Keto Calculator | Determine Your Personal Macros [Precise & Simple]

Starting on a ketogenic diet? Let’s calculate how much you should eat.
We use the information you put in to create an accurate keto nutrition profile for you.

How do I use your calculator to get my macros?

While inputting your information, you may find that some of the sections and terms are confusing. If this is the case for you, simply click the lower case “i” logo located near the title of each section of our keto calculator. After you click the lower case “i” logo, you will be directed to a brief explanation that should answer your questions.

If you are still unsure of how to use the keto calculator or if you think you aren’t getting the right keto macro numbers, read through the other Q&As and comments below, you will probably find the answer there.

If you still don’t find the answer, please submit a comment with the question and we will address it as soon as possible.

Why do you need my gender/age/height/weight?

Most people aim for a specific goal on a ketogenic diet. We aim to make sure the results of the calculator are accurate and can be used by anyone.

Our keto calculator uses the Mifflin-St.Jeor Formula which was the most accurate (versus the Katch-McCardle Formula or the Harris-Benedict Formula) in a few studies. In this formula, the gender, height, weight, and age are needed to calculate the number of calories to consume.

Why do you need my body fat percentage?

Our keto calculator uses body fat percentage to calculate your lean body mass. Using this number, we’re able to calculate how much protein you need to sufficiently lose weight without losing excess muscle. Eating too little or too much protein on a ketogenic diet (or any diet) can lead to dangerous or unwanted results.

DEXA scans are proven to be the most accurate measurement of body fat. They’re commonly available at gyms and some doctor offices when requested. If you don’t have access to this, you can always go the old-fashioned route and use a good quality caliper. The last resort is using a guide to visually estimate – this can sometimes be a little bit inaccurate, so try to over estimate your body fat percentage.

Why do you need to know my activity level?

This will give us an idea of how much the minimum amount of calories your body will burn in a day. Our keto calculator uses this to calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). We use this number, along with your body fat percentage, to estimate how many calories you’ll need for your goals.

The BMR is simply a number of calories we burn while our bodies are at rest and from eating and digesting food. Together they form what’s known as TDEE, or total daily energy expenditure. This is the keto calculator’s estimate for your total calories burned per day. If you use a heart rate monitor or third party software to monitor your calories, you can use the custom input in the activity level section for an even more accurate macro profile.

What is a deficit/surplus?

A deficit or surplus just relates to the number of calories you want to intake. A surplus means you are eating more than your body needs. A deficit means you are eating less than your body needs.

Typically if you are losing weight, you want to have a deficit in calories. 10-20% is standard for people. 20-30% ranges are considered high deficits and are typically difficult to do (you will be fighting hunger). You can go up to a 30% deficit, but going past that can lead to metabolic damage in the long run (study).

Typically if you want to gain muscle, you want to have a surplus in calories. You need extra calories if you want to put on lean mass. Typically, 5-10% is suggested, but going over 10% can lead to excess weight gain.

Why should I eat so few carbs?

There are numerous benefits that are scientifically proven on the ketogenic diet. On keto, it’s a general rule of thumb to stay under 30g net carbs a day. We recommend for weight loss to stay at or below 20g net carbs a day.

The end goal of a ketogenic diet is to be in a metabolic state known as ketosis. We do this through starvation of carbohydrates.

How much protein should I be eating?

Protein intake is imperative when it comes to keto. Too much and you can lower your ketone levels, too little and you can lose excess muscle. You want to be in the sweet spot.

If you’re sedentary, we recommend having between 0.6g and 0.8g protein per pound of lean body mass.
If you’re active, we recommend having between 0.8g and 1.0g protein per pound of lean body mass.
If you want to gain muscle, we recommend having between 1.0g and 1.2g protein per pound of lean body mass. You should not need to consume more protein than that, according to these studies.

It can seem complicated, but it’s honestly not! It’s just a ratio of protein. If you are 100 lbs. of muscle and want to gain muscle (1.0g protein), you eat 100g protein.

If you’re still confused, don’t worry – the keto calculator automatically sets your protein based on your activity level.

I’m not sure about my macros, are they right?

Generally speaking, many people are concerned that the keto calculator results in too many calories to eat. It’s very common for the average person to lose weight on a 1600 calorie a day keto diet. If you’re not 100% sure or confused about anything, you can also read more about macronutrients on a keto diet >

You should try to eat according to the macros given and try to spread your meals out during the day. Don’t worry about getting exact numbers to the tee. You can afford a small fluctuation in your macros, but as long as you are close to your ranges, it will balance itself out.

If you’re just getting started and still want to learn more about keto, consider reading our extensive guide to keto >

Why do calories matter? Isn’t a keto macronutrient calculator useless if I am already limiting carbs?

After hearing about the keto diet and how it helps you burn fat, you may be wondering why we even have a keto calculator. According to many low carb diet proponents, all that really matters when it comes to losing fat is cutting the carbs — Isn’t this true?

High-quality research studies have been published on this specific topic, and the data clearly shows that – regardless if you are on a high carb or low carb diet — you will lose weight if you are in a calorie deficit and gain weight if you are in a calorie surplus. For a closer look at the research and why calories matter, check out this article.

Due to the irrefutable importance of calorie consumption for weight loss and weight gain, a keto macro calculator is one of the most valuable tools that you can use to increase your chances of diet success.

Do I have to use the keto macro calculator to get results?

Simply by eating keto foods and cutting out the carbs, most people will eat fewer calories than usual and start losing weight consistently. However, following the diet in this way can increase your likelihood of hitting a weight loss plateau and not knowing what to do next.

One of the most efficient and effective ways to diet is by using a macronutrient calculator, like the ruled.me keto calculator, as a guide for how much you should eat. It will provide you with estimates for the fat, protein, carbs, and calories you should consume each day to get the results you want.

To help you stay on track to meeting your macro needs, we recommend using a calorie tracking app like MyFitnessPal or Cronometer. If you’d like to learn how to use these apps for the keto diet, read through our carb (and calorie) tracking guide.

By using our keto calculator, you will find out how much of each macronutrient (i.e., fat, protein, and carbs) you need to eat so that you can:

Significantly increase your chances of getting the results you want
Enter and stay in ketosis
Stay on track with your keto diet (especially if you track your macros as well)
Stop guessing how much you should be eating
Enjoy all of the benefits of keto dieting and ketosis

What exactly do the results mean?

After you entered all of your data and calculated your macros, you will get results that look something like this:

Example results from the keto calculator

Let’s start with the calories. Simply put, a calorie is a basic unit of energy that helps us understand how much energy we can potentially get from the food we eat. Calorie intake is one of the most critical variables to be aware of when you are trying to change your body composition.

If you eat fewer calories than you need to maintain your weight (which is also known as a calorie deficit) then you will lose weight. Conversely, eating more calories than you need to maintain your weight (which is also known as a calorie surplus) will cause you to gain weight.

Notice that I am saying “weight” loss and “weight” gain rather than “fat” loss and gain. By manipulating your calorie consumption, you will predictably change the numbers on the scale, but whether or not those numbers reflect a strong bias toward fat loss depends on the other numbers from your keto macro calculator results.

Fat, muscle, and water can all be lost and gained during the course of your diet. The proportion of weight you lose as fat, muscle, and water depends heavily upon the macronutrient content of your diet (i.e., how much fat, protein, and carbohydrates you eat). If you’d like to learn more about the macronutrients, check out our guide to macros.

Depending on the info that you enter into our keto calculator, you will get different ratios of fat, protein, and carbs. In general, carbs should remain low because they will prevent you from entering into ketosis and getting all of the benefits of the keto diet. By limiting carb consumption to this degree, many people will lose a considerable amount of water weight as well.

Protein is essential for maintaining and gaining muscle mass. Eating less protein than recommended by our keto calculator will typically cause you to lose more muscle mass while eating the right amount of protein will help you maintain or gain muscle mass (as long as you are doing some form of resistance training as well).

