Do you need to “walk off” your calories?

You were dieting, then ate two bags of chips, panicked, and decided you had to walk it all off. That reaction feels logical in the moment—but it’s actually a harmful approach.

First, you can’t “erase” food with exercise. Walking is great for health, stress relief, and enjoyment, but using it as punishment turns movement into a response to guilt rather than something supportive. It also wildly overestimates how much exercise burns versus how much food provides, which sets you up for frustration and shame.

Second, this mindset reinforces the idea that eating certain foods is a mistake that must be paid for. That fuels an unhealthy cycle: restriction ? binge ? guilt ? compensation ? more restriction. Over time, this makes binge urges stronger, not weaker.

Third, stress itself matters. When you’re anxious and panicking, your body is already in a heightened state. Forcing yourself to “walk it off” while stressed doesn’t teach regulation—it teaches fear around food and loss of control.

What to do instead:

• Acknowledge it neutrally: you ate chips. That’s information, not a failure.
• Eat your next meal normally instead of restricting.
• If you walk, do it to calm your nervous system—not to burn calories.
• Focus on consistency over compensation; one eating episode does not undo progress.

Progress doesn’t come from punishment. It comes from learning how to respond without turning one moment into a spiral.