Want to shed those extra kilos healthily? Santé consulted Lolkje de Vries, spokesperson for the Nutrition Center, which offers reliable guidance on healthy, safe, and sustainable eating for consumers and professionals alike.
Lolkje de Vries explains: "Women typically need around 2,000 calories daily. Creating a calorie deficit—burning more than you consume—leads to weight loss. Achieve this by eating healthier and exercising more. For weight loss, aim slightly below your needs, like 1,500 calories per day, while cutting back on high-fat and sugary foods."
"Crash diets promising rapid results are hard to sustain. To lose 1 kilo of fat, you must create a 7,000-calorie deficit through reduced intake or extra activity."
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"Calorie burn varies by gender, weight, and activity. For a 65 kg person playing football for an hour, it's about 7 calories per kg—totaling 455 calories. That means over 15 hours to lose 1 kilo. Running at 10 km/h takes around 11 hours for the same weight. This assumes exercise on top of daily activities with unchanged eating. Heavier individuals burn more."
"Diet changes are often more efficient for weight loss than exercise alone—you'd need significant workouts otherwise. If you ramp up activity without adjusting intake, progress is slow. Base meals on the Eat Well Plate (disc of five), skip snacks, and choose whole grains. Exercise remains crucial for heart health, reducing chronic disease risk, and extra calorie burn. Combine both for best results."
