She Walked 15K Steps for a Year and Discovered Something Unexpected About Food Freedom

Most fitness advice tells you to eat less and move more. But what if you could stay lean while eating more? Laura Grossi, a CanFit Pro Certified personal trainer, discovered that walking 15,000 steps daily allowed her to maintain her physique while eating an impressive 2,100 calories per day. The 27-year-old Ontario-based coach, who helps her 160,000 Instagram followers build muscle and lose fat, has turned this simple strategy into a sustainable lifestyle. Here's exactly how she does it—and how you can, too.

The Real Reason 15K Steps Works

"I've walked an average of 15 K steps every day for the past year," Laura explains in her post. "The big reason that I do it is the mental benefits," she adds. Beyond just burning calories, she finds walking helps manage ADHD, anxiety, and depression. "It releases chemicals and endorphins and reduces stress," she notes, adding that it significantly improves her focus throughout the day. This mental clarity bonus makes it easier to stick to other healthy habits, creating a positive cycle of wellness.

How Many Calories Can You Really Eat?

The walking strategy has allowed Laura to maintain her physique on surprisingly high calories. "I was able to lose fat fairly easily on an average of 2000 calories," she shares. But she emphasizes balance is key: "It does allow me to eat a little more, but that is within reason. That does not mean that suddenly my nutrition is a free for all." This approach has given her more flexibility, especially on weekends. "It is enough to allow me to eat higher calories on the weekend and not have it set me back," she explains.

The Role of Strength Training

Laura emphasizes that her success isn't just from walking alone. "Keep in mind the fact I've been weight training consistently for a long time and have a higher muscle mass. That really does help with the burning calorie thing," she explains. Her current routine includes weight training four times a week, typically for less than an hour per session, combined with her daily steps goal.

Will Walking Alone Get You Toned?

"If you want to have toned legs, that means you want to have muscle built up and a low enough body fat to see the muscle that you've built," Laura explains. While walking helps create the caloric deficit needed for fat loss, she stresses that "just walking alone isn't enough to get you toned." The key is combining it with proper weight training and nutrition. "If you're completely sedentary to begin with, then initially it would help you, but eventually that's not going to do it only when paired with the proper weights and the proper eating."

Avoiding Muscle Loss While Walking

A common concern Laura addresses is whether high step counts can lead to muscle loss. "No, as long as you're eating enough and allowing yourself to recover properly from your workouts," she assures. However, she cautions, "If you're working out five, six days a week for a couple hours and getting 15k plus steps and not eating enough and undereating on protein, then yeah, you might lose muscle."

Making Steps Part of Your Daily Routine

Laura recommends breaking down the steps throughout the day rather than doing them all at once. "You can still get a high step count if you want to break it down into a few power walks a day," she advises. She suggests taking three 20-minute walks throughout the day, which can add up to several thousand steps. For those with desk jobs, she suggests getting creative: "If I'm sitting outside and working, rather than going to the close bathroom, I go all the way down to my basement."

Alternative Ways to Get Your Steps

"Yes, you can get your steps through other activities, not just walking," Laura explains. She suggests using various forms of cardio to reach your step goals: "Let's say you go on 20 minutes on an elliptical. That's going to get your steps up fairly quickly if you can't do longer walks throughout the day." The key is finding what works for your schedule and lifestyle.

Building the Walking Habit

Laura uses her emotional awareness to build consistent walking habits. "Basically, if I'm feeling stressed or anxious, which is going to happen most days at some point, my habit now is to go walk," she shares. "That's the best way to build a habit is a habit, kind of attached to something that happens every day." She also suggests making it fun by participating in step challenges with friends using fitness trackers or apps.

Starting Your Step Journey

"You definitely don't have to just follow an arbitrary number or force yourself to do a really high amount if you're not used to it," Laura cautions. She recommends starting with a baseline measurement using your phone or fitness tracker, then gradually increasing your daily steps. "I know if you're not used to it, you'll feel sore doing 15K. If you're currently doing just a few thousand, definitely work your way up."

Making It Sustainable

The beauty of Laura's approach is its flexibility. "I personally don't have any formally planned cardio sessions. I just have my step goal," she explains. Some days she walks slowly while working, other days she might feel more energetic and do some brisk walking or cardio. "That's the good thing about step count. You can kind of base it off how you feel." The goal is to make it sustainable and enjoyable rather than another dreaded task on your fitness journey. And if you enjoyed this article, don't miss 12-3-30 Walking Method: 20 Proven Tips to Lose Weight Faster.

