Deficitly
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What is NEAT, and how many calories does it burn?
NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) is the energy you burn moving outside of planned exercise: walking around, standing, cleaning, fidgeting, taking the stairs. It's the most variable part of your daily burn. For a 40-year-old woman of 70 kg (154 lb), Deficitly estimates NEAT at about 210 calories a day at 3,000 steps and 420 at 12,000 steps; for most people it adds up to far more than their workouts.
NEAT by daily steps
| Steps a day | Woman70 kg, 165 cm | Man85 kg, 178 cm |
|---|---|---|
| 2,000 | 180 | 240 |
| 5,000 | 260 | 330 |
| 8,000 | 330 | 430 |
| 12,000 | 420 | 550 |
| 15,000 | 490 | 650 |
Where NEAT fits in your TDEE
Your daily burn has four parts: resting burn (BMR), digestion (TEF), exercise and NEAT. Resting burn is the biggest but barely changes day to day; digestion is about 10%; exercise is usually smaller than people think. NEAT is the part that can differ by hundreds of calories between two people of the same size: researchers have measured differences of up to about 2,000 calories a day between the most and least active. See BMR vs TDEE and how many calories you burn a day.
NEAT vs exercise
Three one-hour gym sessions a week add about 80 calories a day on average at 75 kg (165 lb). Going from 4,000 to 10,000 steps adds about 160. Exercise has its own benefits, but for daily calories, steps and staying on your feet usually win. More in what activity levels mean in steps; your total, with NEAT included, comes from the maintenance calorie calculator.
NEAT drops when you diet
When you eat less, many people move less without noticing: fewer steps, more sitting, less fidgeting. That can quietly shrink your deficit and is one cause of a weight-loss plateau. Watching your phone's step count is the easiest way to catch it.
Easy ways to raise NEAT
- Walk during phone calls and take short walks after meals.
- Use the stairs, park further away, get off one stop early.
- Stand or move for a few minutes every hour of sitting.
- Do chores and errands on foot.
- Set a daily step goal a little above your current average, then raise it.
See how many steps a day to lose weight and what 10,000 steps burn.
Sources
- Levine JA. Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT). Best Pract Res Clin Endocrinol Metab 2002;16(4):679–702.