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Data Sources & Citations
Where a calculation or reference range comes from published research or established guidelines, the source is listed here. Scores and suggestions that GritLeanPulse defines itself are labelled as such. This information is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.
GritLeanPulse is a wellness tracking app, not a medical device. Always consult your physician or a licensed healthcare professional before making health decisions.
Calorie & Macronutrient Targets
Mifflin–St Jeor Equation (BMR)
Mifflin MD et al. (1990). American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 51(2), 241–247.
Used to calculate Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) — calories burned at rest.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2305711/Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) Activity Multipliers
Harris JA & Benedict FG (1918). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Classic basal-metabolism equations. The activity multipliers applied to BMR (about 1.2 to 1.9) are standard approximations used by the app and are not taken from this paper.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1091498/Protein Recommendations for Weight Loss & Muscle Preservation
Stokes T et al. (2018). Nutrients, 10(7), 904.
Basis for protein targets, especially during caloric deficit with GLP-1 medications.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30029703/Protein and exercise (position stand)
Jäger R, Kerksick CM, Campbell BI, et al. (2017). International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: protein and exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 14, 20.
Source of the protein range of about 1.4 to 2.2 grams per kilogram of body weight per day for people who exercise, which the app uses for protein targets and for the muscle-protection view organizations can open.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-017-0177-8Protein supplementation and resistance training gains
Morton RW, Murphy KT, McKellar SR, et al. (2018). A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 52(6), 376-384.
Evidence that gains from resistance training level off at roughly 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, with benefit possible up to about 2.2.
https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2017-097608Nutrition during GLP-1 therapy (joint advisory)
Mozaffarian D, Agarwal M, Aggarwal M, et al. (2025). Nutritional priorities to support GLP-1 therapy for obesity: a joint advisory from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, the American Society for Nutrition, the Obesity Medicine Association, and The Obesity Society. Obesity Pillars, 15, 100181.
Source of the higher protein range of about 1.2 to 1.6 grams per kilogram per day suggested to help protect lean mass during GLP-1 treatment. It is general guidance, not advice for any one person.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obpill.2025.100181Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) — Macronutrients
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2005). Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids.
Recommended dietary allowances for macronutrients.
https://www.nal.usda.gov/human-nutrition-and-food-safety/dri-calculatorGLP-1 Medication Pharmacokinetics
Semaglutide (Ozempic / Wegovy) — STEP-1 Trial
Wilding JPH et al. (2021). New England Journal of Medicine, 384, 989–1002.
Phase 3 clinical trial establishing semaglutide efficacy for weight management. Basis for clinical comparison data.
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2032183Tirzepatide (Mounjaro / Zepbound) — SURMOUNT-1 Trial
Jastreboff AM et al. (2022). New England Journal of Medicine, 387, 205–216.
Phase 3 clinical trial establishing tirzepatide efficacy. Basis for clinical comparison data.
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2206038GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Pharmacokinetics
Meier JJ (2012). Nature Reviews Endocrinology, 8, 728–742.
PK/PD modeling basis for estimated medication level curves displayed in the app. These are estimates, not real-time measurements.
https://www.nature.com/articles/nrendo.2012.143GLP-1 & Muscle Mass Preservation Protocol
Bray GA et al. (2012). NEJM, 367, 1397. / Moon J & Koh G (2020). Journal of Obesity & Metabolic Syndrome.
Protein and resistance training recommendations for preserving lean mass during GLP-1-assisted weight loss.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7550943/Micronutrient & Supplement Information
Dietary Reference Intakes — Vitamins & Minerals
National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements.
Basis for all micronutrient recommendations, RDAs, upper limits, and deficiency thresholds displayed in the app.
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/list-all/GLP-1 & Micronutrient Depletion
Almandoz JP et al. (2022). Obesity, 30(3), 589–598.
Basis for GLP-1-specific micronutrient depletion alerts (B12, zinc, magnesium, iron).
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35044721/Supplement Safety — Natural Medicines Database
Natural Medicines Database (TheraCom LLC). Accessed 2025–2026.
