Daily Energy Needs Explained

When daily food intake is matched to energy needs, people are said to be in an energy balance, which allows them to maintain a stable body weight. When energy intake is higher than needed to support the total daily energy requirements it can lead to an increase in body weight. Similarly, if you eat less than you need to support daily energy requirements, you lose weight, as your body will fuel itself through your internal stores. The amount of daily energy varies greatly across populations and can be impacted by age, sex, pregnancy, muscle mass, hormone function, medications, and genetic factors.

The total number of calories that a person expends in a day is called the Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). The calories that are burned throughout the day are used for exercise, maintaining your metabolism, digestion and absorption of food, and general activities. The combination of BMR, TEF, EA, and NEAT combine to form TDEE.

Let's break this down:

-Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the minimum level of energy your body needs to maintain its vital functions such as breathing, pumping blood, powering your internal organs, regulating body temperature, etc. BMR accounts for around 70% of TDEE. Keeping us alive is hard work!

-Thermic Effect of Food (TEF) is the energy you require to digest and absorb the food you eat. The very act of eating food increases your metabolism. In general, protein results in a higher thermic effect, as it takes the body more energy to process, while fats have the lowest thermic response. TEF is estimated to be around 7-10% of TDEE.

-Exercise Activity (EA or EAT), also called planned activity, is intentional movement. How much energy you expend while exercising will depend on many factors such as frequency, intensity, duration, and the type of activity. EA can range from around 10-30% of TDEE.

-Nonexercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) includes all of the movement that isn't planned or structured as specific exercise. This would include moving around the office, taking care of children and pets, running errands, chores, yard work, stretching, cooking, and fidgeting. NEAT can range from around 10-20% of TDEE.

As you can see, there are many factors that play a role in our metabolism. The body is a complex system, and it's impossible to be precise about exactly how much energy is coming in or going out. Nevertheless, energy balance is an important factor in body weight and composition.

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