What Is TDEE? The 5 Parts of Your Daily Calorie Burn

Nikkiey: Are you tired of struggling to lose weight despite your best efforts? It's a common frustration, but the solution might lie in understanding the different components of energy expenditure. While exercise is certainly important for fat loss, the human body actually burns calories in a variety of ways, from basic metabolic functions to everyday activities like walking and even digesting food. So in this video, I'll dive into the five key components of energy expenditure and provide you tips for how you can increase each one to help you achieve your fat loss goals.

By taking a comprehensive approach to fat loss, you can unlock your body's full calorie-burning potential and achieve the results you've been dreaming of. So let's dive right into talking about these five key components of increasing your energy expenditure: BMR, NEAT, TEF, EAT and TDEE, and explore how you can increase each one to optimize your fat loss results.

Number one, BMR, basal metabolic rate. BMR is the amount of energy that your body requires to carry out basic physiological functions while at rest. These functions include things like breathing, circulating your blood, regulating your body temperature and maintaining organ function. In other words, it's the minimum amount of energy your body needs to just stay alive.

BMR accounts for the majority of your total daily energy expenditure. In fact, it can make up as much as 70% of your total daily expenditure. That means even if you were to lie in bed all day without moving, your body would still burn a significant number of calories to keep your vital organs functioning.

The number of calories your body burns at rest can vary from person to person based on factors like age, gender, height, weight and body composition. Generally, men tend to have a higher BMR than women, and people with more muscle mass tend to have a higher BMR than those with less muscle mass. I personally, through the years, have built more muscle mass on my body and have naturally increased my BMR baseline due to that. Because of my muscle mass, I naturally have a higher BMR than someone who is my age, height and weight but has less muscle mass. Therefore, they have a lower BMR.

So with that being said, to increase your BMR, you can increase your muscle mass through strength training. As I've mentioned before in previous videos, muscles are more metabolically active than fat, which means they require more energy to maintain. So the more muscle you have, the higher your BMR will be. In addition, regular exercise can also boost your BMR, even when you're at rest.

So in summary, BMR is the amount of energy your body burns at rest, and it accounts for the majority of your total daily energy expenditure. Increasing your muscle mass through strength training can help boost your BMR, which will ultimately help you with fat loss.

Number two, NEAT, non-exercise activity thermogenesis. NEAT refers to the energy your body burns through non-exercise activities like fidgeting, standing or walking. Essentially, NEAT is the energy expenditure that happens outside of planned exercise. NEAT can also vary significantly from person to person, as BMR does, based on factors like your occupation, your lifestyle and the environment. For example, someone with a sedentary office job may have a much lower NEAT than someone with a more physically demanding job like a hairdresser or construction worker.

A few ways to increase your NEAT can be as simple as making small changes to your daily habits, like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or parking further away from your destination so that you have to walk more. These are just a few examples, but the idea is to find more ways to incorporate more movement into your daily routine. Over time, these small changes can add up to a significant increase in energy expenditure.

So in summary, NEAT is the energy your body burns through non-exercise activities, and it can vary significantly from person to person. By making small changes to your daily habits and finding ways to incorporate more movement into your routine, you can increase your NEAT and ultimately boost your total daily energy expenditure.

Number three, TEF, or thermic effect of food. TEF refers to the energy that your body burns to digest, absorb and metabolize the food that you eat. Essentially, it's the energy cost of processing the food that you consume. TEF can vary depending on the macronutrient composition of your diet. Protein, for example, has a higher TEF than carbohydrates or fats. This means that your body burns more energy to process protein than it does to process other macronutrients.

So to increase your TEF, you can focus on eating a diet that is high in protein. This will increase the overall energy cost of digesting your food and boost your total daily energy expenditure. However, it's important to note too that the increase in TEF from eating a high-protein diet is relatively small compared to other factors that contribute to energy expenditure, such as exercise. Nothing compares to increasing your energy expenditure like exercise does. So don't just think that you can eat more protein and bam, you'll increase your energy expenditure. Eating a high-protein diet is relatively small compared to exercise when it comes to increasing your overall energy expenditure in your day.

It's also worth noting that some foods have a negative TEF, meaning that they actually require less energy to digest than they provide. This is typically the case with highly processed foods that are high in fat and sugar. These types of foods can contribute to weight gain because they don't burn as many calories during digestion.

So in summary, TEF is the energy your body burns to digest, absorb and metabolize the food that you eat. Eating a diet that is high in protein can increase your TEF and boost your total daily energy expenditure, but the increase in TEF from food is relatively small compared to other factors like exercise. It's important to focus on whole, nutrient-dense foods and avoid highly processed foods that have a negative TEF.

Number four, EAT, exercise activity thermogenesis. EAT refers to the energy your body burns during planned exercise, including both aerobic and resistance training. During exercise, your body uses energy to power your muscles, and this energy expenditure can vary depending on the type and intensity of the activity that you're doing.

Increasing your EAT can be done by increasing the frequency, intensity or duration of your workouts. Incorporating resistance training can be an effective way to increase your EAT by building more muscle mass, which in turn, just like I spoke to, increases your BMR.

