2481: What Is Your TDEE and How Can You Impact It by Sam Lynch of Fitnitiative on Total Daily Energy Expenditure & Resting Metabolic Rate

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[00:00:58] This is Optimal Health Daily Episode 2481.

[00:01:02] What is your TDE and how can you impact it by Sam Lynch, a fit initiative.co.uk

[00:01:10] And I'm Dr. Neal, your host and narrator.

[00:01:13] Welcome back to Optimal Health Daily or OHD where I act as your narrator of popular

[00:01:19] health and fitness blogs and always provide my commentary at the end.

[00:01:23] And with that, let's get right to it and start optimizing your life.

[00:01:32] What is your TDE and how can you impact it by Sam Lynch, a fit initiative.co.uk

[00:01:41] Your TDE stands for your total daily energy expenditure and makes up the calories out portion

[00:01:50] of the calories in calories out model of weight loss.

[00:01:54] The calories in calories out model of weight loss is the most accepted weight loss model

[00:01:59] and is built off the premise that calories in versus calories out is what governs whether

[00:02:04] we lose weight, gain weight or maintain weight.

[00:02:08] When calories in exceed calories out we gain weight.

[00:02:12] When calories out exceed calories in we lose weight.

[00:02:17] Where calories in are equal to calories out we maintain weight.

[00:02:22] Now it's important to note that your weight is made up of more than just your fat mass

[00:02:27] and lean mass and that there's more to the mechanisms behind this model than the

[00:02:31] simple idea suggests.

[00:02:33] For example, what drives and influences each side of the model are important to factor

[00:02:38] in.

[00:02:39] However, all of that is beyond the scope of this article so we're going to focus on your

[00:02:44] total daily energy expenditure which is a huge factor that the majority of people should

[00:02:49] be focusing on.

[00:02:50] Your total daily energy expenditure makes up the best part of what is considered to be your

[00:02:55] metabolism which is characterized by the chemical processes and systems in motion that

[00:03:01] make your metabolism function how it does.

[00:03:04] Each person's total daily energy expenditure will vary as there are multiple components

[00:03:09] at play which are affected by lifestyle, genetics, activity level, fat mass, lean mass, eating

[00:03:15] habits, dietary history, age, socioeconomic status, culture and more.

[00:03:21] The four components of your total daily energy expenditure are one, resting metabolic

[00:03:27] rate or RMR, two, non-exercise activity thermogenesis or neat, three, exercise activity

[00:03:37] thermogenesis or EAT and four, thermic effect of food or TEF.

[00:03:45] Here we'll overview each component why it matters and where you should focus your efforts

[00:03:50] to create an impact.

[00:03:53] Basing metabolic rate

[00:03:55] Resting metabolic rate is not to be confused with your basal metabolic rate.

[00:04:00] Basal metabolic rate is the minimum level of energy we need to use to maintain vital

[00:04:05] functions of the body.

[00:04:07] Imagine sleeping with no food in your stomach and your body is doing the bare minimum to keep

[00:04:12] you alive.

[00:04:14] While that number is nice to have, it doesn't reflect real people with real lives.

[00:04:19] Basing metabolic rate paints a more accurate picture as it takes into consideration other

[00:04:24] things like digestion, small movements and how we actually live.

[00:04:29] Your resting metabolic rate by far creates the biggest energy expenditure day to day,

[00:04:34] accounting for between 50-70% of your total daily energy expenditure depending on the

[00:04:40] individual.

[00:04:41] 60% is the generally accepted figure which is still a huge portion of your total daily

[00:04:47] energy expenditure.

[00:04:48] The reason it accounts for so much is simply because it's hard work being a human and

[00:04:53] the vital functions of our body require a lot of energy.

[00:04:57] And despite what some believe, most folks' metabolism aren't damaged.

[00:05:02] Non-exercise activity thermogenesis or neat

[00:05:06] A fantastic tool and powerful driver for fat loss is your non-exercise activity thermogenesis

[00:05:13] because this accounts for all of your daily movement and physical activity that isn't

[00:05:18] purposeful exercise.

[00:05:20] Think of those slow burning low intensity things you do that require calories.

