Do You Add Resting Energy and Active Energy Together for Total Calories?

According to the National Institutes of Health, a person's Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is comprised of three core components, with resting energy being the largest contributor. So, do you add resting energy and active energy together? The answer is a definitive yes, as combining these two is the key to understanding your true calorie burn for weight management and fitness planning.

Quick Summary

Yes, you add resting energy and active energy together to calculate your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). Resting energy covers basic bodily functions, while active energy is burned through physical activity. Understanding this sum is crucial for accurately tracking calorie burn and achieving weight, fitness, or performance goals.

Key Points

• Yes, Add Them Together: To get your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE), you must combine your resting and active energy, as fitness trackers and health apps do automatically.

• Resting Energy is Your Baseline: Resting energy (BMR/RMR) is the energy your body burns at rest for vital functions and is the largest part of your daily calorie expenditure.

• Active Energy is Your Variable: Active energy is the calories burned during all physical movement, from planned exercise (EAT) to daily tasks (NEAT).

• TDEE is Your True Target: Your TDEE represents the total calories burned throughout the day, providing the accurate figure you need to set calorie goals for weight loss, gain, or maintenance.

• Fitness Trackers Estimate TDEE: Devices use personal data and activity tracking to estimate your total burn by summing your estimated resting and active energy expenditures.

• Combine for Goal Setting: By adding resting and active energy, you can accurately calculate the calorie deficit or surplus needed to achieve your weight or fitness goals.

• Trackers Offer Estimates, Not Perfect Numbers: Remember that fitness trackers provide estimations, and individual metabolic variations can exist. Use them as a helpful guide rather than an absolute measure.

The question of whether to add resting energy and active energy together is a common point of confusion for those using fitness trackers or monitoring their calorie expenditure. The short and accurate answer is yes, you must combine these two figures. By doing so, you arrive at a crucial metric known as your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). This comprehensive number is the foundation for any successful weight management or fitness strategy, as it provides a complete picture of your body's daily energy needs.

What is Resting Energy (Basal Metabolic Rate)?

Your resting energy, also known as your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) or Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), represents the energy your body burns at complete rest to perform vital functions. Think of it as the energy required to simply keep you alive. This includes fundamental processes like:

• Breathing and blood circulation
• Maintaining body temperature
• Cell production and repair
• Brain and nerve function

For the average person, this baseline energy expenditure accounts for the largest portion of their total daily calorie burn, often between 60% and 75%. Your RMR is influenced by factors you can't control, such as age, gender, and genetics, as well as controllable factors like your body composition, since muscle tissue burns more calories at rest than fat tissue.

What is Active Energy?

Active energy, or active calories, refers to the calories you burn from all physical activity throughout the day. Unlike resting energy, this component is highly variable and depends entirely on your movement and exercise habits. Active energy can be broken down into several sub-categories:

• Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (EAT): The energy expended during planned, structured exercise like running, weightlifting, or cycling.
• Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT): The energy burned from all other spontaneous physical activity, including walking, fidgeting, doing household chores, and taking the stairs.
• Thermic Effect of Food (TEF): The energy required to digest, absorb, and process the food you eat, which typically accounts for around 10% of your total daily energy expenditure.

How Fitness Trackers Calculate and Combine Energy

Most modern fitness trackers and health apps automatically add resting energy and active energy together to provide you with your total daily calorie burn. They do this by using a combination of your personal data and sensor information:

1. Baseline Calculation: When you set up your device, you provide personal data like your age, gender, height, and weight. The tracker uses this information to estimate your RMR using a standard formula like the Mifflin-St Jeor equation.
2. Activity Tracking: Throughout the day, motion sensors (accelerometers) and a heart rate monitor detect your movement and effort level. The device uses these metrics to calculate the calories burned from your physical activity.
3. The Summation: The device then adds the calories burned from your tracked activity (active energy) to your estimated RMR (resting energy) to provide your total calorie burn for the day. This is often presented as your 'Total' or 'Total Daily Energy Expenditure' (TDEE).

