Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the number of calories your body burns at rest. It's the energy needed for breathing, circulation, organ function, and basic cell processes. Kanvie uses your BMR as the starting point for your daily calorie budget, and then adds your activity calories.

The Three BMR Formulas

To make this estimate as accurate as possible, Kanvie supports three scientifically grounded formulas:

• Mifflin-St Jeor (default, great for most people)
• Katch-McArdle (best when you track your body fat % regularly)
• Cunningham (advanced, especially for athletes with higher lean mass)

But no single formula is perfect for everyone. People differ in:

• age
• muscle mass and fat mass
• height and weight distribution
• metabolism and hormonal profiles
• lifestyle and training level

That's why Kanvie lets you choose the method that best fits your body and available data.

1. Mifflin-St Jeor (Default)

• General-purpose formula
• Regular weight measurements required

The Mifflin-St Jeor equation is widely considered the modern standard for estimating BMR in the general population. Most nutrition professionals, research groups, and apps use it as their baseline.

How it works

This method uses your height, weight, age, and biological sex, all of which are easy to provide accurately. Using this formula usually means that all you have to do is to track your current weight using your Kanvie diary.

For men:

For women:

Who should use this formula?

• Most adults
• Anyone who doesn't regularly track their body fat %
• People with “typical” body compositions
• Beginners and casual Kanvie users

This is why Kanvie sets it as your default.

2. Katch-McArdle

• Recommended only if you track your body fat percentage regularly
• Uses lean body mass

If you track your body fat percentage regularly, either by logging it manually using your diary or by importing it from Health Connect / Apple Health, the Katch-McArdle formula becomes far more personalized.

How it works

Because muscle is more metabolically expensive than fat, this formula adapts more directly to your individual body composition.

To use it, we first need to calculate your lean body mass (LBM) in kilograms:

Then we can apply the formula:

Who should use this formula?

• Anyone who consistently tracks their body fat %
• Strength athletes
• People with above-average muscle mass
• Very lean individuals

If your body fat % is estimated poorly or inconsistently, we recommend using the default Mifflin-St Jeor formula instead.

3. Cunningham

• Favorite among sports scientists
• Also uses lean mass (like Katch-McArdle)

The Cunningham formula is very similar to Katch-McArdle formula but uses a slightly different coefficient. Many sports science studies use this formula when measuring energy expenditure in trained athletes.

How it works

This formula tends to produce slightly higher BMR estimates than Mifflin-St Jeor for muscular individuals, which may better reflect their real metabolic needs.

To use it, we first need to calculate your lean body mass (LBM) in kilograms:

Then we can apply the formula:

Who should use this formula?

• Endurance athletes
• Bodybuilders
• People with large lean mass relative to total weight
• People seeking a more performance-oriented estimate

Which Formula Should You Pick?

How to Switch Formulas in Kanvie

You can edit your calorie formula anytime in the same menu where you also adjust your daily calorie budget.

Learn more about adjusting your calorie budget and formula.