understand daily energy expenditure and optimise it

Daily energy expenditure refers to your body's total energy consumption for its daily activities. Because yes, every day, whether you're sitting at your desk, out cycling or in the middle of a trail run, your body consumes energy. And as an athlete, understanding this concept is not only fascinating, but also helps you optimise your energy reserves for your next race. This topic is also related to marginal gains, those small adjustments that, when added up, make a difference in performance. 

A closer look at daily energy expenditure

Daily energy expenditure (or DEE for short) is basically the total number of calories burned by your body in 24 hours. It consists of the following three main components:

• Basal metabolic rate, i.e. the energy required for your body to function properly, even at rest: breathing, digesting, maintaining your body temperature, etc. It may not seem like much, but this often accounts for 60 to 70% of your total energy expenditure!
• Physical activity, which includes everything you do ‘voluntarily’ during the day: your interval training session, but also walking the dog or going up and down the stairs.
• Dietary thermogenesis, which is less obvious but no less essential. Digesting, assimilating and transforming nutrients also requires a certain amount of energy.

In short, even without setting foot outside, your body consumes energy. But if you're athletic, your energy expenditure skyrockets as soon as you put on your trainers or get on your bike.

How to calculate your daily energy expenditure?

There are several ways to estimate your daily energy expenditure, including the Mifflin-St Jeor formula. It first calculates your basal metabolic rate, to which you add a factor related to your level of physical activity (sedentary, active, very active, etc.).

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Précedent Suivant

Basal metabolic rate (BMR) formula and calculation of DEE

• Men: BMB = (10 x weight in kg) + (6.25 x height in cm) - (5 x age in years) + 5
• Women: BMB = (10 x weight in kg) + (6.25 x height in cm) - (5 x age in years) - 161

That's it, you now have an estimate of your basal metabolic rate! All you have to do now is multiply your result by one of the following activity factors:  

• 1,2 : sedentary
• 1,375 : light activity 
• 1,55 : moderate activity
• 1,725 : intense activity
• 1,9 : very intense activity  

Are you into tech gadgets? You can also use a smartwatch that measures your heart rate and movements to estimate your daily energy expenditure (note that these are handy but not always 100% reliable). Finally, elite athletes can turn to lab tests, which accurately measure gas exchange and actual energy consumption.

Whichever calculation method you choose, it is important to remember that these are estimates (outside of a laboratory setting). How you feel and listening to your body's signals (fatigue, cravings, weight loss or gain, etc.) are also good indicators of the balance between what you consume and what you expend.

Why is daily energy expenditure important for athletes?

For athletes, knowing your DEE is ideal for adapting your intake and recovery. In endurance sports, for example, if you don't meet your energy needs, you risk exhausting your reserves too quickly. This exposes you to everything you don't want on the field: a drop in performance, difficulty stringing together sessions, or even more frequent injuries. Conversely, if you eat well beyond your actual expenditure, you store that surplus... and not necessarily where you want it.

Let's not stop now! Energy expenditure varies greatly depending on the type of sport practised. A cyclist on a long ride can burn several thousand calories, while a quieter day of ‘running training’ or ‘getting back into running’ will use up fewer reserves. Adjusting your diet to suit your activity helps you maintain your performance while keeping your body in balance.

Nutrition and the right balance

Now that you understand daily energy expenditure, the next step is to learn how diet can balance it. It's not just about counting calories or obsessing over the glycaemic index of each food, but above all about choosing the right nutrients. In summary, carbohydrates provide immediate energy, proteins support muscle recovery, and high-quality fats contribute to endurance and overall body function.

For example, endurance athletes can spread their intake so that they have enough carbohydrates before and during exercise, but also proteins and healthy fats after training to rebuild and prepare for the next session. In other words, avoid empty calories and focus on smart eating!  

Baouw was born out of the following observation: sports nutrition products on the market today are full of refined sugars and ultra-processed foods, and tend to neglect micronutrients. That's why our organic energy purées and protein bars for example, are made from raw, natural ingredients, designed to meet your real needs. 

Optimising your DEE does not mean trying to reduce or increase it artificially, but above all finding the right balance between your intake and your actual needs. To do this, the quality of your intake makes all the difference.

Pitfalls to avoid

However, be careful to take a step back when it comes to your daily energy expenditure. Many athletes rely solely on the figures displayed on their watches or various health and performance tracking apps. However, technology is only an estimate and cannot replace how you feel. Another common mistake is to underestimate your needs on busy days. It may not seem like it, but combining work, training and lack of sleep consumes much more energy than you might think...

Finally, we often forget that recovery is part of the game. Your body continues to burn energy after exercise, particularly to repair muscle fibres and restore its internal balance. If you don't take this expenditure into account, you risk being in chronic deficit and tiring your body.

Understand your daily energy expenditure to perform better

Daily energy expenditure is therefore one of the basic elements of any sports nutrition strategy, as it allows you to understand what your body consumes and thus adjust what you give it. Neither too much nor too little: the perfect balance for performing, progressing and, above all, enjoying your food and practising your favourite sport.

The best way to optimise your energy on a daily basis is to listen to your body, pay attention to how you feel and focus on quality nutrition. Because ultimately, performance isn't just about burning calories: it's about your ability to transform every calorie you expend into power, endurance and enjoyment when cycling, running, climbing... in short, when playing outdoors!