While you are restricting carbs, your fat intake will be used as a lever to increase and decrease calorie consumption so that you can gain, maintain, or lose weight. If you are eating the right protein along with the right amount of calories and fat, then the percentage of the weight you lose from fat will increase.

To find out how many calories of each macronutrient you should eat, make sure you convert the macro numbers that you get from our keto calculator to calories first. Here are the conversions for each macronutrient to make it easier for you:

1 gram of carbs = 4 calories
1 gram of protein =4 calories
1 gram of fat= 9 calories

My protein is higher than my fat recommendation. What should I do?

You may notice that the percentage of grams of protein you have to eat is much higher and fat is a lot lower than the percentages that are typically recommended for keto. This can happen for two reasons:

You didn’t convert grams to calories. You must convert the grams of fat and protein to calories and then calculate your macronutrient percentages. Calorie percentages, not gram percentages, are what the recommended keto percentages are based on. Usually, once you account for the fact that one gram of fat has five more calories than one gram of protein the calorie percentages will end up being what you expect from a typical keto diet.
Your goals and activity levels require you to eat more protein. Even after you convert grams to calories, you may find that your suggested protein intake is high (above 30%) and fat is a bit low for keto (less than 60%). This commonly happens for keto dieters who lift weights and won’t impair your progress with the keto diet.

The only problem that high protein intake can cause, however, is lower levels of ketone production. If this is the case for you and you want to maintain a higher level of ketosis, then try decreasing your protein intake to the lower end of the recommended range or restricting carbs a bit more.

In general, as long as you are restricting carbs enough and eating the right amount of protein for your body composition goals and activity levels, you should be able to get all of the benefits of the keto diet — even if your macro percentages don’t fit precisely into the recommended keto percentages.

Why does your keto calculator only calculate net carbs?

Total carbs is not a precise indicator of the carb content of a food. When you see “total carbs” on a food label, the number beside it represents the cumulative total of grams of dietary fiber, sugar, and sugar alcohol that are in that food item or beverage. Net carb content, on the other hand, relates to the carb content of the food that is digested at four calories per gram and impacts your ketones levels.

By giving you your suggested carb consumption in net carbs, we are providing you with the most direct way of knowing how many carbs you need to eat to enter ketosis. Any dietary fiber or sugar alcohol that is added on top of that will usually have a little to no direct effect on your ketone levels and body composition.

For example, if we told you to eat 50 total carbs rather than 20-30 grams of net carbs, you could be eating anywhere between 0 and 50 grams of net carbs. At 0 grams of net carbs, most people will get into ketosis within the first week and experience deeper levels of ketosis as the weeks progress. On the other hand, while eating 50 grams of net carbs per day, many people will struggle to get into ketosis and sustain higher ketone levels.

By following a strict net carb limit, you will know exactly what you need to eat to get into ketosis reliably and what variable you should change if you want to stimulate more ketone production.

(Note: If you live in Europe, Australia, or Oceania, the carb content on the label reflects the net carbs in a serving of that food, so you will not have to subtract fiber from that number because it already has been done.)

Does your calculator have a fiber intake option?

Our keto calculator will only tell you your suggested carb, fat, and protein intake. The general recommendation for fiber intake is 14 grams per 1,000 calories consumed. The simplest way to meet your daily fiber needs are by eating more low carb vegetables, having some keto bread with your meals, or taking fiber supplements.

If you find that your fiber needs are difficult to meet with your current net carb limit, then simply eat enough fiber so that you have regular bowel movements one or more times a day.

What should I do after I use your keto macro calculator?

Once you get an estimate for your keto macros with our keto calculator, we recommend checking out our keto guide, keto recipes, keto food list, carb tracking guide, and our other keto blog posts.

Click on this link to check out our keto recipe catalog (with new keto recipes added every week). This will give you a good idea of what you can eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert while you are keto dieting. I also suggest checking out our keto food list so you have a better idea of what you should and shouldn’t eat.

Once you know what you will be eating on keto, you will probably be wondering how much of you should eat for each meal. Since meal size depends on the individual and his/her goals, we recommend using a calorie tracking app and our carb tracking guide to help you figure out the macronutrient content of your meals. As you track your macros, you will be able to figure out what adjusts you need to make to your diet to reach your goals.

How do I meet my macros with a ketogenic diet?

The simplest way to meet your macros is by cutting out non-keto foods and eating keto-friendly foods. Here’s a brief food list for you to start with:

Do Not Eat

Grains – wheat, corn, rice, cereal, etc.
Sugar – honey, agave, maple syrup, etc.
Fruit – apples, bananas, oranges, etc.
Tubers – potato, yams, etc.

Do Eat

Meats – fish, beef, lamb, poultry, eggs, etc.
Low Carb Vegetables – broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, kale, and other low carb vegetables >
High Fat Dairy – hard cheeses, high fat cream, butter, etc.
Nuts and seeds – macadamias, walnuts, sunflower seeds, etc.
Avocado and berries – raspberries, blackberries, and other low glycemic impact berries
Sweeteners – stevia, erythritol, monk fruit, and other low-carb sweeteners >
Other fats – coconut oil, high-fat salad dressing, saturated fats, etc.

To see more specific advice on how to meet your macros on keto, click here for a comprehensive keto food list. Or, if you want a different idea of how to get to these macro calculations, you can also see our 14 Day Keto Diet Plan for ideas.

If you are looking for more specific suggestions on how to meet your protein and/or fat needs on keto, we will explore that in greater detail in the next two questions.

How do I reach the protein intake level that was recommended?

The easiest way to meet your protein needs is by making sure you are consuming a good protein source at each meal. Here is a list of some of the most common protein sources you can add to your keto meals:

Wild Caught Fatty Fish
Shellfish
Whole Eggs
Red Meat
Pork
Poultry
Organ Meat
Other Less Common Meats
Bacon and Sausage (without any added sugar, maltodextrin, or dextrose)
Nut Butter
Higher Protein Cheeses
Low Carb Protein Powders

Most keto dieters will be able to meet their protein needs with 2-3 keto meals that contain one or more of these protein sources. If keto recipes aren’t enough to help you meet your protein needs, all you need to do is add one of the high protein foods from the list above.

Here are a couple of examples:

To add as much protein as possible with minimal calories and fat:

Add an unflavored protein powder to your keto sauce or dressing. (caution: this may change the thickness of your sauce or dressing)
Add white meat chicken, turkey, or other lean meats or fish to your meal.
Have egg whites with your meal.
Make a quick protein shake with a low carb protein powder.

To add extra protein and fat to your meal:

Add higher fat meats like bacon, sausage, and fattier cuts of meat to your meals.
Have whole eggs with your meal.
Add extra high protein cheese (e.g., parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese) to your meal.
Have some high protein nuts and nut butters (e.g., almond butter, peanut butter).

For more high protein and/or high fat keto meal ideas, check out our keto recipes. Dishes that feature seafood or meat will typically have the highest protein content.

How do I eat all of the fat that the keto calculator recommends?

When you are first starting the keto diet, eating so much fat may seem like a daunting task.

How are you supposed to consume all of that fat and enjoy it at the same time? By knowing what keto-friendly options are available to you.

Here are some high-fat keto foods that you can eat to meet your fat needs:

Fatty Fish
High-fat Meats (such as pepperoni and bacon)
High-fat Cheese (like mascarpone and cream cheese)
Animal Fat (non-hydrogenated)
Lard
Tallow
Avocados
Egg Yolks
High-fat Nuts (like macadamia nuts, brazil nuts, and pecans)
Butter/Ghee
Mayonnaise
Coconut Butter
Cocoa Butter
Olive Oil
Coconut Oil
Avocado Oil
Macadamia Oil
MCT Oil
Heavy Cream
Sour Cream
Fat Bombs

To meet your macros most efficiently, try combining high protein with high-fat foods or have foods that are both high in protein and fat at every meal. For example, having a fatty fish or fatty cut of meat with high-protein cheese (and low carb vegetables) is a simple and easy way to have a keto-friendly meal that will help you meet your protein and fat needs. On the other hand, if you just want to increase your fat intake, then find ways to add oil, animal fats, butter, fat bombs, and/or high-fat cheeses to your meals or snacks.

