How to Increase Your Daily Calorie Burn: BMR, NEAT, TDEE

Nikkiey: Muscles are more metabolically active than fat, which means they require more energy to maintain, which means they're going to burn more calories. The more that you have, the more calories you're going to burn.

What's going on, you guys? Welcome back to The WarriorBabe Show with Nikkiey Stott, co-founder and brand personality of WarriorBabe, where we talk about mindset, methodologies, and tactics that will help you lose body fat, build muscle, be strong, and feel insanely confident. I am your host, Nikkiey Stott, and welcome, you guys, to today's episode, episode number 21, all about how to increase every aspect of your daily energy expenditure.

Today's going to be a good one, y'all. We're going to talk about BMR. We're going to talk about NEAT. We're going to talk about TEF. We're going to talk about EAT. We're going to talk about TDEE. You've probably heard these terms. You've maybe seen people talk about them in this space. But today, I'm going to break down each one. And most importantly, I'm going to teach you guys how you can increase each one to help you achieve your fat loss goals. And then I'm also going to teach you guys how you can measure each one of these. This is going to be a good podcast, y'all. I'm excited to dive into it.

So let's just dive right into it. Let's talk about these five key components of energy expenditure: BMR, NEAT, TEF, EAT, and when I say EAT, I ain't talking about eat, like you eat some food. I'll dive into that in a bit. And TDEE. I'm going to explore how you guys can increase each one to optimize your fat loss results, and I'm going to help you know how you can measure each one of these, too. So we're going to get a little scientific-y. We're going to dive into how each of these correlates to your overall journey and how you can increase all of them.

While exercise is certainly important for fat loss, guys, the human body actually burns calories in a variety of ways, from the basic metabolic functions to everyday activities like walking and even digesting food. So that's what I'm going to dive into today. Let's just get to it.

Let's first talk about BMR, which is your basal metabolic rate. This is the amount of energy your body requires to carry out basic physiological functions while at rest, meaning things like breathing, circulating your blood, regulating your body temperature, maintaining organ function, all of those things. In other words, it's the minimum amount of energy your body needs just to stay alive. And it actually accounts for the majority of your total daily energy expenditure. In fact, it makes up as much as 70% of your total daily energy expenditure. That means even if you were to lie in bed all day without moving, your body would still burn a significant number of calories to keep your vital organs functioning.

Now, the number of calories your body burns at rest totally varies from person to person based on factors like your age, your weight, your gender, your height, your body composition, all of those things. Men tend to have higher BMRs than women. And people with more muscle mass tend to have higher BMRs than those with less muscle mass. For me, for instance, I've significantly increased my BMR over the last so many years because I've increased my muscle mass. I have a higher BMR because I have higher muscle mass than those that have less muscle mass. So that is a big way that you guys can increase your BMR. You can do it by increasing your muscle mass through strength training.

I've mentioned this previously in other podcasts, but muscles are more metabolically active than fat, which means they require more energy to maintain, which means they're going to burn more calories. The more that you have, the more calories you're going to burn. And the more you increase your natural BMR from where you started out. Say if I was to measure this, when I first started eight years ago, I would probably sit more around 1,300 calories for my BMR, my basal metabolic rate, the minimum amount of energy my body needs just to survive. I've probably increased that up to at least 1,600 as a baseline flat over these years of strength training. Because my muscles are more metabolically active than fat, they require more energy to maintain, meaning that number has increased because of the muscle mass that I have. So the more muscle you have, the higher your BMR will be. In addition, just regular exercise can also help boost your BMR, even when you're at rest.

So in summary, BMR is the amount of energy your body burns at rest, and it accounts for the majority of your total daily energy expenditure. Increasing your muscle mass through strength training can help to boost your BMR, which can ultimately help with fat loss. So that's all things BMR. I'm going to talk about how you guys can measure this in a little bit. Let me just get through all five first, then we're going to dive into that.

