Recommended Calorie Intake
Recommended Calorie Intake is the device rough estimate of how much energy to take in per day; the manufacturer does not publish the equation behind it.
Short answer
This number is a rough estimate with an unpublished equation. Do not treat it as a target — it is more dependable to start from basal metabolic rate, add your own activity, and be guided by how weight and body composition change over time.
What the value represents
Unlike basal metabolic rate, this is not expenditure but a suggested intake. The manual states that it builds on age, sex, height, weight and body composition.
The specific equation does not appear in the manual. It therefore cannot be verified what level of physical activity or what goal the model assumes.
The practical consequence: treat the number as a rough orientation point rather than a plan. A value that cannot be recalculated or verified is not a sensible thing to use as a target.
- An indicative daily energy intake in kilocalories under the manufacturer model.
- A figure derived from the details entered before the measurement and from the body composition analysis.
- It does not represent measured energy expenditure or an individual meal plan.
- It contains no information about your actual physical activity, because the device does not know it and you do not enter it.
How the value is produced
- An estimate. The manual describes it as an approximation of how many calories a person should take in per day, based on age, sex, height, weight and body composition.
- Neither the equation nor the coefficients appear in the manual; the repository reference lists this among the known gaps in the source.
- It is not the same as basal metabolic rate. That has a published equation based on fat free mass; this value does not.
- The input body composition is itself an estimate from bioimpedance, so the uncertainty stacks in several layers.
How to read the current value
- Read the value as roughly this much rather than a target accurate to the kilocalorie.
- The model does not know your routine. It cannot distinguish sedentary work from heavy physical labour, because you do not enter activity.
- It does not know your intention either. Weight reduction, maintenance and gaining all require different intakes, and the device does not know which you are after.
- It does not establish the composition of your diet. This value says nothing about protein, carbohydrate or fat.
How to read change over time
- The value moves with its inputs: weight, body composition and age. A difference between measurements is not a report on your metabolism.
- Because the equation is unknown, it also cannot be determined which input caused a shift. That alone shows how little can be read from the number.
- For following development, values with a defined calculation are better suited: weight, fat and muscle mass, basal metabolic rate.
General principles: how to read change between measurements →
What to read it with
- Basal metabolic rate – the resting baseline with a documented equation.
- Weight, fat mass and skeletal muscle mass – what actually changes in your body.
- Weight, fat and muscle control – the recommended adjustment the device gives directly in kilograms.
- Target Weight – the value the manual derives from balanced body composition.
Common misunderstandings
- It is not a meal plan or the recommendation of a nutrition professional.
- It is not total energy expenditure. That is not established during the measurement.
- A lower number does not mean a slow metabolism.
- Values from different devices and calculators are not interchangeable, because each model calculates differently.
- The number does not account for pregnancy, breastfeeding, illness, treatment or athletic preparation.
What can affect the result short term
- The accuracy of the entered age, sex and height, because the manual gives them as inputs to the calculation.
- Everything that affects weight and the body composition estimate: food and drink before the measurement, hydration, training, time of day.
- The menstrual cycle, during which fluid retention fluctuates.
What to do next
- When setting an intake, start from basal metabolic rate, add your own estimate of activity, and above all watch how weight and body composition respond over time.
- Be guided by the result, not by an assumption. Two or three measurements under comparable conditions say more than any calculated number.
- With a medical constraint, pregnancy, an eating disorder or medication, set your intake with a professional rather than from the device.
What the value does not determine
- The equation is not published, so the value cannot be independently recalculated or verified.
- It does not account for physical activity, goal or health status.
- It is not a measurement of energy expenditure.
- It does not replace individual nutritional advice.
On terminology
- Recommended intake (how much to eat) and basal metabolic rate (how much the body uses at rest) are two different quantities. They sit next to each other on the result sheet but cannot be substituted for one another.
When to discuss it with a professional
If you are addressing energy intake because of a medical condition, treatment, pregnancy or an eating disorder, set it with a doctor or a nutrition therapist. A number from a device does not know that context.
In more depth, with sourcesIn more depth: why a value without a published equation cannot be verifiedExpand the detailed explanation
For this parameter the manual lists the inputs — age, sex, height, weight and body composition — but gives neither an equation nor coefficients. The repository reference lists this among the known gaps in the source. In practice this means the value cannot be independently recalculated, compared with another method, or examined for whether the model applies an activity coefficient and with what goal in mind (maintenance, reduction, gain).
Compare that with basal metabolic rate on the same result sheet. There the manual gives the equation, including a citation of the original work, and even states that the standard for establishing it is measuring oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production. For recommended intake no such relationship to a reference method is given. The difference in how well the two values are documented is therefore substantial and shapes how each should be handled.
The uncertainty of the inputs adds to that. Body composition is an estimate from bioimpedance, and the ESPEN clinical guidelines warn that such estimates are sensitive to altered fluid distribution. Recommended intake therefore rests on an estimate that itself has spread, and adds an unknown model on top. A usable conclusion: treat it as a starting anchor and adjust from the observed development of weight and body composition.
Sources
- InBody 970 Result Sheet Interpretation (ENG_A_211104) — InBody Co., Ltd.
- Bioelectrical impedance analysis – part II: utilization in clinical practice — Clinical Nutrition (ESPEN guidelines)
On this page
Related values
Commonly confused with
Related articles
Where to find it
The Visceral Fat Analysis, circumferences and basal metabolic rate.
- Reviewed by
- MojeInBody content team
- Date
An InBody measurement is not a diagnostic tool. Results do not determine health status and do not replace a medical examination.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Answers to what people ask most often about this value.
Why does recommended intake differ from basal metabolic rate?
Basal metabolic rate is an estimate of resting expenditure calculated from fat free mass with a published equation. Recommended intake is a suggestion of how much to take in per day and builds, per the manual, on age, sex and height as well. Different purpose, different inputs, different number.
Can I lose weight using it?
The value is not built for that — the device does not know whether you want to lose, maintain or gain, and it does not know your physical activity. For reduction it is more practical to start from basal metabolic rate, add activity, and adjust from the actual development of weight and body composition.
Why did I get more than a friend of the same weight?
According to the manual the calculation takes in age, sex, height and body composition alongside weight. Which of those inputs caused the difference cannot be determined, though, because the manufacturer does not publish the equation.
Explanations make the most sense alongside your own trend.
The public guide is open to everyone. The client portal adds your own value, history and the context of a specific measurement.