Reference for supplement safety ratings, drug-supplement interactions, and evidence assessments.
https://naturalmedicines.therapeuticresearch.com/Lab Results & Biomarker Reference Ranges
Laboratory Reference Ranges
Mayo Clinic Laboratories. Reference Ranges and Interpretive Data (2025). Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.
Reference ranges for blood biomarkers including lipids, glucose, HbA1c, thyroid, hormones, and metabolic panels.
https://www.mayocliniclabs.com/test-catalog/HbA1c Diagnostic Criteria
American Diabetes Association (2024). Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes. Diabetes Care, 47(Suppl 1).
Diagnostic thresholds for HbA1c (normal / prediabetes / diabetes).
https://diabetesjournals.org/care/article/47/Supplement_1/S20/153954/Lipid Panel Interpretation
Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (Adult Treatment Panel III). JAMA, 285(19), 2486–2497.
Basis for LDL, HDL, triglyceride target ranges displayed in lab results.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11368702/Sleep, HRV & Recovery
Sleep Duration Recommendations
Watson NF et al. (2015). Sleep, 38(6), 843–844. / National Sleep Foundation (2015).
Recommended sleep durations by age group shown in the sleep tracker.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25979105/Heart Rate Variability (HRV) as a Health Metric
Task Force of the European Society of Cardiology (1996). Circulation, 93(5), 1043–1065.
HRV measurement standards and interpretation framework used in the HRV tracker.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8598068/Intermittent Fasting
Time-Restricted Eating & Metabolic Health
Lowe DA et al. (2020). JAMA Internal Medicine, 180(11), 1491–1499.
Research basis for intermittent fasting protocols (16:8, 18:6, 20:4) shown in the IF tracker.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2771095Workout & Strength Training
Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd Ed.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2018).
Federal guidelines for aerobic and resistance training volume targets.
https://health.gov/paguidelines/second-edition/Resistance Training Volume & Muscle Hypertrophy
Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW (2017). Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Sports Sciences, 35(11), 1073–1082.
Evidence basis for weekly volume targets displayed in the muscle heatmap and volume tracker.
https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2016.1210197One-Rep Max (1RM) Estimation — Epley Formula
Epley B (1985). Boyd Epley Workout. Body Enterprise.
1RM estimation formula used in the plate calculator and strength tracking.
Reps-in-Reserve Effort Scale (RPE / RIR)
Zourdos MC, Klemp A, Dolan C, Quiles JM, Schau KA, Jo E, Helms E, Esgro B, Duncan S, Garcia Merino S, Blanco R (2016). Novel Resistance Training-Specific Rating of Perceived Exertion Scale Measuring Repetitions in Reserve. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 30(1), 267–275.
The 1 to 10 effort scale behind the effort rating (RPE) you can log on a set: 10 means nothing left, 9 about one rep left, 8 about two. The app reads RPE as 10 minus the reps you had in reserve.
https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000001049Using effort ratings to adjust training load
Helms ER, Cronin J, Storey A, Zourdos MC (2016). Application of the Repetitions in Reserve-Based Rating of Perceived Exertion Scale for Resistance Training. Strength and Conditioning Journal, 38(4), 42–49.
Explains adjusting the weight from set to set and session to session according to how hard the last one felt. Basis for the Suggested Next Weight idea.
https://doi.org/10.1519/SSC.0000000000000218Effort-based (autoregulated) loading vs fixed loading
Graham T, Cleather DJ (2021). Autoregulation by "Repetitions in Reserve" Leads to Greater Improvements in Strength Over a 12-Week Training Program Than Fixed Loading. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 35(9), 2451–2456.
A 12-week study of 31 resistance-trained men in which loads set by reps in reserve produced larger squat gains than loads fixed as a percentage of a one-rep max.
https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000003164How much to add to the bar
American College of Sports Medicine (2009). Position Stand: Progression Models in Resistance Training for Healthy Adults. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 41(3), 687–708.
Recommends increasing the load by about 2 to 10 percent once you can do one to two repetitions more than the target. The suggested next weight never goes up by more than 10 percent in one step.
https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181915670About the Suggested Next Weight rules
GritLeanPulse (2026). Rules defined by the app, informed by the sources above.