Here are some specific examples for you:

To add more fat and protein to your meals:

Add higher fat meats like bacon, pepperoni, and fattier cuts of meat to your meals.
Have whole eggs or egg yolks with your meal.
Add extra high protein cheese (e.g., parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese) to your meal.
Have a keto milkshake or smoothie (with extra MCT oil if needed):

To add as much fat as possible to your diet:

Top your meals with high fat, low protein dairy like mascarpone cheese, heavy cream based sauce, or cream cheese.
Add sliced avocado to your meals or have it as a snack.
Have fat bombs whenever you are running low on fat.
Top off your meal with extra oil or animal fat.
Have high-fat nuts like macadamia nuts, brazil nuts, and pecans.
Add your favorite keto dressings when appropriate.
Here are some of our favorite high-fat keto dressings:

For more high fat and/or high protein keto meal and snack ideas, check out our keto recipes.

How do I track my net carbs?

The simplest way to make sure you are limiting carbs enough is by using an app like Cronometer that calculates net carbs for you. In our guide to carb tracking on keto, we teach you how to configure Cronometer (and MyFitnessPal) for keto diet success.

You can also track net carbs by calculating them yourself and adding them up throughout the day. If you need help finding the net carbs in the foods you are eating, read through this quick post.

Comments

kiki says

August 31, 2014 at 9:49 pm

Hiya Craig,

I have downloaded the 30-day guide and read through to get tips before I start. I have a few questions about my calculations in the keto calculator. I am 5’4 at 196lbs 🙁 coming form 133 about a year and more ago. 🙁 I will like to get back down and be at 130, so I have 66pounds to shed off (LONG JOURNEY!)
I estimated visually that my body fat percentage is at 44%..picked the last number in the range as it was between 34-44% i think.

At 44% fat and 20% deficit it gave me 1910 which seems so high but i was willing to do it. Then i played around with the deficit part taking it from 20 to 25% and it brought my calories down to 1790:
1790 kcal Daily Calorie Intake at 20% deficit
20 g Net Carbs (4%, 80 kcal)
88 g Protein (18%, 352 kcal)
164 g Fat (77%, 1478 kcal)

1790 kcal Daily Calorie Intake at 25% deficit
20 g Net Carbs (4%, 80 kcal)
88 g Protein (20%, 352 kcal)
151 g Fat (76%, 1359 kcal)

Can I use the 25% deficit or is it okay if I push it to 30% deficit. I’m going to struggle to eat up to the calories i think. Plus I need to use up this fat in my body 🙂

Thanks!

P/S: I pace walk for 30minutes and take kickboxing class for an hour, 4 times a week. and I strength train or will be strength training 2-3days a week during the 4days.

Reply
- Craig says
  
  September 1, 2014 at 10:58 am
  
  With the amount of exercise you’re going to be doing, I wouldn’t take yourself past a 20% deficit. It sounds like you’re going to be in the gym 7 days a week – so I’d suggest staying at 20% (or even reducing to 15%). I think once you’re starting to exercise more and you become keto adapted, you’ll notice a change in your hunger levels.
  
  Reply
  - kiki says
    
    September 1, 2014 at 7:29 pm
    
    Hiya Craig,
    
    Thank you for the response. I will actually work out 4 times a week on average but will go with the 20% as you stated. Today was day 1 and my deficit was too high. I barely made 1000 calories. I’m going to love writing down what I eat because it seems im always eating this bad. I didn’t make up to the required fat or carb and exceeded my protein by 31. I actually wil stick close to your menu and not try to create my own till i get used to the life style.
    
    Thanks again!
    
    Reply
    - Craig says
      
      September 2, 2014 at 9:18 am
      
      Sounds good Kiki,
      
      If you find that your normal eating habits are severely calorie restricted, then I suggest working your calorie range up slowly. This is a normal sign of a damaged metabolism (when you’re not hungry, but you’re not eating much). Working your way up is a good way to not put weight on, rather than forcing yourself to eat a lot more than you’re used to and shocking your metabolism (which may result in weight gain).
      
      You’ll definitely want to keep an eye on protein because too much protein = not in ketosis.
      
      Hope that helps!
      
      Reply
      - Kiki says
        
        September 3, 2014 at 5:27 pm
        
        Thanks Craigs!
        
        This was very helpful! I will slowly work my way up the calories. I will also watch my protein. Its so easy to load up on proteins when you cut the carbs but I will def cut that down.
        
        Thanks again!
      - Craig says
        
        September 4, 2014 at 2:13 pm
        
        Sure thing, let me know how it goes!
Dany says

September 1, 2014 at 9:01 pm

Hi Craig,

Been doing Keto for 2 weeks (1400 calories, 20 g carbs, 88 protein, 109 fats): lost 4.5 lbs, went on the road and even though I didn’t cheat very much at all gained 3 back upon my return…water weight or am I too low on calories?

Anyway, I’m 5’1″, 123 probably 23% body fat (maybe a little lower). I lift 3 days a week for 30/40 minutes and do cardio 3 days a week (usually some tabata intervals followed by moderate cardio for the remaining time). In the summer I hike on the weekend too.

My goal is to lose body fat and keep my muscle. I put lightly active because I sit in front of a computer all day, so not much activity outside of my workouts. I just recalculated my macros using 1.0 g of protein since I really don’t want to lose muscle (in fact I would like to gain that). The numbers come out to: 1485 calories, 20 carbs, 95 protein, 114 fat.

Given that my main goal is to lose fat (and get more cut), and the fact that I regained that weight so fast…am I doing something wrong? Should I decrease protein, increase calories? I have to admit I’m constantly hungry but I’m afraid I won’t lose anything if I increase calories.

Thanks for your help

Reply
- Craig says
  
  September 2, 2014 at 9:22 am
  
  Dany,
  
  The calorie counts sound low to me for what you’re describing activity wise. I would suggest recalculating with a more accurate count on your exercise. Since you’re already so small, also, you shouldn’t be using a 20% deficit – probably something closer to 10% or 15% at the max. At lower weight/bodyfat amounts, our body doesn’t have large fat stores that it can dig into for energy, so you have to reduce your deficit.
  
  Other than that, have you been tracking everything you eat? That’s usually one of the biggest factors.
  
  Hope that helps.
  
  Reply
  - Dany says
    
    September 2, 2014 at 10:11 am
    
    Hi Craig, yes I track everything using MyFitnessPal. Now I’m just stuck on the +2 lbs and can’t seem to shake it (so I basically only lost 3 lbs and my measurements have increased slightly – I take waist, hips and bicep). So frustrating and I’m afraid increasing cals will go against me given what happened to me by being on the road and not being able to track macros.
    
    I will try with at 15% deficit but should I also lower the protein intake from 1.0?
    
    As far as calculating the exercise, I really don’t know how many calories I burn (the machines at the gym are notoriously inaccurate) so should I just use the “Moderately active category” in your calculator? I don’t have an active day job but that might account better for the level of exercise I have?
    
    Reply
    - Craig says
      
      September 2, 2014 at 10:16 am
      
      Well, you will have to do some slight experimentation to see what works best for you. Having a heart rate monitor will help a lot in the amount of calories you burn, but if you’re just using what the calculator gives you, then experimentation would probably be key. It did, by the sounds of it, seem that your calories were very low, though.
      
      Reply
Ellonda says

September 2, 2014 at 3:23 pm

Hi Craig! I need help. I’ve lost some weight (22.5 pounds in 11 weeks) but I started working out and haven’t lost a pound in 3 weeks. I actually went up 3 pounds. It was suggested that I redo my macos. I’ve looked at 3 different calculators and each has me a WAY diff caloric intake. You helped me with this before. Right now and for the past month or so I’ve been eating 1565 calories and 80/15/5. I’ve been working out with HIIT daily for the past 2.3 weeks. My bootcamp ends on Friday, but I walk 40 min each day to walk (20 in the am, 20 in the pm) and I plan to work out, at least 3 days a week, 30 min. What should me new macros be? Should I change them to get better results?

