All these amazing claims! I cringe when I see them because the inferred message (It's so easy, all you have to do is walk! You can walk, can't you?) and the accompanying imagery (a fit-looking, smiling woman on a sunny beach side boardwalk with absolutely no belly) is not usually the reality for most people. I'm fortunate to live in a community with a lovely river trail that I use for part of my walk. But there's a lot of goose poop on that trail. And I'm schlepping over broken or missing sidewalks and around overgrown bushes in mismatched shorts and t-shirt, uncombed hair roped together with an elastic.
But is it true? Can you walk off your belly in 4 weeks? It's true if:
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| Should you try to 'walk off your belly'? |
B. You begin walking like Forrest Gump began running.
I used some assumptions to reach my conclusion, let me explain with numbers:
The average American woman is 5'4" and 166 pounds; considered 'overweight' on a BMI chart. At 5'4", the weight range for a 'normal' BMI status is 110 to 140 pounds. Let's be conservative and say that the average American woman could 'lose a belly' with a 30 pound weight loss. (For a final weight of 136.) A generally accepted rule of thumb is that one pound of fat is equal to approximately 3,500 calories.
(# of pounds needed to lose) X (# of calories per pound) = Total calories that need to be burned
30 pounds to lose X 3,500 calories per pound = 105,000 calories that need to be burned
(# of calories that need to be burned) / (315 calories per hour) = # of hours needed to walk
105,000 calories to burn / 315 calories per hour = 333.3 hours
If you walked 333.33 hours in 4 weeks (28 days) you would have to walk 11.9 hours per day. (Scenario B, the Forrest Gump option.)
If you walked an hour every single day, it would take nearly 11 months (until next August) to lose the extra 30 pounds.
If you walked an hour every single day for 4 weeks (28 days) you would burn 8,820 calories. When divided by 3,500 calories per pound, that equals about 2.5 pounds. (Option A, the small belly option.)
This does not account for the decreasing number of calories burned as weight is lost. It assumes never taking a day off, and that there is no increase in calorie intake, i.e. no I-exercised-so-I-deserve-a-little-treat treats. This example does not consider the time it would take to re-arrange your current schedule to accommodate an hour of a new activity or the time needed to make it a daily habit. And what if you need to lose 40 pounds? Tack on another 111 hours of walking. Of course, one could make other changes to lose the belly quicker (reduce food portions or lift weights), but if you've made it this far in my cynical evaluation of weight loss claims, you get the gist: it will take a significant amount of time and effort.
This should not discourage you! Lack of motivation, feelings of failure, and disappointment can often be the result of unreasonable expectations. You now have reasonable expectations if you would like to walk your belly off. Even if you don't walk your belly off, walking is good for you! It gets your heart pumping without being too strenuous, it makes you feel good, you don't need any special equipment, you can go with a friend, or your dog. If you already walk, share your reasons for walking below! Thanks for reading!
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