Overview
BMI Calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation for accurate BMR calculations and evidence-based activity multipliers for TDEE. It provides actionable data for fitness apps, health trackers, and nutrition planning tools.
Live Test Calculate BMI Source →
Formula
One function covers the whole catalog: the first argument names the source, the rest are its inputs, and the "field" pair says which single value lands in the cell. Formulas covers the grammar that applies to all of them.
=VERVE("bmicalculator", A2, B2, C2, "field", "bmi")=VERVE.CALL("bmicalculator", A2, B2, C2, "field", "bmi")A2 holds weight, B2 holds height, C2 holds unit. Arguments go in that order — the same order as the table below.
With literal values
Nothing has to come from a cell — typed values work the same way.
=VERVE("bmicalculator", 180, 70, "imperial", "field", "bmi")=VERVE.CALL("bmicalculator", 180, 70, "imperial", "field", "bmi")Inputs
Required inputs are positional, in the order below. Everything else is passed as a "name", value pair after them — the same shape as SUMIFS. Premium inputs are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them.
| Input | Type | Where it goes | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
weightRequired | number | argument 2 (A2) | Weight in kg (metric) or lbs (imperial) range 1–∞ |
heightRequired | number | argument 3 (B2) | Height in cm (metric) or inches (imperial) range 1–∞ |
unitRequired | string | argument 4 (C2) | Unit system for weight and heightmetricimperial |
ageOptional | number | "age", value | Age in years (required for BMR/TDEE calculations) range 1–120 |
genderOptional | string | "gender", value | Gender (required for BMR/TDEE calculations)malefemale |
activityLevelOptional | string | "activityLevel", value | Activity level (required for TDEE/calorie calculations)sedentarylightmoderateactiveveryactive |
Passing an option
=VERVE("bmicalculator", A2, B2, C2, "age", 30)=VERVE.CALL("bmicalculator", A2, B2, C2, "age", 30)What lands in your sheet
The "field" pair is what makes the formula resolve to one cell. Its value is a dot-path from the table below, so swapping it is how you pull a different value — one formula per column.
Seeing everything at once
Drop the "field" pair and the formula returns the whole response instead: two columns, field name on the left and value on the right, spilling from the cell you typed in.
=VERVE("bmicalculator", A2, B2, C2)=VERVE.CALL("bmicalculator", A2, B2, C2)The second row's table would land on top of the first's, and every cell after the first reads #REF! (#SPILL! in Excel). Keep one per sheet, or name a field, and leave the cells below and to the right empty.
Response fields
Paths are relative to data. Each one is exactly what the "field" pair accepts, so swapping it is how you pull a different value into a cell. On a plan without a Premium field the cell reads #PREMIUM(field) rather than a value, so a locked field never looks like a real answer.
| Use as "field" | Type | Example cell value | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
height | string | 70 inches | Formatted height with unit |
weight | string | 180 lbs | Formatted weight with unit |
bmi | number | 25.83 | Calculated Body Mass Index |
bmiPrimePremium | number | 1.033 | Ratio of BMI to upper normal limit (25). Values <1 are normal weight. |
category | string | Overweight | BMI category (Underweight, Normal, Overweight, Obese Class I/II/III) |
riskPremium | string | Increased risk | Health risk level based on BMI category |
summaryPremium | string | BMI is above the healthy range. Lifestyle changes may be beneficial. | Brief interpretation of BMI results |
idealWeightRange | object | {…} | Healthy weight range for this height (min, max, unit) |
idealWeightRange.min | number | 129 | Lowest weight in the healthy BMI range |
idealWeightRange.max | number | 173.5 | Highest weight in the healthy BMI range |
idealWeightRange.unit | string | lbs | Unit the ideal weight range is expressed in (lbs or kg) |
weightToChangePremium | object | {…} | Weight to lose or gain to reach normal BMI (direction, amount, unit) |
weightToChange.directionPremium | string | lose | Whether weight needs to be lost, gained, or maintained |
weightToChange.amountPremium | number | 6.5 | How much weight to lose or gain to reach the healthy range |
weightToChange.unitPremium | string | lbs | Unit the weight change is expressed in (lbs or kg) |
bmrPremium | number | 1783 | Basal Metabolic Rate - calories burned at rest (requires age, gender) |
tdeePremium | number | 2763 | Total Daily Energy Expenditure - calories burned per day (requires age, gender, activityLevel) |
calorieTargetsPremium | object | {…} | Daily calorie targets for different goals (extremeDeficit, moderateDeficit, maintain, moderateSurplus, bulkSurplus) |
calorieTargets.extremeDeficitPremium | number | 1763 | Daily calories for aggressive weight loss, roughly 1000 below maintenance |