I’m female, b-day 9/10/1983, 252lbs (lowest weight since 8/9/14). HELP ASAP! Thanks!!!!

Reply
- Craig says
  
  September 3, 2014 at 10:31 am
  
  Ellonda,
  
  Sounds like your macros should be higher. I would prefer for you to read through all the options and try to figure out how you can calculate your own macros, though. It’s not too difficult if you read through each section carefully.
  
  Reply
- Connie Palmarine Condra says
  
  November 14, 2017 at 3:52 pm
  
  Muscle weighs more than fat and you may be replacing fat with muscle through exercise. Scales are not the be all and end all. Has your body mass changed? How do your clothes fit. Have you gone down in size? What are your measurements? Have they changed (as in smaller) since you started exercising? Consider these questions before you panic.
  
  Reply
  - Gwen Hartford Seaver says
    
    February 18, 2018 at 8:20 pm
    
    Just a reminder… a pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat… a pound is a pound… the difference is that fat takes up more volume… don’t go by the scale. Go by how you feel, how your clothes are fitting and inches lost ? that scale can be an enemy!
    
    Reply
Sharon says

September 3, 2014 at 8:47 am

Please help! I am not sure how to figure this!???? I am 4ft. 10. and weigh 117..What are my marcos for losing weight? 1413 calories sounds a lot? Am I wrong? Help please!

Reply
- Craig says
  
  September 3, 2014 at 10:28 am
  
  Sharon, those macros sound about right. If you’re not used to eating so much, I suggest building your way up and seeing how comfortable you are. Building up your eating habits is better done over time rather than at once in order to not shock your metabolism.
  
  Reply
srihari says

September 5, 2014 at 8:57 am

Hi There,

I have a few questions.

I am a vegetarian trying to do a Keto diet.

1) My main source of FATS are NUTS, FLAXSEED OIL, COCONUT OIL.
2) In terms of carbs I am not eating a lot of carbs but my carb counts are only the carbs in nuts and protein shakes.
3) My main source of protein is protein shakes.

My bodyweight is 84KG and I am 27% body fat and my aim is to drop bodyfat and build muscle

My workout is Low to Moderate Intensity weight training and 20 mins of HIIT after each weight training session (except leg day)
In the evening I throw in another HIIT session for 30 mins. I am not really able to calculate the amount of calories burned in these 2 session. I am loosing KG weight in a week.

My Macros are as follows.

grams percentage
Protein 133 26
Carbs 60 12 ( I am trying to get it to 50g but not happening due to hidden carbs in other foods)
Fats 140 62

Once a week I make a high carb day where anything goes( crisps, pizza, chocolate, gummy bears etc)

I calculated this in a different method but will use your calculator to get the new baseline next week.

My question is

1) Do the carbs in the nuts count towards Keto? My guess is it does, but correct me if I am wrong.
2) Does the Post workout Carbs count? (I am experimenting with both Low and High GI carbs after workout to see what works best. I am tyring low GI so that there is not a huge insulin spike which may be counterproductive to fat burning mode)?
3) Also do the calorie baseline look fine I am going into sever deficit?
4) Also is it ok to have that one day where anything goes?

Thanks for taking the time in reading my post and answering 🙂

Reply
- Craig says
  
  September 5, 2014 at 2:11 pm
  
  The protein is far too high on the other calculator. I won’t really advise on that since you’re using a different calculator than this one. To answer your questions:
  
  1. Yes, carbs in everything count toward your totals.
  2. Yes, post workout carbs still count. All carbs count.
  3. I don’t know what your TDEE is, so I can’t determine your calorie deficit myself. I suggest not going past 20% if you’re working out.
  4. I personally don’t like to support TKD upfront, and by the way you describe it, it’s not properly executed CKD. So, I suggest reading up on that if you plan to take it seriously. As for the CKD itself, I suggest trying SKD before taking a higher carb route. It usually does the trick for most people.
  
  Reply
C. says

September 7, 2014 at 5:10 pm

Thanks for a great website. I am 5’1″, 115 lbs (22%BF). 50 y/o. Active 5-6 day/wk. Mix of cardio, weights, HIIT. Exploring keto to help reduce risk for blood sugar issues in future and feel better during intense workouts. In my 30-40’s I was an endurance runner and became quite a carbavore. Finding it very hard to stay keto. 4-5 days to get into keto and then I get huge cravings and fall off the wagon. Never saw myself as a weak-willed person, but this is quite discouraging. My goal is to lose 10 lbs to a weight I felt very healthy at. Per the calculator, I get to have 1649 kcals. This is very high for me, historically as a carb-eater. Any insights/suggestions? Would love to hear what craving buster tips are available. thanks for great info!

Reply
- Craig says
  
  September 7, 2014 at 6:12 pm
  
  C,
  
  If you want it to be easy/laid out for you, I have the keto academy available for purchase (very close to the macros you got from the calculator). You could check that out here if you wanted to: //www.ruled.me/keto-academy/
  
  Reply
Mike says

September 16, 2014 at 3:16 am

For some reason the calculator is not allowing me to enter in all my information. I am trying to find out my macros, as it changes on a few apps i have tried. I am 76cm, 243lbs, about 23% bmi. I have been trying to do 100p/100f/20c plan. I am not sure how far I am off, as like i said, i keep getting diffrent calculations.

Thanks in advance, alot of helpful stuff on your site.

Reply
- Craig says
  
  September 16, 2014 at 9:30 am
  
  Mike,
  
  Try to let to calculator load for a few extra seconds before inputting any information. What I would suggest is finding your body fat percentage (this is different than BMI). This will allow you to use the calculator properly. Currently, your protein seems high and fat seems low – but I can’t really comment much more without knowing more information.
  
  Hope that helps,
  Craig
  
  Reply
Dena Morales says

September 22, 2014 at 5:51 am

Too I need to watch out for consuming too few carbs?

Reply
- [email protected] says
  
  September 22, 2014 at 10:06 am
  
  You don’t necessarily need to worry about eating too few carbs, but your days should have some carbs in from leafy green vegetables. You should still consume some vegetables for the micronutrients (unless you are eating organ meats, or supplementing the micronutrients with vitamins).
  
  Reply
- Dorothy Lantz says
  
  May 28, 2018 at 3:46 am
  
  if u do u probly should watch ur fiber
  
  Reply
Pepper Culpepper says

October 5, 2014 at 8:43 am

I’m so happy I found this site. I was trying to calculate all this stuff with pen, paper and calculator and I really only had a basic idea of where to start. Today is day 1 and I’m looking to lose 40lbs in 6 months and I know this is the way to achieve that goal.

Reply
- ruledme says
  
  October 5, 2014 at 2:47 pm
  
  Well I definitely hope you have success – if you ever have questions feel free to ask 🙂
  
  Reply
[email protected] says

October 5, 2014 at 2:47 pm

Well I definitely hope you have success – if you ever have questions feel free to ask 🙂

Reply
Zuhal says

October 18, 2014 at 12:53 am

Hey Craig! I have had alot of trouble with keeping my weight where i want it to be, currently im 5″4, weight 129lbs, im 17 and my body fat % is around 23-24 ish. Before seeing your blog, I was on a strict paleo “life style” for a good year, I lost weight and reached the lowest and healthiest weight for me which was 120, but it slowly crept back up. Then i heard about the keto diet and did some research and your web page came up! So happy i found it 🙂 Im on my 5th day of keto and I eat about 1300 calories daily, I run for about 20 minutes then do a little bit of mat workouts for another 15 min daily. and when I calculated my needs, it seems like a bit much, around 1765 calories.. 20 carbs, 59 protein, and 161 fats.. Im not sure if its because of the fact that im not an adult yet or if its just too high, I already have trouble reaching 1200 never mind 1765.. I want to lose at least another 10 or 12 pounds and get down to around 15% body fat, any suggestions? Your website is amazing btw 🙂 Thanx!

