The Arithmetic Behind 0.5 kg per week
One kilogram of body fat stores about 7,700 kcal. Losing 0.5 kg in a week therefore needs 3,850 kcal of deficit, which is 550 kcal per day.
Turning that into steps uses the same MET model as the calculator: at 70 kg and MET 3.5 you burn 4.29 kcal/min, so 550 kcal is 128 minutes of walking — 10.7 km, or 14,446 steps at a 0.74 m stride.
Walking the entire deficit is demanding. Splitting it evenly means 7,223 steps (64 minutes) plus a 275 kcal reduction in intake.
Daily step target by body weight
Heavier walkers reach the same deficit in fewer steps: 16,854 steps at 60 kg versus 10,112 steps at 100 kg. The table below lists every weight band.
Is this realistic?
14,446 steps is 2h 8m of walking on top of a normal day. Rates above about 1 kg per week are hard to sustain from activity alone, which is why most people combine walking with a moderate calorie reduction.
Weekly totals
Seven days at 14,446 steps is 101,122 steps, 74.8 km and 3,850 kcal — the 0.5 kg target by definition.
Why the scale moves differently
The 7,700 kcal per kg figure describes fat tissue only. Day-to-day weight also moves with water, glycogen and gut contents, so judge progress over 2–4 weeks rather than day to day. Estimates are typically within ±10–20% of measured energy expenditure. Real calorie burn varies with body composition, walking economy, speed, terrain, incline and how your device detects steps.
Daily Steps Needed for 0.5 kg per week
| Body weight | Steps / day | Distance / day | Time / day | Steps / week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 kg (121 lbs) | 18,386 | 13.6 km | 163 min | 128,702 |
| 60 kg (132 lbs) | 16,854 | 12.5 km | 150 min | 117,978 |
| 70 kg (154 lbs) | 14,446 | 10.7 km | 128 min | 101,122 |
| 80 kg (176 lbs) | 12,640 | 9.35 km | 112 min | 88,480 |
| 90 kg (198 lbs) | 11,236 | 8.31 km | 100 min | 78,652 |
| 100 kg (220 lbs) | 10,112 | 7.48 km | 90 min | 70,784 |
| 110 kg (243 lbs) | 9,193 | 6.8 km | 82 min | 64,351 |
Flat ground, moderate pace (5 km/h / 3.1 mph), MET 3.5, average stride 0.74 m. All values are calculated with the same MET model used by the calculator on this page.
How we calculate this (worked example)
Every figure on this page is produced by the same calculation engine as the calculator above — no hardcoded numbers. Here is the full arithmetic for 10,000 steps at 70 kg (154 lbs), moderate pace, flat ground.
- Distance: 10,000 steps × 0.74 m ÷ 1,000 = 7.40 km (4.60 miles)
- Walking time: 7.40 km ÷ 5 km/h × 60 = 1h 29m (89 minutes)
- Calories: 3.5 MET × 70 kg × 3.5 ÷ 200 × 89 min = 381 kcal
- Per step: 381 kcal ÷ 10,000 steps = 0.038 kcal per step
10,000 steps by body weight
| Body weight | Distance | Walking time | Calories burned |
|---|---|---|---|
| 55 kg (121 lbs) | 7.40 km (4.60 mi) | 1h 29m | 299 kcal |
| 70 kg (154 lbs) | 7.40 km (4.60 mi) | 1h 29m | 381 kcal |
| 85 kg (187 lbs) | 7.40 km (4.60 mi) | 1h 29m | 462 kcal |
| 100 kg (220 lbs) | 7.40 km (4.60 mi) | 1h 29m | 544 kcal |
Distance and time are identical across weights (7.4 km at 0.74 m stride) because only energy expenditure scales with body mass.
Definitions
- Step
- One single footfall. Two steps make one full stride cycle, so a pedometer counting 10,000 steps records 5,000 complete left-right cycles.
- Stride length
- The horizontal distance covered by one step, measured heel-to-heel. We use 0.74 m (2.43 ft) as the average adult value, or 0.415 × height in cm for men and 0.413 × height for women.
- Walking distance
- Steps × stride length. Distance in kilometres = (steps × stride in metres) ÷ 1,000; miles = kilometres × 0.621371.
- Calories burned
- Energy expenditure estimated with the MET equation: kcal = MET × weight (kg) × 3.5 ÷ 200 × minutes. Moderate walking at 5 km/h is MET 3.5.
- Walking time
- Distance ÷ walking speed. At the 5 km/h baseline, one kilometre takes 12 minutes and one mile takes about 19 minutes.
- Cadence
- Steps per minute. A moderate 5 km/h pace corresponds to roughly 100–110 steps per minute; brisk walking is 120+ steps per minute.
Assumptions and rounding rules
| Parameter | Default | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Stride length | 0.74 m (2.43 ft) | Average adult; overridden by your height or entered stride |
| Walking pace | 5 km/h (3.1 mph) | Moderate, flat ground; reduced 20% on hills and 30% on trails |
| MET value | 3.50 | Flat terrain, moderate fitness; +0.1 MET per 1% incline |
| Body weight | 70 kg (154 lbs) | Reference weight for examples; your input replaces it |
| Distance rounding | 2 decimals (km and miles) | Rounded for display only — full precision is used in the maths |
| Calorie rounding | Nearest whole kcal | Rounded at the last step, never mid-calculation |
| Step rounding | Nearest whole step | Reverse calculations round to the nearest integer step |
Limitations
- All results are estimates, not measurements. MET-based calorie models typically fall within ±10–20% of indirect calorimetry for an individual.
- Individual differences in gait efficiency, age, body composition and fitness change actual energy cost at the same speed.
- Terrain, surface softness, wind and altitude are only partly captured by the terrain and incline settings.
- Stride length varies with pace, footwear and fatigue; a single average stride cannot represent a whole walk.
- Pedometers and phone accelerometers miscount steps by roughly 5–15%, especially at slow speeds or when carried in a bag.
- Figures describe activity energy expenditure only and exclude resting metabolism, so they should not be subtracted twice from a daily budget.
Method: stride-based distance plus the MET equation from the Compendium of Physical Activities (Ainsworth et al.). Results are estimates — see our estimation disclaimer.
Key takeaway
0.5 kg per week means a 550 kcal daily deficit — about 14,446 steps a day at 70 kg (10.7 km, 128 minutes). Splitting it with diet leaves 7,223 steps a day. Estimates are typically within ±10–20% of measured energy expenditure. Real calorie burn varies with body composition, walking economy, speed, terrain, incline and how your device detects steps.
Want your exact number?
Real-Life Scenarios
All from walking — 14,446 steps/day
Covering the full 550 kcal on foot means 10.7 km and 2h 8m every day at 70 kg.
Half walking, half diet — 7,223 steps/day
7,223 steps (64 minutes) plus eating 275 kcal less reaches the same weekly result with far less time on your feet.
Hilly walking shortcut
On hilly terrain (MET 5.3) the daily deficit takes about 7,632 steps instead of 14,446.
In summary: 0.5 kg per week means a 550 kcal daily deficit — about 14,446 steps a day at 70 kg (10.7 km, 128 minutes). Splitting it with diet leaves 7,223 steps a day. Estimates are typically within ±10–20% of measured energy expenditure. Real calorie burn varies with body composition, walking economy, speed, terrain, incline and how your device detects steps.