Weight Management How to Boost Your Daily Energy Expenditure By Rachel MacPherson, BA, CPT Updated on October 14, 2022 Medically reviewed Verywell Fit articles are reviewed by board-certified physicians and nutrition and exercise healthcare professionals. Medical Reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research. Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates. Learn more. by Jonathan Valdez, RDN, CDCES, CPT Fact checked Verywell Fit content is rigorously reviewed by a team of qualified and experienced fact checkers. Fact checkers review articles for factual accuracy, relevance, and timeliness. We rely on the most current and reputable sources, which are cited in the text and listed at the bottom of each article. Content is fact checked after it has been edited and before publication. Learn more. by Adah Chung Print Verywell / Madelyn Goodnight Table of Contents View All Table of Contents What Is Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE)? TDEE Calculator Factors Affecting Energy Expenditure How to Increase Daily Energy Expenditure Frequently Asked Questions If you feel like you are sitting more and moving less, you may be looking for simple ways to burn more energy. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to boost your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) and not all of them require a formal workout. Simply moving around more, taking the dog on an extra walk, or even scrubbing the bathtub can help boost your TDEE. TDEE is an estimate of how many calories you burn through your bodily functions and physical activity. Calculating your TDEE not only gives you an idea of if you are moving around enough, but it also could impact your weight management plans, too, because it creates an estimate of your current calorie burn. Here we take a closer look at what TDEE is, what factors affect it, and how it is calculated as well as offer some tips on how to boost your TDEE by simply rethinking your day and adding more movement. Each of our tips can be easily incorporated into your day without adding something else to your to-do list. Energy Expenditure Energy expenditure is the amount of energy your body uses to perform essential physical functions including breathing, blood circulation, and digestion, as well as all movements you perform whether that be exercise or movements like walking, fidgeting, or moving objects. What Is Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE)? Your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) is the number of calories you burn throughout a 24-hour period. These calories come from the work your body does to keep you alive, including your brain functions, breathing, digestion, and so on as well as all of your physical activity. Overall, TDEE includes everything from fidgeting to your exercise routine. All of the work your body does at rest is called your resting energy expenditure (REE) or basal metabolic rate (BMR). This component (your BMR) of your TDEE makes up approximately 60% to 70% of the average person's total expenditure. Your non-resting energy expenditure (NREE) is a mix of three components which include non-exercise thermogenesis (NEAT), thermic effect of food (TEF), and exercise activity thermogenesis (EAT). Metabolic Processes (BMR) Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the amount of energy in the form of calories necessary for your vital functions at complete mental, physical, and digestive rest. These are processes that happen automatically. Your resting metabolic rate (RMR) is the number of calories required for these same processes while at rest, including breathing, brain processes, digestion, and blood circulation. Your BMR makes up most of your daily calorie burn (TDEE) at approximately 60% to 70% of total calories for the average person. How to Calculate Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) Thermic Effect of Food (TEF) The thermic effect of food (TEF) measures how many calories it takes for your digestive system to process foods. The three macronutrients—carbs, proteins, and fats—require a different amount of energy to breakdown and assimilate into your digestive system. TEF accounts for approximately 10% of your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). Protein requires the most energy to digest, with 20% to 30% of the calories in protein being used to digest it. Carbohydrates require 5% to 10%, and fat takes 0% to 3% at most. However, how the thermic effect of food works in each individual's body is unique and depends on several factors, including age, physical activity level, insulin sensitivity, and the composition of your meal. How to Calculate the Thermic Effect of Food Activity Your activity is the movement your body makes throughout the day. This can be everything from intentional exercise and general movement, to cleaning the house and even fidgeting. Energy used to exercise is called exercise activity thermogenesis (EAT), while unintentional movements are called non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT). EAT accounts for approximately 5% of TDEE on average, while NEAT makes up 15% or more of TDEE on average. Ways to Burn Calories Without Exercise TDEE Calculator Calculating your TDEE not only let you know if you are moving around enough, but it also could impact your weight management plans, too, since it creates an estimate of your current calorie burn. With this estimate, you can subtract calories to create a deficit for weight loss or add calories to create a surplus for weight gain. Alternatively, to maintain your weight, simply aim to consume the same calories that you burn each day. You can calculate an approximation of your TDEE using the below calculator. Once you have this number, you can add calories if your goal is to gain weight or muscle mass. If your goal is weight loss, you can subtract calories. To maintain your weight, you would eat the same number of calories. In the case of weight loss, you can reduce calories through a combination of diet and exercise, if you wish. This approach is considered to be the most effective way of losing weight. If you choose to lose weight with diet alone, your entire calorie deficit will need to come from what you eat. If you choose to create a calorie deficit with exercise as well, some of your calories can come from increases in EAT, while the rest