If you’re serious about improving your health, fitness, or weight management, understanding how your body burns energy is key.

You’ve probably heard terms like BMR, NEAT, and TEF, but what do they actually mean?

And more importantly, how do they affect your ability to burn fat, build muscle, and feel your best?

Let’s break down the top 5 terms you need to know when it comes to your body’s metabolism and energy use.

1️⃣ BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) – Your Body’s “Idle” Energy Use

Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the number of calories your body burns at rest just to keep you alive. This includes things like:

• Breathing
• Circulating blood
• Digesting food
• Keeping your organs functioning

Even if you did nothing but lay in bed all day, your body would still burn calories to perform these essential functions. Your BMR is affected by:

✅ Muscle Mass – More muscle = higher BMR = more calories burned at rest
✅ Age – BMR slows as you age (but strength training helps!)
✅ Genetics – Some people naturally have a higher or lower BMR

👉 Why it matters: If you want to lose fat or gain muscle, understanding your BMR helps you determine how many calories your body needs as a baseline before adding activity.

2️⃣ NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) – The “Secret” to Burning More Calories

NEAT stands for Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis, which is the energy you burn from everyday movements that aren’t structured workouts. This includes:

🚶 Walking around the house
🧹 Cleaning, doing laundry, cooking
💼 Fidgeting, typing, talking with your hands
🎮 Playing with your kids or pets

NEAT can make a huge difference in how many calories you burn daily. If two people have the same workout routine, but one is more active throughout the day (standing instead of sitting, walking more, etc.), they’ll burn significantly more calories without even realizing it.

👉 Why it matters: Increasing NEAT is one of the easiest ways to boost fat loss and maintain a higher metabolism without spending more time in the gym.

3️⃣ TEF (Thermic Effect of Food) – Calories Burned by Eating

Yes, you burn calories just by digesting food! The Thermic Effect of Food (TEF) is the energy required to chew, digest, absorb, and process the food you eat.

Different foods have different TEF values:
🥩 Protein – Highest TEF (burns ~20-30% of its calories during digestion)
🥑 Fats – Lowest TEF (burns ~0-5% of its calories)
🍞 Carbs – Moderate TEF (burns ~5-10% of its calories)

This means if you eat 100 calories of protein, your body might use 20-30 calories just to process it, while 100 calories of fat may only require 0-5 calories to digest.

👉 Why it matters: Eating more protein can help boost calorie burn, support muscle growth, and keep you full longer!

4️⃣ TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) – Your Full Daily Burn

Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is the total number of calories you burn in a day, including:

🔥 BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) – Calories burned at rest
🔥 NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) – Calories from daily movement
🔥 TEF (Thermic Effect of Food) – Calories burned from digestion
🔥 EAT (Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) – Calories burned from workouts

TDEE is the most important number to know when setting a calorie goal for weight loss, muscle gain, or maintenance.

💡 If you eat fewer calories than your TDEE → You’ll lose weight
💡 If you eat more calories than your TDEE → You’ll gain weight

👉 Why it matters: Calculating your TDEE helps you set realistic nutrition goals based on your activity level.

5️⃣ EPOC (Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption) – The “Afterburn” Effect

Ever heard that you keep burning calories even after you finish working out? That’s called EPOC (Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption) or the afterburn effect.

Certain workouts, like:
⚡ Strength Training
⚡ High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
⚡ Sprinting

…can elevate your metabolism for hours after exercise, meaning you continue to burn extra calories even while resting.

👉 Why it matters: If fat loss is your goal, incorporating resistance training or HIIT into your routine can help you burn more calories beyond the gym.

Putting It All Together

Understanding how your body burns calories can help you make better decisions about your fitness and nutrition. Here’s a quick recap:

📌 BMR – The calories your body burns at rest
📌 NEAT – The calories you burn from daily movement (NOT workouts)
📌 TEF – The calories you burn from digesting food (protein burns the most!)
📌 TDEE – Your total daily calorie burn (BMR + activity)
📌 EPOC – The “afterburn” effect from intense workouts

If you want to lose fat, build muscle, or improve energy levels, knowing these terms can help you optimize your nutrition and training.

💡 Tip: If you’re unsure where to start, tracking your TDEE and increasing your NEAT and protein intake are great first steps!

Need help figuring out your numbers? Let’s build a personalized plan for you! 💪

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