Why Use Custom Meals in MyFitnessPal?
Creating and saving custom meals offers several significant advantages for efficient and accurate food tracking.
- Saves Time: Instead of searching for and adding each component of a meal individually, a saved custom meal can be logged with a single tap.
- Increases Accuracy: For complex dishes with multiple ingredients, saving a custom meal ensures the nutritional information is consistent and accurate each time it is logged.
- Promotes Consistency: By simplifying the logging process for your go-to meals, you are more likely to maintain a consistent tracking habit over the long term.
- Tracks Unique Recipes: This is especially useful for homemade recipes or specialized meals not found in the standard MyFitnessPal database.
How to Add a Custom Meal on MyFitnessPal (Mobile App)
For most users, adding a custom meal will be done directly through the mobile app. The process is straightforward, with two primary methods available.
Method 1: Create a Meal from Your Diary
This is often the fastest way to save a meal you have just eaten or frequently prepare.
- Log your meal as normal. First, add all the individual food items and their correct serving sizes for a particular meal (e.g., lunch) to your daily diary.
- Access the quick actions menu. In your diary, find the meal you wish to save. Tap the three dots located at the top right of the meal section to open the menu.
- Select 'Save as Meal'. From the options, choose 'Save as Meal'.
- Name and save the meal. A pop-up will appear prompting you to give your new custom meal a name. Once named, tap 'Save' to add it to your personal database.
Method 2: Create a Meal from Scratch
This is the best option for meal prepping or planning a new recipe.
- Navigate to the 'Meals' section. Tap the 'More' menu at the bottom right of the app. From there, select 'My Meals, Recipes & Foods' and then navigate to the 'Meals' tab.
- Start a new meal. Tap the 'Create a Meal' button.
- Add details and items. Give your meal a name and tap 'Add items to this meal'. Search for and add each food item and specify its quantity.
- Save your creation. When you have added all the ingredients, tap the 'Save' button to store your new custom meal.
How to Add a Custom Meal on MyFitnessPal (Website)
For desktop users, the website provides a similar but slightly different interface for creating custom meals.
- Access the 'Food' tab. On the top navigation bar, click 'Food' and then select 'My Meals, Recipes & Foods'.
- Use the quick tools. Alternatively, log all your meal items in your diary as you normally would. Under the meal you wish to save, click 'Quick Tools' and then 'Remember Meal'.
- Name and save. Enter a name for the meal and click 'Save Meal' to add it to your personal database.
Comparison of Tracking Methods: Meals vs. Recipes
While MyFitnessPal offers both Meals and Recipes as custom logging features, they have distinct differences.
| Feature | Meals | Recipes |
|---|---|---|
| Best For | Quickly logging standard meal combos, like your morning breakfast or favorite takeout order. Best for simple, fixed-ingredient meals. | Tracking multi-ingredient dishes you prepare yourself, such as a large batch of chili or pasta sauce. Best for complex, portioned dishes. |
| Tracking Method | Logs each ingredient separately into your diary. This allows for easy editing of individual components after logging. | Logs a specific serving size of the entire recipe. Requires all ingredients to be saved as a single item first. |
| Flexibility | Highly flexible. You can easily adjust the portion of one item (e.g., adding more sauce) without altering the entire meal entry. | Less flexible for day-to-day adjustments. Any changes require editing the main recipe before logging. |
| Preparation | No special preparation required beyond logging the components once. | Involves entering all ingredients and specifying the total number of servings beforehand. |
Troubleshooting Common Custom Meal Issues
- Can't Save a Meal: Ensure you have added at least one food item to the meal before attempting to save it. Some users on free plans report temporary bugs, but the basic 'Save as Meal' function is typically available.
- Ingredients Won't Update: If the macros don't refresh after editing a meal, delete the old meal entry and add the new one. A quick fix can be logging the meal, making edits directly in the diary, and then re-saving it with the new values.
- Logged Meal is Missing Foods: Some reported bugs have caused logged meals to add calories but not the individual food items to the diary. Reinstalling the app may solve this, or using the 'Save as Meal' option from the diary rather than creating from scratch.
Conclusion
Adding a custom meal on MyFitnessPal is a powerful feature that simplifies your food tracking and improves accuracy, especially for frequent and consistent meals. By using either the 'Save as Meal' function from your diary or the 'Create a Meal' option in the settings, you can save valuable time and stay focused on your health goals. While meals are best for simple, quick-logging items, the recipes feature is ideal for complex, homemade dishes. Over time, building a library of custom meals and recipes will make your daily logging process nearly effortless, proving that consistency is the key to long-term success. For more tips, check out the official MyFitnessPal blog.
