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What is total daily energy expenditure (TDEE)?

Total daily energy expenditure is the energy burnt on average during an entire day. It reflects the average amount of energy spent during a typical day, but it is not the same each and every day. It is because our TDEE depends on many different factors, including:

  • Basal metabolism, which depends on many factors itself, including: age, sex, height, weight, fat free mass, fat mass. Depending on those factors, BMR represents 45 to 70 percent of TDEE.

  • Metabolic response of food, which is the energy needed to ingest and digest food. It is usually estimated to be 10% of total caloric intake.

  • Physical activity, which can vary every day. After BMR, this is the second-largest component of TDEE.

  • Physiological state: growth, pregnancy, lactation, etc.

Estimation of TDEE is usually undertaken by assessing your basal metabolic rate (BMR) and then multiplying it by the appropriate physical activity level (PAL). The physical activity level is a way to express a person's daily physical activity.

Choose which best applies to you and use it in the calculator;

  • little/no exercise (sedentary lifestyle): 1.2,

  • light exercise 1-2 times/week,: 1.375,

  • moderate exercise 2-3 times/week: 1.55,

  • hard exercise 4-5 times/week: 1.725,

  • physical job or hard exercise 6-7 times/week : 1.9,

  • professional athlete: 2.4.

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