Overview
When you complete onboarding, we ask for your height, weight, age, sex, nutrition focus, and activity profile. We use these inputs to estimate your basal metabolic rate (BMR), total daily energy expenditure (TDEE), and then derive calorie and macro targets. Here's exactly how we do it.
Basal metabolic rate (BMR)
We use the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, a widely validated formula for estimating resting energy expenditure. The formula is: BMR = 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) − 5 × age + sex constant. The sex constant accounts for physiological differences: +5 for male, −161 for female, and −78 for intersex or prefer not to say (a neutral midpoint).
Total daily energy expenditure (TDEE)
Your BMR is what you’d burn at complete rest. To estimate what you actually burn in a day, we multiply BMR by an activity factor from your activity level: 1.2 (not very active), 1.375 (lightly active), 1.55 (active), or 1.725 (very active). TDEE = BMR × activity factor.
Daily calorie target
We adjust TDEE based on your primary nutrition focus. For maintain weight: no change (0). For lose weight: −300 kcal per lb/week target (e.g. −300 for ~1 lb/week, −150 for ~0.5 lb/week). For gain weight: +300 kcal per lb/week. For gain muscle: +200 kcal to support growth. For eat mindfully: −150 kcal for a gentle deficit. The result is clamped between 1,400 and 5,000 kcal and rounded to the nearest 25.
Protein
Protein is set first, based on your weight in pounds and your goal. We use a factor per pound: 1.0 for lose fat and gain muscle (preserve or build), 0.9 for maintain, 0.85 for eat mindfully, and 0.8 for gain weight. The minimum is 50 g. Values are rounded to the nearest 5 g.
Fat
Fat is set next, also from weight × factor: 0.35 for maintain and gain muscle, 0.4 for gain weight, 0.33 for eat mindfully, and 0.3 for lose fat. Minimum is 35 g. If the remaining calories for carbs would be negative, we reduce fat in 5 g steps (down to a floor of 25 g or 0.25 × weight in lb, whichever is higher) until carbs fit.
Carbs
Carbs fill the rest. We subtract protein (×4 kcal/g) and fat (×9 kcal/g) from your calorie target, then divide the remainder by 4 to get carb grams. Minimum is 50 g. Carbs are your flexible energy source and round to the nearest 5 g.
Adjusting your goals
These are starting recommendations. You can change your calorie and macro targets anytime in settings. Your body may respond differently than our estimates, so we encourage you to track how you feel and adjust as needed.