How Many Steps a Day to Lose Weight — Is There a Universal Goal?

Walking is one of the easiest ways to stay active. As fitness trackers have become more popular, many of us have become a little obsessed with counting steps. But it shouldn’t be surprising that more people are paying more attention to exercise and its benefits.

Research from the CDC shows that between 2017 and 2020, around 1 in 4 adults (25.3%) were not getting enough physical activity. Furthermore, a lack of physical activity is linked to 1 in 10 premature deaths and costs the healthcare system an estimated $117 billion each year.

Is there really a specific step count that guarantees weight loss? As a physical therapist, I’ve helped thousands of people with their health and fitness goals. In this article, we’ll explore what the science has to say about step goals and weight loss, with practical insights from my own clinical experience and other weight loss experts.

What does your step count tell you about your daily activity?

Step count is a simple way to measure how active you are day to day. A study on over 1,000 adults found that, on average, males took 5,340 steps per day and females took 4,912.

However, whether your step count falls above or below this, it doesn’t show the full picture. There are plenty of other factors besides step count that influence your weight and physical and mental health.

Is 10,000 steps a day the magic number for weight loss?

Ten thousand steps a day is often used as a benchmark for health. However, as Dr. Bronwyn Mahtani, MD, a board-certified physician specialized in functional and anti-aging medicine, points out: “This target originated from a marketing campaign in Japan in the 1960s with no actual sample study using a population whose goal was to lose weight.”

The 10,000 steps a day is definitely not a one-size-fits-all solution for weight loss or general health. In fact, even fewer steps can offer real benefits, especially if you’re older or just getting started with fitness. Research suggests that even 7,000–8,000 steps can offer meaningful health benefits, especially when walking at a brisk pace.

Mahtani adds, “For many people, aiming for 10,000 steps can facilitate increased daily movement while supporting overall health.” However, she also comments, “[Step goals are] highly personalized… which must be factored into any exercise program.”

Rebecca Huxley, BSc, MCSP

Physical Therapist

In my physical therapy work, I often advised clients that rather than chasing a specific number, it’s more helpful to focus on small, sustainable increases in daily movement. Walking can absolutely support weight loss, but it works even better when combined with other types of exercise, like strength training, cardio, or interval workouts.

A quick note on fitness trackers: they can be useful tools, but they’re not always 100% accurate, which can be frustrating. Focus more on what makes you feel good, and don't get too hung up on the exact numbers.

How many calories do you actually burn by walking?

It would be much simpler if a certain number of steps equaled a fixed number of calories burned in every person. But it doesn’t quite work like that.

From my clinical practice, I can tell you it’s much more complex. Your energy expenditure while walking depends on several things: your body weight, muscle mass, pace, the distance you cover, and even the type of terrain you're walking on.

For example, a slow stroll on flat ground uses less energy than a brisk uphill walk. Two people can take the exact same number of steps and burn completely different amounts of energy.

In an 18-month weight loss program, participants who lost the most weight took around 10,000 steps a day, with roughly 3,500 of those steps done at a moderate-to-vigorous pace. This supports the idea that intensity of movement is just as important as step count when you’re trying to lose weight.

Want to lose weight? Here's what really makes a difference

Step count alone is not enough to keep your weight in check. To lose weight, you need to be in a calorie deficit, which is not guaranteed by a high step count.

One study found that taking more than 10,000 steps a day didn’t prevent weight or fat gain in college freshmen over 24 weeks, even for students hitting 12,500 or 15,000 steps daily. This suggests that simply increasing step count isn’t enough to prevent weight gain and maintain a healthy weight, and that other factors may be more important.

Dr. Michael Chichak, Medical Director at MEDvidi and weight loss expert, says:

For weight loss to be successful, it must be approached from different angles. Combining walking with a healthy, calorie-restricted diet helps achieve a deficit that is sustainable, while strength training helps build muscle, which supports metabolism and aids in long-term weight maintenance.

Dr. Michael Chichak

“Whatever methods you choose, remember to practice them consistently — what matters more is daily effort rather than sporadic extreme endeavors. Sleep and stress management play an equally important role, as sleep deprivation and chronic stress make regulating hunger with hormones such as ghrelin and leptin far more difficult.”

Finding the right number of steps for your goals

For many people, aiming for 10,000 steps can be a great way to build more movement into the day. But even lower step counts, such as 7,000 per day, have been linked to proposed physical and mental health benefits.

In a 2021 study, a 12-week walking program with a 7,000-step goal and weekly group walks led to meaningful improvements in weight, body fat, and waist size among older adults with a higher BMI. This suggests that a daily step count below 10,000 can still have a big impact on health for some people.

When discussing older adults and walking, Dr. Chichak added, “For individuals who are advancing in age or have limited physical abilities, walking is the most practical and dependable method of getting moving and integrating some form of physical exertion into their day-to-day routine, providing them with increased overall fitness.”

Even if you can’t hit 10,000 steps, a smaller step goal may still help you get the results you want, especially if you’re older or new to fitness.

On the other hand, in obese college students, simply hitting a 12,000-step goal each day wasn’t enough to improve body composition. But adding a few sessions of moderate intensity exercise (brisk walking) led to noticeable positive changes in visceral fat, cholesterol levels, and other important health markers.

This suggests that the intensity of your daily walk is just as important for your health as the number of steps you take. However, only 32 students took part in this study, so the results can’t be generalized to the wider population.

To find the right number of steps for your goals, it’s best to speak to a healthcare professional or personal trainer for a tailored program. Remember that some movement is always better than none, so if 10,000 steps feel like too much right now, don’t let that stop you from getting started.

Easy ways to increase your daily steps

Upping your daily step count doesn’t call for dramatic lifestyle changes, and small habits go a long way. Here are a few tips.

In my clinical practice, small adjustments like these helped clients lose weight and feel more in control of their health. Remember, any number of steps is better than none.

Tools to help you stay motivated

There are plenty of ways to track your steps, such as built-in smartphone apps or wearable fitness trackers. When working with clients trying to lose weight, I found that having a way to track steps can be a real motivator, and people who tracked steps usually took more of them.

One study investigated the effects of a step-counting smartphone app on health. Researchers found the app helped support physical activity, particularly on weekends, but didn’t lead to more weight loss compared to the control group.

This suggests that while apps may support movement, they’re not a guaranteed tool for losing weight on their own. However, only 109 participants were included in this study, so further research is needed to confirm these findings.

Final word

Walking is an important part of a healthy lifestyle for many people, but there’s no universal step goal that works for everyone. The key is to find a reasonable target that fits into your day and build up from there.

Walking alone might not lead to significant weight loss, but it can help you achieve your goals when it’s combined with a balanced diet, training, and good sleep. My clinical experience taught me that small, sustainable changes are the way to lose weight and, more importantly, to keep it off for good.