? FAQ

All questions answered

Search below — workflow, import, reports, plants, backup and more.

AI workflow (BYOA)

Do I need a paid AI subscription?

No. Free models work well. A paid plan usually gives better macro estimates and deeper coaching. The built-in protocol helps even small models behave professionally.

Does PastePlate call the internet by itself?

No. All AI communication is copy-paste via your clipboard. The app never connects to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or any other provider in the background.

Does this work offline or with a local model?

No. You need an online chat-AI (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek…). PastePlate-AI has no built-in AI and does not support offline or local models such as Ollama for the coach workflow. Your logbook stays on your phone; the coach step is copy-paste into a live AI chat in your browser or app.

What are the three steps in the AI menu?

1. Start your AI coach for today (start prompt). 2. Fetch data from AI chat (export instruction). 3. Import data from AI (paste the export block). Same three steps every calendar day.

Do I need a new chat every day?

Yes. Use one chat per calendar day. Start in the morning, log all day in that chat, then fetch and import at the end of the day (often the next morning if you wait for watch burn).

Why does the app not open my AI automatically?

Check Settings → My AI coach and Open via (browser or app). If you chose None, PastePlate only copies to the clipboard. Free accounts work best with Gemini, Claude, Grok and DeepSeek; paid subscriptions work with all listed providers.

Can I switch AI providers later?

Yes. Change your coach under Settings → My AI coach. The next session uses the new choice.

What does “None” as AI coach mean?

PastePlate copies prompts to the clipboard only. You open ChatGPT, Claude or any other tool yourself.

What is the paste helper?

Optional short instructions after copying a prompt. Toggle under Settings → My AI coach → Show paste helper. You can enable it per flow: start, fetch data, week plan request and week plan fetch.

Can I import several days in one block?

Yes. The preview shows how many meals and days are in the block. Daily reports, watch burn and week/month reports can be included when present.

Must I copy the entire export block?

Yes. Copy from the first { through the last }, including the report text line. Extra markdown around it is usually ignored.

Can I use a custom AI URL?

Yes. Settings → My AI coach → Custom https link. Enter a valid https URL and optional display name.

Import & troubleshooting

Import failed or “no usable block” — what now?

Usually the export block was cut off, edited by hand or incomplete. Use Fetch data from AI chat first, then copy the full block from the reply. Do not paste your own summary. If it still fails, ask your coach again for the data block and check nothing is missing before or after the structured block.

What if the AI estimates wrong macros?

Edit any meal afterwards in the logbook. For recurring meals, save a blueprint in My Library via your coach (“save as favorite”). The AI uses it as source of truth from then on.

Weekly report not updated on Sunday?

If the week report is missing or empty in your coach's export, the existing week report is not overwritten. Ask your coach again and re-import.

Monthly report not updated on the last day of the month?

Same rule as week reports: if the month report is missing or empty in your coach's export, the old month report stays in place. Re-fetch from your coach.

Report no longer matches my current profile

Reports use the profile that applied on that day (profile history). To realign: open that day’s circle, tap + → Start your AI coach for that date, then fetch and import again.

Missing base_weight on library items in preview?

Those favorites are stored as 100 g for now. Check and edit them in My Library after import.

Coach reports & personal note

Where are my day, week and month reports?

In the saved AI reports archive (top bar). Text is stored word for word after import, not regenerated by the app.

What makes PastePlate reports different from other apps?

Most calorie apps show charts. PastePlate imports personally written coaching prose from your AI: fixed sections (macros, quality, behavior, wins, next steps) stored verbatim.

What is 🧭 Personal goal vs 🔄 Behavior & patterns?

Personal goal comes from your optional free-text coach note (fatigue, intolerances, questions you want to explore). Behavior & patterns covers eating behavior from your meal log: timing, snacking, repetition, food quality. Symptom themes belong in Personal goal, not Behavior.

Where do I set my personal coach note?

During setup or under Settings → Profile → Extra info for the AI coach. It is included in every start prompt and opens each report at Personal goal.

Can the AI diagnose my symptoms?

No. Pattern sections are for self-reflection and discussion, not diagnosis or treatment. See our Health disclaimer.

Does PastePlate give medical advice?

No. PastePlate-AI is a nutrition logbook and coaching workflow. AI reports are for self-reflection, not diagnosis or treatment.

Can I share report sections?

