Why you might need to change your nutrition goals
Your body's energy and nutrient needs change over time, especially as you lose or gain weight, or alter your exercise routine. MyFitnessPal initially calculates your goals based on your starting stats, but these figures will eventually become outdated. Regularly updating your goals ensures you continue to make consistent progress towards your health and fitness objectives. Common reasons for resetting your goals include:
- Weight change: As you lose or gain weight, your body requires a different number of calories to maintain or continue progressing. A smaller body needs fewer calories, while a larger one needs more.
- Plateau: If you hit a weight-loss plateau, adjusting your calorie intake or macro ratios can help kickstart your progress again. Sometimes a small increase or decrease is all that's needed.
- Changed activity level: Starting or stopping a new exercise program significantly impacts your daily calorie needs. You may need to increase your intake to support more intense workouts or decrease it on less active days.
- New fitness objectives: Perhaps your initial goal was weight loss, but now you want to focus on muscle gain. This requires a different set of macronutrient targets, especially for protein.
- Personal preference: As you learn more about nutrition, you may find that different macronutrient distributions feel better for your body. MyFitnessPal allows you to experiment with various percentages.
How to reset goals on the MyFitnessPal mobile app
Resetting your nutrition goals in the MyFitnessPal app is a multi-step process that can be initiated from the main 'Goals' menu. While older app versions might have had slightly different navigation, the following steps are current for most users.
Step-by-step for the mobile app
- Navigate to the Goals section: Open the app and tap the 'More' icon (three horizontal dots or lines) in the bottom-right corner. In the menu that appears, tap on 'Goals'.
- Access nutrition goals: Once on the 'Goals' screen, select 'Calories, Carbs, Protein & Fat Goals'. This will allow you to manually edit your primary nutritional targets.
- Adjust calorie intake: Tap on the calorie field to enter your new daily calorie target. The app may recalculate this automatically based on your overall weight goal, but you can override it for more manual control, especially if you have a Premium subscription.
- Set macro percentages: Below the calorie field, you'll see the distribution for carbs, protein, and fat. Tap on the percentages to change them. For free users, these percentages adjust in 5% increments, and the total must add up to 100%.
- Save your changes: Tap the checkmark or 'Save' button at the top of the screen to apply your new nutrition goals. Your food diary will now reflect these updated targets.
How to reset goals on the MyFitnessPal website
Some users find the website to be more reliable for updating goals or for performing a guided reset. The web version often provides more detailed options and can sometimes resolve issues that occur on the mobile app.
Step-by-step for the website
- Access your account: Log in to your MyFitnessPal account on a web browser.
- Go to goals: Click 'My Home' from the top menu, then 'Goals'.
- Use the guided setup: For a full reset, click the 'View Guided Setup' button at the top of the page. This will walk you through updating your weight management profile and recalculate your overall calorie goal based on your current weight.
- Manually edit goals: For specific adjustments, click the 'Edit' link next to the 'Daily Nutrition Goals' section. You can then change your calorie, macronutrient, and micronutrient targets directly.
- Save and sync: After making changes, click 'Save Changes'. The updates will sync to your mobile app the next time it connects to the internet.
Comparison of resetting goals on mobile vs. website
| Feature | Mobile App | Website | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of access | Quick and convenient for daily use. | Requires logging in via browser, more clicks. | Mobile is faster for minor adjustments. |
| Guided reset | Requires navigating through several menus to update profile stats. | Prominent 'View Guided Setup' button for a full profile review. | Website offers a more guided, holistic approach to resetting based on weight. |
| Calorie recalculation | Can be forced by changing and re-entering current weight. | Easily triggered by clicking 'Update Profile' in the guided setup. | Both methods work for forcing a recalculation. |
| Macro customization | Allows editing percentages in 5% increments (Premium for grams). | Also allows percentage editing, with Premium offering more control. | Functionality is similar, but Premium offers more precision. |
| Troubleshooting | Occasional bugs may prevent goals from updating correctly. | Often a more stable method for resetting goals when the app fails. | If the app is glitchy, the website is the reliable backup. |
What to do if your goals won't update
If you've followed the steps above and your nutrition goals aren't resetting correctly, try these troubleshooting tips:
- Force a recalculation: A classic workaround involves briefly tricking the system. On both the app and website, change your current weight to a slightly different value, save the change, and then change it back to your actual weight. This often forces the app to recalculate your net calorie goal.
- Use the website: If the mobile app is giving you trouble, log in to the MyFitnessPal website and make the changes there. The changes should then sync to your app.
- Reinstall the app: As a last resort, especially if you're experiencing a persistent bug, try uninstalling and then reinstalling the app. Make sure your data is backed up to your online account first.
- Check for conflicting settings: Ensure that you are not on a separate premium-specific goal or plan that is overriding your custom settings. Some users have reported conflicts with specific premium features.
- Clear app cache: For Android users, clearing the app's cache can sometimes resolve syncing or display issues.
Conclusion
Resetting your nutrition goals on MyFitnessPal is a routine part of any long-term fitness journey. Whether you use the mobile app for a quick adjustment or the website for a more comprehensive guided reset, the platform provides flexible options to ensure your calorie and macro targets remain aligned with your current progress. Remember that your body's needs evolve, and your goals should too. By regularly checking and updating your nutrition plan, you'll be able to make informed decisions that keep you on track. For additional support, you can always consult the official MyFitnessPal help center.
