Does MyFitnessPal Do Weekly Calories?
For many users wondering, "does MyFitnessPal do weekly calories?", the answer is a nuanced one. In its fundamental operation, the app focuses on a daily calorie goal, not a flexible weekly total. While it compiles a weekly summary of your caloric intake and expenditure, it does not allow for a single, rolling weekly budget that lets you automatically carry over calories from one day to the next. The app’s built-in system is designed to promote daily consistency, with weekly information serving as a review of your past performance.
The Daily Calorie Goal is King
When you first set up your profile on MyFitnessPal, the app asks for your age, height, weight, gender, and activity level to calculate a daily net calorie target. It uses this figure to determine the necessary intake for achieving your weight loss or gain goals over time. Throughout the day, as you log your meals and exercise, the app deducts calories from your daily total, showing you how many remain. This daily check-in is the core mechanic of MyFitnessPal. Deviating from your daily goal has immediate consequences for that specific day's count, and these surpluses or deficits are not automatically balanced out over the week.
Understanding the Weekly Digest
Although the app does not feature a flexible weekly budget, it does offer a comprehensive weekly summary called the "Weekly Digest".
Key features of the Weekly Digest include:
- Your total calories consumed over the week compared to your total weekly calorie goal (which is the sum of your daily goals).
- Total exercise calories burned.
- Frequently logged foods for the week.
- Nutritional insights based on food groups.
This digest is a reporting tool, not a dynamic tracking feature. It is calculated by adding up your daily goals and logged data, providing a long-term perspective on your habits. For free users, only the last two weeks are accessible, while Premium subscribers gain unlimited access to past reports.
Using Premium for a Flexible Weekly Plan
For those who prefer a more flexible approach to their weekly calories, MyFitnessPal Premium offers a key feature: the ability to set custom daily goals for different days of the week. This is the closest the app comes to supporting a weekly-based strategy. For instance, a Premium member could set a higher calorie goal for a Saturday and a lower goal for a Monday to accommodate social plans, while keeping their overall weekly average aligned with their goals. This requires manual adjustment, but it gives users far more control than the standard daily target.
The Manual Workaround for a Weekly Budget
Some users on discussion forums, such as Reddit, have developed their own workaround for managing a weekly budget. This involves multiplying their daily goal by seven to get a weekly total. From there, they simply track their calories each day and subtract the daily count from the total weekly budget. This provides the flexibility to eat more on certain days and less on others, as long as the weekly total is maintained. This method, however, is not integrated into the app's interface and requires external tracking to be truly effective.
MyFitnessPal: Standard vs. Premium Features
| Feature | Standard (Free) | Premium (Paid) |
|---|---|---|
| Calorie Goal System | Single daily target, consistent every day. | Custom daily targets can be set for different days of the week. |
| Weekly Budget Tracking | No built-in feature for a flexible weekly budget. | No true weekly budget, but custom daily goals achieve similar flexibility. |
| Weekly Report Access | Limited access to the last two weekly digest reports. | Unlimited access to historical weekly digest reports. |
| Macro Tracking | Macro goals are set via percentages in 5% increments. | Macro goals can be set in precise gram increments. |
| Flexibility | Less flexible; requires manual workarounds for varying daily intake. | High flexibility for planning weekly calorie intake using daily targets. |
How to view your weekly average
For any user who wants to assess their weekly progress, viewing the average calorie intake is a straightforward process:
- Navigate to the Nutrition tab: In the MyFitnessPal app, tap on the "More" section, then find "Nutrition."
- Change the view: At the top of the nutrition page, switch the view from "Day" to "Week."
- Review your data: The graph will display your daily calorie intake over the past week, and a total and average will be calculated for you.
By understanding the distinction between a summary report and a true, dynamic budget, users can manage their expectations and decide if the app's free or Premium features best align with their tracking style.
Conclusion
In summary, while MyFitnessPal does not provide a dynamic, rolling weekly calorie budget, it offers several ways to view and manage your weekly intake. For most users, the standard daily goal and the weekly summary report provide sufficient insight to stay on track. For those who need more flexibility, the Premium version's custom daily goals allow for effective weekly planning. Ultimately, the best method for you depends on your preference for daily consistency versus weekly flexibility.
Visit the MyFitnessPal Help Center for more on their features.