Reply
- [email protected] says
  
  October 18, 2014 at 10:21 am
  
  Thanks Zuhal! You could try working your way up to a higher calorie limit over time. Generally if you’ve been on low calorie for a long time (1300 does sound low to me), your metabolism has countered that by slowing down slightly, which is why you may be having trouble going higher. Usually I recommend building up the calorie intake over a month long process, so you don’t shock your metabolism and gain weight in the beginning.
  
  Reply
Karen says

November 7, 2014 at 4:37 pm

Hi, I did a high protein, low carb diet before but found it caused constipation! How do you counter that on this diet please? 😉

Reply
- [email protected] says
  
  November 8, 2014 at 10:57 pm
  
  Karen, there’s a Keto FAQ post on this for that very reason 🙂
  
  Reply
Beata says

November 13, 2014 at 5:00 am

Hello. Just wondering what the ideal Keto level is for weight loss? Thanks:)

Reply
- [email protected] says
  
  November 13, 2014 at 8:52 pm
  
  Beata, there’s a Keto FAQ post on this site for that very reason. Feel free to search “FAQ” at the top of the site.
  
  Reply
Rustin says

December 2, 2014 at 8:34 am

Craig,
I strength train 5 days/week. Is there a certain level of protein that I could consume in one sitting that would kick me out of ketosis? I still keep my macros about 75/25 with only about 15-20g carb but I’m trying to limit insulin spikes from too much protein at once. Thanks.

Reply
- [email protected] says
  
  December 3, 2014 at 10:16 am
  
  I’d say keep protein under 45g per meal to limit insulin spikes. You should be fine with that 🙂
  
  Reply
fai says

December 19, 2014 at 1:23 pm

Hello, just found this website days back. Thanks for the help and information. My calorie need seems to be 2214. I am 5’2” , weighing 202 lbs. I want to loose 80+ lbs to come to normal weight range for my height. I work out 4-5 days a week for 1 hour. 20 net carb, 67 protein,207 fat counts. never ate this much calorie, I really do not want to fail. Frustrated of failing. Guess needed some affirmation that the count is ok. Thanks in advance.

Reply
- [email protected] says
  
  December 22, 2014 at 12:41 pm
  
  Sounds about right – but if you simple can’t eat that much, then don’t force it. If you feel full then leave it be and let your metabolism work itself out.
  
  Reply
Nate says

January 9, 2015 at 10:00 pm

So I’m a 31 year old male. Good athlete. I’m probably at 20% body fat wanna get down to 10% seriously. I weigh 200lbs. The calculator says I should eat 2558Cal, 233Fat, 96Pro and 20Carb
I’m eating more like 1585Cal, 123Fat, 93Pro, 20Carb…
I feel like there’s no way I could eat another 1,000 Cal and 100 Fat… What should I do…I’m I okay with where I’m at??

Reply
- [email protected] says
  
  January 12, 2015 at 12:20 pm
  
  If you’re not seeing performance drops from your current eating then it’s not a big deal. You may lose some weight, but you also may gain higher appetite back over time.
  
  Reply
Helen says

January 16, 2015 at 10:18 am

does this mean I can eat 1147 calories in a day? 574
kcal Daily Calorie Intake

20
g Net Carbs (14%, 80 kcal)

8
g Protein (6%, 32 kcal)

51
g Fat (80%, 461 kcal)

Reply
- [email protected] says
  
  January 16, 2015 at 4:01 pm
  
  I’d need to know your actual weight and bodyfat percentage. 1147 seems low, and 547 seems like you may have input something incorrectly into the calculator.
  
  Reply
Brandon says

January 20, 2015 at 10:21 pm

Hi Craig, love the site. It’s providing much needed guidance while I embark on this new journey into Ketosis. I am 6″1 and weigh 210 lbs. I am at 18% body fat. My goal is different then most of those writing. I’m trying to slap on muscle mass. Im just not sure if I’m getting enough calories thus far. I lift heavy at least 4 days a week with 2 cardio days. Your calculator has me well over 4,500 calories. It’s difficult. I feel so full by the end of the day. Do I really need that many calories to see lean muscle growth? And is 1.2 grams per pound of body weight enough protein? Thanks for your time and the info,
Brandon

Reply
- [email protected] says
  
  February 1, 2015 at 12:48 pm
  
  Brandon,
  I’d say that is enough protein. As far as the calories go, I’d say just don’t force it. If you’re feeling over-fed, then don’t worry too much about it. You typically want to be at a surplus, but if you’re finding it difficult, tone down and readjust.
  
  Reply
Jessica says

January 22, 2015 at 2:22 am

1650kcal Daily Calorie Intake
20g Net Carbs (5%, 80 kcal)
77g Protein (19%, 309 kcal)
140g Fat (76%, 1262 kcal)

The numbers above are what the calculator gave me, but other sites have told me to eat between 1200-1300 calories a day. I am 5’9, 25 years old and weigh 234 pounds. Help would be appreciated.

Reply
- [email protected] says
  
  February 1, 2015 at 12:42 pm
  
  Jessica,
  Many other sites give larger deficits when it comes to calculating macros. So, it really depends on how you feel. I’d suggest start with the larger numbers and reduce as you see fit depending on how your body (and stomach) feel.
  
  Reply
  - Jessica says
    
    February 6, 2015 at 2:20 am
    
    Hi Craig,
    I’ve been following your 30 day plan, but feel like I am gaining weight. The program follows the same amount of calories I’m allowed to eat, which is why I don’t understand. I have noticed that I am not able to finish all the meals at times and I’m only getting the carbs from vegetables. Please help.
    
    Reply
    - [email protected] says
      
      February 6, 2015 at 9:59 am
      
      If you’ve only been following it for a few days then I’d keep up with it for at least 2 weeks. Make sure you’re drinking enough water and make sure you’re supplementing with vitamins if you need to be.
      
      Reply
      - Jessica says
        
        February 6, 2015 at 12:15 pm
        
        I’m on week 2 right now and bought magnesium to take as well, which has helped. I drink about six 16.9oz water bottles. How much do you recommend drinking?
      - [email protected] says
        
        February 6, 2015 at 1:01 pm
        
        I’d recommend one more 17oz. water bottle on top of that. Hopefully things will settle as you continue on.
Kurt Killens says

January 26, 2015 at 8:38 am

So, say I need to hit the 2kcal mark per day. How should I modify this in order to account for the extra calories? Is breakfast better to add to? Or lunch? etc.

Also, just wanted to say thanks! I’ll definitely be donating come payday (1st) as well as buying the keto-fied book and keto academy!

Reply
- [email protected] says
  
  February 1, 2015 at 12:30 pm
  
  Hey Kurt,
  Generally timing doesn’t matter to be honest. You can add it to any meal you want – preferably the one you’re hungriest at. Most newer studies on nutrient timing will agree that it doesn’t matter as much as we once thought.
  
  Reply
ruledme says

February 1, 2015 at 12:30 pm

Hey Kurt,
Generally timing doesn’t matter to be honest. You can add it to any meal you want – preferably the one you’re hungriest at. Most newer studies on nutrient timing will agree that it doesn’t matter as much as we once thought.

Reply
ruledme says

February 1, 2015 at 12:42 pm

Jessica,
Many other sites give larger deficits when it comes to calculating macros. So, it really depends on how you feel. I’d suggest start with the larger numbers and reduce as you see fit depending on how your body (and stomach) feel.

Reply
- Jessica says
  
  February 2, 2015 at 12:02 pm
  
  Thank you Craig. I’m following your 30 day meal plans and so far its helped with the structure of what to eat. After that I plan on buying the academy.
  
  Reply
ruledme says

February 1, 2015 at 12:48 pm

Brandon,
I’d say that is enough protein. As far as the calories go, I’d say just don’t force it. If you’re feeling over-fed, then don’t worry too much about it. You typically want to be at a surplus, but if you’re finding it difficult, tone down and readjust.

