Setting Keto Macros: Myfitnesspal Guide For Beginners

MyFitnessPal is a popular app for tracking calories, exercise, and measurements such as weight, hips, and legs. It is often used by people following a keto diet to track their macronutrient (macros) intake. Macros refer to the three macronutrients: carbohydrates (carbs), protein, and fats, which make up the calorie content of all the foods we consume.

To set keto macros in MyFitnessPal, users must first create an account and set their goals. This involves entering personal information such as weight, height, and date of birth, as well as activity level. Based on this information, the app will calculate the user's Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and Active Metabolic Rate (AMR).

The next step is to calculate the desired macronutrient ratios for the keto diet, typically 5% carbs, 30% protein, and 65% fat. These ratios can be calculated manually or using a keto calculator.

Once the desired macros are determined, users can input their custom goals into the MyFitnessPal app. This can be done by navigating to the Goals section and selecting Change Goals. From there, users can select Custom and input their desired macronutrient ratios.

Additionally, users can also add fiber as a tracking column and install scripts or extensions to calculate net carbs and display additional data visualizations such as pie charts.

Set up your MyFitnessPal account

Setting up your MyFitnessPal account is simple. First, go to the MyFitnessPal website and create an account. Choose your username and password, and enter your stats, including your weight, height, and date of birth. You can also decide how much you will work out.

Next, head over to the Goals section and select Change Goals. Choose the Custom option and enter your desired calorie and macronutrient goals. For keto, it is recommended to set carbohydrates to 5%, protein to 30%, and fat to 65%. You can also set sugar to 0, but keep in mind that you will go over 0 with natural sugars from fruits and dairy.

Additionally, you can add fiber as a tracking column to help you keep track of your net carbs. To do this, go to Settings and then Diary Settings. Under Nutrients Tracked, select Carbohydrates, Protein, Fat, Fiber, and Sodium.

Once you have customized your goals and settings, you can start using MyFitnessPal to track your food intake. You can search for foods in the database, add them to your diary, and see how they fit into your daily goals.

Remember that MyFitnessPal does not allow you to track net carbs directly, so you may need to do some manual calculations or use third-party scripts or extensions to get an accurate picture of your net carb intake.

Add fibre as a tracking column

To add fibre as a tracking column in MyFitnessPal, follow these steps:

On Desktop:

Log in to your MyFitnessPal account and go to:

• My Home -> Settings -> Diary Settings
• Select the different nutrients you would like to track from the drop-down boxes (up to 5 + calories) and then Save Changes.
• To view the changes in the app, force close the app and then relaunch it.

On Mobile:

More (...) or Menu then Nutrition then Nutrients then tap the nutrient and choose your reporting period (defaults to today).

Alternatively, you can change your nutrient goals by going to:

• My Home -> Goals -> Change Goals
• Select Custom and hit Continue
• Under Nutrients Tracked, add Fibre. You should have listed a minimum of Carbs, Fibre, Fat and Protein.

Install a program to run the script

To install a program to run the script, you will need to download an extension that can run the script on your MyFitnessPal settings.

For Chrome, Safari, or Firefox users, download Tampermonkey to do this. Once you download it, add it to your web browser as an extension. If you are still using Internet Explorer, this fix won't work as the plugin is outdated.

Now that your extension is added, it's time to log in to MyFitnessPal.

Double-check your settings in MyFitnessPal

Once you've signed in to MyFitnessPal, click on the 'Settings' link at the top. You should see a list of nutrients you're tracking. This is another default setting that needs to be updated, especially for keto and for this specific workaround.

Your nutrient goals should mirror the following:

• Carbohydrates
• Protein
• Fat
• Fiber
• Sugar

Use the drop-down arrows to change these nutrients and then scroll down until you see 'Save Changes'. Click the button to update your account.

Next, head over to the 'Food' tab. Under the 'Nutrients Tracked' section, change the selections to Carbohydrates, Protein, Fat, Fiber, and Sodium.

You can also share your food diary with friends under the 'Diary Sharing' section. This is optional, but it can be helpful for meal ideas and inspiration.

Hit the 'Save Changes' button to ensure your settings are updated.

Now that you've double-checked and adjusted your settings, you're ready to move on to the next step of downloading and installing the script.

A Note on Mobile Apps

It's important to note that these settings adjustments and the net carb workaround are only available on the desktop version of MyFitnessPal. You can log your food on either your mobile app or your computer, but you'll only be able to see your net carbs on the desktop.

So, if you're primarily using the mobile app for food logging, don't be alarmed if you don't see the net carb column. It's just a limitation of the app, and you'll need to switch to the desktop version to take advantage of this feature.

Troubleshooting

If you don't see the Net Carbs column after installing the script, there are a few things you can check:

• Ensure that you've copied the entire script and placed it in the correct location.
• Verify that you've added the correct URL for MyFitnessPal in the script settings.
• Make sure that you've saved your work by clicking the floppy disk icon.
• Check that the script and Tampermonkey (or similar extension) are enabled in your browser.

If you're still having issues, try creating a new script by following the steps outlined above.

By double-checking your settings and making the necessary adjustments, you'll be one step closer to successfully using MyFitnessPal for keto tracking.

Download the script

Now, to get the script, you’ll need to run a script on your MyFitnessPal account. Don’t worry if you have zero experience with scripts or aren’t the most tech-savvy person.

Step 1: Install a Program to Run the Script

Your first step is to download an extension that can run this script on your MyFitnessPal settings. For Chrome, Safari, or Firefox users, download Tampermonkey to do this. Once you download it, add it to your web browser as an extension.

Step 3: Download the script

Next, download the script you’re going to run on MFP, using the Tampermonkey program you installed in Step 1. You can find that download link here: https://github.com/Surye/mfp-keto-userscript. Once it’s downloaded, don’t be tempted to click on it as it won’t really do anything.

Step 4: Drag the Script Into Tampermonkey

Next, you need to open Tampermonkey so you can drop the script file right in. Click the extension on your web browser, and you’ll see a plus (+) sign to add the script file you downloaded. Where it says “// Your code here…,” drag the file you downloaded from GitHub right onto this line of code. If it downloaded as a .zip file, you’ll have to unzip it and drag the file that ends in .user.js.

From here, you need to assign the URL that’s going to use this script. Copy and paste this URL into that box: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings. When you’re done, it should look like this: https://i.imgur.com/f5bXv.png. Click the floppy disk icon to save your work, and you are finished.

Frequently asked questions