In fitness and nutrition, we’re no stranger to a good acronym. From AMRAP to BMI, DOMS to LISS, we love whittling down key lingo to just the bare bones. The latest to add to your collection? TDEE, or total daily energy expenditure. It’s a way of calculating how much energy your body burns in calories each day, depending on factors like your age, gender and activity. Whether you want to build muscle, improve your workout performance, lose fat, or just maintain your body composition, knowing your TDEE is pretty important. Clearly, you think so too, as 14.8k of you Google ‘TDEE’ each month.
WH asked Hannah Baugh, nutritionist and sports nutritionist, to explain all about the intricacies of TDEE, including calculating yours, its relationship with other key energy-expenditure metrics like BMR and NEAT and how to use it to support your goals.
Meet the expert: Hannah Baugh is a nutritionist and sports performance nutritionist at Hannah Rose Nutrition
What does TDEE mean?
TDEE stands for ‘Total Daily Energy Expenditure’, which is just a fancy way of naming the amount of energy your body burns through each day, explains Baugh. ‘The energy your body uses is what we’d refer to as “calories burned”. TDEE is different for everyone, and your age, gender, muscle mass, fat mass and activity levels all impact the amount of energy your body needs.’
TDEE includes the energy that your body needs during exercise, but that only accounts for 15 – 30% of your body’s energy requirements. TDEE also includes:
- The amount of energy your body needs at rest, to support basic, vital functions (BMR)
- Energy used during day-to-day non-exercise movement (NEAT)
- Energy used when you’re eating, to digest the food and turn it into energy for your body (Thermic Effect of Food)
Baugh refers to calories and energy interchangeably, as calories come from the food you eat, and provide energy that can be used as fuel for your body. ‘Therefore, TDEE helps us to estimate the amount of energy that your body uses, which in turn, means we can estimate your daily calorie requirements.’
How is BMR related to TDEE?
Baugh reminds us that an often forgotten and undervalued use of energy is for the basic functions that keep you alive and healthy. ‘This is known as BMR, or Basal Metabolic Rate,’ she says.
‘It’s the amount of energy that your body needs at rest, to support vital functions such as breathing, blood flow, heart and organ function’, she elaborates. ‘Your brain requires energy too, for decision-making, concentration, memory and learning – this uses a lot of energy.
‘BMR uses 60 – 70% of the calories that you consume each day, which is why it’s so important that you fuel your body with enough energy to support your health,’ she continues.
If you are severely under-eating (deliberately or accidentally) you can experience symptoms of low energy availability, such as:
- Tiredness, sluggishness and fatigue
- Low mood / irritability
- Difficulty losing weight or plateaued weight loss
- Irregular or missed periods
- Frequent illness
- Difficulty concentrating
How is NEAT related to TDEE?
Between 15 – 50% of your daily energy needs are used up by normal day-to-day tasks, like cleaning the house, playing with your kids, and going up and down stairs, says Baugh. This is known as non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT).
If you have a job that requires you to be on your feet all day, such as a waitress or doctor, you’re likely going to use more energy on NEAT than someone who is sat down all day.
If weight loss is your goal, increasing your daily NEAT is a great place to start. By moving more through your daily routine, you can increase the amount of calories you burn. Research backs this up, with one study showing that increasing NEAT helped with body-mass management, including in obese subjects.
‘To make it even more effective, if you combine increased NEAT with a nutrient-packed, whole-food diet that is calorie controlled, you are even more likely to achieve long-term sustainable and safe weight loss‘, says Baugh.
Counting calories might not be suitable for everybody, including those with a history of disordered eating. If you wish to use calorie counting as a weight-management tool, consider seeking medical advice from a trusted professional.
