How many calories can you burn by walking?

Getting an accurate estimate can be handy for planning your exercise and diet routines.

closeup of person in sneakers walking in park

Updated on February 9, 2024.

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.

Article sources open article sources

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.

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