The number of calories your body burns each day is called your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE).
TDEE includes your BMR, the thermic effect of food, and exercise energy expenditure.
Having a TDEE helps you set up a diet that aligns with your goals. It also helps you stay accountable.
Basal Metabolic Rate
Basal metabolic rate, or BMR, is the amount of calories your body needs to sustain basic life functions. These include breathing, circulation, cell production, nutrient processing and protein synthesis.
The body burns calories for these basic functions without effort or even thinking about them. Your sex, age, weight and height will all affect how many calories you need each day.
Generally speaking, your BMR will make up 60 to 75 per cent of your daily energy expenditure, and it will change based on how active you are. The rest is made up of your total energy expenditure (TDEE), which varies on a daily basis.
Whether you are trying to lose weight, gain muscle or just maintain your current weight, it is important to understand how much you need to consume each day. Knowing your BMR can help you calculate TDEE and create a caloric deficit, which is needed to shed excess body fat.
Thermic Effect of Food
The thermic effect of food is the energy that your body needs to break down and absorb the nutrients you eat. Thermic effects can vary depending on the nutrient composition of the food you eat, your age and physical activity levels, and certain medical conditions or medications.
Proteins, fats, and carbohydrates have different thermic effects because they take up a different amount of energy to digest. Lean protein foods, such as chicken breast, egg whites, and fish, have the highest thermic effects, burning off almost 30% of your calories during digestion.
Eating a high thermic effect food, such as a meal with a higher proportion of lean protein, can help you burn more calories and reach your weight loss goals. It also helps you feel fuller and keep your overall caloric intake in check.
Thermic Effect of Activity
The Thermic Effect of Activity, aka TEPA, accounts for 15 to 30% of your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). It includes both exercise and non-exercise activity thermogenesis, which could include the energy burned when you walk your dog or take the garbage out.
It also includes the energy required to digest and absorb food, which makes up about 10 percent of your calorie burn. That may not sound like a lot, but it’s an important part of your total calorie burn and is the reason why you’re so hungry after eating.
TDEE is also a tricky thing to measure because it depends on so many factors. To calculate it, you need to take your basal metabolic rate (BMR) and multiply it by a factor that is related to your level of activity. This will give you a rough idea of your tdee, but keep in mind that it can vary from day to day. The best way to estimate your tdee is to track your activity levels and watch what you eat over time.
Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis
Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) is the energy expended performing normal day activities outside of planned exercise and training. This includes walking, cooking, cleaning, yardwork, and involuntary movement like fidgeting.
Increasing NEAT can significantly reduce your total daily energy expenditure and is a crucial component to weight loss. NEAT accounts for a significant portion of your total TDEE, which can range from 15% in sedentary people to as much as 50% in highly active individuals.
Adding NEAT to your diet can help you lose weight without adding calories or working out more. In fact, a study found that dieters who added NEAT to their weight loss plan lost more weight than those who added exercise alone.