Moveno

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The sciencebehind Moveno

Most apps hand you a calorie target without explaining where it came from. We do the opposite: below you'll find exactly which studies and guidelines shape how Moveno calculates your targets — with sources you can check yourself.

Last updated: 31 May 2026

The principles we build on

Four ideas guide everything Moveno does. Each one is grounded in sources — not gut feel or marketing.

Energy balance

We don't add your workout calories to your budget

Almost every app adds a workout's estimated burn back to your daily budget ("you burned 400 kcal, eat 400 more"). It sounds intuitive, but it undermines your goal. Device estimates are far off — a 2024 umbrella review found wearable energy-expenditure error ranging from −21% to +15%. And your body compensates: on average around 18% of an exercise deficit, rising to ~84% in some people. Adding an over-estimated, largely-compensated burn back is the single most reliable way to stall fat loss.

Adaptive

Your daily goal follows your measured weight trend

Instead of a watch's guess, we tune your daily goal to your actual, smoothed weight trend over several weeks (via Apple Health or Health Connect, if you connect it). That's a self-correcting signal: it adapts to you, not to a formula. A workout's MET estimate is shown as a clearly-labelled estimate in your session summary — never added to your budget.

Protein

Protein is a steady daily floor, not a workout bonus

We treat protein as a daily floor of about 1.6 g per kg of bodyweight (range 1.4–2.2). The only legitimate increase is an energy-deficit bump — not a per-training-day adjustment. We never scale protein up or down based on whether you trained today.

Training

Strength training is about volume, not a magic rep range

Muscle growth is driven mainly by volume — roughly 10 sets per muscle group per week, across a wide range of loads. Strength needs heavier loads (≥80% of your 1RM). That's why we dropped the unsupported "6–12 reps for hypertrophy" myth. Moveno never prescribes a weight, by the way; your progress is something we observe, not dictate.

How we calculate your targets

Your intake target is built from transparent, sourced equations. Here is every step, in order.

  1. 1

    Step 1

    Basal metabolic rate (BMR) via Mifflin-St Jeor

    We estimate your resting metabolism — the energy you burn doing nothing — with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation. This is the default endorsed by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics as the most reliable predictive formula, for adults with and without obesity. It's still an estimate; in highly athletic people the formula sometimes underestimates true needs.

    BMR = Mifflin-St Jeor (height, weight, age, sex)

  2. 2

    Step 2

    × FAO/WHO PAL bands (not folk multipliers)

    To go from rest to your daily need, we multiply your BMR by a PAL (Physical Activity Level) from the official FAO/WHO/UNU bands (roughly 1.40 to 2.40). This is a citable, international standard — deliberately not the commonly used, unsourced "1.2–1.9" activity multipliers.

    Daily need = BMR × PAL (FAO/WHO, 1.40–2.40)

  3. 3

    Step 3

    Macros via the IOM AMDR ranges

    We split your calories across carbohydrate, fat, and protein within the Institute of Medicine's Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges: carbohydrate 45–65%, fat 20–35%, and protein 10–35% of energy.

    Carbs 45–65% · Fat 20–35% · Protein 10–35%

  4. 4

    Step 4

    Protein floor via the ISSN position stand

    On top of that range we apply a protein floor per kilogram of bodyweight, based on the International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: 1.4–2.0 g/kg for active people, rising to 2.3–3.1 g/kg in an energy deficit. Morton's meta-analysis places the breakpoint at 1.62 g/kg (95% CI 1.03–2.20) — hence our ~1.6 g/kg default.

    Protein floor ≈ 1.6 g/kg (deficit bump up to 2.3–3.1 g/kg)

One energy model — never double-count

This is the difference no competitor makes. We deliberately pick one energy model: either a PAL multiplier that already accounts for your usual activity, or separately adding logged workouts — but never both at once. Doing both counts your movement twice and inflates your budget. That's why your daily goal follows your measured weight trend instead of stacking a per-workout guess on top of your budget.

PAL multiplier or logged exercise — never both.

A safety floor below your BMR

Your intake is never set below your estimated BMR on a sustained basis. Eating too far below your needs for too long undermines recovery and health. If a pattern of under-eating appears, Moveno instead sends a gentle nudge to eat more — no score, no judgement.

