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Calculations Deep Dive

How the Nutrition Calculator Works

Lauren Johnson avatar
Written by Lauren Johnson
Updated this week

BridgeAthletic has two nutrition calculators:

  1. TDEE Calculator – Estimates daily calories burned

  2. Gram-Per-Kilogram Calculator – Sets macros based on body weight


TDEE Calculator

TDEE = Total Daily Energy Expenditure (calories burned in 24 hours)

The Formula

TDEE = BMR × Activity Factor

Step 1: Calculate BMR

BMR = Basal Metabolic Rate (calories burned at rest)

The calculator uses one of two formulas:

Without Body Fat %Mifflin-St Jeor

  • Male/Not Listed: (10 × weight kg) + (6.25 × height cm) – (5 × age) + 5

  • Female: (10 × weight kg) + (6.25 × height cm) – (5 × age) – 161

With Body Fat %Katch-McArdle

  • BMR = 370 + (21.6 × Lean Body Mass kg)

  • Lean Body Mass = Weight kg × (1 – Body Fat %)

Step 2: Multiply by Activity Level

Activity Level

Multiplier

Sedentary (desk job, little exercise)

1.2

Lightly Active (exercise 1–3 days/week)

1.375

Moderately Active (exercise 6–7 days/week)

1.55

Very Active (hard exercise daily)

1.725

Extra Active (hard exercise 2×/day)

1.9

Step 3: Adjust for Goals

Use the slider to adjust –20% (weight loss) to +20% (weight gain).


Gram-Per-Kilogram Calculator

Sets macro targets based on body weight.

The 3 Steps

1. Convert to kilograms

Weight lbs ÷ 2.205 = Weight kg

2. Calculate grams

Weight kg × g/kg target = grams of each macro

3. Convert to calories

Macro

Calories per gram

Protein

4

Carbs

4

Fat

9


Example: 210 lb Male, Age 20, 6'0", Moderately Active

TDEE Calculation

BMR (Mifflin-St Jeor):

  • Weight: 210 lbs ÷ 2.205 = 95.24 kg

  • Height: 6'0" = 182.88 cm

BMR = (10 × 95.24) + (6.25 × 182.88) – (5 × 20) + 5 = 2,000 kcal

TDEE:

2,000 × 1.55 = 3,100 kcal

Macro Calculation

Settings: Protein 2.1 g/kg | Carbs 5 g/kg | Fat 1 g/kg

Macro

Grams

Calories

%

Protein

95.24 × 2.1 = 200 g

800

22%

Carbs

95.24 × 5.0 = 476 g

1,905

53%

Fat

95.24 × 1.0 = 95 g

857

24%

TOTAL

3,562

100%


Recommended Ranges

Setting

Range

Typical

Protein

0.8–2.2 g/kg

0.8–2.2 g/kg

Carbs

2–12 g/kg

3–7 g/kg

Fat

0.5–3 g/kg

0.8–1.5 g/kg

Calorie Adjustment

–500 to +500 kcal

0


Quick Reference

BMR:

Male/Not Listed = (10 × wt kg) + (6.25 × ht cm) – (5 × age) + 5

Female = (10 × wt kg) + (6.25 × ht cm) – (5 × age) – 161

Katch-McArdle = 370 + (21.6 × LBM kg)

TDEE & Macros:

TDEE = BMR × Activity Factor

Macro grams = weight kg × g/kg target

Calories = (Protein g × 4) + (Carbs g × 4) + (Fat g × 9)

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