For anyone consistently tracking nutrition, logging daily meals can become repetitive. MyFitnessPal offers powerful features to streamline this process, allowing you to copy previously logged food entries. This can save a significant amount of time, especially for those who eat similar meals on a regular basis. The method you use depends on whether you are copying a single meal, a few selected items, or an entire day.
How to Copy a Single Meal on Mobile (iOS and Android)
This method is perfect for copying a specific meal, like your standard breakfast, to another day.
- Open your Food Diary for the current day.
- Find the meal you wish to copy (e.g., "Breakfast").
- Tap the three-dot menu button next to the meal's heading.
- Select "Copy Meal" from the pop-up menu.
- Choose the date you want to copy the meal to.
How to Copy a Whole Day's Food Log on Mobile (iOS and Android)
If you want to duplicate your entire food diary from one day to the next, follow these steps. This is ideal for meal-prepped weeks or when you have a series of similar eating days.
- Navigate to the specific day's diary you want to copy.
- Tap the "Edit" button (represented by a pencil icon) at the top of the food diary.
- Tap "Select All" to mark every food item for that day.
- Tap the "Copy" button (often an icon with two calendar pages) at the bottom of the screen.
- Select the date you wish to copy the entries to.
How to Copy Selected Items from Multiple Meals
Sometimes you only want to copy certain foods from different meals. This can be done with a similar process to copying a whole day.
- Go to the food diary for the source date.
- Tap the "Edit" (pencil) icon at the top of the diary.
- Tap the checkbox next to each individual food item you want to copy, even if they are in different meals.
- Tap the "Copy" button.
- Choose the destination date and meal for your selected items.
Comparison Table: Copy Methods in MyFitnessPal
| Feature | Copy a Single Meal | Copy an Entire Day | Copy Selected Items |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best For | Replicating a single, consistent meal (e.g., breakfast) quickly. | Duplicating a full day's food plan, perfect for meal prepping. | Combining specific foods from various past meals into a new entry. |
| Process | Tap the three-dot menu next to the meal header, select "Copy Meal". | Tap "Edit", then "Select All", and finally "Copy". | Tap "Edit", manually check desired items, then tap "Copy". |
| Flexibility | Lowest. Copies all items within a single meal together. | Moderate. Allows for unchecking specific items before copying. | Highest. Gives full control over which individual items to include. |
| Time Saving | High. Very fast for recurring meals. | High. Saves immense time for identical days. | Moderate. Requires manual selection but is efficient for specific combinations. |
| Use Case Example | Always having the same oatmeal for breakfast. | Planning out your meals for the next few days in advance. | Combining last night's leftover dinner with a snack from yesterday. |
How to Copy Entries on the MyFitnessPal Website
For those who prefer to use the desktop version, the process is slightly different but just as efficient.
- Go to the Food Diary section on the MyFitnessPal website.
- Scroll to the meal you want to copy.
- Click the "Quick Tools" link located under the meal's heading.
- Select "Copy to Date" or "Copy to Today".
- If you chose "Copy to Date," a pop-up will appear where you can select the desired date from the calendar.
Pro Tips and Advanced Features
Beyond basic copying, MyFitnessPal offers additional features to save time and streamline your tracking even further. One such feature is the ability to save frequently eaten combinations of foods as a "Remembered Meal". You can create a named meal like "Breakfast Smoothie" that contains multiple ingredients, and then add it with a single tap. This is an excellent alternative to the copy function for recurring combinations. Additionally, you can copy meals from a friend's diary if they have enabled diary sharing, which is useful when dining together.
Conclusion
Knowing how to copy entries in MyFitnessPal is a key skill for efficient food tracking. Whether you need to duplicate a single meal, transfer an entire day's plan, or pick and choose individual items, the app offers multiple, easy-to-use methods. Mastering these shortcuts reduces the time spent on logging and increases the likelihood of staying consistent with your nutritional goals. Experiment with the different options—copying meals, copying a full day, or saving meals—to find the workflow that best suits your lifestyle. Consistency is critical for success, and these simple techniques make it much easier to maintain.
Key Takeaways for MyFitnessPal Users
- Copy a Single Meal: Use the three-dot menu next to any meal header on mobile to quickly replicate that meal to another day.
- Copy an Entire Day: Use the "Edit" > "Select All" > "Copy" function on mobile to duplicate all food entries from one day to another.
- Copy Specific Items: In edit mode, manually select individual items from different meals before tapping "Copy" to combine them elsewhere.
- Save Remembered Meals: For very frequent, multi-item meals, use the "Save Meal" feature to log the entire combination with a single tap.
- Desktop Use: On the website, use the "Quick Tools" link under a meal to access copying options.
- Boost Consistency: Mastering these time-saving copy features can greatly increase the consistency and accuracy of your daily food logging.
- Edit After Copying: Always remember that you can edit or remove specific food items after copying to perfectly match your current meal.