comes from diet, allowing you to eat more and obtain more nutrition. Longer term weight loss is achieved when you do combination of both diet and exercise. What Is the Average Calorie Intake for Men? Factors Affecting Energy Expenditure How many calories you burn each day is as unique as you are. Every person will burn a different number of calories each day. Using calculators and formulas, best guesses can be made, and from these guesses, you can form a plan for reaching your goal, whether that's maintaining your weight, gaining, or losing weight. Factors that affect energy expenditure include your age, activity level, body composition, size, weight, whether you have any diseases or illnesses, hormones, and genetics. Your TDEE may decrease due to advanced age, more significant body fat percentage than muscle mass, low body weight, hormonal influences such as menopause, sedentary lifestyle, slower metabolism, and genetics. Meanwhile, your TDEE may be higher if you have a higher percentage of muscle mass than body fat, hormones, genetics, active lifestyle, faster metabolism, and higher body weight. Muscle is metabolically active tissue, whereas fat is not. This means muscle burns more calories even while at rest. As well, the hormonal changes that occur when you have greater muscle mass or are in the process of building new muscle can increase your energy expenditure. How to Improve Your Body Composition How to Increase Daily Energy Expenditure To increase your daily energy expenditure, it is wise to include more physical activity in your day. Physical activity is the easiest way to change your TDEE, considering the most significant factors of TDEE are not in your control, such as your BMR. Short-term strategies for increasing your TDEE include purposefully planned exercise and adding more movement to your day by walking more and sitting less. Long-term strategies include building more muscle mass, reducing your time spent dieting which can slow your metabolism, and eating a nutritious diet higher in protein. You also can increase your daily energy expenditure by making a conscious effort to add more movement into your day. This might include something as simple as taking the stairs or carrying your groceries for a further distance. Ways to Increase Daily Energy Expenditure Cleaning your home or a particular roomTaking a walk around the block, or walking a petSetting a timer (or watch) for movement breaks throughout the dayTaking the stairs (instead of an elevator or escalator)Choosing a parking spot further away from your destinationScheduling a walking meetingUsing a standing desk The Fast Metabolism Diet: Is It Right for You? A Word From Verywell How many calories you burn in a day depends on several factors that are out of your control. The best way to increase your TDEE is to add exercise to your day and decrease your time spent being sedentary. These small changes will provide a bevy of benefits such as reduced risks of diseases, longer lifespan, better mental health, and more. Knowing your TDEE also can help you create a plan for weight maintenance, gain, or loss. To lose weight, a combination of nutrition and exercise is best. Be sure to consult a healthcare provider or a registered dietitian, though, before you make changes to your diet and exercise plans. They can help you set goals that are right for you and your situation. How Many Calories Do You Burn Every Day? Frequently Asked Questions What hormones increase energy expenditure? Thyroid hormones (TH) are hormones that regulate energy expenditure. Thyroid hormone dysfunctions can change how your body expends energy. TH deficiencies can reduce basal metabolic rate (BMR), the most significant factor in total energy expenditure. How much of total energy expenditure is resting metabolism? Resting metabolism accounts for approximately 60 to 70% of total daily energy expenditure.Several factors can influence this, however, including body composition, age, hormones, and genetics. Learn More: What is Metabolism and How Do I Change It? How can I increase resting energy expenditure? You can increase your resting energy expenditure by gaining more muscle mass, limiting time spent in a calorie deficit, and being more physically active. 9 Sources Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Bosy-Westphal A, Hägele FA, Müller MJ. What is the impact of energy expenditure on energy intake? Nutrients. 2021;13(10):3508. doi:10.3390/nu13103508 Pethusamy K, Gupta A, Yadav R. Basal metabolic rate(Bmr). In: Vonk J, Shackelford T, eds. Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior. Springer International Publishing; 2019:1-3. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_1429-1 Calcagno M, Kahleova H, Alwarith J, et al. The thermic effect of food: A review. J Am Coll Nutr. 2019;38(6):547-551. doi:10.1080/07315724.2018.1552544 Ravn AM, Ture Gregersen N, Christensen R, et al. Thermic effect of a meal and appetite in adults: an individual participant data meta-analysis of meal-test trials. Food & Nutrition Research. 2013;57(1):19676. doi:10.3402/fnr.v57i0.19676. Johns D, Hartmann-Boyce J, Jebb S, Aveyard P. Diet or exercise interventions vs combined behavioral weight management programs: a systematic review and meta-analysis of direct comparisons. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2014;114(10):1557-68. doi:10.1016/j.jand.2014.07.005 U.S. National Library of Medicine. Can you boost your metabolism?. Moghetti P, Bacchi E, Brangani C, Donà S, Negri C. Metabolic effects of exercise. Front Horm Res. 2016;47:44-57. doi:10.1159/000445156 U.S. National Library of Medicine. Benefits of exercise. Cicatiello AG, Di Girolamo D, Dentice M. Metabolic effects of the intracellular regulation of thyroid hormone: old players, new concepts. Front Endocrinol. 2018;0. Additional Reading U.S. Department of Agriculture. Basic Nutrition. Updated 2020. By Rachel MacPherson, BA, CPT Rachel MacPherson is a health writer, certified personal trainer, and exercise nutrition coach based in Halifax. See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? Helpful Report an Error Other Submit Advertiser Disclosure × The offers that appear in this table are from companies that partner with and compensate Verywell Fit for displaying their offer. These partnerships do not impact our editorial choices or otherwise influence our editorial content.