Every plan is built around a daily calorie target. VitalPlate works it out from the body metrics in your profile, so the more complete those are, the more tailored your plan will be.
The three steps
- Resting needs (BMR) — the calories your body uses at rest. By default VitalPlate uses the Mifflin–St Jeor formula based on your height, weight, age, and sex.
- Daily needs (TDEE) — your BMR multiplied by an activity factor, to account for how active you are.
- Goal adjustment — a change added on top, depending on whether you want to lose, maintain, or gain.
Activity factors
| Activity level | Factor |
|---|---|
| Sedentary | 1.2 |
| Light | 1.375 |
| Moderate | 1.55 |
| Active | 1.725 |
| Very active | 1.9 |
Goal adjustment
| Goal | Adjustment |
|---|---|
| Lose | −500 kcal/day |
| Maintain | 0 kcal/day |
| Gain | +350 kcal/day |
There is a floor of 1,200 kcal/day. Even with an aggressive deficit, your target will never drop below it.
If you enter a body-fat %
When you add a body-fat percentage, VitalPlate switches from Mifflin–St Jeor to the Katch–McArdle formula, which bases your resting needs on lean body mass. It tends to be more accurate for people who are very lean or who carry more body fat than average.
Your other daily targets
- Protein — about 1.6–1.8 g per kg of body weight.
- Fat — about 27.5% of your daily calories.
- Carbs — fill whatever calories are left after protein and fat.
- Water — about 35 ml per kg of body weight.
Fill in your body metrics for a target made for you. If those details are incomplete, the planner falls back to a standard 2,000 kcal/day so it can still build you a week.
These numbers are a starting point, not medical advice. If you have a target set by your doctor or dietitian, follow theirs.