Do you ever wonder what would happen if you hit your daily step goal? Ariel (@ThatAwkwardMom) is a social media influencer who regularly shares about everything from mom hacks to losing weight. In one recent viral video, she revealed what happened when she set a step goal and stuck with it. “In this video today, I'm gonna tell you the four things that have changed during this time of walking, 10,000 steps a day, and the ten things that I learned,” she says.

She Walked 10,000 Steps Every Day for a Month Without Dieting

“I walked 10,000 steps every day for a month. I did it without dieting. I ate whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. I did it without any exercise. Well, besides the walking, of course, if you count that as exercise, and I did it with a toddler by my side all the time,” she says in the post.

She Did It for Her Health

“Why did I choose to do this? Well, because whenever I went up the stairs, I panted like a wildebeest with asthma being chased by a lion,” she says. “My stomach looked like I was four months pregnant.”

It Wasn’t Easy

“Nevertheless, I needed to make a change. And this seems like an easy one. Well, easy it was not,” she admits. “First of all, I know you guys all want to know if I lost weight or not. And the answer is yes, I did. My starting weight was 144 pounds, and I am five foot four.”

First Change That Happened: Her Sleep Improved

“So the first thing that changed is I started sleeping like a baby,” she reveals. “At first, my sleep was compromised because I wouldn't get my steps in in time. So I'd have to walk in circles at 10 o'clock at night, and so I wouldn't get to sleep till later. She cites research that exercise “will also keep you up less often at night” and “boosts the effect of natural sleep hormones such as melatonin. The downside to this is I started hitting this snooze button a lot more than I used to, but totally worth it, right? Who doesn't love sleep except elephants? Did you know they only sleep two hours a day?”

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Second Change That Happened: Her Hunger Decreased

“The second thing that changed is that I was surprisingly less hungry and less likely to reach for sugary foods,” she says. “I am a sugar addict. It all started 10 years ago when I started working at an ice cream shop, and it all went down from there. Well, I'm just shocked by how much walking suppresses my appetite for the things I normally crave,” she said. “Instead, I found myself eating lunch and then not having this dire need to have chocolate after, which is very unusual. I still did enjoy Reese's and ice cream and sugary cereal, but the cravings for it definitely decreased.” She cites scientific evidence finding that “aerobic exercise such as walking has a larger impact on suppressing appetite than non-aerobic exercise such as weightlifting. In addition, walking may help your body to better process appetite hormones, allowing you to feel less hungry throughout the day and to feel fuller sooner when eating,” she says.

Third Change That Happened: She Felt More Energized

“The third thing that changed is that walking made me feel more energized throughout the day, which really surprised me because I figured it would take my energy away, and I would go for a walk and then I would be on the couch the remainder of the day eating a bowl of marshmallows, but instead walking made me activate my inner ticker,” she says. “I was actually able to get more done each day. I mean, the first few days were harder because my body was in shock from the sudden movement that it was not used to.”

Fourth Change That Happened: She Lost Weight

“The fourth thing that changed is I lost weight,” she continues. “I was really worried because I didn't feel like I was losing weight. I mean, I still had to suck in to put my pants on, and I was still eating ice cream and potato chips. So, boy, was I surprised when I stepped on the scale. One month later, I lost three pounds. But what's even more surprising are these pictures. I look like I went from four months pregnant to two months pregnant, and I'm not pregnant at all, for those of you wondering. But I did have a baby, which makes it difficult to get rid of this flab right here. So, but I'm not sure if any amount of walking could get rid of that.”

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Here Are the 10 Things She Learned From Doing the Challenge

She then moves on to the ten things that she learned by doing this challenge. “I'm just gonna rattle them off one by one. Walking in circles around your house is not fun, so get outside yet it does get the job done. Walking around in circles at night will annoy the people you live with. Dancing is a good way to get steps in. Grocery shopping does not give you as many steps as you think it would. Dishes don't benefit me at all in the walking department, but you still gotta do them. Walking with other people is nice, and it makes the experience a lot less painful. I wish I had a dog. I wish I had a babysitter so I could walk without a stubborn toddler. I wish I had Oreos and a glass of milk because that sounds freaking amazing. I'm so hungry because I stopped walking. And you should always set Google reminders to remind you to put your watch on in the morning.” And if you enjoyed this article, don't miss 12-3-30 Walking Method: 20 Proven Tips to Lose Weight Faster.