- Walking 8,500 steps per day can help people maintain weight loss after an initial lifestyle modification program that includes dietary intervention.
- The authors of a research analysis say that walking is a simple, attainable activity for most people.
- Experts emphasize that exercise and diet are the foundations of any successful weight loss strategy.
Walking 8,500 steps per day is a simple, effective way to help lose weight and keep it off, according to a new research analysis.
Participants who followed an exercise regimen of 8,500 steps a day lost an average of 4.4% of their body weight or nearly 9 pounds during an initial 8-month weight loss phase that included a dietary intervention.
During a 10-month follow-up period, participants only regained an average of about 2 pounds.
“The findings suggest that higher daily step counts may be associated with improved outcomes in obesity treatment, highlighting a simple and feasible behavior that could be considered within lifestyle interventions,” the researchers wrote.
Experts not involved in the analysis say the findings reaffirm that exercise is a key component of weight management.
“This systematic review and meta-analysis confirmed that higher daily step counts are associated with improved outcomes in obesity treatment,” said Michael Fredericson, MD, a professor of orthopedic surgery at Stanford University. “These findings support the current recommendations to combine weight loss with exercise for optimal results.”
“I believe this is a strong study that highlights the critical role regular exercise plays in both achieving and maintaining a healthy weight,” added Mir Ali, MD, a bariatric surgeon, bariatric medicine specialist, and medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in California.
For their report, researchers analyzed the results of 14 previous studies that included 3,758 adults.
The participants had an average age of 53 years and were from several countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Japan.
In those studies, a total of 1,987 participants were enrolled in lifestyle modification programs. The remaining 1,771 participants were in control groups: either on diet-only regimens or given no weight management plan.
The lifestyle modification programs combined dietary guidance with recommendations to walk more and track daily steps.
Both groups began the study periods walking an average of about 7,200 steps per day.
The researchers reported that people in the control group did not increase their daily walking and did not experience weight loss during the initial 8-month phase.
The group with life modification programs increased their walking to an average of almost 8,500 steps per day and achieved an average weight loss of nearly 9 pounds during that period. Researchers, however, cautioned that modifications such as calorie reduction were probably the main factor in this short-term weight loss.
They said the more significant result was that participants in the life modification programs maintained their higher activity levels, averaging more than 8,200 steps per day during 10-month follow-up periods.
Those participants still had an overall average weight loss of about 7 pounds from the start of the study period to the end of the follow-up phase.
“On a general level, the significance of this work to public health lies in assessing the association between lifestyle modification programs and weight-related outcomes, given their potential as an affordable way for obesity management,” the researchers wrote.
They added that their findings provide evidence for medical professionals to recommend increased daily walking for people trying to lose weight.
“During lifestyle modification programs for obesity, practitioners may encourage patients to increase their average daily steps, as this appears to be associated with better clinical outcome,” the researchers wrote.
Experts say they agreed with the researchers’ conclusions.
“Regular exercise, such as walking, helps maintain metabolic rate and burn calories. However, diet remains the most significant component of a healthy lifestyle,” Ali told Healthline. “If an individual consumes excessive calories or poor-quality food, they will likely experience weight gain despite walking 8,500 or more steps per day.”
“I emphasize to my patients that the majority of weight loss results from a proper diet, specifically by reducing carbohydrates and sugars while focusing on proteins and vegetables,” he added.
David Cutler, MD, a family medicine physician at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA, said that diet remains the key component of any weight management program. Cutler wasn’t involved in the study.
“Losing weight is 95% diet and 5% exercise,” he told Healthline. “If you don’t limit your diet, you’re going to have trouble losing weight.”
Cutler also cautioned that not all walking is the same. He noted that people who walk slowly won’t burn as many calories as those who walk more quickly or walk uphill.
“In essence, 8,500 steps for one person is not the same as 8,500 steps for another person,” he said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that about
There is no significant difference in the obesity rate between males and females. The age group that consists of people between 40 and 59 years has a higher rate of obesity than people ages 60 and older and adults ages 20 to 39.
Obesity can affect nearly every part of the body, from the heart to the brain to the blood vessels to the liver to the joints.
Obesity can raise a person’s risk of various diseases, including:
The researchers of the new report said the numerous health dangers make finding workable strategies to combat obesity an important endeavor.
“The identification of novel strategies that improve obesity treatment outcomes is a priority for public health,” they wrote.
“Regular physical activity, including daily walking, is critically important for patients on GLP-1 receptor agonists, not only for additional calorie expenditure but for preserving lean body mass, preventing weight regain, and improving cardiometabolic outcomes beyond what the medication alone achieves,” Fredericson told Healthline.
Cutler noted that people on GLP-1 medications not only lose fat but also muscle. He recommended that people taking these weight loss drugs add strength training and core exercises to their aerobic routines.
“Exercise is very important for people who are taking GLP-1 medications,” he said.
Ali noted that an exercise program will not be effective unless you stick with it.
“I advise my patients that consistency is the most important factor,” he said. “Engaging in an exercise regimen for at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week, can enhance weight loss and help preserve muscle mass. Counting steps is a practical method that most people can easily follow.”
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