TDEE: The Holy Grail of Dieting
BMR tells you what you burn in a coma. TDEE tells you what you burn in real life. If you want to control your weight, this is the only number that matters.
Calculate Your Maintenance
Stop guessing. Find the exact number of calories your body needs to maintain its current weight.
Calculate TDEEThe Calorie Equation
Weight management is simple physics (Thermodynamics), but the variables are complex.
Calories In = Food & Drink.
Calories Out = TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure).
Your TDEE is the sum of four distinct calorie-burning processes. Understanding them is the key to faster metabolism.
1. BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) - 70% of Burn
This is the energy cost of keeping you alive. Even if you laid in bed all day without moving, your body needs fuel to pump blood, inflate lungs, and grow hair.
How to increase it: Build muscle. Muscle tissue is metabolically expensive; fat tissue is not.
2. NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) - 15% of Burn
This is the secret weapon.NEAT includes walking to the car, typing, fidgeting, cooking, and standing.
• A person with a standing desk burns ~600 more calories/day than a sitter.
• Taking 10,000 steps vs 3,000 steps changes TDEE massively.
Often, people diet efficiently but become lazy (low NEAT) because they are tired, negating the deficit.
3. TEF (Thermic Effect of Food) - 10% of Burn
It takes energy to digest food.
• Protein: High TEF (25%).
• Carps/Fats: Low TEF (5-10%).
Eating high protein literally boosts your metabolism.
4. EAT (Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) - 5% of Burn
Surprisingly, your gym session accounts for a tiny fraction of your day. An hour of weightlifting might burn 200 calories. A 30-minute jog might burn 300.Takeaway: You cannot out-train a bad diet. Exercise is for health; diet (and NEAT) is for weight control.
The Activity Level Trap
When using a TDEE Calculator, you must choose an "Activity Level." Most people get this wrong.
| Level | Multiplier | Who is this for? |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | 1.2 | Desk job + 0-3 gym days. (Most People) |
| Lightly Active | 1.375 | Teacher/nurse (on feet) + 1-3 gym days OR Desk job + 5 hard gym days. |
| Moderately Active | 1.55 | Construction worker, daily demanding sports. |
| Very Active | 1.725 | Pro athlete, double training sessions. |
How to Use Your TDEE Number
Your TDEE calculated above is your Maintenance Calories.
- To Lose Fat: Eat TDEE minus 500. (Loses ~1 lb/week).
- To Gain Muscle (Lean Bulk): Eat TDEE plus 250. (Gains ~0.5 lb/week).
- To Recomp: Eat exactly TDEE. (Slowly swap fat for muscle).
The "Starvation Mode" Myth vs Reality
If you eat 1000 calories a day, you won't enter "starvation mode" in the sense that you stop losing weight. The laws of physics still apply. However, your body is smart. It will crash your NEAT. You will stop fidgeting, feel lethargic, and sleep more. Your TDEE will drop to match your intake.
Solution: Don't crash diet. Moderate deficits (-500) keep NEAT high.
Comparison: BMR vs TDEE vs RMR
BMR: Coma calories (Basal).
RMR: Resting rate (essentially the same as BMR but measured less strictly).
TDEE: The full picture containing BMR + Movement.
ALWAYS base your diet on TDEE, not BMR. If you eat your BMR amount, you are typically in a severe deficit.