Help & FAQ for TrueCalorie
TrueCalorie needs at least 7 days of activity data from your Apple Watch. If you recently got your Watch, wait a few days. Also make sure you've enabled all permissions for TrueCalorie in iOS Settings under Privacy → Health.
Most apps use formulas like Harris-Benedict, which are based on averages. TrueCalorie calculates your TDEE from your actual Apple Health data – basal energy, active energy, and workouts. This is more individual and typically more accurate.
For best results: Yes. The Apple Watch provides precise data about your basal metabolic rate and active energy. Without a Watch, TrueCalorie can still read Health data from other sources, but accuracy will be significantly lower.
TrueCalorie reads "Dietary Energy" from Apple Health. This data comes from nutrition apps like MyFitnessPal, Yazio, Lifesum, or the Apple Health app itself. Make sure your tracking app syncs data to Apple Health.
Confidence shows how reliable your calculated TDEE is. With only 2-3 days of data, confidence is low. After 7+ days of consistently wearing your Apple Watch, it increases to "Very Good". The higher the confidence, the more accurate your TDEE.
TrueCalorie uses a 7-day average with EMA smoothing (Exponential Moving Average). If you were particularly active one day or moved less, it affects your average – but not too drastically, as extreme values are smoothed out.
No, for health reasons we limit the deficit to a maximum of 1000 kcal and the surplus to a maximum of 500 kcal. Extreme deficits are not sustainable and can harm your metabolism.
No. All calculations happen locally on your iPhone. We don't have servers that could receive your health data. Your settings are optionally synced via iCloud – but that's also end-to-end encrypted.
💡 Tip: Wear your Apple Watch as much as possible throughout the day – including while sleeping. More data means more accurate TDEE.
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