Advanced: Katch-McArdle

Have a trustworthy body-fat measurement? As an advanced option we offer the Katch-McArdle equation, which bases your BMR on fat-free mass. We only use it when a trustworthy input exists — otherwise Mifflin-St Jeor stays the default.

Sources

Every claim on this page traces to a peer-reviewed study or an official position stand. Below are the sources that underpin our calculation method.

Intake calculation (calories & macros)

  • Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, et al. (1990)

    The Mifflin-St Jeor BMR equation — our default for estimating resting metabolism.

    PMID 2305711

  • Frankenfield D, et al. (2005)

    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics review: Mifflin-St Jeor is the most reliable predictive BMR equation.

    PMID 15883556

  • FAO/WHO/UNU (2004)

    Human energy requirements — the PAL bands (1.40–2.40) we use to convert BMR into daily need.

    FAO/WHO/UNU 2004

  • Institute of Medicine — AMDR

    Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges: carbohydrate 45–65%, fat 20–35%, protein 10–35%.

    NCBI Bookshelf NBK56068

  • Jäger R, et al. — ISSN position stand (2017)

    Protein per kilogram: 1.4–2.0 g/kg for active people, up to 2.3–3.1 g/kg in a deficit.

    PMID 28642676

  • Morton RW, et al. (2018)

    Meta-analysis: protein breakpoint at 1.62 g/kg (95% CI 1.03–2.20) — the basis for our ~1.6 g/kg default.

    PMID 28698222

  • Cunningham JJ (1980)

    Fat-free-mass-based BMR — the basis for the optional Katch-McArdle path.

    PMID 7435418

  • O'Neill J, et al. (2023)

    Mifflin-St Jeor tends to underestimate in athletes — the reason for our hedge and the advanced option.

    PMID 37632665

Why we don't add back exercise calories

  • Doherty C, Baldwin M, Keogh A, Caulfield B, Argent R (2024)

    Umbrella review: wearable energy-expenditure error ranges from −21.27% to +14.76%.

    PMID 39080098

  • Chevance G, et al. (2022)

    Fitbit estimates can be off by ~40% on walking tasks.

    PMID 35416777

  • Riou MÈ, et al. (2015)

    Compensation for an exercise deficit averages ~18%, but rises to ~84% in some individuals.

    PMID 25988763

  • Flack KD, et al. (2018)

    Energetic compensation was 62.9% at a higher dose vs 33.6% at a lower one — not proportional.

    PMID 29897822

  • Cox CE (2017)

    The role of exercise in body-weight regulation is "not firmly established"; exercise alone yields modest change.

    PMID 28848307

  • Donnelly JE, et al. — ACSM (2009)

    Resistance training does not enhance weight loss but may increase fat-free mass.

    PMID 19127177

Training & muscle growth

  • Currier B, et al. — ACSM (2026)

    Evidence-based guideline: strength favours ≥80% 1RM; hypertrophy is volume-driven (~10 sets/muscle/week) across a wide load range.

    PMID 41843416

  • Ratamess NA, et al. — ACSM (2009)

    Progression model: increase load by roughly 2–10% when a target is exceeded.

    PMID 19204579

  • Plotkin D, et al. (2022)

    Load progression and rep progression produce equivalent gains (double progression works).

    PMID 36199287

Frequently asked questions

Why doesn't Moveno add my burned calories to my budget?
Because device estimates are unreliable (−21% to +15% error) and your body compensates for much of an exercise deficit. Adding an over-estimated burn back stalls fat loss. Instead, we tune your daily goal to your measured weight trend — a self-correcting signal.
Which formula do you use for my calorie target?
We estimate your BMR with Mifflin-St Jeor (the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics-endorsed default) and multiply it by a FAO/WHO PAL band. Macros fall within the IOM AMDR ranges, with a protein floor from the ISSN position stand.
What does 'one energy model' mean?
We pick either an activity multiplier (PAL) that already accounts for your usual movement, or separately adding workouts — never both. Doing both counts your movement twice and inflates your budget. This avoids the mistake most apps make.
Does Moveno ever set my calories below my BMR?
No, not on a sustained basis. A safety floor applies: your intake is never set below your estimated basal metabolic rate for an extended period. If a pattern of under-eating appears, you get a gentle nudge to eat more.
How much protein do you recommend?
A daily floor of about 1.6 g per kilogram of bodyweight (range 1.4–2.2), rising to 2.3–3.1 g/kg in an energy deficit. We never scale protein based on whether you trained that day.

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