Quick Answer
To burn 300 calories by walking, the time needed can vary greatly depending on your weight and walking pace. As a rough estimate, a 155 lb person would need to walk briskly for 60-75 minutes to burn 300 calories. A 200 lb person may only need 45-60 minutes of brisk walking to hit 300 calories burned. The exact time also depends on walking speed – walking at 4 mph vs 3 mph makes a big impact on calorie burn over one hour. Use a calorie burn calculator to get a more precise estimate for your weight and walking pace.
Calculating How Many Calories You Burn Walking
The number of calories you burn while walking depends on a few key factors:
- Your weight – Heavier people burn more calories for the same exercise
- Intensity – A brisk pace burns more calories per minute than a leisurely stroll
- Time – The longer you walk, the more calories burned
Let’s look at how each of these factors contributes to calories burned from walking:
Weight
Your body weight is a key determinant of calorie burn for all types of exercise. A heavier person burns more calories per minute when walking compared to a lighter person.
For example, a 155 lb person may burn around 100 calories per mile walked, while a 200 lb person may burn closer to 130 calories per mile. The more you weigh, the more energy it takes to move your body when exercising.
Intensity – Pace & Speed
Pace and speed are important determinants of walking intensity. A brisk pace that gets your heart rate elevated will burn more calories per minute compared to a casual stroll.
As a rough estimate, here are the calories burned per minute for different paces:
- Strolling at 2 mph: 3 calories/minute
- Moderate pace of 3 mph: 5 calories/minute
- Brisk pace of 4 mph: 7 calories/minute
- Very brisk power walking at 5 mph: 9 calories/minute
You can see that an intense power walk can triple the calories burned compared to a leisurely stroll. In terms of calories per mile, a 155 lb person would burn about 100 calories walking one mile at 3 mph versus 150 calories at 5 mph.
Duration
Clearly, the longer you walk, the more calories you’ll burn. While a brief 5-10 minute walk won’t add up to many calories, going for over an hour can quickly get you over 300 calories burned.
To maximize calories, you need to walk at an intense pace consistently for a long duration. A brisk walk of 60-90 minutes is an effective way to hit 300 calories or more.
Calorie Burn Calculator Estimates
Calorie burn calculators provide a more accurate estimate of how many calories you’ll burn walking based on your inputs.
They factor in your weight, pace, and time spent walking.
Here are some estimates from online walking calorie calculators for calories burned walking for one hour:
| Weight | 3 mph (moderate pace) | 4 mph (brisk pace) |
|---|---|---|
| 120 lb | 240 calories | 340 calories |
| 150 lb | 300 calories | 420 calories |
| 180 lb | 360 calories | 510 calories |
You can see that even holding pace constant, a heavier person burns significantly more calories. And for all weights, picking up your walking pace makes a big difference.
Based on these estimates, here is how long it would take to walk off 300 calories at different paces for two sample weights:
- 155 lb person
- 3 mph moderate pace: 75 minutes
- 4 mph brisk pace: 60 minutes
- 200 lb person
- 3 mph moderate pace: 60 minutes
- 4 mph brisk pace: 45 minutes
So the 155 lb walker needs to go for 60-75 minutes at a good clip to hit 300 calories burned. But the heavier 200 lb walker can accomplish it in just 45-60 minutes.
Tips for Maximizing Calories Burned Walking
Here are some tips to burn the most calories possible on your walking workouts:
Power walk
Work on your pace and intensity – try intervals where you pick up speed. Getting your heart pumping harder increases calorie burn.
Incorporate hills
Seeking out hilly routes where you can will increase the intensity. Walking uphills requires more energy.
Walk farther
Gradually increase your distance covered to keep burning more calories. Work up to doing 60-90 minute walks.
Wear a weighted vest
Adding extra weight with a 10-20 lb weighted vest can boost the calories burned per minute while walking.
Swing your arms
Pumping your arms more vigorously while you walk engages your upper body too for extra calories burned.
Focus on good posture
Walking tall with your chest out and shoulders back engages your core too for maximum calorie burn.
How Many Calories Do You Need to Cut to Lose 1 Pound?
It’s estimated that a deficit of 3,500 calories will lead to 1 pound of weight lost. So if you wanted to lose 1 pound per week through walking alone, you’d need a 500 calorie per day deficit to achieve it.
That’s equivalent to burning 500 extra calories through exercise like walking each day. Or you could burn 250 extra calories from exercise and cut 250 calories from your diet.
So walking enough each day to burn 300 calories can significantly contribute to a calorie deficit for weight loss over time. Combine it with other activity and dietary changes for better results.
Adding Extra Walking to Your Day
Fitting in longer dedicated walking workouts a few days per week is a great calorie burner. But you can also burn extra calories by walking more throughout your regular day.
Look for ways to walk instead of drive short distances. Take regular short walking breaks at work and walk around your home while on phone calls. Take the stairs when possible. It all adds up over the day.
Getting a fitness tracker can motivate you to move more. Aim for 10,000 steps per day for extra calorie burn.
Other Types of Exercise to Maximize Calories Burned
While walking is an effective exercise for calorie burning, other forms of cardio can burn even more calories per hour. Consider mixing up your workouts with these high-calorie burning options:
- Jogging
- Biking (spinning, outdoors, or stationary bike)
- Swimming laps
- Hiking uphill
- Aerobics or cardio dance classes
- Rowing machine
- Elliptical machine
- Stairclimber machine
- Jumping rope
Any workout that sustainedly gets your heart rate into your target zone will maximize calories. The more muscles worked, the better too.
Add Strength Training
Incorporating strength training workouts also helps boost your resting metabolism as you build muscle mass. Options include:
- Bodyweight exercises like squats, lunges and planks
- Free weights like dumbbells or kettlebells
- Weight machines at the gym
- Resistance bands
Aim for at least two full-body strength workouts per week alongside your cardio. That combination is optimal for fat loss.
Conclusion
Walking briskly for 60-90 minutes can burn 300 or more calories for most people. Exactly how long it takes depends primarily on your weight and walking pace. Heavier individuals require less time to hit 300 calories burned than lighter people.
Brisk walking for long enough duration is an effective way to create a calorie deficit for weight loss. Combine it with other calorie-burning workouts and diet changes to see the best results in reaching your fitness goals. Being active for at least 60 minutes daily can significantly contribute to weight management.
