Goal Tracking Guide

Your personalized plan adapts to your body and progress, helping you reach your fitness goals efficiently and sustainably. This guide covers nutrition targets, weight tracking, check-ins, and adherence monitoring.

📖 New to AtomFitness? See the Getting Started Guide for onboarding and account setup.

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What You Need to Do

1. Complete Your Profile (One-Time Setup)

During onboarding, provide your:

• Date of birth - Used to calculate your metabolism
• Gender - Affects calorie calculations
• Height - Part of the energy expenditure formula
• Current weight - Your starting point
• Activity level - How active you are day-to-day
• Fitness goal - Lose weight, maintain, or gain weight

2. Create Your Plan

From the Goals tab, tap to create your plan:

Intensity Explained:

• Gentle - Slower, more sustainable (~0.5 lbs/week for weight loss)
• Standard - Balanced approach (~1 lb/week for weight loss)
• Aggressive - Faster results (~1.5 lbs/week for weight loss)

3. Log Your Meals Daily

Track what you eat throughout the day. The app will show you:

• Your daily calorie target
• Protein, carbs, and fat goals
• How close you are to each target

📖 See the Meals Guide for all the ways to log food — search, barcode scanning, AI photo analysis, recipes, and more.

4. Weekly Check-In

On your designated check-in day (you choose the day):

1. Weigh yourself - Same time, same conditions for best accuracy
2. Enter your weight in the app
3. Optionally add body fat % - If enabled in settings
4. Review the adjustment - See how your macros will change
5. Confirm - Your new targets are set for the week

Flexible Timing: You have a 2-day grace period before and after your scheduled check-in day. Life happens—you won't lose your streak if you check in a day or two early or late.

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What the Plan Takes Care of For You

Initial Calculation

When you create your plan, the app automatically calculates:

• Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) - Calories you burn at rest
• Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) - Total calories you burn daily
• Your macro targets - Protein, carbs, and fat in grams

This uses the scientifically-validated Mifflin-St Jeor formula, the gold standard for metabolic calculations.

Weekly Adjustments (Premium Feature)

Every week when you check in, the algorithm:

1. Analyzes your progress - Compares actual weight change to target
2. Calculates the adjustment - Determines if calories should go up or down
3. Applies safety limits - Never adjusts more than 10% in a single week
4. Recalculates all macros - Protein, carbs, and fat update together
5. Explains why - Shows you the reasoning behind every change

Example adjustments:

• Losing faster than target? Calories increase slightly to preserve muscle
• Losing slower than target? Calories decrease to get back on track
• Right on target? Macros stay the same

Progress Tracking

The app automatically tracks:

• Total weight lost/gained
• Percentage complete toward your goal
• Current weekly rate of change
• Estimated weeks remaining
• Projected goal completion date

Smart Warnings

The system alerts you to:

• Large weight swings (>5 lbs between weigh-ins) - May indicate water retention, scale issues, or inconsistent timing
• Plateaus - When weight hasn't changed significantly in 2+ weeks

Safety Features

Minimum Calorie Floor Your calories will never drop below safe limits:

• Women: 1,200 calories minimum
• Men: 1,500 calories minimum

These limits protect your metabolism and ensure adequate nutrition. If the algorithm calculates a lower target, it will hold at the minimum and you may need to increase activity or extend your timeline.

Weight Entry Validation When you log a weight that seems unusual, the app will ask you to confirm:

• Changes of 5+ lbs in a week prompt verification
• This catches typos and scale errors before they affect your plan

Adherence Tracking

The app tracks how consistently you're hitting your targets:

• Calorie Adherence - Days within ±10% of your target
• Protein Adherence - Days hitting your protein goal
• Check-in Adherence - Weekly check-in completion rate
• Overall Score - Weighted average of all metrics

New Plan Grace Period: When you start a new plan, adherence only tracks data from your plan start date—not historical data. For the first week, metrics without data show "—" instead of penalizing you with 0%. This gives you time to build habits without discouraging early progress.

You'll see alerts when adherence drops, helping you identify issues early.

Plan Insights

After a few check-ins, you can access Plan Insights to see deeper analytics about your metabolism and progress:

How to Access:

• From the Goals tab → tap Plan Insights in your plan card
• Or from the More tab → Plan Insights

What You'll See:

Metabolic Trend Status:

• Still Learning - Less than 3 check-ins; building your metabolic profile
• Adapting - 3-5 check-ins or high variance; responding to your progress
• Stable - 6+ check-ins with consistent data; your metabolism is well understood

The more consistently you log and check in, the more accurate and stable your metabolic estimate becomes.

