You're probably wondering how many calories you actually need for balance. That's not so easy to determine. It depends on your resting metabolic rate and your activity.
Basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the amount of energy the body needs to maintain its functioning and to carry out basal energy-demanding processes. Examples include constant brain activity, a constantly beating heart, and kidney function.
The amount of lean body mass (particularly muscle mass) has a significant impact on resting metabolic rate. When lean body mass is high, resting metabolic rate will also be high.
For this reason, men generally have a higher resting metabolic rate than women. Young people will also have a higher resting metabolic rate than older people. Athletic people have a higher resting metabolic rate than inactive people.
To prevent obesity, it is very important for you to be and remain active!
In addition to basal metabolic rate, energy expenditure is determined by activity. The more you move, the higher your energy expenditure. This is something you can adjust. To maintain a healthy balance, you can eat a little more by exercising more, and if you want to lose weight, you can either maintain your diet but exercise more, or adjust your diet and exercise more.
To prevent or treat obesity, the Dutch Standard for Healthy Exercise requires 60 minutes of moderately intense physical activity per day. The Fitnorm also requires at least 20 minutes of intense physical activity three times a week (for example, through sports). If you are overweight, the recommendation is to do at least 150-200 minutes of moderate to vigorously intense aerobic physical activity per week, strength training twice a week, and reduce sitting time. Spread your physical activity over several days a week, consisting of at least 30-60 minutes of exercise.
How do you know how many calories you need? Determining your calorie needs isn't easy. One way to measure your calorie needs yourself is to compare your body weight with your diet and activity levels. For example, you can calculate your food intake and track your activity at www.eetmeter.voedingscentrum.nl. If your body weight has increased recently, the balance appears positive, and you should increase your activity-based calorie expenditure or decrease your food intake. If your body weight decreases, it appears you're burning more than you're consuming.
