Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE)
It’s a fancy way of saying the total number of calories that your body burns in a day.
This takes into account your activity level and the energy that your body uses while you are at rest and even sleeping.
Knowing your TDEE is a helpful tool for anyone looking to manage their weight, whether they want to lose fat, gain muscle, or maintain their current weight.
Here’s how TDEE is calculated:
- Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): This is the number of calories your body burns at rest to maintain vital functions like breathing and circulation. Several factors influence BMR, including age, weight, height, and gender.
- Activity Level: This considers how active you are throughout the day. People with very active lifestyles will have a higher TDEE than those who are more sedentary.
- Thermic Effect of Food (TEF): This is the energy your body uses to digest and absorb food. It’s usually around 10% of your calorie intake.
Of course, it is not an exact science, as all of these factors can all vary from day to day.
How To Calculate TDEE
Here is the basic formula used in calculating your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE):
TDEE = BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) x Activity Level + TEF (Thermic Effect of Food)BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate)
The two most common BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) calculations are the Mifflin St Jeor Equation (developed in 1990) and the Harris-Benedict Equation (developed in 1918 and revised in 1984).
Both equations estimate the minimum amount of calories your body burns at rest, but studies suggest that the Mifflin St Jeor equation is slightly more accurate, especially for obese individuals.
Our calculator uses the Mifflin St Jeor equation as follows:
Men: BMR = 10 * weight (kg) + 6.25 * height (cm) – 5 * age (y) + 5
Women: BMR = 10 * weight (kg) + 6.25 * height (cm) – 5 * age (y) - 161You can also calculate out your BMR here.
Factors That Affect TDEE
The two main factors used to calculate your TDEE are your or Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and your activity levels.
Factors affecting BMR:
- Age: BMR generally decreases with age.
- Sex: Men tend to have a higher BMR than women due to muscle mass differences.
- Height: Taller people tend to have a higher BMR.
- Weight: People who weigh more tend to have a higher BMR.
Your Activity Level:
- Sedentary (little to no exercise)
- Lightly active (light exercise 1-3 days/week)
- Moderately active (moderate exercise 3-5 days/week)
- Very active (heavy exercise 6-7 days/week)
- Extremely active (very heavy exercise, hard labor job, training 2x/day)
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