Calories and energy balance
How Levlofit estimates what you burn, and how eating above or below it changes your weight.
4 min read
Your weight trend follows energy balance: eat less than you burn and you lose, eat more and you gain. Levlofit estimates your burn, then sets food to match your goal.
How your calorie target is built
- Resting burn (BMR). The Mifflin-St Jeor equation: weight, height, age and sex give the energy you use at complete rest.
- Activity. Levlofit multiplies BMR by 1.2 for a desk day up to 1.725 for a very active life, using your job or your training, whichever is higher. These multipliers are estimates, not measurements.
- Goal. Fat loss eats about 15% below that, muscle gain about 10% above, everything else at maintenance.
- Floor. Your target never goes below your BMR.
| Mifflin-St Jeor | Formula, kcal a day |
|---|---|
| Men | 10 x kg + 6.25 x cm - 5 x age + 5 |
| Women | 10 x kg + 6.25 x cm - 5 x age - 161 |
Activity multipliers Levlofit uses
- Desk day, little walking1.2
- Light activity or 1 to 3 sessions1.375
- Active, 4 to 5 sessions1.55
- Very active, 6+ sessions or physical job1.725
Worked example
- The person. A 30-year-old man, 70 kg and 175 cm, training 3 days a week.
- BMR. 10 x 70 + 6.25 x 175 - 5 x 30 + 5 = about 1,650 kcal a day.
- Activity. Light activity: 1,650 x 1.375 = about 2,270 kcal a day at maintenance.
- Goal. Fat loss, about 15% below: about 1,930 kcal a day, well above the BMR floor.
Why scale weight jumps day to day
Salt and carbs hold water → Water settles → The trend shows the truth → back to the start
Strong evidence
A moderate deficit preserves muscle and training quality better than a crash diet; maintenance with high protein suits beginners trying to lose fat and gain muscle together.[2]
2 to 3weeks
of weight trend in Progress before you change calories: a Levlofit rule, because the formula is only an estimate
Key points
- BMR from Mifflin-St Jeor, times an activity multiplier, gives maintenance.
- Fat loss eats about 15% below maintenance, muscle gain about 10% above.
- Change calories only after 2 to 3 weeks of weight trend.
Up next
- Losing fat, keeping muscle: Eating below maintenance: how to lose fat and keep muscle.
- Gaining muscle and weight: Or eating above it: how to gain muscle, not just weight.
Sources
- [1] Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST et al. A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. Am J Clin Nutr 1990;51(2):241-247.
- [2] Aragon AA et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: diets and body composition. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 2017;14:16.
- [3] Manore MM et al. Dynamic energy balance: an integrated framework for discussing diet and physical activity in obesity prevention. Is it more than eating less and exercising more? Nutrients 2017;9(8):905.
General information from published guidelines, not medical advice, and not reviewed by a clinician. See a doctor for pain, illness, pregnancy or before hard training if you have a condition.