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Body Mass Index (BMI)

Body mass index (BMI) is a measure of body fat based on height and weight that applies to adult men and women.

Waist Circumference

Another way to estimate your potential disease risk is to measure your waist circumference. Excessive abdominal fat may be serious because it places you at greater risk for developing obesity-related conditions, such as Type 2 Diabetes, high blood pressure, and coronary artery disease. Your waistline may be telling you that you have a higher risk of developing obesity-related conditions if you are:

  • A man whose waist circumference is more than 40 inches
  • A non-pregnant woman whose waist circumference is more than 35 inches

Waist circumference can be used as a screening tool but is not diagnostic of the body fatness or health of an individual. A trained healthcare provider should perform appropriate health assessments in order to evaluate an individual’s health status and risks.

To correctly measure waist circumference:

  • Stand and place a tape measure around your middle, just above your hipbones
  • Make sure tape is horizontal around the waist
  • Keep the tape snug around the waist, but not compressing the skin
  • Measure your waist just after you breathe out

Basil Metabolic Rate

Basil Metabolic Rate is an estimate of the kilocalories you’d burn in 24 hours if you did nothing but rest. It’s a useful tool in assessing caloric needs for weight loss. The calculator uses the Mifflin-St. Jeor equations.

Basil Metabolic Rate (courtesy of myfitnesspal)

Daily Nutrient Recommendations

This tool will calculate daily nutrient recommendations based on the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) established by the Health and Medicine Division of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. By entering height, weight, age, and activity level, you will generate a report of; Body Mass Index, estimated daily calorie needs in addition to the recommended intakes of macronutrients, vitamins, and minerals based on DRI data.

DRI Calculator (courtesy of the United States Department of Agriculture)

Adult Energy Needs, with Activity

Your total energy needs are estimated by multiplying your Basil Metabolic Rate by an activity factor based on how active you are.

Total Energy Needs Estimate, based on BMI and activity level (courtesy of the TDEE Calculator)


Food Calculator: Calories, Carbohydrates, Fat and Protein

Get the calories, fat, carbs, protein and more for over 37,000 food and drinks. Then add them to your Daily Totals to see how your calories add up!

Food Calculator (courtesy of Nourish by WebMD)


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