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I walk, on average, a 15 minute mile and on flat terrain. I weight 150 lbs and I'm about 5' 7" with a medium build.

I'm trying to manage my overall health and want to ensure my exercise is balancing my food intake properly.

Eric
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user10473
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    Just find a calorie burn calculator, select walking ~ 4mph and put in your values. It's approximate (They all are), but it should be close enough for your purposes. – JohnP Aug 21 '14 at 17:35
  • I would not depend on calorie calculators, you should monitor your food intake and weight. It is possible to think you are burning more calories because of some app and then eat more because of it – brentwpeterson Aug 21 '14 at 19:54
  • Your question depends on how fast you're walking. Your calorie burn depends on the intensity of the activity. Casual walking.......not so much :) – Kneel-Before-ZOD Dec 24 '14 at 01:17
  • See also: http://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/22318/measure-performance-in-kettlebell – arober11 Mar 14 '15 at 15:10
  • See also: http://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/51/how-can-i-calculate-calories-burned-during-an-activity?rq=1 – arober11 Mar 15 '15 at 11:32

2 Answers2

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A reasonably accurate figure can be obtained by using a heart rate monitor (even one of the App's that use your phones camera will suffice). Assuming you're walking on the flat and not into gale, simply record a post mile heart rate, along with the time taken to estimate your VO2 figure per: Is it possible to measure calorie burn from heart rate alone?, and from the VO2 figure the calories.

You can also plug the heart rate into the Rockport Walking test formula, to obtain an estimated VO2max score.

Or alternatively use the ACSM or MET formula to estimate the calories eg.

ACSM Kcal/Min ~= 0.0005 * bodyMassKg * metersWalkedInAMin + 0.0035
              ~= 0.0005 * 68 * 107 + 0.0035
              ~= 3.6415 Kcal/Min
              ~= 54.6225 Kcal/Mile

MET Kcal      ~= METS   * bodyMassKg * timePerformingHours
              ~= 5.0    * 68         * 0.25
              ~= 85 Kcal/Mile

    where METS = 5.0 (walking, 4.0 mph, level, firm surface, very brisk pace)

See also: Walking Calorie Burn Calculator

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arober11
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Here is one calorie burn calculator (Shapesense.com) for walking.

I walk a lot and I have a walking tracker with calorie counting on the phone but I never use it. Calories burnt just don't tell me anything. I use the holes on my belt as a measure, seriously.

Walking alone is not that great to lose calories, unless you walk really a lot. A relatively easy way is to stop eating some types of food, for example all dairy or all sweats and such, and to eat whole-grain bread and vegetables, which prevents food craving a bit.

Jan
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  • Why shouldn't you eat dairy? – Kneel-Before-ZOD Dec 24 '14 at 01:21
  • It's not that you shouldn't eat dairy. I just mentioned it can help if you remove one whole category of foods from your diet and make a "principle" from it, for example, you can say from now on I don't eat any dairy or any sweetened beverages. It just helps to fight with temptations. – Jan Jan 08 '15 at 08:16
  • Egg's very good for you; so is milk :). A lot of bodybuilders consume an enormous amount of eggs daily :). I guess it's all based on preferences. There's nothing wrong with dairy.....if the OP wants them. But yeah, I understand your intention; just ensuring that future readers don't misconstrue the intention :). – Kneel-Before-ZOD Jan 08 '15 at 14:43
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    Any diet that relies on removing an entire category of food is dumb and potentially harmful. – JohnP Feb 18 '15 at 14:42
  • @JohnP You can stop eat sweets or sweetened beverages or fruit juices without any harm. I'm not saying removing carbs or fats or proteins. – Jan Feb 19 '15 at 18:01
  • @Jan - Sweets, sweetened beverages and fruit juices are not food groups. While it is not perfect, the food pyramid is pretty decent. Dairy is an entire food category. I reiterate, any diet that relies on removing an entire food group is dumb and potentially harmful. – JohnP Feb 19 '15 at 19:22
  • @JohnP, vegans exclude several groups of foods and I'm not aware of any studies that would prove they are less healthy than omnivores. Fruits, legumes and nuts are also not essential. – Jan Feb 21 '15 at 17:36
  • @Jan - Yes, I suppose that is true. However vegans jump through a lot of unnecessary hoops to make sure that they get all their macronutrients, (esp. complete proteins), as well as many vitamins/minerals that only come in large amounts in animal protein. I still think it's dumb, and if not planned right, you will suffer nutritional deficiencies. – JohnP Feb 21 '15 at 18:25
  • @JohnP I do not agree removing one food group, when you have a good reason, is dumb. It can be actually dumb to force yourself with all food groups, if you do not like them or they cause you problems. I know several people with fructose malabsorption who were forcing themselves with fruits because they believed fruits are healthy despite having loose stools for years. If legumes constantly bloat you, why bother? It's fiber in other foods. I don't think we need all food groups, but all essential nutrients. – Jan Feb 23 '15 at 20:34
  • @Jan - Of course you don't believe it, because you want the opposite to be true, so you bring up all the extreme arguments. Obviously, if you have health problems or body necessities (such as lactose intolerance), you should avoid certain foods. However, you still have to take care to add the missing things that those foods would give you. And if you hate fish, obviously don't eat fish, but that is a small portion of the protein group. – JohnP Feb 23 '15 at 20:37
  • @JohnP http://www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/ lists these food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains, protein foods, dairy and oils. A healthy, conscious person can become aware what is good for him/her personally and choose accordingly. – Jan Feb 24 '15 at 14:12
  • I agree with @JohnP on this. A diet based on exclusion is a ridiculous and desperate way of eating. Instead of deciding what to exclude, find out how much you can include while maintaining the goals you've set. No goal will ever downright require absolute exclusion of a food group. – Alec Mar 14 '15 at 15:27