How to Set KBJU Goals for Your Clients Step by Step

KBJU — calories, protein, fat, carbohydrates — is the foundational nutritional framework for body composition coaching. Setting accurate, personalised KBJU targets for each client is one of the most impactful things a personal trainer can do. Here’s the step-by-step process.

Step 1: Calculate TDEE

Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is the number of calories a client burns per day across all activities. Calculate it using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation for BMR, then multiply by an activity factor:

• Sedentary (desk job, minimal exercise): BMR × 1.2
• Lightly active (light exercise 1–3 days/week): BMR × 1.375
• Moderately active (moderate exercise 3–5 days/week): BMR × 1.55
• Very active (hard exercise 6–7 days/week): BMR × 1.725

This gives you maintenance calories — the number at which weight stays stable.

Step 2: Set the Calorie Target

Adjust from TDEE based on the client’s goal:

• Weight loss: TDEE minus 300–500 kcal per day (moderate deficit, sustainable)
• Muscle gain: TDEE plus 200–300 kcal per day (lean bulk)
• Maintenance/recomposition: TDEE

For most clients, a 500 kcal deficit produces roughly 0.5 kg/week of weight loss — a sustainable, evidence-based target. Aggressive deficits (700+ kcal) often result in muscle loss and programme abandonment.

Step 3: Distribute Macros and Enter in Tandem

Standard macro distribution for weight loss:

• Protein: 1.6–2.2g per kg of bodyweight (highest priority — preserves muscle in a deficit)
• Fat: minimum 0.8g per kg bodyweight (essential for hormonal health)
• Carbohydrates: remaining calories

Once calculated, enter the targets directly in the client’s Tandem profile. They see their personalised calorie and macro targets in the app immediately. As they log nutrition, you see actual intake against these targets in real time — which makes programme adjustments fast and data-driven.