The best tool to reduce fat: NEAT

This is a post originally written by Sergio Vadillo Mantiñan from Escuela de Culturismo Natural.

NEAT is one of the best tools you have, alongside diet and exercise, to burn calories and slim down. It helps avoid those dreaded weight plateaus and makes sticking to your diet easier.

What is NEAT?

The term “NEAT” (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) refers to the energy expended for everything we do that is not sleeping, eating, or sports-like exercise. In other words, NEAT includes the energy spent on all activities that are not directly linked to physical exercise but are instead involuntary or voluntary gestures related to our lifestyle.

Some examples include:

Uncontrolled behaviours like tapping your fingers or fidgeting while sitting.

Choosing to take the stairs instead of the lift.

Parking further away from the office to have a short walk.

NEAT is the second-largest factor impacting your caloric needs, which is determined by:

60-70% basal metabolism

20% NEAT (a value that can drastically change from one person to another depending on genetics and lifestyle)

5-10% thermogenesis induced by food

10-15% physical activity

NEAT can vary and depends not only on lifestyle but also on calories consumed and amount of body fat. The fewer calories and fat below optimal levels, the lower the energy expenditure linked to NEAT.

How to Increase NEAT

Here are five tips to increase your daily energy expenditure by focusing on NEAT:

Use a bike or walk for transport: Instead of using public transport or a car, walk or cycle to get around.

Always prioritise stairs over lifts: Going uphill or downhill requires more energy than walking on flat ground.

Spend more time standing instead of sitting: When possible, try to stand up or take a few steps before sitting down again.

Walk to increase NEAT: Walking is a gentle activity that increases energy expenditure, especially when compared to sitting or standing still.

Set a STEP goal: A pedometer, activity bracelet, or smartwatch are easy-to-use tools. Set a step goal to achieve and, once established, add more steps or make them weighted.

Why is NEAT important?

NEAT contributes significantly to energy expenditure (20%), so working on this factor can increase it extraordinarily easily and efficiently. It greatly helps create a larger energy deficit than diet and physical exercise alone, leading to a negative energy balance. This makes the weight loss process much more sustainable.

NEAT is precisely for this case, so it should be seriously considered when thinking about “cutting calories” to slim down, which would make a diet plan with little food very unsustainable. Hunger, sooner or later, becomes unbearable!

In summary, NEAT is one of the most important tools you have available to effectively lose weight!