'Understanding TDEE and Daily Energy Needs to Lose Weight'

It stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure.

TDEE represents the total number of calories your body burns in a day, taking into account your basal metabolic rate (BMR) and the calories burned through physical activity.

TDEE is a crucial factor in understanding your daily energy needs and can be used for various purposes such as weight management, setting fitness goals, or maintaining overall health.

Calculating TDEE involves determining your BMR (the number of calories your body needs at rest) and then adjusting it based on your activity level. Once you know your TDEE, you can tailor your calorie intake to achieve specific goals, such as weight loss, weight maintenance, or muscle gain.

Understanding caloric intake and determining how many calories you need daily for weight loss involves considering factors such as height, weight, age, activity level, and your weight loss goals.

Here's how you can determine your TDEE score and adjust it for weight loss or weight gain:

Step 1) Calculate Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR):

Use the appropriate equation based on gender:

Women BMR = 655 + (9.6 X weight in kg) + (1.8 x height in cm) – (4.7 x age in yrs)

Men BMR = 66 + (13.7 X weight in kg) + (5 x height in cm) – (6.8 x age in yrs)

Step 2) Factor in Physical Activity Level (PAL):

Determine your activity level based on your daily routine and multiply your BMR by the corresponding PAL value:

Sedentary (little to no exercise): PAL = 1.2
Lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days a week): PAL = 1.375
Moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days a week): PAL = 1.55
Very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week): PAL = 1.725
Extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or training twice a day): PAL = 1.9

Calculate Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE): Multiply your BMR by the PAL value to get your TDEE.

What does this mean? How do I lose weight?

Answer: to lose weight, you generally need to create a calorie deficit, meaning you consume fewer calories than your body expends. A safe and sustainable rate of weight loss is typically 0.5 to 1 kilogram (1 to 2 pounds) per week.

To achieve this, you can aim for a calorie deficit of 500 calories per day. Subtracting 500 from your TDEE will give you a target calorie intake for weight loss.

TDEE-500= caloric need for weight loss

If your goal is weight gain, it will be important to add 500 calories to your TDEE. To achieve this, you can aim for a caloric addition of 500 calories per day.

TDEE+500= caloric need for weight gain.

Example: Male, Age 41

Height: 5’1” = 61 inches = 154.94 cm (to convert inches to centimeters, multiply your height in inches by 2.54)

Weight: 160 lbs = 72.7 kg (to convert pounds to kilograms, divide your weight in pounds by 2.2)

Using the Harris-Benedict Equation for men, and plugging the above numbers into the equation gives you:

BMR = 66 + (13.7 x 72.7) + (5 x 154.94) - (6.8 x 41)

BMR = 66 + 995.9 + 774.7- 278.8

BMR = 1557.8

So, as a bare minimum to sustain life and ensure longevity, our example male John would need to consume roughly ~1600 calories.

To calculate your approximate TDEE, simply multiply these activity factors by your BMR:

Sedentary (little to no exercise + work a desk job) = 1.2
Lightly Active (light exercise 1-3 days / week) = 1.375
Moderately Active (moderate exercise 3-5 days / week) = 1.55
Very Active (heavy exercise 6-7 days / week) = 1.725
Extremely Active (very heavy exercise, hard labor job, training 2x / day) = 1.9

Going back to our male example, let’s assume he trains 3 days per week following a high-frequency full body training program. This puts him in the “Moderately Active” category.

To calculate approximate TDEE, multiply BMR by 1.55. This gives us:

TDEE = 1.55 x BMR

TDEE = 1.55 x 1528.5

TDEE = 2369

So, our example male, he needs to consume about 2400 calories each day just to maintain his current weight. For weight loss, we would subtract 500 calories from her TDEE.

TDEE - 500 = Caloric need for weight loss

2369-500 = 1900

To lose weight he would want to consume 1900 calories per day,

Example: Female, Age 50

655 + (9.6 X weight in kg) + (1.8 x height in cm) – (4.7 x age in yrs)

Height: 5’5” = 66 inches = 167.64 cm (to convert inches to centimeters, multiply your height in inches by 2.54)

Weight: 183lbs = 83 kg (to convert pounds to kilograms, divide your weight in pounds by 2.2)

Using the Harris-Benedict Equation for men, and plugging the above numbers into the equation gives you:

BMR = 665 + (9.6 x 83) + (1.8 x 167.64) - (4.7 x 50)

BMR = 665 + 796.8 + 301.7- 235

BMR = 1528.5

So, as a bare minimum to sustain life and ensure longevity, our example female would need to consume roughly ~1500 calories.

The next step in figuring out TDEE would be to calculate the thermic effect of food as well as the non-exercise and exercise factors.

To calculate your approximate TDEE, simply multiply these activity factors by your BMR:

Sedentary (little to no exercise + work a desk job) = 1.2
Lightly Active (light exercise 1-3 days / week) = 1.375
Moderately Active (moderate exercise 3-5 days / week) = 1.55
Very Active (heavy exercise 6-7 days / week) = 1.725
Extremely Active (very heavy exercise, hard labor job, training 2x / day) = 1.9

Going back to our example female, let’s assume she does not exercise. This puts her in the “Sedentary” category.

So, our example female she needs to consume about 2400 calories each day just to maintain her current weight. For weight loss, we would subtract 500 calories from her TDEE.

TDEE - 500 = Caloric need for weight loss

2368-500 = 1869

To lose weight she would want to consume 1900 calories per day.

How can I keep track-Which Journal should I get?

Tracking your calories couldn't be any easier with these journals. Simply download the file and select the book that corresponds with your TDEE.

Nourish Notebooks

What's TDEE?