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bimodal TDEE estimation

Calibrates energy expenditure for sedentary professionals or students who engage in high-frequency training.

Static — this skill doesn't adapt to your week.

Tags: nutrition, metabolism, tdee, athlete-science

Tools used

Procedure

Procedure

  1. Calculate Baseline Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR):

    • Determine which equation to use based on available data.
    • Use compute_lean_body_mass first if body fat percentage is known.
    • Prefer the Katch-McArdle method (via compute_bmr) if Lean Body Mass is available.
    • If LBM is unavailable, use compute_bmr (Mifflin-St Jeor) but acknowledge it may underestimate for lean/muscular profiles by approximately 5%.
    • If the user is a high-level athlete, manually adjust the output to align with Ten-Haaf research (+10% variance potential).

  2. Apply Sedentary Activity Multiplier:

    • Explicitly avoid "Moderate" or "Very Active" PAL multipliers for the work/study portion of the day.
    • Set the baseline Physical Activity Level (PAL) to 1.2 to 1.4 to account for a professional office or academic environment and the Thermic Effect of Food (TEF).

  3. Calculate Tool-Based Exercise Additives:

    • Use compute_calories_burned for each structured training session.
    • Base these calculations on specific MET values or duration/intensity rather than broad daily averages.
    • Sum these values to create a "Training Energy Expenditure" (TEE) total for the week.

  4. Adjust for Metabolic Compensation and NEAT Erosion:

    • Screen the user for "NEAT Erosion" (subconscious fatigue leading to less movement outside the gym).
    • Apply a "Constrained TDEE" adjustment if the user reports high-frequency daily training: assume lower-than-expected non-exercise activity.
    • Recommendation: If training frequency is >5 days/week, reduce the training-added calorie estimate by 10-15% to account for compensatory metabolic adaptation.

  5. Set Target Intake:

    • Combine (RMR × 1.2–1.4) + (Adjusted Training Calories).
    • Use set_user_macro_targets to apply this evidence-based TDEE to the user's daily plan.
    • Instruct the user to monitor weight trends for 2 weeks to validate against this calculated baseline.