How to log a Serving Size of a Custom Meal

[liftl0vetravel]

I often prep a dish to then eat over the course of several days. I love the current custom meal option but I'd like to be able to select different serving sizes of it since I don't eat the same size meal each time. Example: I make a baked ziti platter, eat 1/8 of it one day but 1/6 of it the next. I'd like to create the custom meal for the whole platter and then select the fraction of it that I ate. If this is already an option or if there is a better way to achieve this, please let me know. 

Moderator Edit: Clarified Subject.

[MarcoGFitbit]

Hello @liftl0vetravel, I hope you're doing well, it's nice to see you around the Fitbit Community. 

I appreciate you have brought this to my attention. Currently, it's not possible to log serving sizes of a Custom Meal; however, I'd like to suggest you to create a Custom Meal as a serving, meaning that if you have a platter, divide it into servings and log the minimum serving as a Custom Meal, that way, when you log it you will be able to log the serving as many times as you like. For example, if your meal can be divided into 8 servings, log the 1/8 as a Custom Meal, that way if you eat 1/4 of the meal you can log the Custom Meal (serving size 1/8) twice. 

I hope this can be helpful, if there's anything else I can do for you, please feel free to reply. 

[skoogita]

yes!  i want this feature!  I dont want to break down percentages for 20 different ingredients in different measures that i'm throwing into a pot.  Let me create a meal and then either have a # of servings option or adjust percentages when logging.  Otherwise the food logging portion becomes too time consuming and i'd rather skip it all together.

[MarcoGFitbit]

Hello @skoogita thanks for joining the conversation, it's great to have you on board the Fitbit Community. 

First of all, I would like to apologize fro the delay in the response. We really appreciate our members's input and feedback and I would like to thank you for yours. Our team is always looking to improve the Fitbit experience and I would like to encourage you check @Staish's suggested idea to implement this feature in a future update. 

Feel free to share this suggestion with your friends and family to add more votes and comments, this is the best way to make your voice heard and get the attention from our development team.

I hope this can be helpful, if there's anything else I can do for you, please feel free to reply.

[phubars]

This is actually a standard feature in the MyFitnessPal app and is quite useful! Even though I enjoy the Fitbit app more for its workout features, this is one of those areas where MFP has it beat. The work around suggested is a bit tedious and difficult when working with recipes that call for a 1/4 cup of something and then dividing those further servings; imo you really shouldn't have to do this type of math when using an app to log. It also doesn't quite make the servings adjustable if you were to say eat 1/8 of something one day and then 1/6 of it the next as @liftl0vetravel mentioned.

[rwoodvet]

Yeah, the fitbit way of doing is quite a mess. MFP should buy them out and run the show, because fitbit doesn't know what they're doing. I've read so many recommendations for things that we have to go to third-party apps for, instead of having it all in one app. It's quite sad. I'm not happy at all with fitbit, but I can't expect much from them when their stock is less than $4 a share. It makes you wonder how many developers they have to work on the functionalities we keep asking for. It's not even that difficult to do. It also makes me wonder how accurate any of the information my versa gives me. I'm highly suspect of it all. It's like we bought the fitbit watches and were had by corporate. But they're not doing so well anyway, so oh well.

[MaryHMary]

I completely agree, this would be a very helpful feature and would be much appreciated. 

[Tanya_C]

HI there, 
I am just following up to see if this is something that FitBit has implemented yet?
I have just added all the ingredients into a meal (recipe) and now I need to take a fraction of that - as my portion. 
Is there a way to do this?
When you click on the meal - it does not even give you an option like ANY other food, to select how much of it you ate. 
So how am I supposed to track this item accurately?   (The total has the fat, protein, carbs etc.for the whole meal, not just my portion.)

Please help.

[radar9628]

Re: "For example, if your meal can be divided into 8 servings, log the 1/8 as a Custom Meal, that way if you eat 1/4 of the meal you can log the Custom Meal (serving size 1/8) twice." Where do you log the 1/8 (or whatever portion)? Where exactly in the custom meal feature is this located? Screenshots would be helpful. Thanks.

[Colasante_boy]

This is a simple feature and should be added.  If Fitbit doesn’t add it, at least allow the constituents of a custom meal, including the nutrients, to be downloaded via a csv file so that I can ingest it into excel and do it myself, then TYPE IN the new meal.  It takes longer for each customer to individually jury rig a custom meal than it will take Fitbit to add the 5-10 lines of code to add a portion feature, they only need to divide the already summed constituents for a custom meal.  In fact, the code probably already exists in the app and just needs to be repurposed for a custom meal.  Your competitors have this feature, your customer base is requesting it and are frustrated that it isn’t there, and Fitbit’s competitive edge is the ease of logging health items.  My wife made pancakes for the family this morning and now I need to go back to the “punch card” era to make a custom meal and divide by 14 because Bisquik called for 2 eggs and 1 cup of milk in addition to the scan-able contents of the Bisquik.

Please hire a couple of high school kids to write the code, or I could do it on my lunch break.  I am not trying to be snotty, but this post was over a year ago and nothing was done.  As a person that manages complicated technical projects with complex software and firmware, it is mind-boggling that a Fitbit Software manager can’t just make a decision to implement a portion feature in the custom meal and get it done in a few weeks.

[munkyfusict]

Why has this not been implemented yet? Every other food tracker has this feature. 

[kastraver]

Using the custom food and meal tool on the desktop dashboard is a truly dated and awful experience. I just spent an hour trying to add a custom meal from a recipe. I had to add a bunch of custom foods first because there weren't any common spices like smoked paprika, ground cumin, ground coriander, ground cinnamon or dried oregano (abhorant and shocking), and it wasn't until after I completed it that I went onto the app to discover I can only log it as one serving. Completely mind boggling.

[radar9628]

I go to MyFitnessPal, set it up and bring the numbers to Fitbit. Craziness.

[mentalyoga]

Do you also pay for myfitness pal in order to track macros? How does that work? Or are you just inputting a number? 

[radar9628]

I use the free version of Fitpal app because it syncs with my gym's
training app. But in order to get the nutritional details, I use
MyFitnessPal to input the recipe contents and am able to see the nutrition
details by serving. That's what I enter into the Fitpal app 'custom' food.

[Uglyhead]

I would have to divide every ingredient by 8

[Ishknock]

First time fitbit user just got yesterday may 4 2021.  Leaves a sour taste in my mouth that I splurged for the very expensive Sense version.  Was hoping to integrate all my logging into one app.  

EXTREMELY disappointed seeing that Fitbit can't get this accomplished when their username brought it up 3 YEARS ago.  I guess they don't care too much about their customers opinions.

[moaxcp]

I am having the same issue. They really need to fix this.

[DropDeadZed]

That defeats the purpose. If I make a meal from a recipe that serves 4 why would I have to then break down each ingredient. It's easy enough to add this feature to the app. It apparently isn't a high priority feature to Fitbit.

[SunsetRunner]

This is what I do, its infuriating. My fitness pal is a dream for working out calories. Fitbit is dreadful