How to Change Meals Per Day on MyFitnessPal

Over 75% of MyFitnessPal users find that personalizing their meal tracking improves consistency and goal adherence. To align with varied eating habits, MyFitnessPal offers a feature that allows users to adjust and rename their meals, allowing you to change meals per day on MyFitnessPal for a more accurate and motivating experience.

Quick Summary

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for customizing the number and names of meals in your MyFitnessPal diary on both the mobile app and the website. It explains how to access diary settings, make adjustments, and ensure changes sync across devices to better suit your dietary schedule.

Key Points

• Access Diary Settings: Navigate to the 'More' menu on the app or 'My Home' > 'Settings' on the website to find Diary Settings.

• Customize Meal Names: Within the Diary Settings, tap 'Customize Meal Names' to rename your meal slots for better organization.

• Add Extra Meals: You can add up to two additional meal slots to track more frequent eating patterns, bringing the maximum to six.

• Ensure Syncing: Changes made on the website will sync to your app automatically when you have an internet connection.

• Workaround for More than 6 Meals: If you need more than the six-meal limit, use the existing 'Snacks' slot and add a timestamp in the name.

• Utilize Premium Timestamps: MyFitnessPal Premium users can add specific timestamps to individual food entries for more precise tracking.

Step-by-Step Guide to Customizing Meals in MyFitnessPal

Customizing the number and names of your meals is an effective way to personalize your food diary and make tracking more intuitive. MyFitnessPal understands that not everyone eats three standard meals a day; some may follow intermittent fasting, others might prefer several smaller meals. Adjusting your meal slots to match your routine can significantly improve your logging accuracy and motivation.

Customizing Meals on the Mobile App (iOS and Android)

For most users, the mobile app is the primary interface for logging food. The process is straightforward and consistent across both iOS and Android platforms.

Here's how to change meals per day on MyFitnessPal using the mobile app:

1. Access the 'More' Menu: From your dashboard, tap the 'More' button. This is usually located in the bottom-right corner and looks like three horizontal lines or three dots.
2. Navigate to Diary Settings: In the 'More' menu, scroll down and tap on 'Settings'. From there, select 'Diary Settings'.
3. Find 'Customize Meal Names': Within the 'Diary Settings' menu, tap on 'Customize Meal Names'.
4. Edit and Add Meal Slots: You will see your current meal labels (e.g., Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner). You can tap on any of these to rename them to something that suits your schedule better, such as 'Meal 1', 'Morning Snack', or specific times like '7:00 AM'. MyFitnessPal also allows you to add up to two additional meal slots, bringing the maximum total to six.
5. Save Your Changes: After renaming or adding your desired meal slots, tap the checkmark or 'Save' button, which is usually at the top of the screen.

Customizing Meals on the MyFitnessPal Website

While the mobile app is convenient, some users prefer to manage their settings on a desktop. The website provides a clear, menu-driven path to the same diary settings.

Here's how to customize your meals on the web version:

1. Log in: Go to www.myfitnesspal.com and log in with your credentials.
2. Access Settings: From the homepage, click on 'My Home' in the top menu bar, and then select 'Settings' from the dropdown.
3. Go to Diary Settings: On the Settings page, click on 'Diary Settings'.
4. Change Meal Names: At the top of the 'Diary Settings' page, you will find the options to change your meal names and add up to two extra meals.
5. Save: Click 'Save Changes' to update your diary. These changes will automatically sync to your mobile app the next time you connect to the internet.

Comparison: App vs. Website Customization

Feature	Mobile App (iOS & Android)	Website
Access Method	Tap 'More' > 'Settings' > 'Diary Settings' > 'Customize Meal Names'	'My Home' > 'Settings' > 'Diary Settings'
Meal Limit	Up to 6 meals (add 2 extras)	Up to 6 meals (add 2 extras)
Customization	Rename existing meal slots, add 2 additional slots	Rename existing meal slots, add 2 additional slots
Syncing	Syncs automatically upon connecting to the internet	Pushes changes to the mobile app upon its next connection
Ease of Use	Quick and easy for on-the-go adjustments.	Often easier for initial setup and for users who prefer a larger screen.

Troubleshooting and Additional Tips

• Changes not syncing? If your app isn't showing the updated meal settings, try closing and reopening the app or restarting your device. Ensure you have a stable internet connection.
• Adding more than 6 meals: MyFitnessPal's system currently has a hard limit of six meal slots. If you need more, a common workaround is to use the existing 'Snacks' slot and append a time to it (e.g., 'Snack 10 AM', 'Snack 3 PM') to differentiate multiple smaller entries.
• Use timestamps for clarity: If you are a Premium user, you can add timestamps to specific food entries for greater detail, which can help in tracking if you have many small eating windows.
• Consider a different approach: Instead of focusing on discrete 'meals,' some users prefer to simply log all food under the 'Snacks' category, or create custom meal names like 'AM Food' and 'PM Food'.

Conclusion

Being able to change meals per day on MyFitnessPal is a key feature for personalizing your food tracking experience. Whether you use the mobile app or the website, the process is simple and takes just a few steps through the Diary Settings. By customizing your meal slots to match your actual eating patterns, you can make your daily logging more accurate, efficient, and aligned with your personal nutritional strategy. This small adjustment can lead to a more consistent tracking habit and better results over time.

Visit the official MyFitnessPal Help Center for more information

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add more than six meals per day on MyFitnessPal?

No, MyFitnessPal has a hard limit of six meal slots. However, you can use workarounds like naming additional snacks with timestamps, such as 'Snack 10 AM' or 'Snack 3 PM', to differentiate your entries.

How do I rename a meal on the MyFitnessPal mobile app?

To rename a meal on the app, go to the 'More' menu, then 'Settings', then 'Diary Settings', and finally 'Customize Meal Names'. Tap the name you want to change, type the new name, and save your changes.

My meal changes on the website are not showing up on my app. What should I do?

Ensure your phone has a stable internet connection. If the changes still haven't synced, try closing and reopening the app. A restart of your device or a full app re-install may also resolve the issue.

Where can I find the Diary Settings on the MyFitnessPal website?

On the website, after logging in, click on 'My Home' in the top menu, then 'Settings', and finally 'Diary Settings'.

Does customizing my meal names affect my nutritional goals?

No, customizing your meal names only changes the labels in your food diary. It does not affect your calorie, macro, or other nutritional goals, which are set separately under the 'Goals' section.

Is changing the number of meals a premium feature?

No, the ability to rename meals and add up to two extra meal slots is available to all MyFitnessPal users, both free and premium. Some more advanced features, like setting macronutrient goals in gram increments, are for premium users only.

Can I set different meal plans for different days?

MyFitnessPal Premium subscribers can set custom daily goals for different days of the week. The standard meal customization applies to all days, but with a Premium subscription, you can set varying calorie or macro targets.