Total Daily Energy Expenditure or TDEE

TDEE- is the total number of calories we burn in a day.

A much more accurate method for calculating TDEE is to determine basal metabolic rate (BMR) using multiple factors, including height, weight, age and sex, then multiply the BMR by an activity factor to determine TDEE. BMR is the total number of calories your body requires for normal bodily functions (excluding activity factors). This includes keeping your heart beating, inhaling and exhaling air, digesting food, making new blood cells, maintaining your body temperature and every other metabolic process in your body.

In other words, your BMR is all the energy used for the basic processes of life itself. BMR usually accounts for about two-thirds of total daily energy expenditure. BMR may vary dramatically from person to person depending on genetic factors.

the higher your lean body mass is, the higher your BMR will be. This is very significant if you want to lose body fat because it means that the more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn. Muscle is metabolically active tissue, and it requires a great deal of energy just to sustain it. It is obvious then that one way to increase your BMR is to engage in weight training in order to increase and/or maintain lean body mass. In this manner it could be said that weight training helps you lose body fat,

Protein and Carbohydrates bring a greater thermic response Fat does not. Which is why diets higher in fat cause you to retain more of it. So just eating meals higher in Protein and Carbs helps to increase energy expenditure(burn calories).

3) Energy Expenditure of Physical Activity (EEPA) is driven by your activity levels. In other words EEPA is driven by the amount of effort you put into your training.

The TDEE can help us not just to understand what our metabolisms do with the food we eat but to fine tune our diets to achieve our goal of either gaining or losing weight.

Men: BMR = 66 + (13.7 X wt in kg) + (5 X ht in cm) - (6.8 X age in years)

Women: BMR = 655 + (9.6 X wt in kg) + (1.8 X ht in cm) - (4.7 X age in years)

Note: 1 inch = 2.54 cm.
1 kilogram = 2.2 lbs.

Example:
You are female
You are 30 yrs old
You are 5' 6 " tall (167.6 cm)
You weigh 120 lbs. (54.5 kilos)
Your BMR = 655 + 523 + 302 - 141 = 1339 calories/day

Now that you know your BMR, you can calculate TDEE by multiplying your BMR by your activity multiplier from the chart below:

Activity Multiplier

Sedentary = BMR X 1.2 (little or no exercise, desk job)
Lightly active = BMR X 1.375 (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk)
Mod. active = BMR X 1.55 (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk)
Very active = BMR X 1.725 (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk)
Extr. active = BMR X 1.9 (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.)

Example:
Your BMR is 1339 calories per day
Your activity level is moderately active (work out 3-4 times per week)
Your activity factor is 1.55
Your TDEE = 1.55 X 1339 = 2075 calories/day

Protein
depending on your activity level consume 1-1.3 grams per pound of bodyweight to increase your metabolic rate.

Carbs should be 0.8-1 grams lbs per body weight.

Approximately 15% of your total daily calorie intake should be from good fat sources. Keep in mind the intake of fat grams from your protein and carb consumption.

An example for a 200lb person looking to lose fat:

This is assuming this person is doing weight training and cardio work 4-5 times aweek.

Protein 1 gram per lbs = 200 grams = 800 calories (1 gram protein = 4 calories)

Carbs 0.8 grams per lbs = 160 grams = 640 calories (1 gram of carbs = 4 calories)

Fat are a little harder to figure. First lets assume the total number of calories of protein and carbs in our example 1440 contain 15% fat 1440x0.15% = 216 calories. Plus our Flax Oil intake 1 tablespoon per 75 lbs of bodyweight (200 divided by 75 = 2.7) which equals 37 grams of fat from Flax oil. 37 x 9 (calories in a gram of fat) = 333 calories

Total calorie intake per day = 1989 calories ( again we are assuming an active person.

Now the next step is spreading this out proportionatly over 5-6 meals a day

To lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit by reducing your calories slightly below your maintenance level (or keeping your calories the same and increasing your activity above your current level). To gain weight you need to increase your calories above your maintenance level. The only difference between weight gain programs and weight loss programs is the total number of calories required.

"Planning Without Action Is Futile. Action Without Planning Is Fatal"

Take some time before you do your grocery shopping and prepare your food list. Keep in mind the types of foods we are looking to buy.

Protein: lean beef(beef tenderloin,flank steak,lean ground beef) chicken and turkey breasts, eggs, non fat milk and milk products, fish(tilapia,water packed tuna,salmon)

Carbs: oatmeal, fruit, brown rice, whole grain breads and pasta, sweet potatoes, corn.

Fats: almonds, walnuts, extra virgin olive oil, natural peanut butter

Fruits and vegetables: green beans, cabbage, broccoli, peaches, apples, grapefruits

This list is not all inclusive of course but you get the idea.

Once you have your food for the week then you need to start planning your meals.

