TDEE defined
TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure — the total calories your body burns in a day including resting metabolism, food digestion, and all physical activity.
TDEE vs BMR
BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the calories you burn at complete rest. TDEE is BMR multiplied by an activity factor.
The four components of TDEE
1. BMR (60–70% of TDEE): Your resting metabolic rate. Muscle burns approximately 3x more calories at rest than fat.
2. TEF — Thermic Effect of Food (8–15%): Calories burned digesting food. Protein has the highest thermic effect (20–35%).
3. EAT — Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (15–30%): Intentional exercise.
4. NEAT — Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (variable): All movement that is not intentional exercise — walking, fidgeting, household chores.
Activity multipliers
- Sedentary: × 1.2
- Lightly active (1–3 days/week): × 1.375
- Moderately active (3–5 days/week): × 1.55
- Very active (6–7 days/week): × 1.725
- Extra active (physical job or 2× daily training): × 1.9
Using TDEE to set your calorie target
Fat loss: Eat TDEE minus 250–500 calories for 0.5–1 lb per week loss.
Lean bulk: Eat TDEE plus 200–300 calories to minimise fat gain.
Maintenance: Eat at TDEE and track weight for 2–3 weeks to confirm accuracy.