Calculator and meal-selection methodology

Last updated July 16, 2026

The calculator estimates a calorie target, divides it across the meals a visitor selects, and matches those allowances to orders in the site's database. Each stage is an estimate.

The opening example

On a first visit, the planner loads a reference example using the female equation, age 40, 5 ft 4 in, 172 lb, a 160-lb target, and light activity. Height and starting weight are rounded from the latest CDC/NCHS measured means for U.S. women age 20 and older. Age, target weight, and activity are example assumptions, not national averages.

That profile produces an estimated maintenance level of 1,973 Cal and a 1,743 Cal target for the 12-lb, 6-month example. Visitors should replace every field with their own details. The result remains an estimate rather than a personal forecast or guarantee.

Personal calorie estimate

Once the required profile fields are complete, the calculator converts height and weight to metric units and estimates resting energy with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation. Age and the selected sex setting affect that estimate. The result is multiplied by the selected activity factor to estimate maintenance calories.

The female equation uses a -161 constant, the male equation uses +5, and the midpoint option uses -78. Activity factors are 1.2 for mostly sitting, 1.375 for light activity, 1.55 for moderate activity, 1.725 for very active, and 1.9 for hard training or a physical job.

This is a population equation, not a measurement of an individual's metabolism. Activity categories are also broad. Two people who choose the same category can have different energy needs.

Goal and timeline estimate

The planner converts the selected weight change and timeline to an estimated daily calorie deficit using 3,500 calories per pound, then limits the planned deficit to 500 calories per day. If the requested target would fall below the calculator's calorie floor, the floor is applied and the displayed timeline is extended.

The total daily target cannot go below 1,200 calories for the female equation, 1,500 for the male equation, or 1,350 for the midpoint. It is capped at 4,000 calories. Calories reserved for snacks or other drinks are subtracted after that total is calculated to produce the restaurant-meal budget.

The 3,500-calorie rule is a rough planning shortcut. Body weight does not change at a fixed rate, and the estimate does not account for metabolic adaptation, fluid changes, illness, medication, pregnancy, or differences between recorded and absorbed calories. The displayed result is not a guarantee of weight loss.

Meal allowance

Calories reserved for snacks and other food are removed before restaurant meals are selected. The remaining allowance is split between breakfast, lunch, and dinner using the percentages shown in the calculator. If breakfast is skipped, its share is redistributed across the active meals.

How meals are matched

The planner first limits the database to selected chains, dietary filters, and order preferences. A meal must match every selected dietary filter. It then compares each active meal's calories with that meal's allowance and ranks the closest matches. Shuffle and arrow controls choose among the available matches; they do not change a meal's stored nutrition values.

A plan can total less or more than the center of the target range because the database contains discrete restaurant orders. The shown plan total is the sum of the displayed meal estimates. It does not include anything eaten or drunk outside those listed orders.

Restaurant nutrition data

All 74 meal records identify the listed components, calories for each component, source IDs, U.S. market, and a July 16, 2026 review date. The displayed total is calculated from those components, and the site build stops if the arithmetic does not match the meal total.

Source links use exact restaurant product pages when available. Some components link to a restaurant's broader U.S. menu, nutrition page, or menu feed because the chain does not provide a stable page for that individual item. A review date records when the value was checked; it does not prevent a restaurant from changing a recipe or portion later. The editorial and nutrition data policy explains source priority, dietary labels, updates, and local variation.