain bike routine a few months now and I’ve lost a hefty amount! About to start the Mediterranean keto diet 👍🏼

So true! I am not an incredible runner, so I prefer the elliptical over treadmill to burn more calories. However, once I discovered the 12-3-30 workout, I've started to like the treadmill more. You set your treadmill to an incline of 12, a speed of 3 miles per hour, and then walk for 30 minutes.

First love your bideos

When I begin an extended fast (so usually, the next day) I like to walk. Thus, I start most extended fasts on a Friday night. I find walking actually _reduces_ hunger. I have plenty of time to get a lot of walking in on the weekends and catch up with my favorite podcasts, and I'm usually fasted.

I lost 18 kgs / 39 lbs when I did.... OMAD. No macro counting or weighing anything and no specific walking, but I did increase my NEAT and I did resistance train. The key was to find what would sustain me for 23 hours without kcal intake. Fat melted away.

I get that caloric restriction is the best way to lose body fat, but as you also point out, having plenty of muscle is also very important...which requires plenty of protein & CALORIES in order to build that muscle. So how do we do both at the same time? Eat enough protein and overall calories to BUILD muscle while at the same time DECREASE our caloric intake in order to help burn fat? Especially for those of us who can't do high intensity exercises because of physical issues such as nerve damage or balance issues.

Walking works up to a point. As you lose weight, as you get closer to your natural BMI, it gets harder to burn calories from walking. My experience is that the body adapts and demands more which leads to a greater need of cardio at some point.

Running and HIIT makes me crave carbs. Walking is the secret sauce. The only hard part about walking is time management.

I’m down 20lbs since late April. Intermittent fasting (omad) and walking 3 miles 2-4 times a week in the morning. No gym just some push ups and dumbbell curls.

I used to be able to run around 15 miles! Did races.. then i needed hip replacement surgery! Now I’m walking!

My dog and I appreciate this! I can't run anymore due to knee injury but walking is great!

Where am I getting time to walk for two hours and resistance train daily? I still have work and family to attend to. Sigh!

Seems to me that for walking; at any rate you need to find your ‘sweet spot’ 10K worked great for me, but an average of 16K was enormously better, well improved cardio, significantly reduced inflammation, and weight loss, especially abdominal adipose.

Here are the key takeaways from Thomas DeLauer's video "The #1 Reason Walking is the Key to Losing Belly Fat": 1. **Personal Experience with Walking vs. Running**: - DeLauer found walking to be more effective for staying lean compared to running, even though running burns more calories. 2. **Impact on Hunger Hormones**: - A study from the journal "Obesity" found that running increases hunger hormones (peptide YY, ghrelin, GLP-1), leading to a higher appetite. - Walking does not trigger these hunger hormones, thus avoiding the compensatory increase in appetite. 3. **Caloric Burn and Real-World Application**: - Running burns more calories in a shorter time, but also increases the likelihood of overeating. - Walking for longer periods burns fewer calories per hour but doesn't stimulate hunger, making it easier to maintain a caloric deficit. 4. **Fat Burning Efficiency**: - Walking uses a higher percentage of fat as fuel compared to running. - Although running burns more total calories, a significant portion comes from carbohydrates. 5. **Practical Benefits**: - Walking keeps you away from food temptations for longer, reducing the chances of snacking. - Walking is more sustainable and easier to integrate into daily routines without feeling like exercise. 6. **Importance of Diet**: - A study from the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology highlighted that caloric restriction leads to more significant weight loss than exercise alone. 7. **Combining Walking with Resistance Training**: - Adding resistance training helps preserve and build muscle mass. - More muscle mass increases metabolic rate and enhances fat oxidation, making each step more effective in burning fat. In summary, walking is effective for fat loss because it does not increase hunger, is sustainable, burns a higher percentage of fat, and can be enhanced by resistance training.

My belly stays flatter when I walk versus running. I even tried a little jog here and there during my walk and walking still did better.

I walk 25k a day mowing lawns. I still have a belly. I eat good. Lift weights. Can’t get rid of my love handles either.

This argument is basically "it's the hormones," and it's similar to the argument for low carb. You'll eat less being more satisfied with low carb, and effortlessly burn more fat. You'll feel less hunger walking, and burn more net fat because you won't get as hungry. In fact, I find that while fasting, walking reduces hunger.

When I worked in a restaurant and put in 15-20,000 steps a day, I was super lean. Now that I don’t work as much, it’s harder to lose weight. I’ve been able to maintain. But it’s been hard to lose.

