Skip to content

Resources

Reference resources

Plain-English explanations of the key concepts behind your calorie needs.

Illustration of energy expenditure and metabolism for understanding calorie science.

These references explain the science behind the calculators on this site — what each measurement means, how it is estimated, and where the numbers come from. Use them alongside the tools to understand your results, then apply them with the relevant calculator. Each topic is written for everyday readers, not specialists.