Reply
Jaspreet Singh says

February 4, 2015 at 12:29 pm

Hello, I am 5’7”, 32 year old male. I went from 215 to 190 in 3 months. Thanks to Keto diet. My macros has been 75/20/5 with 1700cal per day. I have been working out very lightly. Usually 2-3 days a week. I am having problem with the every level at gym. I can’t lift that much, and I feel my muscles are giving up on me. What can I do to change that. I would like to be on keto and drop body fat to about 15%. I was also thinking of going off keto to see if I can lift more.

Reply
- [email protected] says
  
  February 6, 2015 at 10:07 am
  
  If you feel like your muscles are giving up on you, take a look into TKD and CKD. Generally they will help out if your having problems with lifting and don’t feel like you’re getting the pump you used to.
  
  Reply
Skylar says

February 4, 2015 at 1:28 pm

I have an 8-5 desk job so I consider myself “sedentary.”

My workouts vary during the week but this outline stays the same:
Mon: hour heavy lifting, hour cardio bag
Tues: hour heavy lifting, hour pilates
Wed: hour yoga
Thurs: 45 min HIIT, hour yoga
Fri: hour heavy lifting
Sat: either long bike ride (tri bike) or hour heavy lifting

Do I fill out the “exercise” information above for each individual need and have different macros every day?
I’ve always been an athletic, in-shape fat girl. Desperate to finally lose the fat.
Thank you in advance!

Reply
- [email protected] says
  
  February 6, 2015 at 10:05 am
  
  I replied to you via e-mail on this comment.
  
  Reply
Tim Kelly says

February 9, 2015 at 9:13 pm

Hello Craig,

Im having some issues with getting the calculator to do anything. I put in the numbers but nothing seems to calculate. As far as I can see there isn’t a button I am missing. Could you let me know if you have any ideas what may be the issue?

Thanks

Reply
- [email protected] says
  
  February 15, 2015 at 10:36 am
  
  Tim, try clearing your internet cache and then refreshing the page. You can do this by pressing ctrl+f5. Sometimes it can take a second for it to work properly, but once all of the social media icons have loaded (with the amount of shares), it should work fine. Sometimes there are elements of the javascript file being blocked.
  
  Reply
Tom Kerr says

February 10, 2015 at 5:25 am

Hello, I am a short arse male standing at 5 foot bang on. I am 22 years old. I weigh 53kg and my body fat is roughly 17%. I lead a sedentary lifestyle. Resistance training 4-5 days a week for 45 minutes plus walking the dog for 45-60 minutes 6 days a week. I need help with my macros. It states on here and the keto calculator I should be aiming for 1,338 cals per day to lose weight? Can some advise me please?

Tom

Reply
- [email protected] says
  
  February 15, 2015 at 10:37 am
  
  Tom, make sure that you are correctly inputting the amount of exercise you are doing. I would consider you lightly active, rather than sedentary.
  
  Reply
Seva Martin says

February 18, 2015 at 12:42 am

Hey there, I am wanting to know why my macros are so high. I am 24, 6’10” and weight 111kg. I workout almost every day and do cardio for my football. I am looking to increase mass and lose a little more body fat as I am currently ~20%.

4707kcal Daily Calorie Intake
30g Net Carbs (3%, 120 kcal)
235g Protein (20%, 940 kcal)
405g Fat (77%, 3647 kcal)

What should i change in this?
Thanks!

Reply
- [email protected] says
  
  February 20, 2015 at 9:38 am
  
  Seva,
  
  Typically putting on mass while losing bodyfat is difficult. Not many can do it and would require you to be very close to your maintenance calories after your exercise is factored in. I am guessing that it may be high due to the amount of exercise you do.
  
  Reply
Tina Cox says

February 22, 2015 at 12:17 pm

Oh wow – If I reduce 30 percent – my calculations come out to the amount below:

That sure seems like a lot of calories to eat. I started out doing Atkins and lost 20 pounds in the last 2 months – but I’ve been stuck for about 3 weeks now – up and down with the same 3 pounds. I was planning to restrict my calories even further to about 1400/day – but will that hurt progress rather than help? I’m trying to education myself on Keto – but I feel overwhelmed and every calculator seems to be a little different. I sit all day at work – however I do try to get up every hour and do some squats/wall pushups/ or walk around a bit. I’m trying to get in 2-3 miles e/o day of walking (40-60 minutes), and adding 2-3 days of body pump a week. I’m not sure if that’s considered Lightly or Moderately active.

Thanks much for the input/education.

1716kcal Daily Calorie Intake20g Net Carbs (5%, 80 kcal)82g Protein (19%, 329 kcal)145g Fat (76%, 1306 kcal)

Reply
- [email protected] says
  
  March 5, 2015 at 12:45 pm
  
  If you’re doing 60 minutes a day, I’d definitely consider that moderate. The calorie input you put looks fine to me, but I’d also judge it based off of your hunger. Your body is good at telling you if you’ve had enough or not 🙂
  
  Reply
Richard says

March 10, 2015 at 11:13 am

I think that you should really, really consider the significance of this calculator being accurate.
Lots of people’s time , hopes and psychological well being is being dictated by a program that
seems to be giving abnormally high caloric freedom. We all give up a lot to diet and exercise.
Family time, relaxation time and time needed to complete our daily tasks, which in turn adds more pressure on us to get more done in less time , with less calories and still have the same if not more responsibilities. I have been tested using state of the art boy fat measuring devices.
I was a few months back down to 10.4 % body fat @ 187 lbs. I recently hurt my knee and have
refrained from exercise but have been just recently cleared to continue a work out plan.
I want to drop down to at least 12% body fat before strength training again. Currently I do an hour of slow cardio a day burning 10 calories a minute so that’s 600 calories at the end of an elliptical training season. I used a heart rate monitor on all the elliptical machines at my gym so I know which ones are most accurate comparing the heart monitor read out to the elliptical dashboard readings. I’m 69 inches tall and weigh about 180 lbs. right now and I’m consuming 1760 calories a day. My partition profile is:

protein 180 grams = 720 calories
fat 96 grams = 960 calories
carbs 20 grams = 80 calories
===========================
296 grams 1760 cals.

As mentioned above I’m exercising burning 600 calories a day 7 days a week so that’s 4200 calorie deficit alone from exercise. I believe my TEE ( an average of both Mifflin-ST Jeor and
Katch-McArdle) to be around 2041 during my cutting phase and about 2551 while bulking.
Right now I’m cutting so the 1760 is working great for me. However according to your calculator I would need to eat an additional 1091 calories for a cutting diet?
This sounds way, way to high considering my fat free mass and body fat%.
With all of the facts giving above can you please advice me on the proper nutritional as well as
exercise plan using a intake of carbs less than 50 grams per day. I’m usually more around 20 grams per day. But I’m a tyro when it comes to very low carb diets and their effects on the
sympathetic nervous system and it’s effects on fat re-uptake inhibitors directly build into the fat
cells. Any help in answering this these questions will go a long way in helping others also.
Sorry for the long winded questions but like I said in the introduction of this post we all are
working hard and we take this calculation with lots of blood, sweat and tears as we try to transform our bodies. Thank you so much for your time and patience but this is very important to lots of people trying to do the right thing and just facing obstacle after obstacle.
Thanks

Reply
- [email protected] says
  
  March 13, 2015 at 4:37 pm
  
  If you’re using the exact amount burned via heart rate monitor, be sure to put sedentary down on the list, and then fill in the exercise section. This should help with the calorie base. I do agree, if you’re eating too much dietary fat, you won’t be able to cut via body fat.
  
  As far as the sympathetic nervous system, there were a few studies/reviews done that debunked a lot of the rumors going around. I’ll hopefully be able to write an article on this in the next few weeks.
  
  Reply
ruledme says

March 13, 2015 at 4:37 pm

If you’re using the exact amount burned via heart rate monitor, be sure to put sedentary down on the list, and then fill in the exercise section. This should help with the calorie base. I do agree, if you’re eating too much dietary fat, you won’t be able to cut via body fat.

As far as the sympathetic nervous system, there were a few studies/reviews done that debunked a lot of the rumors going around. I’ll hopefully be able to write an article on this in the next few weeks.

