In this week's blog, I'm going to show you how our bodies utilize the calories we consume.

Be sure to take advantage of this information to aid your fat loss journey and get the results you want, that bit faster!

Firstly, it's important to know that we all have something called TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure), in other words, the calories we burn in a single day.  

WHY TDEE MATTERS SO MUCH

It's important to know what your TDEE is, as this gives you an idea of how many calories you should be consuming based on your goal. If your goal is to lose fat, you must consume fewer calories than your TDEE i.e. Creating a calorie deficit by consuming fewer calories than you burn off in a single day. E.g. You consume 2000 calories in a day but you burn 2300 calories you’re now in a 300 calorie deficit. 

COMPONENTS OF TDEE

BMR

Basal metabolic rate, or BMR, is the cost of being alive. In other words, it’s your daily calorie expenditure if you were to do nothing – no eating or moving, just breathing. 

Imagine waking up one morning, staying in bed all day, and falling asleep again that night. Through that whole time, your movement is minimal. In this case, the number of calories you would burn is your BMR. 

Your BMR makes up the biggest chunk of your TDEE. In fact, it accounts for 50-75% of your Daily energy expenditure.

TEF

The thermic effect of food, or TEF, is the number of calories you burn to digest and absorb food.

In brief, the TEF accounts for every calorie you burn through breaking down the food you eat. Based on averages, we assume that TEF accounts for roughly 10% of your TDEE.

NEAT

NEAT, or “non-exercise activity thermogenesis,” Which, for example, can include walking your dog, scratching your back, or typing on the computer. 

Thus, all the calories you burn through unplanned activity, add to your NEAT. 

And so NEAT goes up when you fidget and/or move around a lot in a day.

Now if you’re sedentary, for instance, then NEAT might only make up 6-10% of your daily expenditure. But if you move around much more, then NEAT can add up to 50% of your TDEE. 

To illustrate, construction workers tend to burn many more calories through NEAT. At least, when compared to the average desk-worker.

EAT

EAT stands for “exercise activity thermogenesis.” Which accounts for all of the calories you burn through planned exercise. Training, workouts, etc…

What can we do to influence the burning of calories?

BMR

This is determined by things we can’t easily influence on a daily basis. For example our height, Gender, Age, Current Weight, etc… 

TEF

We can have an influence on the thermic effect of food. Protein is the hardest macronutrient for our bodies to break down & digest. So, it would make sense to prioritize protein consumption when dieting in order to maximize the calories burned through TEF

NEAT

Again we can easily influence this every day. Making an effort to hit 10,000 steps a day, getting a stand-up desk, taking the stairs instead of the lift all contribute to your NEAT. It is important to note here that the % of calories burned through neat is much more than we do in our workouts so do not neglect this!

EAT

The calories burned from exercising, this is the smallest contributor to our TDEE. So, in my opinion, it is important to do a form of exercise you enjoy. As it is not a huge contributor to our calories burnt we should not only exercise for the sake of burning calories but to improve our physical & mental health, also, the more you enjoy it, the easier you will find incorporating it into your daily routine.

In Summary To Maximise Your Fat Loss:

1. Follow a High Protein Diet 
2. Be active every day, walk, move your hands, avoid sitting down for long periods. 
3. Find a form of exercise you love and enjoy doing 
4. Consume fewer calories than you burn in a day  (Your TDEE)