You can find your Energy Target settings by going to the More tab > Targets > Energy Settings.
Here you can choose:
- Whether you'd like to set a Weight Goal or Custom Energy Target
- Whether you'd like to Include Exercise in your Energy Target
- Whether you'd like to be in Target or Balance mode
Weight Goal or Custom Energy Target
Choose between these two options to modify your energy target to meet your goals:
- Weight Goal - These settings dynamically calculate your energy needs based on your profile, energy burned and weight goals (maintain, gain or lose).
- Custom Energy Target - Enter a fixed energy target of your choosing.
Weight Goal
Enter in your Weight Goal in the text box. Note that you also need to set a Weight Goal Rate (see below)!
Weight Goal Rate
Cronometer will default your account settings to maintain weight. This will estimate your energy needs from your Energy Burned settings to achieve energy balance, in other words energy in = energy out.
Use the slider to choose a rate of weight loss or gain to add or subtract Calories (or kJ) to your Energy Target. This will automatically calculate either a Daily Energy Deficit (if you'd like to lose weight) or Daily Energy Surplus (if you'd like to gain weight).
You will now see the Daily Energy Surplus or Deficit in your Energy Summary.
Custom Energy Target
If you would prefer to set your own custom fixed energy target this is the place to do it! Select this option and enter in the custom value you would like to use. You will now see this Energy Target in your Energy Summary.
Include Exercise in Energy Target
You also have the option to toggle on/off Include Exercise. This setting adds any energy burned above baseline to your daily Energy Target.
For example, let's say you've set a Weight Goal (to Maintain Weight). At the beginning of the day:
- BMR = 1419 kcal
- Baseline Activity = 284 kcal
- Total Burned = 1703 kcal
Energy Target = Baseline Target (1703) - Consumed (0) = 1703 kcal
If you have exercised (either logged exercise or imported general activity from a device), this will adjust your Burned calories.
For example, if you did 60 minutes of road biking (equaling 426 kcal):
- BMR = 1419
- Adjusted Baseline Activity = 266*
- Exercise = 426
- Total Burned = 2111 kcal.
*Note that the Baseline Activity has been adjusted to account for time spent exercising. Learn more here.
Energy Target = Baseline Target (1703) + Exercise Above Baseline (409) - Consumed (0) = 2111 kcal.
How we calculate Exercise Above Baseline:
- Baseline Activity = 284 kcal
- Exercise + Adjusted Baseline Activity = 692 kcal
- Exercise Above Baseline = 692 - 284 = 409 kcal
This ensures that your baseline energy target is static until you exercise above and beyond your baseline for the day. Therefore if you toggle off include exercise, your energy target will be the same as your baseline.
By default, Include Exercise is toggled on if you have set a Weight Goal and toggled off if you have set a Custom Energy Target. However, you can adjust these however you'd like!
Energy Target or Balance
We have two distinct modes for the third circle in your Energy Summary: Energy Target and Energy Balance.
Energy Target
Target Mode is meant to show you, in reference to your target, how much you have remaining or how over your target you are.
If you have set a Weight Goal, the calculation is:
Energy Target = Baseline Target (+/- Weight Goal if you have set this) + Exercise Above Baseline (if you have set this) - Consumed
If you have set a Custom Energy Target, the calculation is:
Energy Target = Custom Energy Target + Exercise Above Baseline (if you have set this) - Consumed
Energy Balance
Balance Mode is simply meant to show you the basic energy balance of Burned - Consumed.
It will tell you if you are in a deficit or a surplus based on Consumed vs Burned, regardless of if you've set a Custom Energy Target or Weight Goal.
To set your Target or Balance mode:
- Go to More > Targets > Energy Settings
- Scroll down to Energy Target
- Toggle on Balance or Target mode
Please note, your weight goal/custom energy target will still be applied to your energy target in the macronutrient targets section of your diary.
Reset Defaults
If you would like to restore the defaults used in Cronometer click the Reset button in the top right corner of the Energy Target section. This will return your settings to Weight Goal settings with a goal to maintain weight.