What is my EER? A Complete Guide to Your Estimated Energy Requirement

October 4, 2025 •

3 min read

According to the World Health Organization, a sedentary lifestyle is a significant contributor to many health problems. Knowing your Estimated Energy Requirement (EER) is a crucial step toward understanding your body's energy needs and managing your weight effectively.

Quick Summary

Learn how to calculate your Estimated Energy Requirement (EER) for weight maintenance. The guide covers formulas for adults, factors affecting the result, and compares EER with TDEE.

Key Points

Dual Meaning: Clarify that EER can refer to Estimated Energy Requirement (nutrition) or Energy Efficiency Ratio (appliances).
Holistic Calculation: The nutrition EER factors in age, sex, weight, height, and physical activity level.
Maintenance Goal: It represents the average calorie intake needed to maintain your current weight, not to gain or lose it.
Not a Hard Number: EER is an estimate; actual energy needs vary, and monitoring body weight is essential for adjustments.
EER vs. TDEE: While similar, EER calculations use a more specific methodology from official dietary guidelines, unlike the more general TDEE.
Physical Activity is Key: Your activity level is a major variable that significantly impacts your EER, ranging from sedentary to very active.

Demystifying EER: Two Distinct Meanings

Before diving into the details of a nutritional EER, it's essential to clarify that the acronym can have another, entirely unrelated meaning. EER can also stand for "Energy Efficiency Ratio," a metric used for appliances like air conditioners to measure their cooling capacity relative to power consumption. For the purpose of nutrition and health, EER always refers to your Estimated Energy Requirement.

What is Estimated Energy Requirement (EER)?

In the context of health and nutrition, your Estimated Energy Requirement (EER) is the average daily dietary energy intake predicted to maintain energy balance in a healthy, normal-weight adult. It's a scientific estimation designed to help you consume an appropriate number of calories to maintain your current body weight, considering a variety of factors. The EER is not a tool for weight loss or gain, but rather a starting point for understanding the energy equilibrium of your body.

Key Factors That Influence Your EER

Several variables determine your EER. The primary factors include age, sex, weight, height, and physical activity level. Physiological states like pregnancy or illness can also alter energy needs.

Calculating Your EER for Adults (Age 19+)

The formulas for calculating EER differ based on age and sex for adults aged 19 and older. These equations incorporate age (A) in years, weight (W) in kilograms, height (H) in meters, and a Physical Activity (PA) coefficient. The Physical Activity (PA) coefficient depends on your average daily activity level. The formulas and PA coefficients can be found on {Link: canada.ca https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/food-nutrition/healthy-eating/dietary-reference-intakes/tables/equations-estimate-energy-requirement.html}.

EER, BMR, and TDEE: What's the Difference?

Understanding related nutritional terms is important. EER, BMR, and TDEE each serve a distinct purpose in estimating energy needs.


Metric	Purpose	Influencing Factors	Best for...
EER (Estimated Energy Requirement)	To estimate average energy intake for weight maintenance in a healthy adult.	Age, sex, weight, height, physical activity.	General guidance for maintaining current weight.
BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate)	To estimate calories burned at complete rest, with no activity.	Age, sex, height, and weight.	Understanding the body's base energy needs.
TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure)	To estimate calories burned per day, including all activity.	BMR, physical activity, and the thermic effect of food.	Calculating a more comprehensive daily calorie expenditure.

EER and TDEE are often used interchangeably to estimate total daily energy expenditure, but they utilize different formulas. EER is specifically tied to government nutritional reference values.

How to Use and Interpret Your EER

Your EER is a baseline for nutritional planning. Monitor your weight to confirm its accuracy. Adjust your intake relative to your EER for weight loss (consume less) or weight gain (consume more). EER can help you structure a balanced diet by providing a calorie target. For personalized guidance, consult a registered dietitian and refer to resources like {Link: Canada.ca https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/food-nutrition/healthy-eating/dietary-reference-intakes/tables/equations-estimate-energy-requirement.html}.

Practical Application Steps

Step 1: Gather your data. You will need your age, weight (in kg), and height (in m).
Step 2: Assess your Physical Activity (PA) level. Honestly evaluate your lifestyle to select the most appropriate coefficient.
Step 3: Run the calculation. Plug your variables into the correct formula for your sex.
Step 4: Use as a guide. Adopt your calculated EER as a starting point and adjust based on your body's response.

Conclusion

Understanding your EER is a powerful first step toward taking control of your health and nutrition. While it provides an excellent baseline for maintaining your current weight, its greatest strength lies in its ability to be a flexible tool for achieving broader health objectives. By considering your individual factors and combining the calculation with consistent monitoring, you can make informed, sustainable decisions about your dietary energy intake.

Resources

Canada.ca: (https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/food-nutrition/healthy-eating/dietary-reference-intakes/tables/equations-estimate-energy-requirement.html)

Frequently Asked Questions

To lose weight, you must create a calorie deficit. This means consuming fewer calories than your calculated EER. A typical and healthy goal is to reduce your daily intake by 500 calories to achieve a weight loss of about one pound per week.

The formulas differ because of fundamental biological differences between the sexes, particularly body composition. Men typically have a higher percentage of lean muscle mass, which burns more energy at rest, leading to higher average energy requirements.

No, EER is not the same as BMR. BMR is the energy your body expends at complete rest, just to maintain vital functions. EER, on the other hand, accounts for your BMR plus the energy expended through physical activity, making it a more comprehensive measure of daily needs.

The Physical Activity (PA) values are coefficients that represent different levels of physical exertion. They range from sedentary (very little activity) to very active (engaging in intense exercise daily) and are used to adjust the EER formula based on your lifestyle.

No, the EER is an average estimate for a population with specific characteristics. Individual metabolism can vary, so the calculated number serves as a starting guide. Monitoring your weight and adjusting your intake is key to finding the right amount for your body.

During pregnancy and lactation, a woman's energy needs increase to support fetal growth and milk production, respectively. The EER calculation requires adding specific energy increments to the base formula to account for these additional needs.

If you see an EER rating on an appliance, it stands for Energy Efficiency Ratio, a metric used to measure an air conditioner's cooling efficiency. It is unrelated to the Estimated Energy Requirement used in nutrition.

While the composition of your diet (the ratio of protein, fats, and carbohydrates) influences how your body uses energy, it doesn't directly change your calculated EER. However, different macronutrients have varying thermic effects of food (TEF), which can slightly influence total daily expenditure.