26/04/2026
Most people have heard this before: “Walking burns more fat than running.”
Technically, that statement comes from physiology. At lower intensities like walking, a higher percentage of the energy your body uses comes from fat. As intensity increases to jogging or sprinting, the body shifts more toward carbohydrates because they can produce energy faster.
But this is where people misunderstand the science.
Burning a higher percentage of fat during a session does not mean you will lose more body fat overall. Fat loss is not decided by which fuel you are using in that moment. It is decided by your total energy balance over time.
For example:
Walking may burn 200 kcal with 60% from fat.
Jogging may burn 400 kcal with 40% from fat.
Even though the percentage is lower while jogging, the total calories burned are higher, and over days and weeks, that total matters more than the fuel split in one session.
Also, the body does not operate in isolated workouts. If you use more carbohydrates during a harder session, your body can shift toward using more fat later in the day. Fuel use is dynamic, not fixed.
So the real question is not: “Which exercise burns more fat during the workout?”
It is: “Which form of activity can I sustain consistently while managing my nutrition?”
Walking, jogging, sprinting: ALL CAN WORK.
(fat oxidation, energy balance, substrate utilisation, exercise intensity, metabolic adaptation)
