6-8 miles is fantastic - few adults could do that.
And the walking does not take away your appetite, only your appetite for garbage. When I'm exercising (I've been lazy lately), healthful food tastes incredible.
After the Marines, I let myself go to pot. The big shocker was when I realized I couldn't even keep up with my kids anymore without getting out of breath. So starting the beginning of March, I put myself "back in boot camp" and started getting up at 5AM to walk. It didn't take too long to build up to my current 6-8 miles a day. I'd walk even more but I do still have my job and kids to attend to! The first few weeks were sort of painful. Blisters, shin splints, rubbery legs, etc. But over the past month, I have been virtually gliding on my walks. I now bound up and down stairs and feel just great. I think the diet I described in my earlier post has a lot to do with this as well. But you are right, all the exercise makes me crave healthy foods. Just the thought of putting a candy bar or a jelly donut into my mouth disgusts me. I want fuel, not garbage!
Once I achieve long-term results, I'll say a lot more about my "modified" Atkins plan. I just think the Atkins diet is too strict. With some regular and vigorous exercise, I believe the Atkins plan can be modified to something more reasonable that people will have no problem sticking to the rest of their lives.