[00:05:25] These things include walking, chores, fidgeting, pacing, playing with children, and so

[00:05:31] on.

[00:05:33] Non-exercise activity thermogenesis can be a powerful tool because it accounts for a massive

[00:05:38] 30% of your total daily energy expenditure and is something that you can directly control.

[00:05:45] Activities that are considered non-exercise activity thermogenesis are also low fatiguing,

[00:05:51] require no skill, fit into your daily life, and can often be upscaled if needed.

[00:05:57] Exercise activity thermogenesis is what would be considered purposeful exercise.

[00:06:03] Exercise comes in many forms and some people are more active than others so the amount

[00:06:07] at which your exercise activity thermogenesis contributes to your total daily energy expenditure

[00:06:13] will depend on what exercise you do, how long you do it for, and how often you do it.

[00:06:19] Those that are considered sedentary will expend between 10-15% of their total daily energy

[00:06:25] expenditure through exercise whereas more active individuals such as athletes can expend

[00:06:31] up to 30%.

[00:06:33] While exercise activity thermogenesis is a useful tool, time spent doing purposeful

[00:06:38] exercise each week tends to be limited for the majority of people.

[00:06:42] While three separate workouts you do each week feel hard in the grander scheme of things,

[00:06:48] the time spent during these activities is overshadowed if you live an otherwise sedentary

[00:06:53] lifestyle.

[00:06:54] Your body will also generally become more efficient at using exercise activity thermogenesis

[00:07:00] and it's often overestimated how much this contributes to a personal total daily energy

[00:07:06] expenditure.

[00:07:07] Having said that, purposeful exercise has a whole host of other benefits and secondary

[00:07:11] outcomes that will further improve your life, physical, and mental health.

[00:07:16] Not to mention some of the direct implications like when you resistance train it's going

[00:07:20] to definitely improve your lean body mass and overall body composition.

[00:07:25] Both of these things can alter your resting metabolic rate and your total daily energy

[00:07:29] expenditure in the longer term.

[00:07:32] Thermic Effect of Food or T.E.F.

[00:07:36] The thermic effect of food or feeding accounts for the increase in metabolic rate from the

[00:07:41] processes of digestion and absorption.

[00:07:44] Digesting and absorbing food doesn't come for free and ironically it costs this energy

[00:07:49] to break down food for energy.

[00:07:52] The thermic effect of food accounts for up to 10% of your total daily energy expenditure

[00:07:58] and this figure is affected by the macronutrients you consume.

[00:08:02] Each macronutrient will have different thermic effects, with protein producing the highest

[00:08:07] thermic effect of food, with 20 to 30% of these calories being used for digestion and metabolism.

[00:08:15] Just for comparison purposes carbohydrates have a thermic effect of 5 to 10%, and fats

[00:08:21] 0 to 3%.

[00:08:22] I mean you ever wonder why you get the meat sweats when you down that Tomahawk steak?

[00:08:27] While all that protein takes a lot of energy to process, can I change my resting metabolic

[00:08:32] rate?

[00:08:33] For the most part your resting metabolic rate is what it is and will change and adapt

[00:08:38] as your body does.

[00:08:39] In general an increase in lean mass will increase your resting metabolic rate since lean tissue

[00:08:46] requires more energy, but fat levels may also increase it.

[00:08:51] Your resting metabolic rate is largely impacted by the metabolically active tissues of the body,

[00:08:56] with the highest energy demand coming from the heart and kidneys, then the brain and

[00:09:01] then the liver.

[00:09:02] The amount your skeletal muscle and fat mass contribute pales in comparison to these tissues.

[00:09:08] It's also important to note that people with the same body composition may also differ

[00:09:14] in their resting metabolic rates and this occurs naturally so trying to change your

[00:09:18] resting metabolic rate shouldn't be the focus.

[00:09:21] If you're looking to lose weight then the use of resistance training may be the most

[00:09:26] beneficial thing you can do because that helps you build lean mass, reduce fat mass and

[00:09:31] improve your body composition overall.

[00:09:34] This may in turn help you to maintain your resting metabolic rate or even increase it

[00:09:39] as you lose weight or maintain your weight.

