What I'm reading here is so different from my personal experiences, I don't know how to respond.
After posting here, I spent some time looking at the research on diabetes and walking. The research is all over the place. Most of it made no sense to me.
A lot of it was done on walking before meals or immediately after, which in my experience isn't real helpful.
The timing of the walk is very important. I try to give myself a minimum of 30 minutes to digest my food before heading out. Additionally, when I first started walking, it was very difficult for me. In the beginning, I could only walk short distances, and walking's effects on my glucose levels were all over the place, but I stuck with it and eventually built up to walking 3 miles. I still remember the joy of accomplishing that goal.
Today, I walk anywhere from a half mile to 3 miles a day, but always after meals, to maintain good control of my glucose levels.
I think though the battle ground initially is with fatty muscles and fatty liver, also inflammation. It took months and months of eating low carb and walking before I was able to significantly knock glucose levels down consistently with walking.
Last week, I had 4 days to get a house ready to be sold and used muscles I normally don't use, and also ate higher carb foods than normal. It really wreaked my body. I gained 3 pounds, I'm stiff, inflammed, and in pain so I'm walking only short distances temporarily to give my body time to recover. Today, I'm going to try to walk 30 minutes after lunch to see how I do.
Thinking about this more, I sometimes walk up to 3 times a day, and I sometimes don't walk at all for a few days because I'm fasting or eating fewer meals or resting.
I guess for me, with time and experience, I've gotten better at knowing when to walk and when not to.
Walking is the only means I have to control my glucose levels. My plan is to add resistance training too, hopefully this year.. Walking also thins my blood, something that becomes increasingly important when we become older. Staying adequately hydrated is equally important.
When it comes to walking, I really believe you need to do it for three months to evaluate whether or not it works for you. That said, if you're carrying a lot of extra weight, walking may not be possible in the beginning. My friend, who is very obese, is starting with resistance training instead with a fitness trainer at a local gym.
We each have to find our own way. Another friend who is recovering from surgery for chariot foot uses a rowing machine alternately with exercising in bed with stretching bands.