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Setting Daily Nutrition Targets in a Client’s Meal Plan

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Set daily calorie, macro, and nutrient targets for a client’s meal plan, or copy the targets already in their journal. Each day in the planner then shows how it measures up, so you can adjust recipes before you share the plan.

Before You Begin

  • The steps in this article require the Nutrition Planning add-on in your subscription. Find the full steps in Getting Started With Nutrition Planning →
     
  • Start a meal plan first, from a template or a blank planner. See Setting Up a Client’s Meal Plan →
     
  • Targets are for reference only. They show how each day compares to your goals, but they don’t change which recipes appear in search, suggestions, or swaps. To control which recipes appear, set the meal plan’s dietary preferences, exclusions, and cultural preferences.
     
  • Targets apply to one meal plan at a time.
     
  • When you share the Nutrition Plan, your client sees the meal plan’s targets in their Client Portal, unless you hide nutrition information. See Sharing a Nutrition Plan With a Client →
     
  • To copy targets from your client’s journal, the client needs nutrient targets set in their journal, and food entries turned on. See Setting Up and Managing Journal Targets →

Setting Daily Nutrition Targets

Targets are whole-day values that apply to every day of the meal plan. Calorie targets must be between 1,200 and 5,000 kcal.

  1. Open a client record and go to their Nutrition Plan section.
     
  2. Click on a meal plan to open it.
     
  3. Click Edit preferences near the top-right to open the Edit Meal Plan Settings panel.
     
  4. Under Daily nutrition target, click Add to open the Set daily nutrient target panel.

     
  5. Set your calorie and macro targets using one of these options:
    • Select a preset: Balanced, High protein, or Low carb. The preset fills in calories, protein, carbs, and fat for you.
    • Type your own values in the calories, protein, carbs, and fat fields. Editing any value from a preset switches it to Custom.
       
  6. Toggle any target on or off.
     
  7. Click Expand to set targets for more nutrients. Search the list for the nutrient you need, toggle it on and enter a value.
  8. Click Apply to return to the Meal plan preferences options.
     
  9. Click Save.

✅ The calorie target appears as a tag in the meal plan header, and each day in the planner shows its totals against your targets.

Using Targets From a Client’s Journal

If you’ve already set nutrient targets in your client’s journal, you can copy them into the meal plan in one step instead of typing them again.

  1. Open a client record and go to their Nutrition Plan section.
     
  2. Click on a meal plan to open it.
     
  3. Click Edit preferences near the top-right to open the Edit Meal Plan Settings panel.
     
  4. Under Daily nutrition target, click Add to open the Set daily nutrient target panel.
     
  5. Select the Use targets from client’s journal checkbox. The client’s journal targets fill in, and the presets are hidden while the checkbox is selected.

     
  6. Click Apply, then click Save.

📍 Note: Journal targets are copied when you save. They don’t update if the client’s journal targets change later.

What Gets Copied From the Journal

  • Targets for nutrients that Nutrition Planning tracks, in the same unit, with an exact value. All four macros (calories, protein, carbs, and fat) are supported.
  • Targets set as “at least” or “at most,” targets in a different unit, and nutrients Nutrition Planning doesn’t track are skipped. They’re listed for you to review.

Editing Copied Targets

  • Copied targets are read-only while the checkbox is selected.
  • To adjust them, clear the Use targets from client’s journal checkbox. The values stay in place and become editable.

When the Journal Checkbox Is Unavailable

  • The client has no journal targets that can be copied.
  • Food entries are turned off in the client’s journal.
  • Your role doesn’t allow you to view the client’s journals.

Reviewing Days Against Your Targets

Once targets are set, the planner shows how each day measures up as you add, swap, and adjust recipes.

  • Meal plan header: The calorie target appears as a tag, such as “Calories: 2,000 kcal.”
  • Daily nutrition summary: Each targeted nutrient shows the day’s total and the target, such as “1,850 / 2,000 kcal,” with a progress bar.
  • Status labels: Each targeted nutrient is labeled below, within range, or above its target.

Click on any day’s header to open the Nutrition details for that day.

💡 Use the labels to find days that run over or under, then swap recipes or change portions on those days. See Adjusting and Swapping Recipes in a Meal Plan →

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