Category: Weight Loss Calculators

The Weight Loss Calculators section holds our interactive BMI (Body Mass Index) and BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) tools, plus the plain-language guides that go with them. BMI classifies weight-for-height against the standard WHO cutoffs (under 18.5, 18.5 to 24.9, 25 to 29.9, 30 and above); BMR estimates the calories your body burns at rest using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation.

We use Mifflin-St Jeor for BMR because it tracks measured resting energy expenditure more closely than Harris-Benedict in modern adult populations, and we multiply by a PAL factor of 1.2 (sedentary) to 1.9 (very active) for total daily energy expenditure. A moderate cut runs at 300 to 750 kcal/day below TDEE; a gain runs at 250 to 500 kcal above. We are direct about BMI’s limits: it does not read body composition, so lifters and older adults should cross-check with waist-to-height ratio and body-fat percentage.

Calculator formulas and the interpretation guides are reviewed by a Registered Dietitian on our team, Brenda Peralta, Kerly Cordova, Marita Radloff, or Karolina Peterova, and medically reviewed by Franco Cuevas, MD. These tools are estimates, not diagnostics; your clinician has the fuller picture. Report a bug or a math issue at social@dietsmealplan.com.