How Do I Turn On the Food Journal in Everfit? A Guide for Coaches and Clients

Studies suggest that individuals who consistently track their food intake lose more weight and maintain it longer than those who don't. Enabling the food journal feature within Everfit is a straightforward process that empowers both coaches and clients to monitor eating habits effectively, foster accountability, and drive better results.

Quick Summary

The food journal feature in Everfit is initiated by the coach from their dashboard and then used by the client via the mobile app. It serves as a simple way to track meals with photos and text, enabling coaches to provide quick feedback. The process involves the coach activating the feature in a client's individual settings or via default settings for all clients.

Key Points

• Coach-side Activation: The Everfit food journal is enabled by the coach, not the client, through the coach dashboard.

• Individual Client Enablement: To turn it on for one person, navigate to that specific client's settings and toggle the 'Meal Plan' or 'Nutrition' feature.

• Default Settings for All Clients: Coaches can also enable the feature for all new clients by adjusting the 'Default Settings' from their profile.

• Client-side Usage: Clients access and log meals by adding a photo and description via the 'Food Journal' card on the 'Today' page of their mobile app.

• Feedback and Accountability: The journal provides a space for coaches and clients to interact, with coaches able to comment and give encouragement directly on meal entries.

What is the Everfit Food Journal?

The Everfit food journal is a powerful yet simple tool for nutrition tracking and accountability. Unlike detailed macro tracking, the food journal is a visual diary where clients can log meals by posting pictures and descriptions. This method is less intimidating for those new to nutrition tracking and provides coaches with a clear, judgment-free insight into a client's eating patterns. Coaches can then review entries, offer encouragement, and provide guidance directly within the app by commenting or sending "high-fives".

How Coaches Turn on the Food Journal for an Individual Client

To enable the food journal for a specific client, you must access their profile and settings from your Everfit coach dashboard. This ensures that the feature is available and visible on the client's mobile app.

1. Log in to Your Everfit Account: Access your coach account via the web platform.
2. Select the Client: Navigate to your client list and click on the specific client's name whose food journal you want to enable.
3. Go to Client Settings: Within the client's profile, look for the 'Settings' section or a similar menu. This is where you manage individual client features.
4. Enable the Meal Plan/Food Journal Feature: In the settings, you will find an option to enable 'Meal Plan' or 'Nutrition' features. Ensuring this is turned on is the key to unlocking the food journal functionality for the client.
5. Save Changes: Confirm your changes to make the food journal visible on the client's mobile app.

How Coaches Turn on the Food Journal for All Clients

For a more streamlined process, you can enable the nutrition tracking features for all your clients by default.

1. Access Default Settings: Click on your profile icon or initials, usually in the bottom-left corner of the dashboard, and select 'Default Settings'.
2. Enable Meal Plan Feature: Within the default settings, find the section for 'Meal Plan' or 'Nutrition' and turn it on. This will apply the feature to all new clients you add.
3. Remember Existing Clients: This update typically applies to new clients. You may need to manually enable the feature for existing clients who were added before you changed the default settings.

How Clients Use the Food Journal

Once the coach enables the feature, clients can immediately begin logging their meals from their mobile app. The process is designed to be quick and intuitive.

1. Open the Everfit Client App: Launch the Everfit app on your smartphone.
2. Navigate to the 'Today' Page: On the main dashboard, you'll find the 'Today' page, which gives an overview of your daily tasks.
3. Locate the Food Journal Card: Look for a card labeled 'Food Journal' on the 'Today' page.
4. Tap 'Add Meal': Press the 'Add Meal' button within the food journal card.
5. Post Your Entry: You can now take a photo of your meal, add a brief description, and post it. This entry is then visible to your coach for review and feedback.

Everfit Food Journal vs. Macro Tracking

Everfit offers different levels of nutrition tracking. The simple Food Journal is a great starting point, while the macro tracking integration is suitable for more advanced clients needing detailed nutritional data.

Feature	Everfit Food Journal	Everfit Macro Tracking (via MFP/Cronometer)
Purpose	Simple photo/text diary, visual accountability	Precise macronutrient and calorie data
Client Action	Take photo, add description	Log food in MyFitnessPal or Cronometer, which syncs to Everfit
Coach Interaction	View photos, comment, give high-fives	View detailed nutritional reports and graphs
Level of Detail	Visual record and qualitative notes	Detailed numerical data (macros, calories)
Best For	Beginners, habit formation, visual feedback	Athletes, advanced clients, specific body composition goals

Conclusion

Enabling the food journal in Everfit is a straightforward process that allows coaches to easily add a layer of nutrition coaching to their client programming. By offering a simple photo-based diary, you can help clients build healthy eating habits without the intimidation of detailed macro counting. Whether used as a standalone tool or in conjunction with more advanced integrations, the food journal provides a valuable channel for communication and accountability between coach and client, paving the way for more effective health and fitness journeys. For more detailed instructions on Everfit features, visit the official Everfit Help Center.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can clients turn on the food journal themselves?

No, the food journal feature must be enabled by the coach from their Everfit web dashboard. Clients can only start using the feature once their coach has activated it for them.

What is the difference between the Everfit food journal and macro tracking?

The Everfit food journal is a visual diary where clients post pictures of their meals, while macro tracking (via integrations like MyFitnessPal) provides precise numerical data on calories, protein, carbs, and fats. The journal is for simple accountability, whereas macro tracking is for detailed nutrition analysis.

How do I turn on the food journal for all my clients at once?

As a coach, you can go to your 'Default Settings' and enable the 'Meal Plan' feature. This will automatically turn on the nutrition tracking options, including the food journal, for any new clients you add.

After turning it on, how does my client find the food journal?

Once enabled by you, the client will see a 'Food Journal' card on their 'Today' page in the Everfit mobile app. They can then tap 'Add Meal' to begin logging.

Can I leave feedback for my client's food journal entries?

Yes, as a coach, you can view your client's posted meals and leave comments or even send virtual 'high-fives' to offer encouragement and feedback.

Is the food journal the only nutrition feature in Everfit?

No, Everfit offers several nutrition features. Besides the food journal, it supports macro tracking through integrations with apps like MyFitnessPal and Cronometer, and coaches can also create and assign personalized meal plans.

Can clients log food without a photo?

While the primary method is photo-based, clients can also add a meal entry with just text and a description if they prefer not to include a picture.