The second one is your NEAT, which is your non-exercise activity thermogenesis. This refers to the energy that your body burns through non-exercise activities, like fidgeting, standing or walking. Essentially, NEAT is the energy expenditure that happens outside of your planned exercise for the day. And just like BMR, it significantly varies person to person, based on factors like your occupation, your lifestyle, and your environment. For example, someone who has a sedentary office job may have a much lower NEAT than someone with a more physically demanding job, like a hairdresser who's on their feet every single day, or a construction worker who's on their feet all day doing heavy labor.

So here are some examples of how you could increase your NEAT on a daily basis. It's just making simple, small changes to your daily habits. You've probably heard people talk about this in the space, or people that you follow on Instagram, yada, yada, yada. The 10K step thing, that's naturally increasing your NEAT. Taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Parking further from your destination so that you have more to walk. For example, unless it's raining, I always park in the furthest spot so that I have more walking to do, more steps to take. Standing more often will help as well. Using a standing desk at work or at home. Doing household chores: cleaning, gardening, washing the car, doing the laundry, walking all over the place. Walking from your kid's room with their laundry to the laundry room if it's far. That's naturally going to increase your NEAT. Taking frequent breaks throughout the day to get up from your desk, walk around, walk down the hallway.

These are all simple, small changes you can make to your daily habits that will increase your NEAT. The idea overall is to find ways to incorporate more movement into your daily routine. Over time, these small changes, you guys, can totally add up to a significant increase in your daily energy expenditure.

So to sum it up, NEAT is the energy your body burns through non-exercise activities, and it can vary significantly from person to person. Making small changes to your daily habits and finding ways to incorporate more movement into your routine is going to increase your NEAT, and that's ultimately going to boost your total daily energy expenditure. That was number two.

Number three is the thermic effect of food, otherwise known as TEF. This refers to the energy that your body burns to digest, absorb and metabolize the food that you eat. Essentially, it's the energy cost of processing the food that you consume. Yes, with the foods that you choose to eat, your body actually burns calories. If you guys didn't know that, this is a cool thing to know: your body burns energy, calories, to digest, absorb and metabolize the food that you eat.

This can vary depending on the macronutrient composition of your diet. Protein, for example, has a higher TEF than carbohydrates and fats. This means that your body actually burns more energy, more calories, to process protein than it does to process other macronutrients like carbohydrates and fats. Pretty cool, right?

So to increase your TEF, what do you think I'm going to say? I'm going to say focus on eating a diet that's high in protein. This is something that we preach inside of our WarriorBabe programs. Your daily protein intake should match how much you weigh, or if you're, say, 250 pounds, at least the goal weight of what you want to weigh. So for example, if I weigh 150 pounds, I should be eating 150 grams of protein per day. That will increase the overall energy cost of digesting your food and boost your total daily energy expenditure. Pretty cool, right? Just by eating protein.

Now, it's important to note that the increase in TEF from eating a high protein diet is relatively small, you guys, compared to other factors that will contribute more to increasing your daily energy expenditure, like exercise. So don't just think, oh, I'm going to eat a high protein diet and I'm going to get the results that I want and increase my daily energy expenditure. No. Nothing is going to contribute as much to increasing your daily energy expenditure as exercise will.

It's also worth noting that even though there are positives to increasing your TEF by eating protein, there are also negatives, meaning some foods actually require less energy to digest than they provide. This is typically the case with highly processed foods that are high in fat and sugar. These types of foods can actually contribute to overall weight gain because they don't burn as many calories during digestion. So I just mentioned that protein can increase how many calories your body is burning because it uses energy to digest. Well, there are some things, like processed foods and things that are high in sugar, that actually contribute to a negative effect on TEF because they don't burn as many calories during digestion.

So in summary, TEF is the energy that your body burns to digest, absorb and metabolize the food that you eat. Eating a diet that's high in protein can increase your TEF and can boost your total daily energy expenditure. But like I said, that effect is relatively small compared to other factors like exercise and the things I previously talked about. So that's all things TEF.

Now let's get into number four, which is EAT. And like I said, not like eating food. We just talked about that in the previous one. EAT is your exercise activity thermogenesis. This refers to the energy that your body burns during planned exercise, including both aerobic and resistance training. During exercise, your body uses energy to power your muscles, and this energy expenditure can vary depending on the type and intensity of the exercise.

