# The unit mix-up that ruins a calculation

**BMI 26.7 (Overweight). Daily energy need is somewhere between 1997 and 2087 kcal — the formulas disagree by 75 kcal before the activity factor is even applied.**

> These are population-level estimates from formulas fitted to population averages. They are not medical advice and know nothing about your health, medication, pregnancy, or history. BMI in particular is not a measure of health. Talk to a clinician or a registered dietitian before acting on any of it.

## Input

- Height: 170.0 cm (5' 7")
- Weight: 77.1 kg (170.0 lb (12st 2lb))
- male, age 35, sedentary

## BMI

**26.7** — Overweight

By the WHO cutoffs for South and East Asian populations: Increased risk

Healthy range for this height: 53.5–72 kg

## Energy

**1997–2087 kcal/day.** The range is the answer.

| Formula | Resting kcal | Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mifflin-St Jeor | 1664 | The most widely recommended of the three for general use. |
| Harris-Benedict (revised) | 1739 | Older, and tends to read higher than Mifflin-St Jeor. |

The formulas disagree by 75 kcal (4.4%) before the activity factor of 1.2 is applied.

## Protein

**62–93 g/day** — General health

Computed on total body mass (77.1 kg). The RDA floor is 0.8 g/kg; many bodies recommend more for older adults.

## Warnings

### The formulas disagree by 75 kcal (4.4%) (caution)

Resting expenditure comes out between 1664 and 1739 kcal depending on which standard equation you use, and both are fitted to population averages rather than to you. After the activity factor the plausible range is 1997-2087 kcal. Any calculator that reports a single number to the calorie is implying precision that does not exist.

**What to do:** Treat the range as the answer. Pick a point inside it, hold it for a few weeks, and adjust based on what actually happens to your weight — measured response beats any formula.

### The activity multiplier is the largest source of error (info)

The multipliers run from 1.2 to 1.9, so the choice between two adjacent bands moves the estimate by roughly 291 kcal — more than the disagreement between the formulas. Most people overestimate their own activity level.

**What to do:** If you are between two bands, take the lower one and adjust upward from evidence.

### BMI cannot tell muscle from fat (info)

BMI is weight over height squared and nothing else, so a muscular person and an inactive person of the same weight and height get the same number. That is the well-known limitation and it is not a small one — it misclassifies athletes routinely.

**What to do:** Supply a body fat percentage. It adds the Katch-McArdle estimate, which uses lean mass, and computes protein on lean mass instead of total weight.

### Not medical advice (info)

These are population-level estimates from formulas fitted to population averages. They are not medical advice and know nothing about your health, medication, pregnancy, or history. BMI in particular is not a measure of health. Talk to a clinician or a registered dietitian before acting on any of it.

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