About this Resource
In general, total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) is broken down into three components: (1) the energy expended whilst at rest, (2) the energy expended from physical activity (both during exercise and everyday activity), and (3) the energy expended digesting, storing, and absorbing nutrients after eating food. This handout breaks down each of the three components of daily energy expenditure.
Grounded in the Research
“All of life’s essential tasks, from development and reproduction to maintenance and movement, require energy. Total daily energy expenditure (total expenditure; megajoules per day) is thus central to understanding both daily nutritional requirements and the body’s investment among activities.”
Excerpt from: Pontzer, H., Yamada, Y., Sagayama, H., Ainslie, P. N., Andersen, L. F., Anderson, L. J., … & IAEA DLW Database Consortium §. (2021). Daily energy expenditure through the human life course. Science, 373(6556), 808-812.
References
[1] Westerterp, K. R. (2017). Control of energy expenditure in humans. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 71(3), 340-344. https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2016.237
[2] Donahoo, W. T., Levine, J. A., & Melanson, E. L. (2004). Variability in energy expenditure and its components. Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition & Metabolic Care, 7(6), 599-605. https://doi.org/10.1097/00075197-200411000-00003
[3] Pinheiro Volp, A. C., de Oliveira, F. C., Duarte Moreira Alves, R., Esteves, E. A., & Bressan, J. (2011). Energy expenditure: components and evaluation methods. Nutricion Hospitalaria, 26(3).https://journals.lww.com/co-clinicalnutrition/abstract/2004/11000/variability_in_energy_expenditure_and_its.3.aspx
[4] Pontzer, H., Yamada, Y., Sagayama, H., Ainslie, P. N., Andersen, L. F., Anderson, L. J., … & IAEA DLW Database Consortium §. (2021). Daily energy expenditure through the human life course. Science, 373(6556), 808-812. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abe5017
[5] Hall, K. D., & Guo, J. (2017). Obesity energetics: body weight regulation and the effects of diet composition. Gastroenterology, 152(7), 1718-1727. https://doi.org/10.1053/j.gastro.2017.01.052
[6] Nieman, D. C., Trone, G. A., & Austin, M. D. (2003). A new handheld device for measuring resting metabolic rate and oxygen consumption. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 103(5), 588-593. https://doi.org/10.1053/jada.2003.50116
[7] Villablanca, P. A., Alegria, J. R., Mookadam, F., Holmes Jr, D. R., Wright, R. S., & Levine, J. A. (2015). Nonexercise activity thermogenesis in obesity management. Mayo Clinic Proceedings 90(4), 509-519. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2015.02.001
[8] Bean, A. (2022). The Complete Guide to Sports Nutrition. Bloomsbury Publishing.
[9] Westerterp, K. R. (2004). Diet induced thermogenesis. Nutrition & Metabolism, 1(1), 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1186/1743-7075-1-5