Reply
Natalie Anderson says

March 13, 2015 at 7:10 pm

Hi Craig, I am lost on amounts.
204 g of fat? i did the calculator twice and still got that much. Is it even possible to eat 20g carbs/73g protein and that much fat? other than eating a stick of butter how would I do this?

Reply
Toni Jordan says

April 5, 2015 at 3:50 pm

HI Craig! My husband and I are starting keto today,and I have but one question we have a 10 year old daughter who is very active in sports this time of year. She does not need to loose any weight at all but does need to gain muscle mass. will she be alright eating the same menu as us. We calculated her Numbers and they are very close to mine. She has never liked any type of soda and always drinks water so, the way I see it that is half the battle. Thank you so much for website!

Reply
phaed says

April 19, 2015 at 3:30 am

I need help with this calculator. I work from home and I’m basically sitting all day. But I work out very heavy weights for 120 minutes 3 times a week. So do I check “sedentary”? Or do I check “moderate” exercise? If I check “moderate” it gives me more kcal burnt, but wouldn’t me adding in the specific minutes in the exercise section be effectively adding in this exercise twice? But If I check “sedentary”, then fill in the exercise section with the stuff I do to add the calories burnt, which seems to me the way it should be, why does the activity level section mention exercise? I’m confused at what to do here, can anyone shine some light on this?

Reply
marie says

April 21, 2015 at 3:33 pm

Hi Craig, I understand all of this and it makes so much sense, except how should I break down my fats? Of the 129 grams I should be eating how many grams of saturated, polyunsat, and monounsat? I was raised to belive that saturated fat is bad but I know that you need some I’m just unsure of how much. Any help is apprecated! thanks!

Reply
Alabama Worley says

September 11, 2015 at 6:12 pm

Hi,
I’m 34/F 5’3 180Lbs. I selected “lightly active” and 30% deficit. My macros seem crazy out of whack! 120g or 1,079 calories of fat per day sounds crazy. I am not sure what I am doing wrong, but that doesn’t seem correct. If it is correct, how do I get that much fat everyday?? Thank you for any help you can offer, I feel so lost with all this.
1571kcal Daily Calorie Intake25g Net Carbs (6%, 100 kcal)98g Protein (25%, 392 kcal)120g Fat (69%, 1079 kcal)

Reply
Curly Sue says

December 12, 2015 at 1:52 am

Hi! I am just starting out and I am soo confused. I am 194, 5″3″ and I do about 30 mins of cardio/ 10 mins of weight machines 4 days a week. I work 2 jobs where I sit mostly. Currently, on myfittnesspal I have my macros set to:carbs 5%, protein 20% and fat 75%. What I am confused about is the calories. I do not understand how many calories I am supposed to be eating. This calculator said something like 1700. I normally only consume around 1000 a day. I am having trouble balancing all these macro allowances out. i’m either not eating enough calories because i’m watching the carbs, or i’m eating too much protein, to fill the calorie requirement. I have still had success, I’ve lost 40 pounds! Surprisingly cutting the carbs isnt so hard it just seems when i cut the carbs, i am eating way more protein which isnt good either. I just want to get this right. Any help is much appreciated!

Reply
josh-sea says

December 15, 2015 at 5:39 pm

You should adjust for large weight changes but more so body fat %. I lost about 23 pounds at first (25 or so fat and gained a little lean mass) and then gained 3 pounds overall. When I did my body composition, it turns out I lost 5 more pounds of fat but put on 8 of lean mass. Scales are misleading!

I have heard of some people having issues with dairy stunting their losses. You could try to reduce dairy intake a little and see if you have any positive feedback. Also, I have heard that you can become more sensitive to fiber, so reducing total carbs not just net carbs could have a positive effect. Your body could also just be used to the boot camp! Even HIIT can’t fool your body forever- Arnold Schwarzenegger talks about this a little in some of his interviews.

: )

Reply
John Boukis says

December 15, 2015 at 6:27 pm

craig these r the fig the calc gave me , im not sure about them ,11kcal Daily Calorie Intake….20g Net Carbs (727%, 80 kcal)…….0g Protein (0%, 0 kcal)-…..8g Fat (-627%, -69 kcal) , please help as I have cancer and iv lost 4kg in the last week and a half , and I don’t know what died to follow , thanks

Reply
- [email protected] says
  
  January 6, 2016 at 4:43 pm
  
  Hey John – sorry for the late reply here. Try giving the page a second to load – sometimes it can give some wonky numbers if the page doesn’t load fully. I tried testing out everything on multiple devices and can’t replicate the error. If it happens again just let me know what device/browser you’re using and I’ll take a look into it.
  
  Reply
  - Amanda Gray says
    
    December 1, 2017 at 12:03 pm
    
    mine too!. using my laptop with a firefox browser. copy and pasted :Based on your inputs, we suggest you eat: 0 calories. From those, -53g fats, 25g net carbs, and 94g protein
    
    Reply
    - Jeffrie Story says
      
      December 9, 2019 at 12:26 pm
      
      I have the same problem I’ve tried this multiple times and the total still doesn’t add up. Based on the macros recommended, I’m about 400 calories over total recommended. I’ve tried incognito also. And when I add different info/goals in the form, I still get the same # of calories recommended, which are again about 400 calories over what you’re recommending. I can’t trust it at all. I’m using Chrome, which a previous person recommended. So do I lower calories or increase macros? I’m guessing it won’t change then, either. Should I find a different calculator and not use yours?
      
      OMG this is my fault. I’ve always thought, and even my trainer confirmed, that protein has 9 calories per gram vs. four. So stupid but now I get to eat more with your correct calculations. Duh on me. And thanks for all your quick answers to everyone. Super service.
      
      Reply
      - [email protected] says
        
        December 9, 2019 at 12:31 pm
        
        I’m not really sure what you mean to be honest. Macros and calories go hand in hand so you can’t decrease one while increasing the other. Fat is 9 calories per gram, carbs and protein are 4 calories per gram. If you add up all your macros, it will equal your calorie total.
        
        You are saying you are getting 400 calories over the calories we are recommending? I’m not sure what that means. If you let me know what you are entering into the calculator, I can take a look and see what might be going wrong.
      - Jeffrie Story says
        
        December 9, 2019 at 1:33 pm
        
        Craig, I had added a comment that I was in error. I was calculating 9 caloried per protein gram. I also gave you all a compliment, so hope you see it. J
  - Suzanne Layman says
    
    January 3, 2018 at 1:38 pm
    
    I’m seeing the same issue. 0 calories, -9 g fats, 20 g carbs, and 0 g protein. I tried last night and this morning. Any hints?
    
    Reply
    - [email protected] says
      
      March 15, 2018 at 1:45 pm
      
      Hey Suzanne,
      
      Try using the keto calculator from another browser (like internet explorer or safari) or open up an incognito window and go to the keto calculator page.
      
      If this doesn’t work for you, please let me know.
      
      Reply
      - Suzanne Layman says
        
        March 15, 2018 at 4:34 pm
        
        Seems to work on Chrome and Edge now. Thanks!
      - Gemjunior says
        
        August 14, 2018 at 11:09 am
        
        Great idea!!
- fatlossvictory.com/report says
  
  February 24, 2021 at 6:14 pm
  
  It worked well for me!
  
  Reply
  - john says
    
    July 27, 2021 at 9:38 am
    
    thxx
    
    Reply
Anu Warrier says

December 21, 2015 at 10:03 pm

I wonder if you will still address comments here on the blog. I downloaded your 30-day plan but I’m a vegetarian (not even eggs), so I’m wondering how best to incorporate a Ketosis diet to get the protein I need.

I’m 5’6″, female, and 165 – 168lbs. (Depending on the time of day I weigh myself.) Your calculator gave me a 1552 calorie intake, divided into 20 / 71 / 132 ratio. I would say that my activity level would be ‘sedentary’ given that I have a desk job, and manage to get in about an hour or so of exercise (strength training/aerobic/conditioning) 4-5 days a week, coupled with a daily 3 mile walk.

