Calories Out
How Body Weight, Body Composition, Hormones, and Behavior Impact Calorie Expenditure
What Makes Up Your Calorie Expenditure?
As we reviewed previously, the Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) of your body is made up of the following components (Widmaier, 2019):
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Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR)
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Energy fueling movement
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Exercise associated thermogenesis (EAT)
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Non-exercise associated thermogenesis (NEAT)
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Diet-related thermogenesis (DIT)
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The number of calories burned as part of your RMR accounts for the normal daily metabolism your body performs, including muscle repair, digestion, growth, and other activities. Overall, adipose cells require the lowest amount of energy for the human body to maintain (LibreTexts, 2019). As such, you can increase your RMR and your overall TDEE by increasing your muscle mass. For people who struggle to put on muscle mass because of a limited appetite, this can create a challenge as the number of calories burned daily rises the more muscle mass they gain.
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Among those attempting to lose weight or maintain weight loss, many people focus on planned exercise as their many caloric balance control. However, when the thermic effect of physical activity is taken into account, non-exercise movements can represent a larger portion of calorie expenditure through heat loss than the typical exercise session (Widmaier, 2019). NEAT is attributed to simple behaviors like standing up, walking around, and handling normal work and household chores.
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Increasing your average activity level by standing up more often during the day, doing small activities like periodically stretching or calisthenics, and taking on more chores around the house (i.e. gardening, yard work, deep cleaning, etc.) can raise your TDEE in the long-term and prevent the gradual weight gain that threatens the health of so many adults in the U.S. (Harvard Health Publishing, 2019).
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What Other Factors Impact How Many Calories You Burn Each Day?
While its simple to say that you should increase your muscle mass and/or daily activity level to support your weight control goals, putting those suggestions into action can be more complex. Many people struggle to find the energy to exercise or move more on a daily basis, which is influenced by hormone and blood sugar levels (Harvard Health Publish, 2019; Park, 2001).
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Insulin receptors in specific regions of the brain have been to play a role in cognitive function and memory formation, so insulin-resistance, due to high-carb diets, can cause negative effects on cognitive performance (Park, 2001). This can make adhering to new diet and exercise plans more difficult and stressful, leading to diet failure.
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One way that you can support better mood and energy levels so that you are able to sustainably follow a new exercise regiment is to avoid high glycemic index foods (like sugary foods, potatoes, and white grains) that trigger excessive insulin release (Lennerz & Lennerz, 2018).
Additionally, eating meals with mixed macronutrient breakdowns can help promote health insulin responses and promote stable blood sugar and energy levels (LibreTexts, 2019). Finally, research into caloric intake structuring have found that calorie cycling is potentially more successful than traditional calorie restriction, which may trigger low energy and cravings in people who are not suited to high rates or scales of calorie intake changes (Davoodi et al., 2014).
