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I am 300+ lbs Obelix. Still struggling with Obesity. I am NOT looking for recommendation - "Oh you dont need this ... have you tried this ...tried that ? " I have a precise question. If I spend 2 hrs walking out in the Natural env. walking down those trails .. watching not to step on any kinda dog poop ....VS doing a tread mill at a slightly faster speed ( about 0.3 -0.5 mph ) but with DEF a lot of incline ( Range 8-11 . Most times 8-9 ) ... which one burns out more calories and melts fat
Treadmills

  • Faster speed

  • Way Higher incline

  • Makes me sweat ( but in this place and time of yr- sweat but not wet )

Walking :

  • slower pace ( sorry - I cant manage jogging )

  • I maybe able to give longer times

  • In treadmill the belt keeps moving so there's some kinda aid on your steps ..vs walking., have to walk without anything happening below you .
  • Body gets acclimatized to the same routine in treadmill vs walking is different . Every moment is different
  • Fresh air exposure while walking
  • Can enjoy hearing / seeing something on my iphone without getting distracted , that needs attention. In treadmill - cant do something serious that needs attention - with the settings I use - just make do seeing something mindless like CNN.

Want to know which is the "better deal"

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    Just to address one of your points on walking, the treadmill does indeed give you some sort of aid to walking, it's generally seen to lessen the involvement of the hamstrings (backs of the legs), as they're not being used to "pull" yourself along as you walk. A commonly suggested fix for that is to incline the treadmill to improve recruitment of the hamstrings. The main question for me would be which one do you enjoy more? From your comments, it seems to me you enjoy walking more...
    – Dark Hippo
    Apr 29, 2016 at 11:51
  • Enjoy vs burn fat are bang opps. I might 'enjoy' lower speed treadmill with lesser incline but then I watch the calorie counter rate just drop . So as I am stressing myself with more intense treadmill - I am burning more. The idea is to get some sort of acclimatization to the "min. standard" you self imposed and gradually step it up. The other factor is time- I can easily walk 3 hrs if that's equivlanet of 2 hrs treadmills ( for e.g. , though right now I am doing 1.5 hrs daily on the treadmill with some speed an incline) but not sure if I can afford to spend 3 hrs/day doing just that
    – user1874594
    Apr 29, 2016 at 11:58
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    I see what you mean, I think most people would agree that they enjoy doing easier things to more difficult ones :) Have you thought about making your walking mimic your treadmill work more, as in walk a little faster, or walk uphill? I know you're not after suggestions, but honestly the only way I can see to test which works better for you is to spend some time with one, then the other and track your weight loss to see which works best. Sorry I can't help more, but keep at it and good luck
    – Dark Hippo
    Apr 29, 2016 at 12:02
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    I would stick with treadmill walking longer, maybe twice a day. Stationary bike is other option. I understand that it would be much better to do the same in 30 min. instead of 2-3 hours. Please think about your joints. Longer exercises are better for them, also you can do something else - podcasts, reading...
    – Michał Zaborowski
    Apr 29, 2016 at 13:16
  • Yes I have to slow things down if those joins tire out or hams sprain out
    – user1874594
    Apr 29, 2016 at 15:48

3 Answers 3

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To answer which one burns more calories, that's pretty straightforward math. Steady state cardio burns calories based upon intensity level x amount of calories per minute . In order to get that number you would need to know your heart rate during exercise and either have the hr monitor calculate the calories burnt totals for you or plug it in to a online calculator.

Either way it's pretty simple. Sounds like the treadmill option is more intense and is burning more per minute however if you are doing it for less time you might be burning more with walking outside. My advice,Collect the data and run the numbers. Once you have clear which one is burning more, that still doesn't answer the question of which one is the better deal. The best exercise for you is the one you will stick to , only you can answer that question

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Treadmill of-course. Your body will get used to the park or any env. Where you considor walking whereas treadmill will help you in varition. And as you said you can put more time and walk some more distance without treadmill, it will not help as much.. Because the more efforts you make in least the time, the more you will lose weight as compared to the other method you mentioned.

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I am a runner + jogger + walker and I believe you can gain stamina(lungs capacity + body strength) easier in park / road / ground than treadmill and you will have more fun.

In a gym on a Treadmill you will get AC circulated air.

Choose Treadmill ONLY when you have bad weather (Heavy rainfall, too cold/ hot weather).

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  • Always use good shoes.
    – Shashank Bodkhe
    Dec 4, 2018 at 13:07
  • Do you have any evidence other than "I believe"? What is the problem with AC air?
    – JohnP ♦
    Dec 4, 2018 at 15:10
  • I have answer the question as per my experience :) We definitely get more features like elevation , different fat burning modes etc in a treadmill but that can be achieved outdoors also. When we talk about AC Air , I would always opt for Natural air than AC one. I found a good reference too : globalnews.ca/news/258330/…
    – Shashank Bodkhe
    Dec 5, 2018 at 7:50

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