calorieTargets.moderateDeficitPremium | number | 2263 | Daily calories for steady weight loss, roughly 500 below maintenance |
calorieTargets.maintainPremium | number | 2763 | Daily calories to hold current weight, equal to total daily energy expenditure |
calorieTargets.moderateSurplusPremium | number | 3063 | Daily calories for lean weight gain, roughly 300 above maintenance |
calorieTargets.bulkSurplusPremium | number | 3263 | Daily calories for faster weight gain, roughly 500 above maintenance |
macrosPremium | object | {…} | Macronutrient targets in grams (protein, carbs, fat) for lose/maintain/gain goals |
macros.losePremium | object | {…} | Daily macronutrient grams for the weight loss calorie target |
macros.lose.proteinPremium | number | 198 | Grams of protein per day while losing weight |
macros.lose.carbsPremium | number | 198 | Grams of carbohydrate per day while losing weight |
macros.lose.fatPremium | number | 75 | Grams of fat per day while losing weight |
macros.maintainPremium | object | {…} | Daily macronutrient grams for the maintenance calorie target |
macros.maintain.proteinPremium | number | 207 | Grams of protein per day at maintenance |
macros.maintain.carbsPremium | number | 276 | Grams of carbohydrate per day at maintenance |
macros.maintain.fatPremium | number | 92 | Grams of fat per day at maintenance |
macros.gainPremium | object | {…} | Daily macronutrient grams for the weight gain calorie target |
macros.gain.proteinPremium | number | 230 | Grams of protein per day while gaining weight |
macros.gain.carbsPremium | number | 345 | Grams of carbohydrate per day while gaining weight |
macros.gain.fatPremium | number | 85 | Grams of fat per day while gaining weight |
Filling a whole column
Both platforms make one batched call for a column rather than one request per cell, and both cost the same — 2 credits per row looked up. How you write it differs, because the two runtimes batch at different points.
=VERVE("bmicalculator", A2:A100, B2:B100, C2:C100, "field", "bmi")In Google Sheets, give the arguments ranges and the answers spill down from the cell you typed in. Custom functions there run synchronously and in isolation, so dragged cells cannot be coalesced — the range form is how a column becomes one call. The "field" pair is required here: a per-row two-column table has nowhere to spill. Use a full column per input (A2:A100, not A2) — a single-cell reference is read as row 1 only and the rest of the column comes back blank.
In Excel, type the formula once and fill down — no range form and none needed, because its runtime is asynchronous and the add-in coalesces the calls a fill produces into a single batched request. Do not hand VERVE.CALL a range: Excel flattens it into positional arguments, so A2:A100 arrives as a hundred separate arguments and the cell reads #ERR rather than filling.
Either way, column A holds your weight values and the answers land beside them, one row each, blank rows skipped.
When a cell doesn't fill
A failed lookup returns readable text starting with #ERR rather than a spreadsheet error, because Excel cannot show a custom message on a real error — you would get a bare #VALUE! with no reason. The trade-off is that IFERROR() will not catch it; test with LEFT(cell, 4) = "#ERR" instead. Error handling covers the rest.
| Cell reads | What happened |
|---|---|
#ERR Not connected | No API key saved. Open the side panel and connect your account. |
#ERR Replace <name> with a cell or value | A preview formula was copied as-is. Swap the placeholder for a cell reference. |
#ERR No "x" in bmicalculator | An option name this source does not take. The message lists the ones it does. |
#ERR No data point "…" | The "field" path is not in the response. Check it against the table above. |
#PREMIUM(field) | The field exists but your plan does not include it. |
#ERR Out of credits | The cycle's credits are spent. Usage resets on your billing date. |
Before the formula works
The add-in reads the API key you saved once in the side panel — the key never goes in the formula, so a shared sheet does not leak it and a collaborator without access simply sees the last calculated values.
- Install the add-in for Google Sheets or Excel.
- Open the side panel and sign in, or paste a key from your dashboard.
- Type the formula above into any cell.
Use cases
- Fitness Apps
- Calculate BMI, BMR, TDEE and macro targets for users tracking their fitness journey.
- Health Tracking
- Provide users with their ideal weight range and how much to gain or lose to reach a healthy BMI.
- Nutrition Planning
- Generate personalized calorie and macronutrient targets for meal planning applications.
- Weight Loss Programs
- Calculate calorie deficits and protein targets for weight loss applications.
Other ways to use Calculate BMI
Set up Calculate BMI on VerveSheets, or reach the same source a different way. Your VerveSheets account and credits work on all of them — one key, one balance.
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