This article covers the coach side of food logging in Coachway: reading the log, setting targets, handling days that break the plan, and deciding how each client is allowed to log.
The weekly food log
Open a client and go to Development and scroll a bit down. The Nutrition card shows one week at a time:
The header tells you how many days the client logged and their average intake. The average only counts logged days, so an empty day does not take it down.
Every day gets a row with total calories, the difference against target, grams of protein, carbs and fat, and a status: Under, Over or Not logged.
Use the arrows or the week picker to move between weeks. Going back and forth between weeks will not impact your check-in view - the two timelines are detached from each other.
Next to the log you get the week summarized: calories vs daily target per day, days on target (with a note on which days went over), average calories against target, and macro averages per day.
Inside a single day
Click a day to expand it. Entries are grouped by meal with calories and macros per meal, and the biggest meal is tagged Largest.
Click Open full food log for the complete picture:
Day total vs. target, and exactly how far under or over the client landed.
Progress on each macro against its target.
Every item with portion size, macros and calories.
An icon on each item showing how it was logged: database search, barcode scan, photo or recipe.
How targets are calculated
Coachway can suggest a daily energy target from the client's body data. In the client's Info panel, BMR and TDEE (BMR × activity factor / PAL) are calculated for you. That number is a suggestion only — it does not set the calorie or macro goals the food log uses.
To set or change the goals the food log compares against, open the client and go to Settings → Nutrition. Edit daily calories and macros there. You can also create weekly targets (same every day, or vary by weekday for training vs rest days). Weekly targets are not tied to meal plans.
The onboarding form must include all the required questions and data fields that new clients need to complete. This is the way Coachway calculate the results accurately and automate the process, saving you time and effort.
Weekly targets
Weekly targets are the repeating baseline - what a typical week looks like for this client.
Choose Same every day or Vary by weekday.
Set protein, carbs and fat in grams or percent (toggle in the top right).
Set the daily energy target in kcal.
Check the weekly average bar, then click Save plan.
The black badge to the right of weekly targets shows when the current plan took effect.
Date exceptions
Some days should not follow the plan: a holiday, a travel, a birthday and so on. A date exception changes the target for one specific date without touching the weekly baseline.
In Settings > Nutrition, scroll to Date exceptions and click Mark a day or click on a day in the calendar overview.
The form pre-fills with that weekday's target, so you only change what differs.
Add a note if you want to record why the day is different.
Click Save exception.
Exceptions override the weekly target on their assigned date. They appear on the calendar, and Upcoming differences shows each exception's impact on the weekly plan (for example, −700 kcal on a deload Monday). Edit or remove exceptions directly from the list.
View a Client's Food Diary
You can view your client's Food Diary entities, including all photos they upload through the app, directly from the client chat.
There are two ways to find it:
Open the Inbox and select your client
Open the client's profile and go to their chat
At the top of the chat, just below the client's name, you will see a tab called Photo Log. Select this tab to view all nutrition-related messages and uploaded meal photos in one dedicated conversation.
This keeps Food Diary entries separate from your regular chat, making them easier to review.
⚙️ Photo Log is an optional separate thread for food photos. If you prefer everything in the main Inbox chat, disable Photo Log for the client (client settings / food-logging controls - same place you choose which logging tools they get). Clients can then send meal photos in the regular chat instead.
Tracking capabilities: decide how each client logs
At the bottom of Settings > Nutrition you control which logging tools the client sees in their app. Seven switches:
Food database search - search a shared food library and log items in a tap
Barcode scanning - scan packaged foods to log them instantly
Photo logging - log a meal from a photo
Custom recipes - build and edit their own recipes
Personal meal plans - let them adjust daily targets
Calorie calculator - let clients calculate their own kcal target
Nutrition visibility - control what should the client see in the app
Quick presets cover the common setups in one click:
Full access - every logging tool on
Standard - log every way, just no custom recipes
Photo only - snap meals, no counting
Plan only - the client follows the plan without logging anything
The Client app preview on the right updates as you flip switches, so you see the client's Today screen exactly as they will.