Activity Level Reviews

Every 90 days, you'll be prompted to review your activity level. Life changes—new job, gym routine, injury—can significantly affect your calorie needs. Keeping this accurate ensures your macros stay optimized.

Note: This prompt only appears if you're NOT using Daily Adaptive mode, since Daily Adaptive tracks your activity automatically.

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Managing Your Plan

Starting a New Plan

If you don't have a plan:

1. Go to the Goals tab
2. Find the Your Plan section
3. Tap Get Started
4. Select your goal type (Lose / Maintain / Gain)
5. Choose your intensity level
6. Enter your target weight
7. Tap Create Plan

Your initial macros are calculated instantly.

If you already have an active plan:

1. Go to the Goals tab
2. Tap Adjust in the Your Plan section header
3. You can either:
   • Edit your current plan - Change intensity or target weight
   • Start a new plan - Select a different goal type to create a new plan (your current plan will be archived automatically)

When starting a new plan while one is active, you'll see a warning that your current plan will be archived. All progress is saved to your plan history.

Adjusting Your Plan

You can adjust your plan anytime without starting over:

1. Go to the Goals tab
2. Tap Adjust in the Your Plan section header
3. Modify your intensity or target weight
4. Tap Save Changes

This keeps your existing progress and adjusts your macros accordingly.

Ending Your Plan

If you want to stop your current plan without starting a new one:

1. Go to the Goals tab
2. In the Your Plan section, tap End plan
3. Confirm when prompted

Your plan will be archived with all its progress data. You can:

• Start a new plan anytime from the empty plan state
• View your archived plan in Plan History
• Continue tracking meals and weight without an active plan

Why end a plan?

• Taking a break from structured dieting
• Life circumstances changed (travel, health issues, etc.)
• Want to track freely without specific goals for a while
• Reassessing your goals before starting fresh

Viewing Plan History

To see all your past and current plans:

1. Go to the Goals tab
2. In the Your Plan section, tap View history

This shows every plan you've created, including:

• Goal type and intensity
• Start and end dates
• Progress achieved
• Final macros

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What You Can Change

Anytime Settings

Plan Settings

Macro Mode

Dynamic Mode (Default)

• Macros adjust automatically each week based on your check-in
• Best for: Users who want hands-off optimization
• Requires: Premium subscription

Manual Mode

• You set your own calorie and macro targets
• Macros never change unless you change them
• Best for: Users following a specific diet protocol or working with a coach
• Available to: All users

To switch modes: Goals > Settings > Macro Mode

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The Algorithm Explained

How Your Initial Targets Are Calculated

Step 1: Calculate Your BMR Using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation (most accurate for most people):

• Takes into account your weight, height, age, and gender

Step 2: Apply Activity Multiplier Your BMR is multiplied based on activity level:

• Sedentary (desk job, little exercise): 1.2x
• Lightly Active (light exercise 1-3 days/week): 1.375x
• Moderately Active (moderate exercise 3-5 days/week): 1.55x
• Very Active (hard exercise 6-7 days/week): 1.725x
• Extremely Active (athlete or physical job + training): 1.9x

Step 3: Apply Your Goal

• Weight Loss: Subtract calories based on intensity
• Weight Gain: Add calories based on intensity
• Maintain: Keep at maintenance level

Step 4: Calculate Macros

• Protein: Set to support muscle (higher during weight loss)
• Fat: 25% of total calories (essential for hormones)
• Carbs: Remaining calories (fuel for activity)

How Weekly Adjustments Work

Each week, the algorithm:

1. Looks at your weight trend (uses 2-4 weeks of data for accuracy)
2. Compares to your target rate (based on your intensity setting)
3. Calculates the difference (are you ahead, behind, or on track?)
4. Converts to a calorie adjustment (using the 3,500 calories = 1 lb formula)
5. Applies safety limits (max 10% change per week)
6. Redistributes macros (keeps protein and fat ratios optimal)

Confidence Levels

The algorithm tells you how confident it is in its recommendations:

• High Confidence: 4+ weeks of data - Very reliable
• Medium Confidence: 3 weeks of data - Fairly reliable
• Low Confidence: 2 weeks of data - Still learning your body

More data = better recommendations. This is why consistent weekly check-ins matter.