To increase your EAT, you can increase the frequency, the intensity, or the duration of your workouts. Incorporating resistance training can be an effective way to increase your EAT by building more muscle mass, which in turn increases your BMR, like I already spoke to. It's also worth noting that while exercise can be an effective way to increase your energy expenditure and promote fat loss, it's not the only factor to consider, you guys. Everything I'm talking about here is not the only factor to consider. Other factors like diet, sleep and managing your stress are all really important and have a significant impact on your overall health, your weight, and how you optimize the results that you want to see with your body.

So in summary, really short and sweet, but it explains itself: EAT refers to the energy that your body burns during planned exercise. You can increase your EAT by increasing the frequency, intensity and duration of your workouts. So work your workout. Put some intensity behind it. Challenge yourself. As well as incorporating resistance training to build more muscle.

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Now, the last and final one, TDEE. This is the one that you've probably heard about from people on social media or in the fitness space. That is your total daily energy expenditure. This is all the things I'm talking about. It refers to the total amount of energy your body burns in a day, and it includes everything that was just mentioned: your BMR, your NEAT, your TEF, and your EAT. It's essentially the total number of calories you need to maintain your current weight based on your activity level and other factors.

Understanding and calculating this can be super helpful to determine how many calories you need to eat in a day to lose, maintain, or gain weight. I wouldn't recommend online calculators, but there are several of them that can help you estimate this. I would work very closely with a professional to dial it in. It's going to save you time. Check out WarriorBabe. Links are below this podcast. You can watch our free 15-minute training on all things macronutrients, or you can apply straight to the program, talk to one of our team members and see if it's a good fit for you to join our community. Anyway, that's all going to be based on your age, your gender, your height, your weight and your activity level. While calculators will give you an estimate, a professional will give you a more precise number to work from to generate the results that you want.

Typically, if you're trying to lose fat, you create a calorie deficit by consuming fewer calories than your TDEE. This deficit can come from a combination of diet and exercise. For example, you can reduce your calorie intake by 500 calories per day and increase your exercise to burn an additional 500 calories per day, for a total deficit of 1,000 calories per day. This would result in a weight loss of about one to two pounds per week. That's just a general, very broad example. The more muscle mass you have on your body, increasing your BMR, the more calories you're going to burn on a daily basis. So don't get hung up on that example. That's why I would recommend working closely with a professional who can deep dive into this with you and for you, and then make adjustments along the way.

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To increase your TDEE, which we just briefly touched on, you focus on increasing your activity level, including both planned exercise and non-exercise activities like your NEAT, and building more muscle mass through strength training, which is going to help increase your BMR. All of these things will boost and increase your TDEE. So that's a summary of TDEE, your total daily energy expenditure. It's the total amount of energy your body burns in a day, and it includes all of the other points that I touched on.

Okay, you guys. I bet at this point in the podcast you're wondering how to measure each of these. So let's dive into it. I want to put this up front: if you're going to try to put these into action by measuring them yourself, when you're not a professional in this space and you have a career and a lifestyle and you're responsible for so many things, it's going to be really hard for you to nail this down. That's why I would recommend working with a professional who can be more precise with this information, who knows what to look at, who knows what to ask, and who will then be able to work and adjust things for you. That will put you on the right path for the things you need to be doing to get the results that you want.

First, let's dive into BMR, your basal metabolic rate. Measuring this involves measuring the amount of oxygen you consume and the amount of carbon dioxide you produce while resting. It's typically done in a lab or clinical setting. However, there are equations that can be used to estimate your BMR based on your age, your sex, your height and your weight. You've probably seen calculators online that can estimate what your BMR is. And that's good. But again, to get a little bit more precise, you can work with a professional who knows these things and can look at your body composition and say, this person has more muscle mass than fat, so I need to factor that in, she probably has a higher BMR. Or, this person has less muscle mass and more fat, so they probably have a slightly lower BMR. Those are some things that factor into measuring your BMR. But it's typically done in a lab or a clinical setting.