Resting vs. Total Energy: A Comparison Table

Feature	Resting Energy (RMR/BMR)	Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE)
Definition	Energy burned to sustain life at complete rest.	Total energy burned in a 24-hour period, including rest and activity.
Components	Only the calories for vital bodily functions.	RMR/BMR + Active Energy (EAT, NEAT) + Thermic Effect of Food.
Calculation	Based on age, gender, height, weight, and body composition.	RMR/BMR multiplied by an activity factor.
Contribution to Daily Burn	Makes up 60-75% of total calories.	The full 100% of your daily calorie expenditure.
Purpose	Establishes a metabolic baseline.	Determines calorie needs for weight management goals.
Influence	Affected by factors like muscle mass and age.	Primarily influenced by your activity level.

Practical Application for Weight and Fitness Goals

Understanding why you add resting energy and active energy together is not just for curiosity; it has practical applications for anyone trying to manage their weight or improve their fitness.

• Weight Loss: To lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit, meaning you burn more calories than you consume. Knowing your TDEE (resting + active) gives you the accurate target from which to subtract calories. If you only focused on active energy, your calorie deficit would be inaccurately large and potentially unhealthy.
• Weight Gain: Conversely, if your goal is to gain weight or build muscle, you need to consume more calories than your TDEE. Using this comprehensive number ensures you are getting a surplus of energy to support muscle growth and weight gain.
• Maintenance: For weight maintenance, the objective is to match your caloric intake to your TDEE, creating an energy balance where your body uses the same amount of energy it takes in.

For most people, the most effective way to manage their energy balance is through a combination of tracking their food intake and using a fitness tracker to monitor their TDEE. However, it's crucial to remember that calorie numbers from trackers are always estimates, not exact figures. Using them as a guide and adjusting based on your body's response is the most effective approach.

Putting it all together

• Calculate your BMR first using an online calculator (like the Mifflin-St Jeor equation).
• Track your daily movement and exercise to estimate your active energy expenditure, or use a tracker that does this automatically.
• Multiply your BMR by an activity factor to get a more refined TDEE estimate, taking into account NEAT and TEF.
• Combine your estimated active energy with your BMR for the most complete picture of your total daily burn.
• Use this comprehensive TDEE figure to set your daily calorie targets for weight management.

Conclusion

In summary, the notion of keeping resting and active energy separate is a common mistake when tracking fitness goals. The two are intrinsically linked and must be combined to get an accurate representation of your Total Daily Energy Expenditure. Whether you're aiming to lose weight, gain muscle, or simply maintain your current physique, knowing your TDEE is the most reliable way to create a successful and sustainable energy balance. Use your fitness tracker as a guide, trust the combined number it provides, and make informed decisions about your diet and exercise to achieve your objectives. Your body is a complex system, and understanding its total energy needs is the first step toward effective management. For more detailed information on total energy expenditure, you can consult authoritative sources like the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) on the components of energy expenditure.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do I see separate 'Resting' and 'Active' energy on my fitness tracker?

Your fitness tracker displays these figures separately to show you the breakdown of your daily energy expenditure. 'Resting' is your passive burn, and 'Active' is from movement. You add them together to understand your total daily calorie output.

If I only focus on burning active calories, is that enough for weight loss?

No, focusing only on active calories is insufficient for weight loss. Your body burns the majority of its calories simply by existing. You must account for both resting and active calories to get an accurate total daily expenditure and set a proper calorie deficit.

Can I increase my resting energy burn?

Yes, you can increase your resting energy burn, also known as your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). Building more muscle mass through strength training is a key way to do this, as muscle tissue is more metabolically active than fat tissue.

How accurate are fitness trackers at measuring total energy?

Fitness trackers provide reasonably accurate estimations, but they are not perfectly precise due to individual metabolic variations and sensor limitations. They use algorithms based on personal data and heart rate to provide a solid guide for your health decisions, but should not be treated as absolute truth.

What is Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE)?

TDEE is your Total Daily Energy Expenditure, which is the sum of your resting energy (BMR), active energy (from exercise and daily tasks), and the energy used to digest food (Thermic Effect of Food). It represents your total calorie burn in a 24-hour period.

How does digestion factor into my total energy burn?

The energy your body uses to digest, absorb, and metabolize food, known as the Thermic Effect of Food (TEF), is included in your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE), typically accounting for about 10% of the total.

Is it better to just use my BMR to set my calorie intake for weight loss?

No, it is not recommended to use your BMR alone for calorie intake. BMR is only the energy burned at rest. You should use your TDEE, which accounts for your activity level, to ensure you are meeting your body's total energy needs while creating a healthy deficit for weight loss.