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What is TDEE, and how can it help you get fit or lose weight? TDEE stands for total daily energy expenditure. Think of it as your overall metabolism — or how many calories you burn when resting, eating, exercising, and simply existing.
Knowing your TDEE can help you plan your weight management approach, from what you eat to how much you move throughout the day.
Let’s unpack the details of TDEE and discuss how it can be a helpful tool when coming up with a weight loss strategy.
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Total daily energy expenditure, or TDEE, is just jargon for what most of us know as metabolism. In simpler terms, it’s about understanding how your body burns energy throughout the day.
Everyone has a unique TDEE, and it can shift over time due to things like aging, getting more or less physical activity, health conditions, or changes in body composition.
Body composition is the ratio of muscle, body fat, bone, and water in your body. It offers a more holistic view of your health than just body weight alone, taking into account factors like muscle strength and hydration.
What is TDEE for? Since TDEE isn’t static and can vary with life changes, it can be really useful to recalculate or estimate your TDEE periodically. This way, you can adjust your habits and health plans as needed.
TDEE is made up of two main parts: resting energy expenditure and non-resting energy expenditure. We’ll break these down to give you a clearer picture of how they work.
Resting energy expenditure, or REE, is essentially the energy your body uses while at rest. Even when you’re simply sitting, sleeping, or relaxing, your body is hard at work keeping everything running smoothly.
Think of it like this: Your body is continuously managing vital processes like maintaining your internal temperature (known as thermogenesis), keeping your heart beating, and ensuring you’re still breathing — all while at rest.
This part of TDEE is also known as resting metabolic rate (RMR) or basal metabolic rate (BMR).
To make matters even more complicated, the terms RMR and BMR are often used interchangeably. However, BMR is usually slightly lower and might be a more accurate way to measure metabolism.
We get it — these technical terms and acronyms can be confusing. To keep things straightforward, we’ll use BMR in this post when talking about REE.
Non-resting energy expenditure, or NREE, is all the energy your body uses outside of rest. It’s a broad category that includes a few key components:
Thermic effect of food (TEF). Sometimes called diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT), this is the energy your body uses to digest and process food. After you eat, your metabolism ramps up a bit to break down what you’ve consumed.
Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT). This encompasses physical activity other than dedicated, deliberate exercise — things like fidgeting, standing, and going about your day. Your body still works to maintain its balance and burns through energy while helping you do these simple activities.
Exercise activity thermogenesis (EAT). And finally, we have the portion of your non-resting energy expenditure that changes when you’re actually working to increase your heart rate — also known as intentional exercise.
TDEE is basically the total number of calories your body needs to function on a daily basis and maintain its current weight.
There are numerous TDEE calculators out there, but most use the following equations:
Mifflin-St Jeor equation
Harris-Benedict equation
Katch-McArdle equation
Generally, TDEE calculators estimate BMR based on a person’s height, body weight, age, and sex assigned at birth. Then, they use a physical activity multiplier with the BMR.
Sounds complicated, right? That’s where these online calculators can come in handy — they do tricky math for you.
Luckily, there are a lot of great online resources with free TDEE calculators, including ours.
When working on a weight loss plan, calculating your total daily energy expenditure is often a good starting point. Understanding TDEE helps you see how various parts of your metabolism contribute to your overall energy use, which can guide your weight loss strategy.
For example, while research suggests that your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is important, it’s not the only factor affecting weight loss. Other elements like eating activity thermogenesis (EAT) and the thermic effect of food (TEF) also impact your metabolism.
Many people aim to create a calorie deficit to lose weight. In other words, you need to keep your daily calorie intake low by eating fewer calories than you burn.
But focusing solely on calorie counting isn’t always the most effective or sustainable approach.
In fact, research suggests that non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) — all the little movements and activities you do throughout the day beyond formal exercise — can have a significant impact on your total energy expenditure.
The good news is that you have some control over your personal NEAT. Making an effort to boost it can have a positive impact on your metabolism and weight management.
So, while creating a calorie deficit is a critical part of weight loss, integrating strategies to boost NEAT and adopting a balanced approach to eating and exercise can be more effective for long-term weight management.
Here are some ways you can boost your non-resting energy expenditure to support your weight loss journey:
Boosting physical activity
Eating healthily
Increasing your NEAT
Let’s explore each below.
Getting regular physical activity is an essential factor in staying healthy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says to aim for:
150 minutes (or 2.5 hours) of moderate-intensity activity spread over the course of a week
Or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity each week
Plus some strength training a couple of days a week
If you don’t currently exercise regularly, start small with laidback daily walks. Or work with a personal trainer to help you figure out the right routine that aligns with your physical activity level.
When you’re ready, focus on resistance training — which can involve lifting weights or using your body weight to do exercises. This can increase the amount of calories your body burns at rest while boosting fat loss.
Strength training can also help you maintain or build muscle mass, which can be lost during weight loss, and improve your body composition.
As you probably already know, healthy eating is another part of weight management. Some steps you can take for better nutrition:
Focusing on eating nutrient-rich foods over processed foods
Being mindful of portion sizes
Limiting alcoholic beverages and sugary drinks
When in doubt, reach for whole foods with lots of vitamins, minerals, protein, and fiber instead of refined carbs that don’t offer much nutrition or energy.
Consider working with a nutrition coach to come up with a good meal plan if you need extra support or guidance.
How do you increase your NEAT? The simple answer is to avoid falling into a sedentary lifestyle.
You can aim to increase your activity level without hitting the gym or going for a jog by:
Getting a standing desk
Trying an active hobby, like dancing, pickleball, or tennis
Incorporating walking or biking into your daily life, maybe even as your form of transportation
Going on walks while you take calls
Taking the stairs instead of the elevator
Doing mini-exercises while seated if you work at a desk
To support those healthy habits, make sure you’re getting enough high-quality sleep and staying hydrated.
It’s also worth saying that while TDEE might help you take steps toward weight loss, it isn’t a one-size-fits-all endeavor. Everyone’s metabolism is different.
Simply having more information about your TDEE isn’t the be-all and end-all. For some, weight loss medications or other interventions might be a good fit. Explore affordable, holistic weight loss plans on our telehealth platform.
TDEE refers to the total amount of energy your body uses every day, including both resting and active states.
Here’s what to keep in mind about TDEE and how to use this metric to support your weight management journey:
What is TDEE? It stands for total daily energy expenditure.
TDEE comprises resting energy expenditure (REE) and non-resting energy expenditure (NREE). NREE includes the thermic effect of food (TEF), non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT), and exercise activity thermogenesis (EAT).
Understanding your TDEE can help you come up with an eating plan and workout routine to support healthy weight loss. It can also help you understand how important your NEAT is and what your BMR is.
Online TDEE calculators can help you figure out what factors make up your overall metabolism. TDEE can fluctuate as your body and routine change over time, so you might calculate it regularly as your weight loss needs and goals change.
Some strategies for managing TDEE include increasing physical activity, eating healthily, and enhancing NEAT by incorporating more movement into your daily routine.
Remember, both weight loss and getting in shape should also involve getting plenty of sleep and staying hydrated.
Plus, everyone’s body is different, and some may need extra support from things like weight loss meds. If you’re interested in weight loss medication, start with our free online assessment to see which prescription drugs might be available to you.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information contained herein is not a substitute for and should never be relied upon for professional medical advice. Always talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of any treatment. Learn more about our editorial standards here.
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This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information contained herein is not a substitute for and should never be relied upon for professional medical advice. Always talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of any treatment. Learn more about our editorial standards here.