Calories and macros
How Poma estimates calories, protein, carbs and fat and sets your daily targets, and what the US Dietary Guidelines, EFSA and the NHS say about calories and protein.
Does Poma count calories and macros?
Yes, Poma counts calories, protein, carbs and fat for each meal you log, using AI estimates from a photo or a typed description. You can see these numbers for each ingredient and each meal, and Home has a second view, one swipe from the scores, that shows the day's totals against your daily targets. The Macros section of the Insights tab shows how your calories and macros trend over a week, a month, six months, a year or all time. Poma tracks these four numbers only, with no totals for fiber, sugar, sodium or vitamins.
How does Poma calculate my daily calorie target?
Poma calculates your daily calorie target with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which estimates the calories you burn at rest (your BMR) from your weight, height, age and sex, then multiplies it by an activity factor based on how many workouts you do a week: 0 to 2, 3 to 5, or 6 or more. The result estimates your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE), the calories to maintain your weight. Poma then sets protein at 1.6 g per kg of body weight and fat at 25% of calories, and carbs make up the rest. Other apps may use different equations or activity factors, so targets differ between apps. You can change each target in Settings under Customization, then Macro Targets.
How accurate is Poma?
Poma's calories, macros and scores are AI estimates made from a photo or a description, so they are approximate. The hardest things to judge from a photo are portion size and hidden ingredients such as cooking oil, butter and sauces. Poma shows a confidence percentage for each meal and marks the ingredients it is less sure of. To make a meal more accurate, you can add a note to the photo, describe a fix, change amounts, or add and remove items, and the meal is recalculated.
Can Poma help with weight loss?
Poma can help you track calories, macros and body weight while you work toward a weight goal. The app has no built-in weight-loss program or meal plans. Poma's default calorie target is an estimate for maintaining your current weight, and you can lower it in Settings. You can log your weight and set a goal weight, and the Insights tab shows the trend. A doctor or dietitian can help you choose a target that suits you.
How many calories should I eat a day?
The NHS puts the average at around 2,000 kcal a day for women and 2,500 kcal for men, and your own needs depend on your age, sex, height, weight and activity level. The 2025 to 2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans name the same factors and add that older adults may need fewer calories but the same amount of protein or more. Equations such as Mifflin-St Jeor give a personal estimate, and a doctor or dietitian can help if you have a health condition or a weight goal. Poma sets a maintenance calorie target from your profile.
How much protein do I need per day?
EFSA sets the protein reference intake for adults, including older adults, at 0.83 g per kg of body weight a day, and the 2025 to 2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans set a higher goal of 1.2 to 1.6 g per kg, or about 0.54 to 0.73 g per pound. For a 70 kg (154 lb) adult, that is about 58 g a day at the EFSA level and 84 to 112 g within the US range. For people who do strength training, a 2018 review in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that muscle gains leveled off at around 1.6 g per kg. Poma sets your protein target at 1.6 g per kg of body weight.
Read more: Protein as you age: how much, and from where
What are macros, and what split should I aim for?
Macros, short for macronutrients, are the nutrients that provide most of your calories: protein, carbohydrates and fat. Protein and carbohydrates provide about 4 kcal per gram, fat about 9 and alcohol about 7, the values used on EU food labels. EFSA's reference ranges for adults are 45 to 60% of energy from carbohydrates and 20 to 35% from fat, and the WHO advises keeping saturated fat below 10% of energy. For weight loss, a 2009 trial of 811 adults in the New England Journal of Medicine found that reduced-calorie diets led to similar weight loss whichever macronutrients they emphasized. Poma tracks calories, protein, carbs and fat for each meal and day.
What is a calorie deficit, and how big should it be?
A calorie deficit means eating fewer calories than your body uses, so it draws on stored energy and you lose weight over time. The NHS suggests cutting around 600 kcal a day as a safe and sustainable way to lose weight, and aiming to lose 0.5 to 1 kg (1 to 2 lb) a week. It describes very low calorie diets as under 800 or 1,200 kcal a day, says they are not suitable or safe for everyone, and says they are usually only recommended when weight is affecting other health conditions and you need to lose weight quickly. If you have or have had an eating disorder, talk to a doctor before counting calories.
Do you count calories in cooking oil, butter and sauces?
Yes, cooking oil, butter and sauces count, and they can add a lot of calories that are easy to miss. According to USDA FoodData Central, one tablespoon of olive oil has about 119 kcal and one tablespoon of butter about 102 kcal, since fat provides about 9 kcal per gram. Oil soaked into food or mixed into a sauce is also hard to see in a photo. In Poma, you can add a comment to the photo, for example that you added two tablespoons of olive oil, or open the meal's Ingredients list to add an item or change its amount, and Poma re-analyzes the meal.
How do I count calories when eating out?
To count calories when eating out, use the restaurant's posted calories where they exist, and otherwise estimate the dish and allow for extra oil, butter and sauces. In the US, the FDA requires chain restaurants with 20 or more locations to show calories on menus and to provide more nutrition information on request. Treat posted figures as a guide: a 2011 JAMA study of 269 restaurant foods found that 19% had at least 100 kcal more than stated, although the average difference was small. In Poma, you can photograph the dish or describe it, add a comment about sauces or sides, and adjust amounts afterwards in the meal's Ingredients list.
How do I count calories in homemade food?
To count calories in homemade food, list the main ingredients, including the oil, butter and sauces used in cooking, and estimate the share of the dish you ate. Stews, casseroles and soups are hard to judge from a photo, because many ingredients are hidden. In Poma, you can describe the meal in text, list what went into it in the photo comment, or open the meal's Ingredients list to add items and change amounts after the analysis.
Why am I not losing weight in a calorie deficit?
Two common reasons for not losing weight in a calorie deficit are eating more than you think and body weight changing more slowly than expected. In a small 1992 study in the New England Journal of Medicine, 10 people who said they could not lose weight on a low-calorie diet underreported what they ate by 47% and overreported their activity by 51%. A 2011 analysis in The Lancet showed that body weight adjusts to a change in intake slowly, so weight loss slows over time. Logging oils, drinks and snacks makes your log more complete. If your weight stays the same for months, a doctor can check for medical causes. Poma's Insights tab shows your weight and calorie trends.
Can I use Poma while taking a GLP-1 medication?
Yes, you can use Poma to log your meals while taking a GLP-1 medication such as semaglutide or tirzepatide, though Poma has no feature made for these medicines. Poma estimates calories, protein, carbs and fat for each meal, and you can change your daily targets in Settings to match the advice of your care team. How much you should eat, and how much protein you need, while taking a GLP-1 medication is a question for the doctor who prescribed it or a dietitian. Poma is a general wellness app and does not give medical advice.