The merits of taking a good walk. the average person's stride length is approximately 2.5 feet long. that means it takes just over 2,000 steps to walk one mile, and you will maintain your weight. if you take 4,000 - 6,000 more steps each day you will lose weight. dr. james o. hill of the center for human nutrition at the university of colorado health sciences center made these claims and people have been listening. a 150-pound person can burn 100 calories per mile while walking. if a 150-pound person walks 6,000 more steps each day, how many calories will they have burned in a year? 109,500 calories 36,500 calories 73,000 calories 164,250 calories