As someone who has used MyFitnessPal (MFP) to track my nutrition and fitness goals for years, I want to share my expertise on how to customize your macro goals in the app. Whether you are new to tracking macros or looking to adjust your current goals, this guide will walk you through the key steps.
Table of Contents
Why Track Macros with MyFitnessPal?
Tracking your macronutrients (protein, carbs, and fats) can help you meet specific nutrition goals like building muscle or losing fat. MFP makes it easy by allowing you to:
- Set custom calorie and macro goals
- View your real-time macro intake throughout the day
- See if you are hitting your targets with color-coded tracking
- Adjust goals for different days, like high-carb workout days
I’ve found macro tracking invaluable for staying on track with my fitness routine and nutrition plan. The ability to customize goals to my needs makes MFP my go-to tracking app.
Determine Your Macro Goals First
Before setting up your macro targets in MFP, you’ll want to calculate your optimal calorie and macro intake. Your totals can be based on:
- Your fitness goals (lose fat, gain muscle, etc.)
- Activity level
- Height, weight, age
- Food preferences
Use an online macro calculator to determine your recommended daily protein, carbs, and fats in grams. I recommend setting your activity level to “sedentary” in the calculator and not eating back exercise calories.
Once you know your totals, it’s easy to enter them into the MyFitnessPal app.
How to Edit Macros in MyFitnessPal
Follow these simple steps to edit or customize your macros in MFP:
1. Access Your Goals
In the MFP app, tap “More” then select “Goals” to access your calorie and nutrient goals.
2. Edit Calorie Goal
Under “Calorie & Macronutrient Goals”, tap calories to edit your daily calorie target if needed.
3. Change Macronutrient Percentages or Grams
Tap the “Carbohydrates”, “Protein”, or “Fat” options to edit macro goals. With MFP Premium, you can view goals in percentages or grams. Adjust to match macro calculator recommendations.
4. Set Custom Goals for Different Days
Premium users can tap “Add Daily Goal” to create custom calorie and macro targets for certain days. For example, you may want higher carbs on workout days.
Once you save your changes, MFP will track your nutrition intake against your personalized goals. Easy!
Tips for Reaching Your Macro Goals
Here are some of my top tips for making sure you accurately hit your macro targets each day:
- Weigh your food with a kitchen scale whenever possible for precision
- When in doubt, overestimate calories and macros, especially for whole foods
- Plan meals and snacks ahead of time to ensure you meet daily goals
- Take advantage of barcode scanning for packaged items
- Use MFP’s recipe function to calculate homemade macro totals
- Upgrade to Premium for more tracking features and customization options
- Be consistent from day-to-day for best results over time
It can take some trial and error to nail your macro goals at first. Stick with it, make adjustments as needed, and don’t stress if you aren’t perfect every day. Consistency over the long run is key.
Frequently Asked Macro Tracking Questions
If you are new to counting macros, here are answers to some common beginner questions:
Should I track net carbs or total carbs?
For simplicity, I recommend tracking total carbohydrates in MyFitnessPal. Don’t worry about subtracting fiber.
What if MyFitnessPal doesn’t have my food?
You can create your own food item and enter the calories and macros manually. Or find a similar item to use as a substitute.
Which goal number is most important to hit exactly?
Focus first on hitting your protein goal every day, then fit carbs and fats into your remaining calories. Going slightly over on fat is fine.
What if I go over my macros one day?
Don’t sweat it! Just get back on track the next day. One higher day won’t negatively impact your progress.
How often should I recalculate my macros?
Every 10-15 pounds of weight loss, or when your training routine changes significantly. This ensures your goals still match your needs.
Sample Daily Macro Targets
To give you an idea of what a day’s worth of macro tracking looks like, here is an example:
Calorie Goal: 1,800
Protein: 140g
Carbs: 190g
Fat: 60g
This breakdown fits a moderately active female who strength trains 4x a week and wants to lose fat while maintaining muscle mass.
As long as you stay within about 5-10g on each macro daily, you should see excellent results over time by consistently hitting these customized targets.
Continue Learning About Macro Tracking
I hope this guide gives you a great starting point for customizing your MyFitnessPal macro goals. The most important thing is finding targets that work for your body and lifestyle. As you gain experience tracking macros, continue learning about how different ratios impact your energy, hunger levels, body composition, and workouts. Stay consistent with hitting your numbers and have fun experimenting to find your ideal balance.
