Unlocking Macros Per Meal with MyFitnessPal Premium
Precise nutritional tracking benefits from the ability to see a macronutrient breakdown for each meal. MyFitnessPal made this a Premium feature, allowing subscribers to view a detailed summary of carbs, protein, and fat directly within their food diary. This offers immediate insight into meal composition, eliminating the need for manual calculations. The following steps explain how to activate this setting on different platforms.
Enabling Macros By Meal on Mobile (iOS & Android)
The process for enabling this feature is nearly identical for both iOS and Android users. It involves navigating through your app’s settings to find and activate the display option.
For iOS devices:
- Tap “More” in the bottom right-hand corner of the app.
- Select “Settings” from the menu.
- Tap “Diary Settings”.
- Locate the “Show Macros By Meal” option and toggle the switch to the 'on' position.
For Android devices:
- Tap the Menu Bar (three horizontal lines in the top-left).
- Select “Settings”.
- Tap “Diary Settings”.
- Toggle the “Show Meal Macros” switch to 'on'.
Enabling Macros By Meal on the Web
For users who prefer the desktop version, the settings can also be adjusted via the website interface.
- From the “My Home” screen, click “Settings”.
- Click “Diary Settings”.
- Check the box to enable the macro view. Note that on the web, you can only choose to display grams, not fully turn off the feature.
A Comparison of Free vs. Premium Macro Tracking
| Feature | Free Version | Premium Version |
|---|---|---|
| Macros Per Meal | Not Available | Available in Diary |
| Daily Macro View | Pie chart on the Nutrition page | Pie chart and dashboard totals |
| Setting Macro Goals | Percentage increments (5% steps) | Grams or percentage increments (1% steps) |
| Barcode Scanner | Limited functionality, often restricted | Fully functional barcode scanner |
| Custom Goals | Percentage goals only | Gram goals, and different goals per day |
The Free User's Workaround
Without a Premium subscription, you can still monitor macro intake, though this requires extra steps and is less detailed.
- View the Daily Summary: After logging all your food for the day, navigate to your daily nutrition summary. This can be done by tapping the three dots in the bottom right (for mobile) and selecting “Nutrition,” or by tapping the header at the top of your diary.
- Check Macros by Food: To see the macro breakdown of a specific food item, tap on it in your diary. This will show you the nutritional facts for that entry.
- Manual Calculation: The most diligent method is to manually log or add up the macros per meal. For instance, after logging all breakfast items, view the nutritional information for each and calculate the total carbs, fat, and protein. This is time-consuming but offers the same detail as the premium feature.
Why Track Macros Per Meal?
Monitoring macros per meal provides insights to optimize your diet for your fitness and health goals. This real-time feedback helps you adjust food choices.
Benefits include:
- Balancing Your Intake: Seeing the breakdown per meal allows you to course-correct throughout the day if the goal is a specific macronutrient ratio. For example, add a protein source to dinner if lunch was low in protein.
- Performance Optimization: Athletes and those with specific training schedules can use per-meal tracking to ensure they are getting the right macros at the right times, such as consuming a protein-heavy meal post-workout to aid muscle recovery.
- Identifying Eating Patterns: Meal-by-meal tracking can reveal patterns in your eating habits. You might discover that one particular meal is consistently high in carbs and low in fat, which you can then adjust to better fit your overall goals.
- Simplified Meal Planning: Meal preppers can save a frequently eaten meal in MyFitnessPal and quickly see its macro profile, making future planning more efficient.
Conclusion
While the per-meal macro breakdown on MyFitnessPal is a premium feature, the benefits for those serious about their nutrition are substantial. Enabling the feature is a simple process for Premium users, done through the app's diary settings. For Free users, effective workarounds exist by leveraging the daily nutrition summary and custom recipes, though more manual effort is needed. Paying attention to your macros per meal provides better control over your diet, helps optimize fitness goals, and promotes a deeper understanding of your nutritional intake.
For more information on MyFitnessPal's features and support, you can visit their official help center. https://support.myfitnesspal.com/hc/en-us/articles/360032625151-Macros-By-Meal-FAQs
