You can create a nutrition goal for your clients to track their calorie and macro intake and measure their daily compliance.
1. In the Client's profile, select the Goals and Habits tab.
2. Select +NEW, then select Daily Nutrition Goal from the drop-down menu.
3. Select one of the three types of nutrition goals (Calories only, Calories and Protein, Calories and Full Macros).
4. Select the Variance for the nutrition goal.
The Variance defines how much flexibility a client has above or below the nutrition goal while still being considered compliant for the way.
Think of variance as the "wiggle room" that the client has to meet their goal.
Example (Calories only goal)::
- A 2000 calorie only goal with a 10% variance allows a range of 1800-2200 calories.
- A client who consumes 1850 calories in a day would still be compliant.
Variance applies to both calories and select macros as well.
Example (Calories and Protein goal):
- A 2000 calorie and 30% (180g) protein goal with a 10% variance allows a range of 1800-2200 calories, and 162g to 198g for protein.
- A client that consumed 1850 calories and 170g of protein in a day would still be compliant.
When setting the variance, keep in mind that a client must meet all targets within the variance to be compliant for the day.
For example:
- A client setup with a calories and full macro goal needs to hit all 4 goals (caloric goal, protein goal, fat goal, and carb goal) in order to be compliant for that day.
- Missing even one target (e.g., did not reach their protein goal), they will not be compliant for that day.
To read more about client compliance, please see our article on Measuring Client Compliance and Engagement.
5. Next, select the meal tracking method.
- Track meal details In-App: Monitor client calories, macros, and full meal details using the In-App Meal Tracking feature.
- Track meal details via MyFitnessPal: Monitor client calories and macros. Nutrition compliance will be calculated.
- Track meal details via Fitbit: Monitor client calories, macros, and full meal details. Nutrition compliance will be calculated.
- Do not Track: Nutrition compliance will not be calculated. If a client is also a participant in a challenge, they will not receive points.
Note: Changing the nutrition compliance tracker will update the client's meal workflow/tracker. However updating the client's meal workflow/tracker, via the client's profile or their app's settings, will not update how nutrition compliance is tracked. This must be complete in the step above.
6. Select Save to confirm changes. Clients will receive a notification that a nutrition goal has been added.
7. If you've chosen the option to track meals through MyFitnessPal or Fitbit and your client has not yet connected to their account, you will be prompted to send them instructions on how to download and connect the Fitbit or MyFitnessPal app.
Updating a Nutrition Goal for a Client
You can update a client's nutrition goal at any time via the Edit icon next to their goal:
When updating the nutrition goal for a client, past meals on the client's dashboard will reflect the goal at the time they were logged. However, their nutrition compliance will reflect the current goal.
When a meal is tracked, it saves a copy of the current nutrition goal. This means that if/when a nutrition goal is changed, clients are able to go back and update a meal logged in the past, which will change the nutrition compliance for that day to reflect the current goal.
Using Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE)
When creating a nutrition goal, you have the option of using our built-in calculations for:
- Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
- Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE)
These values can help you set more accurate calorie and macro targets for clients. Visit How to use the Daily Caloric Goal Calculator (BMR and TDEE) to learn more.