One tip to use to save you time is to cook in bulk. Chicken, turkey, fish, brown rice, vegetables can all be cooked and stored for use on another day.

A Sample Daily Meal Plan

Remember you want to try and eat every 2-3 hours

Breakfast- 3-4 egg whites + 1 whole egg omelet mix in some Brocoli. ( it really only takes a couple of minutes to make) (pre cook the brocoli the night before) 1 piece of fruit or a glass of juice 1-2 pieces whole grain toast.

Mid Morning snack- A whey protein shake and a piece of fruit. Or a glass of non-fat milk 1 whole grain english muffin and a piece of fruit.

Lunch- Tuna fish sandwich on whole grain bread, some cooked or raw vegetables.

Mid Afternoon snack- similar to mid morning snack

Dinner- Flank steak, cooked vegetables, baked potato

Nighttime snack( if desired)munch on some nuts and have a glass of non-fat milk.

"A recent 12-week study says that those who failed to consume a post workout
meal immediately after their workouts suffered a lower metabolism, loss of fat free
mass, and had clear indications of muscle loss - while their counterparts (those
who consumed a post workout recovery meal) significantly lost more fat, increased
lean muscle, improved their metabolism, and increased dynamic strength."

This takes work, desire and comittment. Doesn't anything worthwhile? Your appearance and health and wellness will thank you.

Breaking bad habits is not easy but it's just a matter of retraining yourself. It won't take long and you will start to wonder how you once ate all that junk.

And let me throw this in there is nothing wrong with allowing yourself a little extra treat now

Here"s What You Need:

1 lb cooked skinless chicken breast
1/2 cup mustard
1/2 cup dill relish
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 tsp dill weed seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp pepper
2 slices whole grain bread
lettuce
1 sliced tomato

Shred chicken in a food processor or by hand, mix in seasonings. Top with lettuce and Tomato serve on whole grain bread. Makes 2 Servings

Calories 220 w/o the Bread
Fat 3 grams
Carbs 17 grams
Protein 14 Grams

The first time I tried this I flipped it's excellant and incredibly easy.

Make it the night before and take it to work the next day for lunch or a snack!

Fajitas as served in a restaurant are usually a great treat. This is a cheat version of fajitas that you can make when you don't have time to make traditional fajitas.

Ingredients:

1 lb. Flank steak (cut in strips or small pieces)
1 large green pepper, cut in strips
1 red pepper, cut in strips
1 medium yellow onion, cut in strips
3 cloves pressed garlic
1 tsp chili powder
lemon juice
fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions:

Saute garlic in a bit of lemon juice for 1 minute in large wok or skillet. Add beef and chili powder and cook until beef is cooked near to the temperature you desire. Add peppers and onions and cook until vegetables are mostly soft, raising the heat for a short time if you like the vegetables slightly charred. Top with salsa or fat-free sour cream if desired.

Per Serving

Calories - 139.5
Carbs - 7g
Protein - 25g
Fat - 3.75g
Fiber - 1.4g

Vegetable Omelet

In small pan coated with cooking spray, sauté 2 Tbsp each diced onion and green bell pepper until tender, approximately 3 minutes. Remove. In same pan, add 3/4 c liquid egg substitute and cook over low heat until firm. Add onion-pepper mixture and 1/2 c diced tomato, then fold egg in half. Serve with 1 slice 100% whole wheat toast topped with 2 tsp jam and 8 oz calcium- and vitamin D fortified orange juice.

396 cal, 28 g pro, 53 g carb, 8 g fat, 2 g sat fat, 2 mg chol, 4 g fiber, 514 mg sodium, 408 mg calcium

Here are is a recipe for you! We will be adding more regularly.

The Ultimate Muscle Salad

approx 1 cup spinach leaves
approx 1 cup mixed leaf lettuce
shredded carrots
1/2 of a ripe avocado, diced
2 hard boiled eggs, diced (preferrably organic, cage free)
3 Tbsp chopped pecans
1/4 cup dried cranberries
top with homemade dressing made of balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, and Udo's Choice Oil Blend (3/4 of total liquid should come from the vinegar)
Mix it all together and you've got one delicious and ridiculously nutritious salad. For an extra shot of antioxidants, wash it all down with some homemade iced green/white/oolong tea lightly sweetened with the natural sweetener Stevia or a little touch of raw honey.

Alright, now let's look at the approx macronutrient breakdown:

Prot: 23 g., Carbs: 48 g., Fiber: 12 g., Fat: 45 g., Calories: 650

Now before you throw your arms up in disgust and call me crazy for recommending such a high fat, high calorie meal, keep in mind to scale back the portion sizes for your own caloric goal. The portions above are simply the portions that I use considering that my maintenance caloric intake is around 3000 calories/day. If your maintenance is 2000 calories/day, then scale back the portions accordingly.

Thanks to Mike Geary The Truth About Abs for this recipe. Read Mikes article below about this recipe.