Glossary
One sentence per term, for a reader with no background. The glossary does not replace a page; it points to the one that explains the term. The same list exists in every language of the site, and the wording chosen here is the wording used in the articles and in the app.
Energy and metabolism
- "starvation mode"
- The popular myth that the body stops losing weight on a low intake; always in quotation marks. Read more →
- adaptive thermogenesis
- The drop in expenditure below what the new weight predicts after weight loss; real, variable between people, often small. Read more →
- basal metabolic rate (BMR)
- The energy the body uses at complete rest to stay alive; the largest share of daily expenditure. Read more →
- diet-induced thermogenesis
- The same as the thermic effect of food; this site uses the latter. Read more →
- doubly labelled water
- The reference method for measuring expenditure in free-living people; it shows how far self-reports are off. Read more →
- energy availability
- The energy left for the body after the cost of training, per kilogram of fat-free mass; a threshold from sports medicine (REDs) that the app's solver uses as a floor.
- energy balance
- The difference between the energy you take in and the energy you use over a period of weeks; it sets the direction of your weight. Read more →
- energy deficit
- Sustained intake below expenditure; the necessary condition for losing fat. Read more →
- kilocalorie (kcal)
- The unit that labels and everyday speech call a "calorie"; 1 kcal = 4.184 kJ. Read more →
- kilojoule (kJ)
- The mandatory energy unit on EU labels, shown next to kcal. Read more →
- MET (metabolic equivalent)
- The cost of an activity as a multiple of resting expenditure; walking about 3.5, running about 8–10. Read more →
- metabolic adaptation
- A plainer synonym for adaptive thermogenesis; the one this site uses in prose. Never "a slowed" or "damaged" metabolism. Read more →
- physical activity level (PAL)
- Daily expenditure as a multiple of BMR; 1.4 is a sedentary day, above 2.0 heavy physical work. Read more →
- resting energy expenditure (REE)
- The practical measurement of BMR under less strict conditions; used as a synonym on this site. Read more →
- thermic effect of food (TEF)
- The energy spent digesting and absorbing food; about 10 % of intake on a mixed diet, highest for protein. Read more →
- total daily energy expenditure (TDEE)
- BMR plus everyday activity, digestion and deliberate exercise. Read more →
Body and measurement
- bioelectrical impedance (BIA)
- The method behind "smart" scales and wristbands; the error for an individual is large. Read more →
- body fat percentage
- The share of fat tissue in total weight; measured with very different accuracy depending on the method. Read more →
- body mass index (BMI)
- Weight in kg divided by height in metres squared; a rough population guide, not an individual diagnosis. Read more →
- DXA
- Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry; the reference clinical method for body composition. Read more →
- glycogen
- The stored form of carbohydrate in muscle and liver; it binds about 3 g of water per gram. Read more →
- lean body mass / fat-free mass
- Everything except fat — muscle, bone, organs, water. Not "muscle mass": it includes far more. Read more →
- plateau
- Three to four weeks without a change in the trend; most often a deficit that has disappeared. Read more →
- trend weight
- A smoothed value from several consecutive weigh-ins; what the app uses for its calculations. Read more →
- waist circumference
- A measure of abdominal fat; a better predictor of risk than BMI. Read more →
- weight fluctuation
- Day-to-day changes from water, salt, glycogen and gut contents; not fat. Read more →
- weight maintenance
- A change of less than 3 % of body weight over a long period (the research definition). Read more →
- weight regain
- The usual course after weight loss without a change in habits; not a personal failure. Read more →
Food and macronutrients
- ad libitum
- Eating to appetite without a prescribed amount; a condition in many trials. Read more →
- available carbohydrate
- The carbohydrate that yields energy; the EU labelling convention. Read more →
- carbohydrate
- On EU labels, the available carbohydrate — fibre not included. Read more →
- dietary fibre
- The indigestible carbohydrate; 2 kcal/g on labels; satiety, and a planning target of 14 g per 1,000 kcal. Read more →
- energy density
- kcal per gram of food; low density gives volume and satiety for less energy. Read more →
- glycaemic index
- How fast a food raises blood glucose relative to glucose itself; no consistent effect on weight. Read more →
- macronutrient
- Protein, fat, carbohydrate (and alcohol) — the components that carry energy. Read more →
- meal replacement
- A shake or bar of defined composition in place of a meal; the basis of VLCD programmes.
- protein
- The macronutrient that matters during weight loss: satiety and keeping fat-free mass. Read more →
- satiation
- The process that ends a single meal. Read more →
- satiety
- The feeling of fullness after a meal that delays the next one. Read more →
- ultra-processed food
- Industrial products made from ingredients that are not kitchen ingredients; used descriptively on this site, not morally. Read more →
Ways of eating and evidence
- adherence
- How closely a person actually follows a pattern; a stronger predictor than its composition. Read more →
- alternate-day fasting
- A day at about 25 % of needs, then a day without restriction. Read more →
- confidence interval
- The range the true value probably lies in; shown on this site when the source gives it. Read more →
- dietary pattern
- A way of eating defined by foods rather than macros (Mediterranean, DASH). Read more →
- evidence grade
- This site's A–D scale; shown on every page. Read more →
- intermittent fasting
- The general name for patterns defined by when you eat: 16:8, 5:2, alternate days. Read more →
- ketogenic diet
- 20–50 g of carbohydrate a day or below 10 % of energy; aims at ketosis. Read more →
- low-carbohydrate diet
- Below 130 g a day or below 26 % of energy. Read more →
- meta-analysis
- The statistical pooling of results from several studies. Read more →
- network meta-analysis
- A meta-analysis that compares many patterns at once, including indirectly. Read more →
- nutritional ketosis
- Blood ketones of 0.5 mmol/L or more from restricted carbohydrate; not ketoacidosis. Read more →
- observational study
- Observation without intervention; shows association, not cause. Read more →
- randomised controlled trial (RCT)
- Participants are assigned at random; the strongest design for showing cause. Read more →
- systematic review
- A review that searches for and appraises every study on a question by rules set in advance. Read more →
- time-restricted eating
- A daily eating window (for example 8 hours; food only from noon to 8 pm); 16:8 is the most common. Read more →
- very-low-calorie diet (VLCD)
- 800–1,200 kcal a day; only under medical supervision.
- way of eating
- This site's general term for any named diet or pattern; the hub is called "Ways of eating". Read more →
Tone and the app
- as planned
- Logging the planned meal with one tap in the app. Read more →
- Energy Setup
- The app screen that builds the daily energy model. Read more →
- logging / tracking
- Recording food, weight or movement; "tracking" is the habit, "logging" the act. Read more →
- no guilt
- The editorial rule: no "wrong" foods, "failure" or "making up for it"; the streak counts "logged something". Read more →
- self-monitoring
- The research term for the same thing; on this site only in quotations. Read more →