We hear about and talk about calories all the time. But where do they actually go?
What Is a Calorie, Really?
When you hear “calorie,” think energy. A calorie is your body’s form of fuel, and energy balance is crucial for weight maintenance, loss, or gain. Most people understand the “energy in” part of the equation, but there’s a lot of misunderstanding about the “energy out” part. This confusion can lead to frustration and quitting, especially if weight loss is your goal.
Breaking Down Your Total Energy Expenditure (TEE)
The total amount of energy your body burns in a day is called Total Energy Expenditure (TEE). Here’s where many get it wrong: overestimating how much influence they have over TEE through movement and exercise. In reality, you can only influence about 15-20% of the total energy you burn daily.
Let’s break it down:
70% – Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
Seventy percent of all the energy you burn in a day is just to keep you alive. If you were to lay in bed and do absolutely nothing, your body would still use a significant amount of energy. This number is based on age, biological sex, height, and weight. Surprisingly, your brain uses about 20% of your BMR despite being only 2% of your body weight!
You have very little influence over this number. And important to note: if you lose weight, your BMR decreases proportionally to the weight you’ve lost.
10% – Thermogenic Effect of Food (TEF)
Your digestive tract is a 30-foot-long muscle. It takes energy for these muscles to break down food into absorbable nutrients. TEF uses about 10% of your daily energy. You can have a small influence over this by eating a whole food diet with adequate protein and fiber. Choosing highly processed, easy-to-digest foods will reduce the TEF slightly.
15-20% – Where You Come In
This is the area where you have the most control: Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) and exercise.
Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)
This is all the movement you do throughout the day that isn’t formal exercise. Do you sit at work, stand, or use a walking pad occasionally? Do you fidget or shift often? This includes gardening, mowing the lawn, cleaning, and grocery shopping. Parking farther away and taking the stairs all count toward your ADLs.
This is where you have the biggest influence over daily energy expenditure, making up about 15% of your total.
Formal Exercise
This is the smallest but most important slice of the pie. If you work out for 1 hour a day, it will be about 5% of your total daily energy expenditure. This is why you cannot move your way out of a poor diet.
However, even though exercise doesn’t burn the most daily energy, it’s one of the most critical aspects of health. Exercise positively impacts you from head to toe—improving mental health, sleep quality, and helping prevent or manage almost every chronic disease.
Why This Matters for Busy Adults
1. Being busy ≠ being active. I work with many busy adults who say they never sit down and are always running around. But being busy doesn’t equate to increased daily energy expenditure. If you’re in a car running from place to place or sitting at appointments or kids’ activities, this doesn’t significantly impact your ADLs or replace exercise. That feeling of franticness or overwhelm can actually be worsened by not moving your body! True movement means your body is up and moving around; otherwise, you’re simply busy. And busyness + stress can lead to poorer physical and mental health.
2. Balance is key. Too many people work out and then do very little the rest of the day. Studies show that people who exercise may actually move less throughout the day. “Went to the gym, check! Now I can veg out on the couch.” We need both physical activity AND daily movement.
3. Weight loss realities. As you lose weight, your BMR decreases. If you lose 30 pounds, your body is no longer carrying around that extra weight. This isn’t your “metabolism slowing”—it’s your body’s natural and expected response to weight loss. There’s simply less tissue to fuel. Most people, as they get closer to their goal weight, loosen their efforts. This is counterproductive! As you approach your goal, the margin for continued loss narrows. This is precisely when you need to pay more attention, not less.
In my next post, I’ll share practical strategies for incorporating this knowledge into your daily life, especially for those of you juggling work, family responsibilities, and self-care. Stay tuned!
Need personalized guidance for your health journey? At The Pointe, we specialize in helping busy adults reclaim their energy and well-being. Many of our clients pay as little as $0 out-of-pocket with insurance. Contact us to learn more about how we can help you take control of your health—one small, realistic step at a time.