The specific step sizes (about 5% for lower-body lifts, 4% for other compound lifts, 2.5% for single-joint lifts, 1.5 times that when you had four or more reps left, rounded to real plate steps and never above 10%) and the hold / lighter-day rules are GritLeanPulse's own conservative choices within the published range, not figures taken from a paper. It is a suggestion only, and the effort rating you enter is an estimate.
Food & Nutrition Database
USDA FoodData Central
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central (2024).
Primary nutrition database for food search and macro/micronutrient data.
https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/Nutritionix Restaurant & Branded Food Database
Nutritionix, Inc. (2024). Restaurant and branded food database.
Nutrition data for restaurant meals, branded packaged foods, and natural language food logging.
https://www.nutritionix.com/Open Food Facts
Open Food Facts contributors. world.openfoodfacts.org. Database licensed under the Open Database License (ODbL); contents under the Database Contents License.
Barcode scanning fallback database for packaged food products.
https://world.openfoodfacts.org/NOVA Food Classification
Monteiro CA, Cannon G, Levy RB, et al. (2019). Ultra-processed foods: what they are and how to identify them. Public Health Nutrition, 22(5), 936–941.
The four-group NOVA scale for how processed a food is, shown on scanned and searched foods. For packaged foods without a stated group, the app estimates it from the ingredient list and labels it as an estimate.
https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980018003762Food Additive Risk Ratings
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) food additive re-evaluations; International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Monographs, World Health Organization; Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) Chemical Cuisine.
The additive notes on the scanner result are informational and summarize how these organizations rate each additive. They are not a regulatory or medical rating, and not every additive is covered.
https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/topics/topic/food-additivesU.S. FDA Food Recall Notices (openFDA)
U.S. Food and Drug Administration, openFDA food enforcement reports (open.fda.gov).
The public list of recent food recalls, compared on your device with your pantry and scanned products. A match means a recall may apply: check the lot code on the package. No match is not a guarantee a product is safe.
https://open.fda.gov/apis/food/enforcement/Air Quality, Weather & Home Environment
EPA AirNow — outdoor air quality (US AQI)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, AirNow program, with data from federal, state, local and tribal air quality agencies. Credit: EPA AirNow (airnow.gov).
Live US AQI for your ZIP (when available) is the latest preliminary AirNow reading for the nearest monitoring area. AirNow data are not fully verified and are not for regulatory use; official regulatory data come from EPA's Air Quality System.
https://www.airnow.gov/NASA POWER — surface pressure for Mood × Weather patterns
NASA Langley Research Center, Prediction Of Worldwide Energy Resources (POWER) Project, GEOS-IT data. Accessed via power.larc.nasa.gov.
Daily air pressure for your approximate area (location rounded to about 7 miles) compared with your logged mood. NASA Earth science data are free and open for any use. On supported iPhones, the phone's own barometer reading is also saved with a mood entry.
https://power.larc.nasa.gov/EPA — radon action level and UV Index
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Health Risk of Radon; UV Index Scale.
Radon action level (4 pCi/L) used in the radon test log. Pollen and UV values are not shown live in the app; the Air Quality screen links to pollen.com and the EPA UV Index forecast.
https://www.epa.gov/radon/health-risk-radonOpen Beauty Facts — cosmetics barcode lookup
Open Beauty Facts contributors. Database licensed under the Open Database License (ODbL); individual contents under the Database Contents License.
Community ingredient lists used when you scan a cosmetics barcode. They can be incomplete; check the printed label.
https://world.openbeautyfacts.org/Open-Meteo (reference link)
Open-Meteo.com — free weather and air quality map and data.
A pointer only: opens in your browser from the Air Quality screen. GritLeanPulse does not pull data from it.
https://open-meteo.com/Glucose, Heart Risk & Connected Data
Glucose Alert Levels
Battelino T, Danne T, Bergenstal RM, et al. (2019). Clinical Targets for Continuous Glucose Monitoring Data Interpretation: Recommendations From the International Consensus on Time in Range. Diabetes Care, 42(8), 1593–1603.
The starting alert levels (urgent low below 54 mg/dL, low below 70 mg/dL, high above 250 mg/dL) follow the glucose ranges in this consensus. You can change every level. Alerts are informational and never suggest a dose.
https://doi.org/10.2337/dci19-0028Heart Risk Estimate (PREVENT)
Khan SS, Matsushita K, Sang Y, et al. (2024). Development and Validation of the American Heart Association's PREVENT Equations. Circulation, 149(6), 430–449.
