Your plan isn't a guess — CalBuddy calculates it from your own numbers using established nutrition science. Here's what goes into it.
The steps
- Your resting energy (BMR). CalBuddy estimates the calories your body burns at rest from your sex, age, height and weight, using the Mifflin–St Jeor equation — one of the most accurate formulas for everyday use.
- Your daily energy burn (TDEE). Your BMR is scaled by how active your day is — from mostly seated work up to physically demanding jobs — to estimate the calories you burn in a full day.
- Your calorie target. CalBuddy applies a sensible adjustment to your TDEE for your goal: a moderate deficit to lose, balanced to maintain, or a small surplus to gain — always kept above a safe minimum so you're never under-eating.
- Your macros. Your target is split into protein, carbs and fat using research-backed ratios — protein set high enough to protect muscle while you lose weight.
Reading your plan
- TDEE is roughly what you burn in a day.
- Your daily target is what to aim to eat.
- Your macros show how to split that target across protein, carbs and fat.
A few things CalBuddy does to keep it accurate
- Safe floors. CalBuddy won't set a target below a safe minimum, even for an aggressive goal.
- It accounts for body composition. At a higher BMI, fat tissue burns fewer calories than lean tissue, so CalBuddy adjusts your estimate down slightly to avoid over-counting.
- A daily walk counts. If you agreed to a daily walk during setup, its calorie burn is added to your plan — bringing your goal date a little closer.
Your plan adapts as you go: each new weigh-in re-grounds the numbers. See Why did my calorie target change?