The next one is your NEAT, the non-exercise activity thermogenesis. This one's a little bit more difficult to measure directly because it refers to the energy you expend through everyday activities like walking, standing, fidgeting, all that jazz. There are some tools that can help estimate your NEAT, just like there are tools that can help estimate your BMR, like activity trackers that monitor your steps, or your Apple Watch dinging if you've been sitting for too long. There are things like that. But outside of those, it's difficult to measure directly. So again, a professional will be able to ask, do you have a sedentary job? Do you have a more demanding job? By gathering that information from you, they'll be able to understand where your NEAT would be.

The next one is the thermic effect of food. This is typically estimated as a percentage of the calories that you consume. Different macronutrients have different TEF values; protein, fats and carbs all have different TEF values. For example, protein, we know, has a TEF of around 20 to 30%, meaning your body burns 20 to 30% of the calories from protein during digestion. However, guys, it's difficult to measure TEF directly because it involves measuring the amount of energy your body expends during digestion and metabolism. It's a rough estimate that your body is burning 20 to 30%, but is it really? And we know there's a positive effect with protein, but there are also negative effects. If you're eating more processed foods with fats and sugars, you probably have more of a negative effect with your TEF than a positive one. So it's trying to encompass all of those things. So that's TEF.

The next one is how you can measure your EAT. This is typically estimated based on the type, intensity and duration of your exercise. People typically measure this with a heart rate monitor or an activity tracker to estimate the number of calories burned during a workout. However, I need to put this plug in here, you guys: these estimates are not entirely accurate. They're based on generalized equations, and they don't take into account individual differences in metabolism. Everybody is completely different. Everybody has a completely different metabolism, and these don't take into account your individual metabolism and other factors. But again, they're rough estimates. Are you working your workout? Are you challenging yourself? Is your heart rate high? Then we can get an idea of where your EAT will be. So again, it's typically based on the type, intensity and duration of your exercise.

The last one is TDEE. Like your BMR, it's also estimated. You can do it with online calculators, or you can have a professional gather more precise information on all of the things mentioned above to understand exactly how many calories you need to consume to maintain, to lose or to gain weight. So that's your TDEE, your total daily energy expenditure. Honestly, it can be measured through more advanced methods that involve you consuming water with isotopes and then measuring the rate of carbon dioxide production to determine your energy expenditure. It's that in depth. These are usually done in research settings, in labs, in clinical settings. But there are tons of ways to get an estimate, and you can do that. There are also professionals in the space who will be able to give you a more accurate assessment of where you're at and what you need to get the results that you want.

So in conclusion of everything we just talked about, you guys: understanding the different components of energy expenditure, BMR, NEAT, TEF, EAT and TDEE, is crucial for anyone trying to optimize their fat loss. By understanding the role of each of these and how to increase them, you can create a comprehensive approach to maximizing your calorie burn, achieving your overall fat loss goals and getting to the body composition that you want to see.

If you don't know where to start with this, since we did get a little sciencey here and I explained a lot, check out WarriorBabe. We've got you on all of these specifics. Follow our guidance for you, and then just do the work, and you're going to get the results. So check it out and apply using the links below this video.

It's also important to note, guys, that everything I just spoke about, all the things around exercise and increasing your energy expenditure, is important for fat loss, but it's just one piece of the puzzle. Having a balanced approach that includes attention to all the other factors, like your sleep, your stress management and your diet, is crucial for optimal results. It's not just about how many calories you can burn in a day through all of these things. No, man. How are you eating? How's your sleep? How's your stress management? Are you doing that consistently? Are you paying attention to that kind of stuff? That's all super, super important to optimize your fat loss results.

Okay, you guys, I hope you enjoyed that podcast. That was fun to speak to. I enjoyed breaking down all of those specific components of how to increase your overall daily energy expenditure. There's a multitude of ways you could do it. But most importantly, you want to make sure you're eating right, you're getting enough sleep, you're managing your stress, and you're doing all of those things. All right, guys, I'll see you in the next episode.

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