
Research notes that TEF can account for up to 10% of TDEE, which isn't all that much in the grand scheme of things. The composition of your diet (i.e., how much of each macronutrient you eat) will determine how large/small your TEF is. TEF represents the number of calories your body burns digesting, absorbing, and utilizing the protein, carbohydrates, and fat you eat into amino acids, sugars, and fatty acids that your body can use to generate energy (ATP), repair damaged muscle tissue, synthesize hormones, and support your immune system. What in the world do these other acronyms mean? TEF

TDEE stands for total daily energy expenditure, and it represents the total number of calories your body burns in a day. What this means is that your resting metabolic rate RMR will always be slightly higher than your BMR. Technically, resting metabolic rate includes your basal metabolic rate and the calories burned during the digestion process and movements that don't involve formal activities (i.e., exercise). While they are similar, they aren't the same thing, FYI. It's the amount of energy required to keep your brain, heart, liver, and other essential life functions going to ensure you live to fight another day.įrequently, you'll see the acronyms BMR, and RMR (resting metabolic rate) used interchangeably. It will vary from one individual to the next as BMR is determined by:Įssentially, BMR is the amount of energy your body needs to "keep the lights" on. What are BMR and TDEE, and which one is best for weight loss?īMR stands for "basal metabolic rate," It is one component that affects how many calories your body burns in a day.īasal metabolic rate accounts for the number of calories your body burns at rest (e.g., you did nothing all day but lay in bed binging the latest nonsense on Netflix).

So, when deciding how many calories you should eat to lose weight, you’ll come across several different numbers, but two of the most prominent ones are the acronyms - BMR and TDEE. Now, it should be mentioned that these calculators merely provide an estimate for how many calories you should eat each day to lose weight, and you’ll ultimately need to dial in the exact amount of calories for YOUR body. To know how many calories to eat for weight loss, many individuals turn to one of the countless available (and FREE) calorie calculators on the internet. Furthermore, the only way to know with reasonable certainty whether you are consuming the right amount of calories to lose weight is to track your nutrition.

To lose weight (fat), you must consume fewer calories than you burn in a given day. Weight loss ultimately boils down to managing calories in versus calories out.
