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Macro Goals by Meal with MyFitnessPal Premium

Updated

This article explains how to see carbs, protein, and fat for each meal you log, how to switch between grams and percentages, and how to turn the setting off.

 

Breakfast felt light. Lunch felt like a lot. But which one actually delivered the protein you were after?

Carbs, protein, and fat by meal answers that without any extra work from you. Log your food the way you always do. Each meal then shows its own breakdown, right where you logged it.

That turns one big daily number into four smaller ones you can actually act on. If dinner is where the carbs pile up, you will see it the same day instead of at the end of the week.

 

Turn carbs, protein, and fat by meal on or off

The breakdown is on by default for Premium members. If you would rather keep your meals uncluttered, you can switch it off from Diary Settings. 

iOS

  1. Open the MyFitnessPal app.
  2. Tap the More menu in the lower right corner. If you don’t have a More menu, tap the Profile icon in the upper right instead. 
  3. Tap Settings.
  4. Tap Diary Settings.
  5. Toggle Show Carbs, Protein, and Fat by Meal on or off.   

Android

  1. Open the MyFitnessPal app.
  2. Tap the More menu in the lower right corner. If you don’t have a More menu, tap the Profile icon in the upper right instead. 
  3. Tap Settings.
  4. Tap Diary Settings.
  5. Check the box for Show Carbs, Protein, and Fat by Meal.

Website

  1. Log in to the website using the same email and password you use with the app.
  2. Click Settings, then Diary Settings.
  3. Under Macronutrients in the Diary, check the box for Switch between grams and percentage.
  4. Click Save Changes.

On the website, this setting has historically controlled whether you can switch between grams and percentages, rather than hiding the breakdown entirely.

 

How to switch between grams and percentages

Grams and percentages answer two different questions. Grams tell you how much you ate. Percentages tell you how a meal was balanced. 

iOS

  1. Open the MyFitnessPal app.
  2. Go to the Today page.

  3. Tap the macro breakdown on any meal to switch between grams and percentages.
     

Android

  1. Open the MyFitnessPal app
  2. Go to the Today page
  3. Tap on the meal you’d like to see the macro breakdown for. For example, tap on Breakfast. 
  4. You’ll then be shown the meal details screen, where you will see your macro values shown in both grams and percentages at the top of the page. 

Website

Please note: You must have Carbs, Protein, and Fat selected as your tracked nutrients in order to switch between grams and percentages on the website.

  1. Log into the website using the same email and password you use with the app.
  2. Click the Food tab.
  3. Click on the blue calorie and macro value bar to the right of your logged foods to switch between grams and percentages.

 

Frequently asked questions

Why don't I see a breakdown under one of my meals?

A meal only shows a breakdown once you log something to it. Empty meals stay empty, so your screen does not fill up with zeros. Log a food to that meal and the breakdown appears.

What do the percentages actually represent?

They show how that one meal was split between carbs, protein, and fat. The three always add up to 100 percent, because they describe the meal itself. They do not show how much you have left for the day. 

Does this change my daily goals?

No. This setting only changes what you see. Your daily calorie and nutrient goals stay exactly where you set them. To adjust those, see how to customize your nutritional goals.

Can I set a target for each meal instead of just seeing the breakdown?

You can for calories. Calorie goals by meal splits your daily calorie goal across breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. Learn how to set calorie goals by meal.

 

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