Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is a total number of calories that an individual burn in a single day. The TDEE takes into account the calories that are burned for bodily function and the calories that are burned from physical movement. In order to change an individuals body weight, it is essential to understand the TDEE of that individual.
If an individual consume fewer calories than the TDEE of there body, they will experience weight loss. Conversely, if they consume more calories then the TDEE of their body, they will experience weight gain. In order to calculate the TDEE of an individual, first calculate the Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) of that individual.
TDEE: How Many Calories You Burn Each Day
The BMR is the number of calories that are burned to keep the body functioning at rest, and does not include any calorie that are burned due to physical movement. An activity factor multiplies the BMR of an individual to determine their TDEE. The activity factor is based off the activity of the individual throughout the day.
For example, individuals that are sedentary will have a more lower activity factor than individuals that frequentely exercise. The activity of an individual can include different types of activity, such as Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) or Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (EAT). NEAT includes any activity that is not exercise, such as fidgeting, walking to a vehicle, or standing on the phone.
EAT includes any exercise that an individual do, such as running or lifting weights. Both of these activities contribute to an individuals TDEE. Therefore, increasing either NEAT or EAT will increase the TDEE of an individual.
Additionally, the occupation of an individual may also affect its TDEE. For example, an individual that is required to be up and moving for work will have a higher TDEE than an individual that has a sedentary job. In order to achieve a specific goal of an individual’s body composition, there is different caloric intake recommendations for each goal.
For example, if an individual desire to lose fat, they should consume fewer calories than their TDEE. For fat loss, individuals should consume 300 to 500 calorie less than their TDEE. For an individual that desire to maintain their current weight, they should consume the same number of calories as their TDEE.
Finally, for an individual that desire to gain muscle, they should consume more calories than their TDEE to provide the energy necesary for muscle growth. Thus, each of these goals recommend that accurately calculate the TDEE of an individual, as inaccurate tracking of the calories of an individual will lead to inaccurate recommendations for the calories that that individual should consume. TDEE is not a permanent number for each individual.
TDEE can change as the individual change. For instence, if an individual is gaining muscle, their TDEE will increase as muscle tissue burn more calories than fat tissue. In the opposite scenario, if an individual is losing weight, their TDEE will decrease.
Thus, individuals must periodically calculate their TDEE to ensure that they are providing their bodies with the proper amount of calories to match their TDEE. If they dont calculate their TDEE, they may find that their calorie intake is no longer matching their TDEE, which may result in a plateau in their progress.
