Walking 3 Miles a Day and Still Gaining Weight?

Written by Megan Ayala. Last Updated: April 22, 2022

When it comes to walking and gaining weight, it’s often assumed this is impossible to do. A lot of people worry they will add or shed too much weight as soon as they begin walking.

This is untrue because walking is not going to burn as many calories as you think. In many cases, you will have to do a lot more than just walk if you want to keep losing weight.

The average person tends to hit a plateau as the body becomes used to walking. This isn’t going to happen overnight and most people will need to wait at least a few months before hitting this plateau.

If you are worried about gaining too much weight after walking three miles, it’s time to take a step back and understand what the process entails.

Here is a look at a few tips on how to go about walking three miles a day without gaining weight.

Tips For Walking 3 Miles A Day Without Gaining Weight

1. Pace Yourself

The one thing a lot of people worry about comes down to pacing. You don’t want a situation where you are not pacing things.

This is one of the main reasons people end up gaining weight.

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You might walk three miles but then overdo how you eat food. This ends up creating a situation where you pack on the pounds and get confused as to why the weight keeps going up on your scale. The same goes for those who lose too much weight rapidly after starting a workout program.

You might end up doing too much and incorporating three miles of walking per day on top of this can become overkill.

This is why you have to understand the importance of regulating weight by pacing yourself. The more you pace yourself, the easier it will become to remain in control of your weight.

This is doubly important for those who are thinking about going on a weight loss journey.

2. Understand Caloric Intake

How many calories are you eating per day?

Each person is going to have a maintenance caloric intake number to account for. This is the number of calories a person needs to eat to maintain their weight.

When you walk three miles, you are going to burn additional calories.

For the most part, you end up burning 100 calories per mile that is walked. This means you are going to end up burning 300 calories per day just by walking.

The reasons include:

• Weight Loss And Gain Starts In The Kitchen
• Improves Your Self-Control

If you overeat and consume more than 300 additional calories, you are still going to be in a caloric surplus. This means all of the work you have done by walking is going to be wasted.

This is why you have to be diligent in the kitchen and make sure you are eating the right way. A lot of people don’t eat properly and that is what holds them back.

3. Eat Protein-Heavy Meals

When you are attempting to eat the right types of meals, you have to ensure you are not ignoring your hunger. Being hungry is normal and that is something most people are not going to have control over. If you are someone that doesn’t have control, it is easy to start gaining weight.

Even if you start walking three miles per day, you are still going to overeat to the point you gain weight.

This is why protein-heavy meals are good.

These meals are great because they are denser. This means you have to eat less while still feeling full. This is how you are going to trick the mind into thinking it has eaten enough for that part of the day.

If you continue to do this, you are going to retain more value from what you are eating and it’s going to be high in nutrients as well. It’s a win-win.

4. Optimize Your Workouts

You have to think about your workout program as a whole.

A lot of people assume just walking is enough and that is going to get the job done when it comes to maintaining or losing weight.

Yes, walking is a great starting point but you need to flesh things out a bit. This is going to be done by crafting a proper workout program that is going to take a look at burning more calories and getting fitter across the board.

The reasons include:

• The More You Workout, The More You Lose
• Simplifies The Caloric Burning

Let’s assume you walk three miles per day. Why not take the time to do a bit of weight lifting beforehand? This is going to help burn more calories and also help with gaining lean muscle mass.

This is when gaining weight isn’t a bad thing.

You can end up gaining muscle, which is heavier than fat. Therefore, you do gain weight, but you also look fitter and stronger along the way.

5. Meal Planning is Key to Success

This is one of the best things a person can do if they are walking three miles per day and want to stop gaining weight.

You will want to start meal planning.

This is easier said than done because a lot of people don’t know where to begin or what to account for. You might end up eating the wrong types of foods or not get the types of nutrients that are key to staying healthy.

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This is why the best approach is to add fruits, vegetables, and healthy meats into your diet. You can also focus on a vegetarian diet if that is the direction you want to go in.

The most important thing to do when meal planning is to ensure you are getting all of your nutrients and are in a caloric deficit.

