How Vivos calculates

The basal metabolic rate represents the amount of energy required to maintain all essential metabolic functions of the organism in absolute rest. It corresponds to the energy that would be consumed in a state of complete rest, without performing activities.

Since men and women have differences in basal metabolic rate, distinct formulas are used for each sex. To perform the calculation, the provided data is considered: weight, height, sex, and age. The equation used is Mifflin–St Jeor.

The Mifflin–St Jeor equation was selected because it is considered the most updated and accurate currently available. On average, it presents approximately 5% higher accuracy than the Harris-Benedict equation, which was previously considered the reference standard.

To calculate the basal metabolic rate, the Mifflin–St Jeor equation is used with the following formulas:

Men:

(10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) - (5 × age in years) + 5

Women:

(10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) - (5 × age in years) - 161

Since there are activities throughout the day, the basal metabolic rate is multiplied by an activity factor to calculate the active metabolic rate. By default, the light factor of 1.2 is used, which is suitable for people who work seated or have a predominantly sedentary lifestyle.

Calories are a unit of measurement better known than METs, especially in contexts of tracking consumption and energy expenditure. MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) is a unit that expresses the energy cost of physical activities in relation to rest.

Formula used:

METs × 3.5 × (body weight in kilograms) ÷ 200 = calories burned per minute

In simplified terms, 1 MET corresponds to an oxygen consumption of approximately 3.5 ml/kg/min, which is equivalent to about 1 kcal/kg/hour in adults. From the MET value of an activity and body weight, it is possible to estimate the calorie expenditure of that activity.

The MET value of each exercise category comes from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities. When the Compendium lists more than one value for the same sport (for example, class and competition), we use the more conservative one. A few sports popular in Brazil have no entry of their own yet — capoeira, beach tennis, footvolley and padel — and use the closest measured activity.

The time you enter should be the same time the MET was measured over. That is why each category shows a hint on the duration screen: for strength and interval training, count the whole workout, because the value already includes rest between sets; for court sports and martial arts, only the time playing or training; for classes such as yoga, dance and water aerobics, the whole class; for running, cycling and swimming, only the time moving.

To estimate the time needed for weight loss or gain, it is considered that 1 kilogram of body weight corresponds, on average, to approximately 7,700 kilocalories. This equivalence relates to the composition of human adipose tissue.

The calculation is performed based on the amounts of calories from daily deficit or surplus maintained. In case of calorie deficit (consumption less than expenditure), the time needed for weight loss is estimated. In case of calorie surplus (consumption greater than expenditure), the time needed for weight gain is calculated.

For safety, automatic goals are capped on both sides. For weight loss, the deficit goes up to 800 kcal a day. For weight gain, the limit scales with your body: up to 0.5% of your body weight per week — around 275 kcal a day for someone who weighs 50 kg, and 550 kcal for someone who weighs 100 kg. A fixed calorie number would mean very different paces for different bodies.

These limits allow for safe and sustainable progress. For weight gain, going past 0.5% of your weight per week doesn't speed up muscle gain — only fat gain. This approach respects the physiological processes of the organism and significantly reduces health risks associated with extreme changes in energy balance.

Beyond the 800 kcal limit, automatically generated weight-loss goals respect a safety floor: the goal never drops below 1,200 kcal for women or 1,500 kcal for men, and never cuts more than 25% of maintenance energy. When the chosen pace would go past that floor, the goal stops at the limit and the estimated time is recalculated from the pace that will actually apply. For people whose maintenance energy is already close to that floor, the goal stays at maintenance, with no deficit — more aggressive goals need professional supervision.

And the plan isn't blind to your reality: if your weigh-ins show your weight isn't responding as planned — for example, you want to gain weight but you've been losing — the calorie goal is adjusted gradually with each new weigh-in, based on your real trend, always within the safety limits above.

Remember: gradual and consistent changes are more effective and healthy than drastic and unsustainable alterations.

The distribution of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats is calculated from the daily calorie goal and the amounts of each macronutrient in grams. To estimate the relative participation of each macronutrient in the total calories, classic energy factors are used:

Based on these values, the percentage of calories from each macronutrient in relation to the total daily calories is calculated, ensuring that the diet remains within ranges considered adequate by scientific literature for the adult population.

In addition, daily fiber intake goals are estimated based on sex and age group, aligned with recommendations that place adequate intake around 21–25 g/day for women and 30–38 g/day for adult men.

Fat sits at around 30% of calories, within the distribution ranges considered appropriate for healthy adults. Protein does not follow a fixed percentage: it is set per kilo of body weight — 1.8 g/kg when the goal is losing weight, 1.6 g/kg for gaining muscle and 1.4 g/kg for maintenance, capped at 1.4 g/kg when BMI is 30 or above. Carbohydrates make up the remaining calories. The reason for using body weight rather than a percentage is that a fixed percentage would cut protein exactly when a deficit raises the need for it. On the Calorie goal screen you can adjust protein and fat in g/kg, and carbohydrates recalculate themselves.

Meals logged by photo, voice or text are estimated by an artificial-intelligence model that identifies the foods, estimates the portions and works out calories, protein, carbs, fat and fiber. A photo cannot measure the exact weight of each item, the oil used in cooking or hidden ingredients, so the result is an estimate — not a measurement. That is why every item can be edited: amount, food and macros.

Barcoded products use the open Open Food Facts database and the labels Vivos users register from the nutrition table on the packaging. A code that does not exist yet can be registered with a photo of the label, and becomes available to everyone.

Custom foods and repeated meals use exactly the values you entered or confirmed. No past record is recalculated when the app changes a formula: your history stays as it was logged.