[00:09:42] With a higher or even similar resting metabolic rate but a lower body weight you can reduce

[00:09:48] the risk of putting on weight and therefore putting on fat weight.

[00:09:52] What to focus on?

[00:09:54] Instead of focusing your attention on your resting metabolic rate, focus on those things

[00:09:59] you can control.

[00:10:00] For example, your exercise activity thermogenesis, your non-exercise activity thermogenesis

[00:10:06] and the thermic effective food can all be impacted by your actions.

[00:10:12] There are simple things you can do to impact each and potentially increase your total daily

[00:10:18] energy expenditure.

[00:10:20] When it comes to the thermic effective food, eat more protein and less processed foods.

[00:10:25] When it comes to non-exercise activity thermogenesis, walk more.

[00:10:30] For example, aiming to get 7-10,000 steps a day is a good starting point.

[00:10:36] If you're at your desk, try standing at your desk and incorporate more household chores

[00:10:41] into your daily routine.

[00:10:43] When it comes to your exercise activity thermogenesis, participate in 3-4 purposeful

[00:10:49] exercise sessions per week and ideally some of those should be resistance based.

[00:10:54] As always the main thing is finding what you can do consistently.

[00:10:59] Considerations

[00:11:00] Now these numbers are variable and provide a general guideline to what contributes to

[00:11:05] your total daily energy expenditure.

[00:11:07] Calculating metabolic rate can differ between people significantly, as can all of those

[00:11:12] other variables we discussed.

[00:11:14] Any calculator you use will give you an indirect method of measuring your total daily energy

[00:11:20] expenditure and should be taken with a pinch of salt.

[00:11:24] Even the most direct methods of measuring metabolism don't take into consideration how

[00:11:28] someone actually lives their life.

[00:11:31] Use numbers and information like this as a starting point which is then guided by the

[00:11:36] outcomes of your actions.

[00:11:42] You just listen to the post titled What is Your TDEE and how can you impact it by

[00:11:48] Sam Lynch of fitnissitive.co.uk and I'll be right back with my commentary.

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[00:13:25] Dr. Neil here for my commentary.

[00:13:28] Now Sam's final point is a really important one.

[00:13:31] The information that was shared about calculating your total daily energy expenditure is just

[00:13:36] a starting point.

[00:13:38] There's no need to try and measure every single calorie you consume and every single

[00:13:43] calorie you burn.

[00:13:44] In fact, it's nearly impossible to do that without some very sophisticated equipment and

[00:13:49] even then it's still going to be inaccurate.

[00:13:51] In fact, studies have shown that many of the calorie trackers that are really popular whether

[00:13:56] they track the calories you consume or the calories you burn are inaccurate.

[00:14:01] So you might be wondering then well what's the point of tracking at all if it's inaccurate

[00:14:07] anyway, then why bother?

[00:14:09] Well here's the thing the mere act of tracking your food intake and your activity levels

[00:14:14] makes you more aware of what you're doing.

[00:14:17] So while the information may be inaccurate the simple act of actually recording your food

[00:14:23] intake, what goes in and your activity, what you're burning will make you more aware of

[00:14:29] your habits.

[00:14:31] Think of it this way when you track your calorie intake, you have to write down or enter

[00:14:36] into an app the type of food you ate and drank as well as the portion you consumed by

[00:14:42] simply knowing that you have to keep track of everything you eat and drink along with

[00:14:47] the portions you'll think twice before consuming that extra slice of pizza or having that

[00:14:52] can of soda.

[00:14:53] Now the same rule applies to exercise when we're tracking our activity levels, ending

[00:14:58] the day with zero minutes of activity on our trackers is pretty heartbreaking.

[00:15:04] So tracking our steps and our purposeful activities often motivates us to move more throughout

[00:15:09] the day.

[00:15:10] This is why knowing some of this information can be helpful towards reaching our goals.

[00:15:15] It can serve as a starting point a rough estimate of where we need to be.

[00:15:20] And there we can refine.

[00:15:23] Alright that does it for today, I hope you have a great rest of your Tuesday and I'll

[00:15:26] see you back here for tomorrow's show where you're optimal life awaits.