I’m hoping you can help – countless nutritionists/physical trainers have given up on me. 🙁

Reply
librarirun says

January 4, 2016 at 4:44 pm

Hey Craig, I love your site – but I just noticed your keto calculator isn’t working – when I enter everything up to where I do exercise – I add that I do cardio – and nothing changes under that section for “total calories burnt” for exercise to my daily maintenance calorie total?

Reply
- [email protected] says
  
  January 6, 2016 at 4:15 pm
  
  Sometimes if you start inputting numbers prior to the whole page loading, it can have a problem. Try refreshing the page and waiting a few seconds for the entire page to load. Then you should see it working properly. If not, let me know what device/browser you’re using and I’ll take a look into it. I’ve tested myself on a number of devices and can’t replicate the error.
  
  Reply
  - librarirun says
    
    January 6, 2016 at 4:24 pm
    
    Will do! I was able to figure out the missing pieces and continue on to figure out my macros. Just had to do a little mental math! 🙂 Thank you!
    
    Reply
[email protected] says

January 6, 2016 at 4:38 pm

Hey Anu – I was quite behind for a long time because I was getting so many e-mails on a daily basis. I’ve spend today replying to as many comments as I can to try to catch up with everyone. Since most of my recipes are not vegetarian friendly, I would highly suggest checking out reddit. They have an awesome vegetarian keto community that’s full of support and amazing recipes: https://www.reddit.com/r/vegetarianketo

Hope that helps some!

Reply
[email protected] says

January 6, 2016 at 4:41 pm

Not a problem at all – just glad everything turned out right. I’ve set a goal for myself to be more active with the comments (I got overwhelmed for a long time with e-mails and stopped answering) so if you have any questions just reply here…or shoot me an email 🙂

Reply
[email protected] says

January 6, 2016 at 4:50 pm

Hey Sue – I would definitely say with the amount of activity you’re doing that 1000 calories may put some damage on your metabolism. 1700 sounds about right for the activity that you describe, though you may want to work up to that amount in order for your metabolism to heal over time.

Reply
Lindsay says

January 7, 2016 at 3:28 pm

Hi there! My husband has been doing keto for a while and has been fairly successful at it. I have yet to get back down to my pre-baby weight (my kid is 13 months old…), and in fact I have about 11 pounds to go before I’m there. So I decided to try keto, weighing in at 187.5lbs. I’m on my fourth day. So far, it seems to be working. I’m down 3lbs! However, I have 2 issues. One (and this may be because I haven’t adjusted yet), I feel SUPER hungry at the end of the day, and really I feel like it’s during the day too… like I’m drooling over my husbands snacks he eats at night because he “can’t seem to eat enough calories.” I drink water like it’s going out of style (around 128oz/day). I would eat a snack but I don’t have enough protein or carbs left (none, actually). I have generally 20ish grams of fat and around 230 calories left. I’ve already tried spacing out snack a bit more. I just ate a serving of Macadamias about 45 minutes ago and I’m already so hungry. What can I do to adjust so I stay more satisfied? Second issue, I had a spell this morning in the shower where I got light-headed and a bit nauseated. What could that be attributed to? Low electrolytes? Something else?

Bottom line, I just want to do this right.

Reply
- [email protected] says
  
  January 8, 2016 at 12:59 am
  
  Let me address the lightheadedness first. That can be a cause of a lot of different thing, but generally speaking (and from what other people have told me/tried things with) it’s usually electrolytes or an imbalance of micronutrients. Try drinking a powerade zero in the morning (1.5g carbs keep in mind). You can also drink bone broth as well (this will have trace carbs so keep that in mind also). Take a multi-vitamin and fish oil daily on top of this. As far as the hunger, I would highly suggest not snacking. Snacking will cause insulin spikes throughout the day and will continue to feed that “hunger” feeling. Try to have dense meals – and make sure you hit your fat macros. Remember, protein will fill you up, and fat will keep you full.
  
  I am doing a challenge at the moment on Instagram where I post all of my meals every day, so if you ever need any ideas you can always take a look there (or at the hundreds of recipes on the site). You definitely want to be hitting those fat macros if you’re feeling hungry. Though I will also say that sleep has a huge impact on leptin/ghrelin production (hunger hormones). With a 13 month old, I’m sure you’re not getting as much sleep as you’re used to – so that may also be a part of the issue. Lastly, make sure you’re accommodating for your daily activity (13 months old are tons of work) so you may be at a large deficit (unhealthily so) and not realize it.
  
  Hope that helps some and can steer you in some direction!
  
  Reply
  - Lindsay says
    
    January 8, 2016 at 8:04 am
    
    It does, thanks! I stopped and got a water that had electrolytes added into it. Couldn’t find the Powerade Zero. I will also be looking for a good multivitamin and a fish oil supplement.
    
    I did your calculator based on ~40% body fat. I set my activity level as lightly active (I do have an “active” day job as a teacher, but I don’t really exercise 3-5 hours a week for moderately active). My total energy expenditure was 2084, and working at a 20% deficit I am to consume 1667kcal/day. 20 carbs, 67 protein, 147 fat. Does this sound about right? My Fitness Pal had me at different amounts, something like 20g more protein. I’m worried that because I was still feeling hungry with that much protein that lowering wouldn’t help… but maybe I wasn’t getting enough fat? I would usually come in under my fat goals. Do you suggest any adjustments? Want to make sure my macros are about right.
    
    Reply
Trevor says

January 7, 2016 at 10:53 pm

Hi Craig, is it bad to have more protein then fat? I currently average 20g of carbs, 100g of fat and about 180 of protein.

Reply
- [email protected] says
  
  January 8, 2016 at 12:53 am
  
  Trevor, that sounds like quite a lot more protein than what’s needed. If you’re consuming overly high levels of protein, it can lower the amount of nutritional ketones your body produces. What kind of workout routine are you using? Typically you should only need 1.2g protein per pound lean body mass – and that’s with the same routine as a competitive bodybuilder.
  
  Reply
  - Trevor says
    
    January 8, 2016 at 10:38 am
    
    Hi Craig, I’m training for a triathlon so one day of weights and about 5 hours of cardio a week. I’ve started doing this diet for the past month. I’ve been finding it hard getting fat up without protein with food selections. I’ve researched a bit more last night and found fat bombs. I’ll have to start making some of those to keep protein lower and fat higher. Any other recommendations?
    
    Reply
[email protected] says

January 10, 2016 at 12:15 am

Just trying to change the overall cuts of meat and style of cooking you do. Incorporating cooking fats with already fatty pieces of meat goes a long way when you’re trying to get fats up. There’s tons and tons of recipes on the site that you can use that are very fat-heavy, so definitely try a few of those to pick out your favorites. Mug cakes and baked goods are usually highest in fat, so you can alternative tack those onto a meal as well.

Reply
[email protected] says

January 10, 2016 at 12:17 am

Fat definitely helps with hunger (and especially in keeping yourself not hungry over longer periods). That sounds about right, but I may suggest going up to around a 25% deficit if you’re working with 40% bodyfat. If you find yourself hungry, reduce back to 20%. Go ahead and give it a try!

Reply
Naomi Barreto says

January 10, 2016 at 11:33 am

Hi!! Craig I love your website. I’m ready to start your program. I’m 166 pounds I have been doing exercise for the last three months 6/week. I gained 10 pounds since I’m always hungry. 🙃 I want to buy your plan but not sure if I should buy accelerated weight loss or 30 day one? Your advice or any other member advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Reply
[email protected] says

January 11, 2016 at 12:46 pm

Hey Naomi. Truth be told all of my plans are made for sedentary people, so if you’re doing very intense workouts, you will have to do some adjustments (which of course I’m willing to help with). I tried to make my plans as simple as possible and as fool-proof as possible, so I made them based off over 1500 people’s macros to come up with a “one size fits all” plan.

If you do end up purchasing one of them, don’t hesitate to send me an e-mail and I can help you run in some additions to the plan to help cater to your macros.

Reply

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