With fit52's Food Journal feature, you can now track your food intake and set personalized daily calorie goals to support your health and fitness journey. Here’s how it works and how your calorie goals are calculated:

How Are My Daily Calorie Goals Calculated?

1. Determine Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)

BMR represents the calories your body needs to function at rest and is based on well-known formulas:

For Men: BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) – (5 × age in years) + 5

For Women: BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) – (5 × age in years) – 161

Notes: 

  • If you haven’t provided your weight, height, age, or gender, we use averages to calculate BMR. These formulas are derived from the Mifflin-St Jeor Equation, a widely used and accepted method for estimating BMR.
  • If you haven’t entered your weight or height, American averages are used from the NIH National Center for Biotechnology Information
  • You can update these Metrics at any time in fit52 Settings or via Apple Health Integration for iOS users.  

 

2. Calculate Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE)

TDEE reflects all calories burned, including those from daily activity. The TDEE multiplier aligns with the Harris-Benedict Principle:

  • Sedentary (little or no exercise): BMR × 1.2
  • Lightly Active (light exercise 1-3 days per week): BMR × 1.375
  • Moderately Active (moderate exercise 3-5 days per week): BMR × 1.55

3. Set Your Health Goal Based on Your Objective

  • Choose from six goals: Improve Cardio, Eat Healthy, Build Strength, Lose Weight, Increase Flexibility or Get Toned
  • If you select Weight Loss: your Daily Calorie Goal = TDEE - 500 calories
  • If you select Build Strength: your Daily Calorie Goal = TDEE + 500 calories
  • For all other goals, your Daily Calorie Goal = TDEE calories
  • If no goal is set, the default will be Daily Calorie Goal = TDEE calories
  • You can update these goals at any time in fit52 Settings, which adjusts your Daily Calorie Goal.

Updating Health Goal

Tracking and Adjusting Your Progress

  1. Daily Goal Reset

Your calorie goal resets each day at midnight in your local timezone. You can adjust your goal manually by tapping on the pencil next to Daily Goal and adjusting it by inputting a new goal. This remains your goal until you adjust it again or tap Reset, which defaults to the calculated daily calorie goal based on your body metrics and health goal.

Food Journal screen with Pencil to adjust Daily Calorie Goal

 

Manually adjusting Daily Calorie Goal

 

2.     Tracking Intake and Activity

As you log food, the calories consumed are subtracted from your goal, and calories burned are added back, keeping you on track.

Example: If your daily goal is 2030 calories, logging 130 calories of food reduces your remaining calories to 1900, and a workout adding 100 calories burned brings it back up to 2000.

3.    Visual Progress with the Circle

The Food Journal progress circle shows calories consumed on the right and calories burned on the left, giving you a real-time look at your intake balance. If you exceed your goal, it will display your calorie surplus.

 

Calorie Calculations

These formulas and methods for calculating BMR and TDEE are based on established guidelines from nutritional science, including the Mifflin-St Jeor Equation for BMR and the Harris-Benedict Principle for activity factors. These trusted resources are widely used to estimate daily calorie needs and support healthy, sustainable progress in health and fitness.

Important Medical Disclaimer

Before starting any nutritional program, exercise routine, or wellness activities, it’s important to consult with a doctor or healthcare professional. The information provided here is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always rely on a healthcare professional for proper evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of any health concerns.

 

Questions?

Any further questions about these features or functionality, please contact support@fit52.com