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Customize your nutritional goals

Updated

This article explains how to customize your nutritional goals in MyFitnessPal if your doctor or nutritionist has given you a different plan to follow. You'll find steps for updating your goals on iOS, Android, and the web, along with details on how MyFitnessPal calculates Net Calories and distributes your carb, protein, and fat targets.



iOS

  1. Open the app and tap the More menu at the bottom of your screen. If you do not see a More menu, tap your Profile Icon in the top right corner of the Today tab.
  2. Tap Goals, then tap the card labeled Calorie & macro goals.
  3. You may need to turn the Recommended Calories toggle OFF before you can set your custom goals.
  4. On this page, you’ll also notice the Macro balance card, where you can select from Default, High protein, Low carb, Keto, Paleo, or Custom. If you select Custom, you’ll be able to use the slider to adjust your goals.

Or, 

  1. Open the app and tap the More menu at the bottom of your screen. If you do not see a More menu, tap your Profile Icon in the top right corner of the Today tab.
  2. Tap Goals, then tap Calories, Carbs, Protein & Fat Goals and make your edits.

 

Android

  1. Open the app and tap the More menu at the bottom of your screen, then tap Goals.

  2. Tap Calories, Carbs, Protein & Fat Goals to make your changes.

     

Web

  1. Using a web browser, log in to https://www.myfitnesspal.com with the same email and password you use for the app.
  2. Click My Home, then Goals, then select Edit for Daily Nutrition Goals, Fitness, or Micronutrients.
  3. After making your changes, click Save Changes. The changes will appear in the app the next time it syncs with the website.

 

MyFitnessPal distributes fat, carb, and protein calories as percentages in 5% increments. If you customize your macronutrient goals, all three goals will adjust to total 100%.

If you would like greater control over your goals, you may wish to consider upgrading to MyFitnessPal Premium. Premium users can set a very precise goal in gram increments for protein, carbs, or fat. Premium users can also set custom goals based on the day of the week.


Please note that, depending on when your account was created, your goals might update when you add exercise in the cardiovascular section for a given day: your exercise calories will be added to your daily goal and distributed according to your chosen nutrient ratio. (Premium users may opt in or out of exercise calories being added to their daily total, or may choose to have them distributed in a custom ratio of nutrients)


By default, we set your nutritional target in Net Calories, which we define as:

Calories Consumed (Food) - Calories Burned (Exercise) = Net Calories

 

This means if you exercise, you can eat more that day. For example, if your Net Calorie goal is 2000 calories, you could eat 2,500 calories but burn 500 through exercise.

Think of your Net Calories as a daily calorie budget. You spend them on eating and earn more by exercising. We do not recommend women consume fewer than 1200 calories or men fewer than 1500 calories per day.



 

 

You may also find this video helpful:

 

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