Plately
Guides
Practical writing on calorie counting, deficits, macronutrients and hydration. The formulas, the numbers, and what a food diary cannot measure.
Calorie deficit — how to calculate it and how large it should be
The Mifflin-St Jeor equation, activity multipliers and a sensible deficit size. Plus what the calculator will not tell you: why the scale does not fall in a line.
Food diary — how to keep one and what to bring to a dietitian
What to log, for how many days and in what form so the diary actually shows something. Plus what a dietitian wants to read from it at a first appointment.
How much water per day — a body-weight formula instead of eight glasses
Where eight glasses came from, how much water you actually need by body weight, what counts toward the total, and how to check hydration without an app.
Counting calories from a photo — how it works and how accurate it is
Where the number under your meal photo comes from, where the error lives, how big it is in practice, and how to shoot a plate so the estimate lands closer.
Macronutrients — how much protein, fat and carbohydrate per day
How to split calories into protein, fat and carbohydrate. Per-kilogram targets, a worked example carried through to the end, and the order to set them in.
This article is informational and is not medical advice. The formulas below are estimates for healthy adults. If you have a medical condition, take medication, are pregnant or are breastfeeding, set your targets with a clinician rather than a calculator.