Yes. Share posters are available from report sections and milestone screens (weight, plants, month goal and more).

Which sections are in day, week and month reports?

The same emoji sections in every report: personal goal (when filled in), weight status, physical context (body fat %, BMI, FFMI), calories & protein, hydration, protein & satiety, daily total & nutritional analysis (day), longevity & plant variety or variety & balance, nutritional quality, behavior & patterns, your win & what went well, growth opportunities, steps forward (tomorrow, next week or next month). The AI zooms out per period.

Do week and month reports have the same idea?

Yes: the same sections as the daily report, with week or month totals and deeper pattern review. Steps forward targets next week or next month. Import them in the same export block when the calendar ends the week or month.

Logbook, circles & scores

What do the four bottom tabs do?

Log · Week · Month · Measurements. The first three are the same meal log at different time scales. Measurements is your health hub (weight, fat%, sport, etc.).

What does the coloured halo around the circle mean?

Energy balance: intake compared to burn (from your watch via AI or from activity estimate).

What do green, orange and red segments mean?

Macro scores for protein, carbs and fats relative to your targets for that day, week or month.

Why “no score” on a day?

Either no nutrition and no burn data, or a fasting day with burn but little or no food logged. Add meals if you ate; the score updates automatically.

How do I see which meals drove a score?

Tap a macro segment → Analysis options → View meals or Why this score? for a plain-language breakdown.

Can I edit meals after import?

Yes. Edit in the logbook; totals and scores recalculate.

Can I search the logbook?

Yes, on the Log tab by meal name across your history.

What nutrients are stored per meal?

Macros, fat quality, fibre, salt, plant ingredients, recipe text and more — not just calories.

Strategy & goals

How are calorie targets calculated?

Start from estimated daily burn (BMR × activity). Cut: deficit = kg per week × 7700 ÷ 7 (e.g. 0.25 kg/week ≈ 275 kcal below maintenance). Bulk: fixed surplus by focus — lean +150, clean +250, strength +500 kcal/day (not the 7700÷7 formula). Maintain: at estimated burn.

Where do I change pace, focus or main goal?

Settings → Profile. The coach and circles use the same numbers.

Is target weight required?

No, optional during setup. Some maintenance features and share posters need a target weight.

What happens if I change my main goal mid-month?

The app marks “goal changed in this period”. Pace comparison may pause until your goal is stable again (about 14 days with enough measurements).

What is profile history?

A snapshot of your profile and goals for each day. Older days used the goals that applied then — important for reports and circles.

Weight from measurements vs profile?

You can use logged weight measurements to feed goal calculations. Configure under Settings → Profile.

What is the projected weight line on trends?

It starts at your oldest weight in the range and cumulatively applies daily calorie surplus/deficit (intake minus burn, 7700 kcal per kg) to show whether your logbook explains the scale.

What is “focus” when losing weight?

Examples: get leaner, strength, balanced — affects protein factor and how the coach frames advice.

Health sync & smartwatch

Can PastePlate sync with my smartwatch?

No direct brand link. On iPhone and iPad, enable Health sync in Settings to read data from Apple Health (weight, activity, sleep, workouts). On Android, enable Health sync to read from Health Connect. Your watch must share data to that platform first (for example Garmin Connect → Apple Health or Health Connect).

Where do I turn Health sync on?

Open the menu and tap Health sync, right below Health sources. Switch sync on, allow the data types you want, pick how much history to import and tap Sync now.

Which data does PastePlate read?

Weight, body fat, height and body measurements; steps, daily distance, active burn and workouts; sleep with bedtime, wake time and sleep stages when available; resting heart rate, heart rate, VO2 max, oxygen saturation, respiratory rate, heart rate variability and blood pressure. Every data type has its own switch, so you can leave anything out. Cholesterol stays manual.

Does sync overwrite what I typed myself?

No. Manual entry always wins. If you logged a weight by hand and your scale sends a different number for that day, your own entry stays. The same rule applies to burned calories: only one source per day is used, so watch and phone can never be counted twice.

How much history do I get when I connect?

You choose: 30, 60, 90 or 180 days on the Health sync screen. PastePlate imports that period in weekly chunks the first time, so your trend charts are filled straight away.

Why is some watch data missing?

Health platforms do not share everything. PastePlate does not import GPS tracks, maps or watch-specific scores (such as Garmin Body Battery). Only data your watch sends to the health platform on your phone can appear, which is Apple Health on iPhone and iPad and Health Connect on Android.