This is how you are going to see the types of results that will bring a smile to your face.

6. Don’t Forget Your Daily Steps

Are you taking the time to account for your daily steps during the day?

It’s common to think the only steps you are taking are the ones during the three-mile walk. Yes, those steps are going to count but the average person will do a lot more walking than this during 24 hours.

Just walking from the bed to the bathroom is going to account for a few additional steps. These add up during the day and will also burn calories.

While they might not burn a lot of calories, these steps do add up and have to be accounted for on your part.

The reasons include:

• Keeps You Burning More Calories
• Helps Regulate Your Weight

The easiest way to account for these steps is to have a step counter with you. Modern phones have these step counters built into their setup and you can take advantage of them by keeping the phone on hand.

You can even invest in a watch such as an Apple Watch to account for the steps you are taking.

This is going to provide quite a bit of data on what works and what doesn’t for your heart health. Just keeping tabs on the number of steps you take will go a long way.

Tips for Controlling Your Weight and Getting the Most from Your Walks

1. Eat Smaller Portions

Most people don’t take the time to eat smaller portions and that is what holds them back. You have to take the opportunity to assess how you are eating food during the day.

It’s one thing to eat well and another to make sure you are not overdoing it due to the portions you are consuming.

The best thing a person can do is create a meal plan.

This means you are going to break down each portion that will be consumed during the day and plan accordingly. You are going to want to get all of the necessary nutrients through these meals and plan as much as you can.

It is the only way to feel good about what you are eating as time goes by.

Be patient with your approach and set up everything with the intention of losing weight while walking three miles per day. This is how you are going to start to fine-tune your approach to eating properly.

2. Count Your Calories

Are you taking the opportunity to count the number of calories you are eating during the day?

You might be overeating to the point all of your walking doesn’t lead to weight loss. Yes, your heart rate is going to improve and your overall health might get better but that doesn’t mean your weight is going to go down.

This is why it’s important to count calories that are going into your body during the day.

The benefits include:

• Keeps You On The Right Path
• Organizes Your Meal Planning

If you eat more than 300 calories in surplus, you are going to gain weight even if you walk three miles per day.

This is why it’s best to set up a meal plan and follow it to a tee. This is the only way you are going to lose weight and remain in control of how your body looks as the months go by.

3. Be Patient

It is important to stay patient and that is something people don’t do enough when they are walking three miles per day.

Going on a new workout plan even if it is something as simple as walking long distances doesn’t mean you are going to see overnight results. You will have to be patient because the body is resilient and it is going to push back.

It will want to calm you down and make sure you are adapting slowly. This is why you have to stay patient and make sure to stay consistent too. The more you work on this, the better it will get as time goes on. This is the most important detail to think about as a person that is walking three miles per day.

The more you focus on this, the better you are going to get at walking long distances.

4. Focus On Your Heart

You have to take the time to understand what walking is all about. Most people assume walking is just about burning calories and getting into a caloric deficit to lose weight.

Yes, you are going to get fitter and healthier, but it is also important to think about your heart. This is when the cardiovascular activity starts to shine through.

You are going to see impressive results when you go down this path.

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Your heart is going to get stronger and that means it is not going to require as much force to pump out blood throughout the body.

The reasons include:

• Walking Is All About The Heart
• Helps Optimize Your Well-Being

You have to take the time to think about this. It is an important part of your body and walking is essential in keeping it healthy.

If you are moving around, you are going to ensure the heart continues to work out well.

Final Thoughts

It is important to have a plan when it comes to walking three miles a day and ensuring your weight is in control. You don’t want a situation where the weight continues to go up as that can be distressing. A lot of people get into this situation and it is troubling.

If you are someone that doesn’t regulate their caloric intake, it is common to deal with issues such as these. It is not easy to be in a situation where you are overeating and walking doesn’t help.

Your best option in a situation such as this is to take a step back and make sure you regulate what you are eating. This includes the number of calories you are eating during a 24-hour cycle.

As long as you do this, the three miles per day will go a long way in helping lose weight. This is when you will start to reap the benefits of going down this path.