Baugh recommends some ways you can increase your NEAT:
- Using a standing desk in work
- Using the stairs instead of the lift
- Parking further away at the supermarket so you have to walk further when doing your shopping
- Getting off the Tube one stop early, so you have a slightly longer walk to work
- Stand up when you’re talking phone calls at work
- Planning movement breaks into your day. For example, when you stick the kettle on, you could walk up and down the stairs until it’s boiled, or do some stretches instead
- Walking to the corner shop instead of driving
How to calculate TDEE
To calculate your TDEE, you first need to calculate your BMR (basal metabolic rate), clarifies Baugh.
1. Calculate your BMR
There are numerous equations that you can use to calculate BMR, but one of the most accurate is the Mifflin-St Jeor equation:
Females: (10 x weight in kg) + (6.25 x height in cm) – (5,0 x age in years) – 161 = BMR
Males: (10 x weight in kg) + (6.25 x height in cm) – (5,0 x age in years) + 5 – BMR
For example, for a 65kg, 31-year-old female who is 162cm tall:
650 + 1013 – 155 – 161 = 1347kcal
This means her body’s basic energy requirements are 1347kcal per day.
2. Add NEAT and activity level
Now, you need to work out what your daily energy requirements are when you add in exercise and NEAT. To do this, you multiply the BMR by a physical activity level (PAL):
Activity level:
1. Sedentary: desk-based job with little or no exercise
Physical Activity Level (PAL): 1.2
2. Light activity: desk-based job and light exercise 1-3 days per week
PAL: 1.375
3. Moderately active: job requiring you to be on your feet, but not strenuous and/or moderate exercise 3-5 days per week
PAL: 1.55
4. Very active: physically demanding job and/or hard exercise 6-7 days per week
PAL: 1.725
5. Super active: physically demanding job and/or training 2x per day
PAL: 1.9
3. Multiply BMR by PAL
Using the same female as above, let’s say she’s a teacher who spends most of her day on her feet and trains in the gym four days per week. We can assume a PAL of ‘moderately active’.
Therefore, we multiply her BMR by 1.55.
1347 x 1.55 = 2088 kcal
2088 kcal is this female’s recommended daily calorie intake.
What is the most accurate TDEE calculator?
There are so many different equations for calculating BMR and TDEE and none of them are considered 100% accurate, says Baugh. ‘However, to get the best calculations for your TDEE, it helps to pick an equation that has been validated against a population group that you best fit into.’
1. General population
Two of the most commonly used equations are the Mifflin-St Jeor (used above) and the Harris-Benedict equations. These are the two equations that the research most commonly deems most accurate for the general population.
2. Athletes
Other equations such as Ten-Haaf and the Cunningham equation might be more effective for athlete populations or those with a particularly low fat mass.
3. Overweight
The WHO equation might be the most accurate in predicting BMR for overweight women over the age of 65 years.
Can I use TDEE to lose weight or fat?
Yes. Remember, your TDEE is an estimate of the amount of energy your body uses every day, so if you’re eating more calories than your TDEE, then you are in a calorie surplus, says Baugh. This will make weight loss harder.
Once you’ve calculated your TDEE, it’s worth keeping a food diary and tracking how many calories you’re eating at the moment versus your TDEE (there are plenty of free apps like TDEE Calculator and Adaptive TDEE Tracker that you can use).
How to use TDEE if you’re eating more calories than you need
‘Try reducing your calorie intake down to the same as your TDEE for 2-3 weeks and see if that results in weight loss,’ advises Baugh.
How to use TDEE if you’re already eating around your TDEE
Baugh explains: ‘If you’re eating your TDEE and/or your weight is stable after 2-3 weeks, then drop your daily calorie target down by 15%.’
For example if your TDEE is 2300kcal, 15% is 345kcal.
This makes your new daily calorie target 2300 – 345 = 1955kcal.
By gradually reducing your daily calorie intake, you’ll support fat loss goals whilst helping you to maintain your muscle mass, she continues.
Be patient! ‘Effective, sustainable fat loss takes time, and it won’t happen overnight’, Baugh encourages. Consistency is key: keeping close to this calorie target on a daily basis is important for achieving the results you want.
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