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.

More On

Walk to make air travel safer

video

Walk to make air travel safer
Long flights boost your risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and potentially life-threatening blood clots. Vonda Wright, MD, shares 6 steps to prevent D...
8 Ways to Amp Up Your Daily Walk

article

8 Ways to Amp Up Your Daily Walk
Take your walk to new fitness heights with these little tweaks
The Top Reason to Track Your Steps—Plus, Ways to Take More

slideshow

The Top Reason to Track Your Steps—Plus, Ways to Take More
Keep tabs on your walking, meet your daily step goal, and get a lot healthier.
10 ways taking a walk can improve your health

video

10 ways taking a walk can improve your health
Learn all of the ways that taking a brisk walk each day can benefit your overall health. Add a walk to your daily routine today.
Take a walk, reduce your stroke risk

video

Take a walk, reduce your stroke risk
Walking is one of the best things you can do to prevent a stroke. In this video, fitness expert Mike Clark, DPT, explains how walking reduces blood pr...