Health Guides
What health calculators actually measure — BMI, TDEE, and calorie estimates with honest limitations.
BMI, BMR, TDEE, body fat, calorie burn, heart rate zones, and sleep cycles — the health guides explain what each metric actually measures, the clinical formulas behind it, and the honest limits of what it can tell you. Every guide pairs an explanation with a ForgePlug calculator.
Health calculators provide estimates based on population averages and published formulas. They're useful for tracking trends and understanding your body, but they're not medical diagnoses. Always consult a healthcare professional for medical advice.
Health Guides — Guides & Tutorials
4 guides covering practical workflows, examples, and best practices.
How to Use TDEE to Set a Realistic Calorie Target
TDEE tells you how many calories you burn in a day — but the number alone doesn't tell you what to eat. Here's how to turn a TDEE estimate into a practical calorie target for weight loss, maintenance, or gain.
Understanding BMI's Limits and What to Use Instead
BMI is the most widely used health number in the world — and the most widely misunderstood. Here's what it can tell you, what it can't, and which numbers give a fuller picture.
How TDEE Estimates Your Daily Calorie Needs
Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure is the number behind every calorie target. Here's how it's estimated from BMR and activity, with a worked example and the caveats that matter.
How BMI Is Calculated and What the Number Really Means
BMI is one number computed from height and weight — here's the formula, a worked example, the categories, and the honest limits of what it can and can't tell you.
Health Tools
Free tools that run entirely in your browser — no sign-up, no uploads, no limits.
Health Metrics Studio
Calculate BMI, BMR, TDEE, daily calories, macros, healthy weight, protein, water intake and more with ForgePlug's free global Health Metrics Studio.
Nutrition Studio
Generate personalized diet plans, weekly meal planners, grocery lists, macro targets and smart food substitutions with ForgePlug's free Nutrition Studio.
Body Fat Calculator
Estimate body fat percentage using the US Navy Method or the Jackson-Pollock skinfold method, compare with a BMI estimate, and calculate lean body mass and fat mass — free, private, and browser-only.
Calorie Burn Calculator
Estimate calories burned during 25+ activities — running, cycling, swimming, HIIT, yoga and more. MET-based, browser-only, free.
Heart Rate Zone Calculator
Calculate your 5 training heart rate zones (Z1–Z5) using the 220-age or Tanaka formula, plus Karvonen heart-rate-reserve method.
Sleep Calculator
Find the ideal bedtime or wake time based on 90-minute sleep cycles. Wake up refreshed with 4–6 full cycles of quality sleep.
Ideal Weight Calculator
Calculate your ideal body weight using Devine, Robinson, Miller, and Hamwi formulas plus the WHO healthy weight range for your height.
Step Calculator
Convert steps to distance, distance to steps, and estimate calories burned while walking. Based on your height for accurate step length.
Health Guides — Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health guide on ForgePlug.