When does synced watch data update?

There is no background sync while the app is closed. With Health sync on, PastePlate syncs automatically when you open the app. You can also tap Sync now in Health sync, or pull to refresh on the logbook or a trend screen (pull down and release). Many watches finalize the previous calendar day around midnight on the health platform.

What happens to workouts that are not a standard sport?

They are imported anyway. PastePlate does not work from a fixed list of sports, so windsurfing, padel or pickleball simply appear with the name the health platform gives them, plus duration and calories. Distance sports such as running or cycling can be added to your sport log for the pace chart.

Can PastePlate write my meals back to Health?

Yes, optionally. Turn on Share nutrition with Health on the Health sync screen and your meals go out as calories and macros, with water if you track it. Edit or delete a meal and it is updated on the health platform too. This is off by default and asks for separate permission.

Is my health data uploaded anywhere?

No. Health data is read on your phone and stored in your local logbook, the same place as your meals. Nothing goes to PastePlate servers. Turn a data type off, or disable sync entirely, and reading stops.

What if I do not use a watch?

The app estimates burn from your activity level in Profile. You can adjust activity per day in the logbook, or mention movement and sport in your coach chat.

Where do I see watch burn in the app?

On the day detail and in energy balance on the circle, when health sync is enabled and your watch shares active energy. The Health overview on the Measurements tab shows today and the last seven days in one place.

Longevity & plants

What does Longevity mode do?

Longevity mode: unique plants via a strict 15-category protocol, 30 plants per week goal, plant explorer per day/week. With Longevity on, your coach also gives feedback on fat quality and fibre in chat and reports.

Must Longevity be on to see plant counts?

Yes. Without Longevity, the plant counter and week goal are hidden.

Coach style Vitality vs Longevity toggle?

Vitality (Longevity coach style) expects Longevity mode on. To turn Longevity off, pick another coach style first under Settings → Coach style.

How are plants counted?

Your AI labels plants and categories in meals following the built-in protocol. The app counts unique species; it does not guess plants on its own.

When can I share a plant week poster?

In Longevity mode when your weekly plant goal is reached (green bar). Optional in-app banner on the week tab; no push notification.

My Library (meal blueprints)

How do items get into My Library?

Not manually. Tell your coach in chat to save a meal as favorite with a name. It arrives automatically when you import that day.

How do I eat a favorite again later?

In a new chat, state grams and use the exact name from your library list (e.g. “I had 200 grams of pumpkin puree”).

What is blueprint weight?

Macros on the card apply to the total gram weight shown. Your coach sets this. Edit in the library if needed.

Can I edit or delete favorites?

Yes, in My Library from the menu.

Week planner

Where is the week planner?

Open from the week tab / week planner hub icon.

How do I create a week plan?

Use the wizard: Request week plan → paste in AI → Fetch week plan (short export) → import the week plan block.

Does the coach use my week plan?

The active plan for “this week” is included in your start prompt. Older plans are view-only.

Request vs fetch week plan?

Request = full planning prompt to start a new plan. Fetch = short instruction to export only the week plan block from an existing chat.

Can I say where I do my shopping?

Yes. Pick your country in the wizard and name your store under Additional wishes, for example “I shop at supermarket X”, with the real name of your store in place of the X. Your menu and shopping list then use products and house brands that fit. Name no store and your AI keeps the menu generic instead of inventing one.

What else can I put in Additional wishes?

Anything you can say in a sentence: max cooking time on weekdays, air fryer only, a budget for the week, no coriander, cook double on Sunday for meal prep, mild for the kids, vegan on Monday and Thursday, extra protein on gym days. The text goes into the prompt word for word and leads food, shopping, brands and deals.

Can I limit the shopping list?

Yes. Cap it at 10, 50 or 70 products, or at 30, 55 or 75 with Longevity on. You can also type your own number up to 120, or set no limit. A tighter cap means more reuse across the week, and the Longevity minimum of 30 keeps your plant target next to protein and staples.

Does the plan follow intermittent fasting?

Yes. Choose No IF, 16:8 (eat 12:00 to 20:00), 18:6 (13:00 to 19:00), OMAD (one meal at 18:00) or a custom window. The times, the number of slots and the slot names go into the request as hard rules, so no breakfast appears in a 16:8 week. You can also flip single days to a full fasting day with no meals.

