The Calorie summary table

Basal Metabolic Rate
Your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate, also known as Resting Metabolic Rate) is the number of Calories your body uses when in a resting state for a complete day. Nutridiary uses the Harris-Benedict equations to estimate your BMR from gender, weight, height and age. These are the most widely used equations, and they are considered highly accurate. BMR constitutes between 60 and 70% of your total energy expenditure.

General Activity
The energy spent on general activity is expressed as a multiple of BMR. These multiples of BMR are referred to as physical activity levels (PALs) and are determined by the "general activity level" you have selected in your personal details page (control panel » personal details). The data used to determine the PAL values in adults are derived from measurements using the doubly-labelled water (DLW) technique of measuring energy expenditure. PAL provides a useful means of categorising energy requirements in a single number, taking into account differences in body size, as represented by BMR.

Extra Activity and Exercise
This is the total of all the activities and exercises you have added to your log for the current day. The Calories you spend on each activity or exercise depend on the duration of the activity or exercise and your body weight.

Weight Loss/Gain Goal
If you have not set a goal, or if you have selected weight maintenance as your goal this value is zero. If, however, you have selected to lose, or gain weight, this value depends on your weekly weight loss, or gain target. If, for example, you have selected a weight loss rate of 1 pound per week, this value is set to -500Kcal (1 pound = 3500KCal). If you have selected a gain of half a pound per week, this value is set to +250Kcal.

Day Budget
Your day budget is the sum of the above four values. Thus, if you have not set a goal, or if your goal is weight maintenance, it is the number of Calories you need to consume to maintain your current weight. Otherwise, it is the number of Calories you need to consume each day to meet your weekly weight loss or gain target.

Consumed
This is the total number of Calories you consumed on this day. It is the sum of the Calories of all the meals you have added to your log for the current day.

Calories Left
These are the Calories you have left until you reach your day budget. Ideally, you want to get this number as close to zero as possible by the end of the day.

Accuracy and other things you need to know

It is important to remember that the methods used to calculate your BMR, and Calories spent on general activity, although quite accurate, they are not exact science. They can, however, offer a good starting point from which you can monitor your daily Calorie consumption, and adjust it as needed. If for example, you consume exactly as many Calories as your day budget, and after a couple of weeks you see that you are not meeting your weight loss targets, you may have to adjust your consumption accordingly.

Also please note that these numbers apply only to healthy adults. Special populations such as diabetics, pregnant or nursing women, minors, and any others with special health conditions should involve a Registered Dietician in calculating daily caloric need.

How can I increase my daily budget?

You can increase your day budget by exercising. The Calories you spend each day in extra activities and exercises are added to your budget. Furthermore, when you increase your lean body mass, and overall cardiovascular health, your metabolism goes up and therefore you burn more Calories throughout the day. The American College of Sports Medicine and many metabolic experts recommend strength training of all major muscle groups twice a week. In addition to strength training, the recommendation by most health groups is to accumulate at least 30 minutes per day of cardiovascular activity (walking, running, etc) for health and weight maintenance. To lose weight, you may need to exercise even more. Also, please note that if you want to lose weight without lowering your metabolism, you should keep calories just slightly lower than what your body needs, and not reduce your intake dramatically. The metabolic experts recommend a daily caloric deficit of no more than 250 calories (up to 500 for large people). Since 3500 calories equal one pound, a daily deficit of 250 calories would produce losses of half a pound per week.