Fitbit App Update: Your Food Log Just Got a Macro Tracker

What do carbohydrate, protein, and fat have in common? They’re all macronutrients—the nutrients your body needs in large amounts—and they’re all also now trackable in your Fitbit app!

You may be wondering why you’d want to track your macros. As you probably know, research shows that self-monitoring behaviors, such as logging your meals, can help you hit your weight-loss goals. That’s because monitoring how many calories you take in versus how many calories you burn off is key to dropping pounds.

However, a calorie isn’t just a calorie—especially when it comes to your overall health. Two-hundred calories of candy is going to affect your body differently than 200 calories of chicken breast. And that’s where macros come in.

Getting the right balance of carbohydrate, protein, and fat, can help you reach your health and weight goals—whether you want to shed a few pounds or gain muscle mass.

For instance, research shows that eating higher-protein diets can help you lose weight. To take action on this information, you could use the macro tracker in your Fitbit app to make sure your daily calorie intake consists of around 25 percent protein, 45 percent carbs, and 30 percent healthy fat.

To learn more about macronutrients—like which foods contain each, different ways to vary your intake within the USDA-recommended ranges, and common pitfalls to avoid—read How Counting Macros Can Help You Reach Your Health Goals.

To find the macronutrient screen in your Fitbit App, tap the food tile on your dashboard, and then swipe left on the graph at the top of the screen.

If you’ve been logging food, you’ll see a breakdown of your macro intake over the past week. Tap the top right of the graph to expand it. From there you can dive deeper into a specific day or zoom out a bit and take a look at the past month instead.

If you don’t log your meals, consider giving it a shot. In addition to spurring weight loss, it can also help you identify food sensitivities or nutrient deficiencies, says Fitbit nutritionist Tracy Morris.

And, it’s not as hard as it may seem. Check out these eight ways to make food logging a breeze and then get started. If you have any other questions about how to track your meals via your Fitbit app, this Help article should, well, help.