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Tips for Best Results

Weighing In

• Weigh yourself at the same time each day (morning is best)
• Use the same scale
• Weigh before eating or drinking
• Wear similar clothing (or none)
• Don't stress about daily fluctuations - the algorithm uses trends, not single readings

Logging Food

• Log everything you eat and drink
• Be as accurate as possible with portions
• Don't forget cooking oils, sauces, and drinks
• Log even on "bad" days - the data helps the algorithm

Check-Ins

• Complete your check-in on the same day each week
• Be patient during the first 2-3 weeks while the algorithm learns
• Trust the process - small adjustments add up over time

If Progress Stalls

1. Double-check your food logging accuracy
2. Ensure you're hitting your targets most days
3. Consider if your activity level has changed
4. The algorithm will detect plateaus and adjust accordingly

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How quickly will I see the algorithm adjust my macros? A: The algorithm needs at least 2 weeks of weight data to make its first adjustment. After that, it refines every week.

Q: What if I miss a check-in? A: No problem - just check in when you can. Your macros will stay the same until your next check-in.

Q: Can I override the algorithm's recommendations? A: Yes! Switch to Manual mode to set your own targets anytime.

Q: Why did my calories go UP during weight loss? A: This happens when you're losing faster than your target rate. Increasing calories slightly helps preserve muscle and keeps your metabolism healthy.

Q: Is the algorithm different for weight gain vs weight loss? A: Yes. The target rates and protein calculations differ. Weight gain uses more conservative calorie increases to minimize fat gain.

Q: What happens when I reach my goal? A: You'll see a celebration screen with confetti! The app will automatically suggest a maintenance range (±3 lbs from your achieved weight) and offer to switch you to maintenance mode with one tap. You can also choose to set a different goal if you'd like to continue losing, gaining, or set a custom maintenance range.

Q: What if I can't check in on my exact check-in day? A: No problem! You have a ±2 day grace period. If your check-in day is Sunday, you can check in Friday through Tuesday and still be considered on track.

Q: Should I track body fat percentage? A: It's optional but helpful. Body fat tracking provides additional context beyond scale weight—you might be building muscle while losing fat. Enable it in Goals > Settings if you have a way to measure (smart scale, calipers, etc.). Once enabled, you can enter body fat % during check-ins, and view charts and trends in the Weight Stats screen (tap the weight card on the Goals tab).

Q: Why did the app ask me to confirm my weight entry? A: The app validates weight entries to catch typos and scale errors. If your weight changed significantly (5+ lbs in a week), you'll be asked to confirm it's correct before it affects your macro calculations.

Q: Why am I being asked to review my activity level? A: Every 90 days, the app prompts you to verify your activity level is still accurate. This only happens if you're not using Daily Adaptive mode. Major life changes (new job, injury, new workout routine) can significantly impact your calorie needs.

Q: How do I end my current plan? A: In the Goals tab, find the Your Plan section and tap "End plan." Your progress will be saved to plan history. You can start a new plan anytime, or continue tracking without an active plan.

Q: Can I take a break from my plan and resume later? A: Plans can't be paused and resumed. If you need a break, end your current plan (progress is saved), then start a new plan when ready. The new plan will start fresh, but you can reference your previous progress in plan history.

Q: What is Plan Insights and where do I find it? A: Plan Insights shows analytics about your metabolism, plan adjustments, and consistency. Access it from the Goals tab (tap "Plan Insights" in your plan card) or from the More tab. You'll see your estimated TDEE, how it's trending over time, your last adjustment details, and your consistency metrics.

Q: Why does my metabolism status say "Still Learning"? A: The app needs at least 3 check-ins to understand your metabolic patterns. Until then, it shows "Still Learning." After 3-5 check-ins, it moves to "Adapting," and with 6+ check-ins and consistent data, it can show "Stable." Keep checking in weekly for the most accurate insights.

Q: What does the reliability score mean in Plan Insights? A: The reliability score (0-100%) indicates how confident the algorithm is in your TDEE estimate. Higher scores mean more consistent data—regular logging, multiple weigh-ins per week, and steady eating patterns all improve reliability. A score above 60% is considered good.

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Summary

The more consistent you are with logging and check-ins, the smarter the algorithm becomes at optimizing for YOUR body. All progress data is scoped to your current plan—when you start fresh, you get a clean slate.