So in summary, EAT refers to the energy your body burns during planned exercise, and increasing your EAT can be done by increasing the frequency, intensity and duration of your workouts, as well as incorporating resistance training to build more muscle mass. However, it's important to remember that exercise is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to weight loss, fat loss and overall health. A balanced approach that includes attention to other factors like your diet, sleep and stress is crucial for optimal results in building muscle and changing your body composition.

And lastly, number five, TDEE, total daily energy expenditure. TDEE refers to the total amount of energy your body burns in a day, including all of the things that I just talked about: BMR, NEAT, TEF and EAT. It's essentially the total number of calories you need to maintain your current weight based on your activity level and other factors. Calculating and understanding your TDEE can be helpful for determining how many calories you need to eat in a day to lose, maintain or gain weight.

There are several online calculators that can help you estimate your TDEE based on your age, gender, weight, height and activity level, but I honestly wouldn't recommend them. They all say different things and can leave you way more confused on where to start with all of this. Don't waste your time. Instead, buy your time by working with a professional who knows exactly how to put all of this together for you, so that you just have to follow it and do the work. For more help, check out WarriorBabe. Link below the video in the description.

So to increase your TDEE, you can focus on increasing your activity level, including both planned exercise and non-exercise activity like NEAT. Building more muscle mass through strength training can also help boost your TDEE by increasing your BMR. All of the things that I touched on work together to increase your TDEE.

So in summary, TDEE refers to the total amount of energy your body burns in a day, including BMR, NEAT, TEF and EAT. Calculating and understanding your TDEE can be helpful for determining how many calories you need to eat in a day to lose, maintain or gain weight. To increase your TDEE, you can focus on increasing your activity level and building more muscle mass.

Now, I'm going to dive into how you can measure each of these components. However, I'll say up front, it may be challenging for you to do this yourself, which is why I would recommend hiring and working with a professional coach who knows exactly what to look for within your body composition and the right questions to ask you to gauge these numbers a little more accurately. We have 35-plus professional coaches on the WarriorBabe team. Let them do this for you. If you're interested, the link to apply and work with one of them is below. Let's dive into how you would measure these now.

Number one, BMR, basal metabolic rate. BMR can be measured by measuring the amount of oxygen that you consume and the amount of carbon dioxide you produce while resting. This is typically done in a lab or clinical setting. However, there are also equations that can be used to estimate BMR based on factors like your age, sex, height and weight, and by looking at your overall body composition and distinguishing the amount of muscle mass to body fat that you have. That again lets us know whether you may have a lower BMR, with more body fat than muscle mass, compared to a higher BMR, with more muscle mass than body fat.

Number two, NEAT, non-exercise activity thermogenesis. NEAT is more difficult to measure directly, as it refers to the energy you expend through everyday activities like walking, standing and fidgeting. However, there are some tools that can help estimate your NEAT, such as activity trackers that monitor your steps, like your iPhone watches or other gadgets that alert you when you've been sitting for too long. This is where a professional would take into account your overall lifestyle factors and job to get a better understanding of your energy expenditure through NEAT.

Number three, TEF, thermic effect of food. TEF is typically measured as a percentage of the calories that you consume, with different macronutrients, protein, fats and carbs, having different TEF values. For example, protein has a TEF of around 20-30%, meaning that your body burns 20-30% of the calories from protein during digestion. However, it's difficult to measure TEF directly, as it would involve measuring the amount of energy your body expends during digestion and metabolism.

Number four, EAT, exercise activity thermogenesis. EAT is typically estimated based on the type, intensity and duration of exercise. For example, you can use a heart rate monitor or activity tracker to estimate the number of calories you burn during a workout. However, these estimates may not be entirely accurate, as they are based on a generalized equation and don't take into account individual differences in your metabolism and other factors.

And number five, TDEE, total daily energy expenditure. TDEE can be estimated using an online calculator or, like I've mentioned, by working with a professional to get a more accurate number for you. Typically, a more precise reading of your TDEE is done in research settings through more advanced methods, which involve consuming water with isotopes and measuring the rate of carbon dioxide production to determine energy expenditure. Don't try that at home, friends.

In conclusion, understanding the different components of energy expenditure, BMR, NEAT, TEF, EAT and TDEE, is crucial for anyone trying to optimize their fat loss goals. By understanding the role of each component and how to increase it, you can create, or a professional coach can create, a comprehensive plan for maximizing your calorie burn and achieving your fat loss goals. If you don't know where to start with this, check out WarriorBabe. We've got you on all of these specifics. Just follow our guidance and do the work. You'll get the results. Check it out and apply using the links below this video.

It's important to note, too, that everything I just spoke about, exercise and increasing energy expenditure, is all important for fat loss, but it is just one piece of the puzzle. A balanced approach that includes attention to other factors like your diet, sleep and stress management is crucial for optimal results. Ultimately, by focusing on each component of energy expenditure that I just covered and taking a comprehensive approach to fat loss, you can achieve your desired results and improve your overall health and well-being.

Thanks so much for watching, you guys. I hope this was super helpful for you. Don't forget to subscribe to the channel for more great content like this, and I'll see you next time. Bye.