Total Daily Energy Expenditure

When it comes to managing your weight (loss, gain or maintenance) there are a lot of factors to consider, and one of those is your Total Daily Energy Expenditure, or TDEE.

Your TDEE is a measure of how much energy (or how many calories) you burn throughout a day and is helpful to understand when it comes to weight management. It helps you understand that when it comes to losing (or gaining) weight there are some things you can control, and others that unfortunately you can't. The good thing about knowing this is that you can eliminate things that are beyond your control, and instead focus on what matters.

Without further ado, let's take a closer look at what your TDEE is made up of.

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)

BMR is an estimate of how many calories you'd burn if you were to do nothing other than rest for 24 hours. It represents the minimum amount of energy that you need to keep your body functioning, including breathing and keeping your heart beating. You can't change this much, so don't spend much or any time focussing on it!

Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT)

This is the energy expended for everything that you do that is not sleeping, eating or sports-like exercise — walking to work, typing, gardening, housework, DIY and fidgeting amongst others. This is an area you are in control of! Take that lunchtime walk, do some ironing, take a break from your screen every hour, turn calls into walking meetings and give your NEAT a boost.

Thermic Effect of Food (TEF)

TEF refers to the energy you expend during the digestion of food. Every bodily function, including digestion, requires energy, which means every time you eat something you're burning some calories in the process. TEF changes depending on what and how much you're eating (high protein foods have a slightly higher TEF), but it isn't something you can change significantly, so don't worry about it too much.

Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (EAT)

EAT refers to the energy you expend when you exercise — long distance cardio, HIIT, or resistance training. This is where you are really in control of your calorie expenditure. If weight loss is your primary goal, you're likely to benefit from adding more cardio into your routine, whilst adding muscle (or weight gain) will always benefit from a greater focus on resistance training.

In summary, when it comes to weight management (weight loss in particular) and the impact of TDEE, place your focus on your NEAT and your EAT for maximal results.