I want to say that I am no expert. I walk everyday at least 2 miles. I wear a fit it type device to monitor what I am doing. I noticed if I breathe out of my nose while I'm walking I am in the "fat burn" zone for about my entire walk. And that is on pavement. If I breathe through my mouth I am in the "cardio zone". If I walk on the terrain, hiking, or on the grass outside of the pavement, the readings are equal amounts of time in fat burn and cardio zones. And that is breathing through my nose. But I try to always burn fat. I found something helpful is to wear a nasal dialator while I'm walking to keep me breathing from my nose.

started walking 7k steps, not much but starting somewhere

Will that drink raise your cholesterol blood pressure and triglycerides

LMNT should raise their potassium content, then I will buy it.

Thats what i did. I fastet 24 hours for 1 year and walked. I lost 33kg. And i was out and drinking every weekend to. Im literally my own prove that it works even though you drink and party every weekend. Could i lose the weight faster? Yes probably without drinking every weekend. But i still want to enjoy my life

Have transitioned from jogging to incline treadmill walking. Can go everyday now with no recovery days needed.

I got shredded as fk since I switched to walking instead of running, each day around 15k steps plus good diet.

You've never confused me as much as you did here. To run or walk I still don't know 😂

I would say the central nervous system plays a role as well. Fat loss is just as much about fat burning as it is about fat storage. Since running activates the sympathetic nervous system and raises cortisol levels in the body, fat storage is more likely to occur once you DO eat. Walking however activates de parasympathetic nervous system and thus allows for less fat to be stored. What´s your take on this?

Can you please do a video on how to clean your blood vessel

I walked 10-15k steps daily for a year and eating a Zero Carb / Low Carb / Keto / Keto-vore / Carnivore and did not loose weight.

I don’t think you adequately explained the difference in fat calories burned walking vs running. Dr Mike Diamond covered this well. Going from sedentary to walking at a pace to keep heart rate in the 120 to 140 bpm range will increase fat burning by 4x but blood sugar by 2x. However, increasing the effort this increasing bpm over 140 increases total calorie burn but almost all of it comes from sugar burning. This such exercise has very little increased benefit to fat burning, will degrade muscle over time, and is likely less sustainable. This clearly indicates to me that brisk walking, especially uphill or weighted to keep heart rate in the target zone is superior to running for fat loss. Further Dr. Sean Omara demonstrates that over time running increases inflammation leading to accumulation of visceral fat while sprinting increases epinephrine, and leads to visceral fat loss and muscle gain. So likely the best course of action to lose fat is walking 10 k steps, work in some sprints, and combine with fasting and carnivore.

Exercise is completely irrelivent to fat loss. It might be great for everything else. But for fat loss it's an absolute lie. I dropped from 328lb to 183 in 7 months just by going carnivore+omad and adding a 2-3 day fast every 7-8 weeks. The most exercise I did was walking from my home office to the fridge to get more bacon, salmon and homemade beef burgers. You will never outrun your bad diet.

Do you think it’s possible that zone two effort builds more mitochondria in order to facilitate the use of fat?

the VO2 max knuckle heads would say you get a better VO2 max increase with running vs walking

Overall it seems to boil down to your capacity not for the exercise (although that's a necessary component) but your ability to maintain a decent diet and your eating habits underpinning that effort. As you say you can't escape the calorific maths, but realistically (ie. compensating for your temptations) you do have a couple of different ways to attack the problem - either to adopt running as a means to burning more fat and have a relatively harder time handling your appetite responses, or adopt walking and ease your appetite responses. It's interesting to consider but assuming your appetite responses to your exercise are theoretically consistent to you, walking does seem like it may provide the better long term path.. if you can stick to your habits then the fat loss gradient may be shallower than that achieved through bursts of running but it will potentially be more manageable and like the tortoise and hare it may win out in the end. So it's all back to consistency again isn't it, and probably that bit kinder on your joints too.

Thomas do you have a treadmill you recommend? I feel like you showed us one not too long ago.

I like cycling. It’s like walking, when you go slowly.

Idea for content - have you ever done a video segment on those weight loss "trash bag" suits I see people wearing at the gym? Unless you are an MMA fighter trying to meet a certain weight class, I cannot see how overheating and sweating yourself to death can be good for anyone. I'd love to hear your comments on this tactic some people use to lose weight. Sounds like inviting a heart attack to happen instead :).

Thomas I’m struggling getting lean! Any suggestions please

Walking is good for fat loss but it’s not the same as working the heart muscle. You still have to get the heart rate up in order to keep your heart healthy.

Also, if you can, jumping rope is melting pounds away.

doesn't seem like walking is helping me. probably age 43 and hormones. Hitting my 40's has been shitty totally shitty

What is your suggested diet for someone who is just walking and doing resistance training? Should i be in a complete deficit? Load up on protein? I feel like im not doing something correctly.

I'm just curious on your 10 minutes of sprints?

Get a weighted vest. Not too heavy , it’ll help burn even more calories

Hi Thomas, any opinions on walk/run interval exercise? Especially if it is more walking than running. That little bit of speed here and there helps me not feel bored and is a good adrenaline thing

Also, look carefully at hardcore runners - their faces look old and not youthful