What formula does VitalDash use for BMR?

VitalDash uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, published in 1990 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. For men: BMR = 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) - 5 × age + 5. For women, subtract 161 instead of adding 5. The formula is roughly 5% more accurate than Harris-Benedict for modern populations.

Is Mifflin-St Jeor more accurate than Harris-Benedict?

Yes. A 2005 review in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found Mifflin-St Jeor predicted resting metabolic rate within 10% of measured values more often than Harris-Benedict. The American Dietetic Association recommended Mifflin-St Jeor as the standard equation that same year.

How accurate is the body fat percentage estimate?

The Deurenberg (1991) formula has a typical error of about ±4 percentage points. It uses BMI, age, and sex as inputs. For better accuracy, use a DEXA scan, bioelectrical impedance scale, or skinfold calipers with a trained operator. The estimate is fine for tracking trends, less reliable for absolute values.

What does my BMI percentile mean?

A BMI percentile shows how your BMI compares to other adults of your sex and age band in the United States. A percentile of 60 means your BMI is higher than 60% of that reference group. The data comes from CDC NHANES 2015-2018, which sampled around 5,000 adults across US demographics.

Why does the projection assume 7,700 kcal per kg?

7,700 kcal per kg is the energy density of body fat, refined from the original Wishnofsky 1958 estimate of 3,500 kcal per pound. Real weight loss includes water, glycogen, and some lean tissue, so the figure is an idealized average. The projection is a planning estimate, not a guarantee.

How is the daily calorie target calculated for fat loss?

VitalDash subtracts 500 kcal per day from your TDEE for fat loss. This produces roughly 0.45 kg (1 lb) of fat loss per week, the rate considered safely sustainable by most clinical guidelines. Larger deficits speed loss but raise risks of muscle loss, hunger, and adherence issues.

What's the protein recommendation per kg of bodyweight?

VitalDash uses a floor of 1.6 g of protein per kg of bodyweight, based on the International Society of Sports Nutrition 2017 position stand. For a 70 kg person that's 112 g of protein per day. Higher intakes (up to 2.2 g/kg) are sometimes recommended during aggressive cuts to preserve muscle.

Where does the percentile data come from?

All percentile rankings use the CDC's Vital and Health Statistics Series 3, Number 46 (2021), which published anthropometric data from NHANES 2015-2018. The dataset covers around 5,000 US adults grouped by sex and age band (20 to 39, 40 to 59, 60+). VitalDash interpolates linearly between published table points.

Methodology

TL;DR

VitalDash uses Mifflin-St Jeor (1990) for BMR, the WHO standard for BMI, Deurenberg (1991) for body fat estimates, ISSN (2017) protein guidelines, and CDC NHANES 2015-2018 data for percentile rankings. Every number is sourced. Every formula is published.

Every number on VitalDash comes from a published, peer-reviewed source. Here's the full list, with the original citations and the actual formulas.

BMI (Body Mass Index)

Formula:

BMI = weight (kg) ÷ height (m)²

Categories (World Health Organization):

Under 18.5: Underweight
18.5 to 24.9: Normal
25.0 to 29.9: Overweight
30.0 and above: Obese

Source: World Health Organization, "Obesity: Preventing and Managing the Global Epidemic," 2000.

Limitations: BMI doesn't distinguish muscle from fat. It can mislabel athletic people as "overweight" and people with low muscle mass but normal weight as "healthy." See our BMI Reality Check for the workaround.

BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate)

Formula: Mifflin-St Jeor equation (1990)

Male: BMR = 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) − 5 × age + 5
Female: BMR = 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) − 5 × age − 161

Source: Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, Hill LA, et al. "A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals." American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1990;51(2):241-247.

Why this and not Harris-Benedict? Mifflin-St Jeor was developed on a more diverse modern sample and is roughly 5% more accurate for most adults. The American Dietetic Association recommended it as the standard in 2005.

TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure)

Formula:

TDEE = BMR × activity multiplier

Multipliers used:

Sedentary (desk job, no exercise): 1.2
Light (exercise 1 to 3 days/week): 1.375
Moderate (exercise 3 to 5 days/week): 1.55
Active (exercise 6 to 7 days/week): 1.725
Athlete (twice-daily training): 1.9

Source: Frankenfield D, Roth-Yousey L, Compher C. "Comparison of predictive equations for resting metabolic rate." Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2005;105(5):775-789.

Body Fat Percentage (estimate)

When you don't enter your measured body fat, we estimate using the Deurenberg formula (1991):

Body Fat % = 1.20 × BMI + 0.23 × age − 10.8 × sex − 5.4

(sex: male = 1, female = 0; "other" gender uses an average)

Source: Deurenberg P, Weststrate JA, Seidell JC. "Body mass index as a measure of body fatness: age- and sex-specific prediction formulas." British Journal of Nutrition. 1991;65(2):105-114.

Limitations: This is an approximation with a typical error of ±4% body fat. For accuracy use:

DEXA scan (gold standard)
Bioelectrical impedance (BIA), reasonable accuracy
Skinfold calipers with a trained operator
Hydrostatic weighing

Body fat ranges (American Council on Exercise):

Category	Men	Women
Essential	2 to 5%	10 to 13%
Athletes	6 to 13%	14 to 20%
Fitness	14 to 17%	21 to 24%
Average	18 to 24%	25 to 31%
Obese	25%+	32%+

Ideal Weight Range

Formula: weight at BMI 18.5 to 24.9 for the user's height.

Min = 18.5 × height(m)²
Max = 24.9 × height(m)²

Source: Same WHO BMI categories above.

Daily Calorie Targets

Lose fat: TDEE − 500 kcal/day. This produces roughly 0.45 kg (1 lb) of fat loss per week, the rate considered safely sustainable by most clinical guidelines.
Maintain: TDEE
Build muscle: TDEE + 300 kcal/day. A "lean bulk" surplus that minimizes fat gain while supporting muscle synthesis.

Source: Helms ER, Aragon AA, Fitschen PJ. "Evidence-based recommendations for natural bodybuilding contest preparation: nutrition and supplementation." Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2014;11:20.

Macro Splits

Goal-adjusted, with a hard floor of 1.6 g/kg bodyweight for protein.

Goal	Protein	Carbs	Fat
Lose fat	40%	35%	25%
Maintain	30%	40%	30%
Build muscle	30%	45%	25%

Protein floor source: Jäger R, Kerksick CM, Campbell BI, et al. "International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: protein and exercise." Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2017;14:20.

Goal Projection

Formula:

Weeks to goal = (current weight − goal weight) ÷ ((daily calorie target − total daily burn) × 7 ÷ 7700)

Where 7,700 kcal is approximately 1 kg of body fat (a refinement of the original Wishnofsky 1958 estimate).

Limitations: This assumes linear weight loss, which doesn't happen in reality. Water weight fluctuates. Metabolic adaptation slows progress over months. Plateaus are normal. Use the projection as a planning estimate, not a guarantee.

Percentile Rankings

Source: CDC Vital and Health Statistics Series 3, Number 46 (2021): "Anthropometric Reference Data for Children and Adults: United States, 2015-2018."

We use the published percentile tables for BMI and weight by sex and three age bands (20 to 39, 40 to 59, 60+), then interpolate linearly between table points to get any specific value. Available at: cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_03/sr03-046-508.pdf

Limitation: The dataset is US-only. International users will see slightly skewed percentiles relative to their own country.

Methodology

BMI (Body Mass Index)

BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate)

TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure)

Body Fat Percentage (estimate)

Ideal Weight Range

Daily Calorie Targets

Macro Splits

Goal Projection

Percentile Rankings

Frequently asked questions