Does the week planner use favourites or a meal library?

No. The wizard does not pull from favourites or a meal library. Your plan is built from your profile targets, your wizard answers and your wishes. To reuse a menu, pick the same as last week or vary as the basis.

Do I have to log the planned meals?

No. The plan is advice. Logging keeps running through your normal AI workflow, and your coach already knows the plan for the week you are in.

How does the shopping list work in the store?

The Shop tab is a checklist: tick items off, filter to one day or the whole week, and find weekly staples in their own group. Reset the ticks when you shop again, and share any tab as a PDF with logo.

Measurements tab

What can I log under Measurements?

Weight, body fat %, body sizes, strength, sport, blood pressure and cholesterol, with trend charts and shared date range on the hub.

Overview vs Trends under Measurements?

Overview = hub tiles and mini charts. Trends = longer moving-average lines. BMI and FFMI lines use zone colours on supported charts.

Why BMI alone is not enough

BMI does not tell the full story. The app offers education and FFMI (weight + body fat %) for more context.

Do measurements sync to the AI automatically?

Relevant values are included in your start prompt and can appear in reports after you log and import. There is no separate cloud sync.

Does changing the hub date range affect all charts?

Yes. The range is shared across Measurement sub-screens and syncs back to the overview when you navigate.

Database, backup & privacy

Is my data sold to advertisers?

No. There is no PastePlate server that sees your logbook. Data stays on your device unless you back up or paste into an AI yourself.

Where is my data stored?

In a local database on your phone or tablet. No cloud account required.

How do I back up?

Menu → Database: create backup, choose folder, optional automatic backups and retention.

Can I move my logbook from Android to iPhone?

Yes. Database → restore backup. The app detects Room (Android) vs SwiftData (iOS) and converts. Both apps must be recent enough for the schema pin.

Export to spreadsheet?

Menu → Export to CSV.

What does PastePlate see of my AI chats?

Only what you paste into the app. After that, your AI provider’s privacy rules apply.

How do I wipe all data?

Menu → Clear logbook… (destructive; confirmation required).

Android and iOS?

Yes. Same workflow on both. Exchange data via built-in cross-platform database transfer.

Subscription & pricing

What does the PastePlate-AI subscription include?

The full app: logbook, AI workflow, measurements, reports, week planner, backups and cross-platform transfer. Your AI chat subscription is separate.

Do I pay PastePlate for AI tokens?

No. Any token cost is between you and your AI provider if applicable.

What does the free trial include?

Full app access for 7 days, then €8.99/month or €79.99/year unless cancelled in the store before the trial ends.

Coach style & language

Which coach styles exist?

Default, Analyst, Motivator, Calm, plus overlays Vitality (Longevity) and Athlete (bodybuilder framing). Change under Settings → Coach style.

Do coach styles rewrite old reports?

No. Only new AI sessions and imports use the new style.

Which languages are supported?

Dutch, English and more. Menus, start prompts and report structure follow your app language.

Does the app track medication or supplements?

Not as a product feature. Coach protocol avoids supplement hype. Never use the app for medical decisions — see Health disclaimer.

Notifications & share posters

Does the app send push notifications?

Optional: inactivity reminder and morning motivation (permission required). Many “notifications” are in-app share sheets only — no push.

Weight milestone Δ poster (every 5 kg)?

In-app share hint at each new 5 kg step toward your goal. Anti-spam setting available.

Target weight or body fat reached posters?

In-app share sheet after you log the milestone. Templates match your profile (loss/gain, man/woman for fat target).

Month goal poster?

Available with a green month calorie ring and known burn data. Not shown for pure maintenance goals.

Setup & product

How long does first-time setup take?

About 4 to 5 minutes for the 19 step profile wizard, then optional short or full daily workflow tutorial (13 screens).

Can I change profile details later?

Yes. Settings → Profile. Macro targets, body fat goals and fine-tuning live there too.

Is PastePlate a health dashboard?

It is a nutrition logbook with a Bring Your Own AI workflow and imported coach reports — not a generic medical dashboard.

How is this different from MyFitnessPal or calorie apps?

No built-in AI. You import rich prose reports, plant diversity, behavior sections and optional personal goal tracking from your own coach.

Can I see the daily workflow again after setup?

The full walkthrough with all 13 screenshots is on the setup page, and the short version stays on the home page under How it works. The in-app tutorial runs once during onboarding.