The 10-year heart and blood vessel risk estimate uses the base PREVENT equations for adults aged 30 to 79 without known cardiovascular disease. It is an educational estimate, not a diagnosis. Talk with your care team about your own risk.
https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.123.067626Your Own Health Data (Apple Health, Health Records, Nightscout)
Provided by you or by the services you choose to use.
Readings and records from Apple Health (including sensors such as Dexcom that share with it), Apple Health Records or your own Nightscout site are your own data, shown as received. GritLeanPulse does not interpret them as a diagnosis. Connecting any of them is optional.
Form Check Body Tracking
Apple Vision framework, human body pose detection (VNDetectHumanBodyPoseRequest), Apple Inc.
Form Check finds your joints on your device to count reps. The technique tips are simple angle checks defined by GritLeanPulse, not a validated coaching or medical assessment. No video is recorded or uploaded.
https://developer.apple.com/documentation/vision/vndetecthumanbodyposerequestScores and Summaries Defined by GritLeanPulse
Consistency Score
GritLeanPulse (2026). Not a clinical or validated score.
A 0 to 100 habit measure over the last 14 days: food logging, days at or above 90% of your protein target, workouts, sleep logging, days at or above 80% of your water target and weigh-ins. Parts you do not use are left out. It never uses calories or weight loss.
Monthly Recap and Coach check-ins
GritLeanPulse (2026). Fixed rules, not AI.
The recap counts what you logged last month. Coach check-ins are reminders triggered by simple thresholds on your own numbers (for example protein so far today against your target). Neither is a medical assessment.
Food Health Score and Ingredient Limits
GritLeanPulse (2026). Not a clinical or validated score.
The 0 to 100 Health Score on a scanned food combines the NOVA group, additive notes, seed oils, beneficial ingredients and a microplastics category estimate. The Ingredients to limit lists (such as seed oils and added sugars) are GritLeanPulse lists matched against the ingredient text. Both are informational and can be incomplete or out of date: read the label.
Open-Source Notices — Natural Voice (Read Aloud)
Kokoro-82M text-to-speech model
hexgrad. Kokoro-82M, Apache License 2.0. Training audio includes material licensed CC BY (SIWIS, CC BY 4.0, University of Edinburgh; Koniwa, CC BY 3.0). Model files are the unmodified int8 build published by k2-fsa (kokoro-int8-multi-lang-v1_0).
The natural voice that reads Ask My Coach replies aloud. It runs entirely on your iPhone after a one-time download; the text is never sent anywhere to be spoken.
https://huggingface.co/hexgrad/Kokoro-82Msherpa-onnx speech engine
Copyright (c) Xiaomi Corporation and contributors, Apache License 2.0 (version 2.0.1, built without espeak-ng or piper-phonemize).
Runs the voice model on your phone.
https://github.com/k2-fsa/sherpa-onnxONNX Runtime
Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation, MIT License.
The machine-learning runtime inside sherpa-onnx.
https://github.com/microsoft/onnxruntimeModified pronunciation lists
The pronunciation lists lexicon-us-en.txt and lexicon-gb-en.txt that come with the voice are MODIFIED by GritLeanPulse (Apache License 2.0, section 4(b)): about 45 entries for medication and health words (for example semaglutide, tirzepatide, metformin) were appended after download. A NOTICE-GRITLEANPULSE.txt file in the voice folder on your phone says the same.
Without these entries the voice would skip medication names it does not know.
Exercise Demonstration Pictures
Exercise illustrations by Everkinetic (via wger.de)
Everkinetic (everkinetic.com, Greg Priday) and wger.de contributors, from the wger.de exercise database. Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 (CC BY-SA 3.0). Changes: resized, placed on a white background, converted to WebP.
Line illustrations of the start and end position shown on exercise form guides. Resized copies are shared under the same license; the license applies to the pictures only, not to the app.
https://wger.de/Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Creative Commons. Legal code: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/legalcode
The license text for the exercise pictures.
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/