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

Long says

January 17, 2016 at 2:56 am

Hi Craig!
I would like to ask for some opinion regarding the figure i got from the calculator.I’m 185lbs with 20.5% body fat , 5’7″ ,i am planning to lose my body fat and gain lean muscle so i will be doing weight lifting of 1 to 2 hours everyday. According to the calculator, with the option moderately exercise, i am suppose to have a daily 2393kcal, 20g carbs, 118g protein and 205g fats. At the present moment i am planning a diet of 20g carbs, 120g protein and 116g fats with a total of 1600kcal. So i would like to know is it necessary for me to increase my fats intake to 205g or just continue as it is. In my opinion 2.4k calorie seem like a bit high for me as i am trying to lose weight . (I’m not entirely sure if it is too much or too little, thats why i am here to ask for your help!)
PS: i was also thinking to incorporate TKD to ensure that i would have enough energy to do my daily workout.
(Btw your website is really great! Thx for all the information and great advice!)

Reply
- [email protected] says
  
  January 18, 2016 at 12:43 am
  
  I’d stick with SKD for at least a month before deciding on TKD. TKD can slow weight loss in some people, so it’s best to see if your body can adapt to the exercise with SKD first. As far as calories go, you definitely want to be feeding your body enough food to keep it going and keep your metabolism strong. Though you may not need 205g fat, you could always just eat to satiety. If you’re hungry, eat (and make sure it has plenty of fat). If you’re not, don’t worry too hard about it.
  
  Reply
  - Long says
    
    January 19, 2016 at 5:00 am
    
    Thx for the quick reply! I think i’m gonna stick to SKD for now thx again for the information!
    
    Reply
    - amy says
      
      April 9, 2016 at 4:27 pm
      
      how would I calculate keto macros while breastfeeding? if i exclusively breastfeed one child and exercise on top of that, wondering how I should account for the calorie expenditure
      
      Reply
ydouask says

January 20, 2016 at 8:51 pm

How do i figure out how much % fat i have on my body? I plugged in 35% just for a number. I’m trying to figure out my macros, I’m not losing weight and I am out of energy at the end of a day. I’m also finding that after a couple of days I am very hungry and lose control of the right eating.

Reply
Jen says

February 3, 2016 at 2:48 pm

Hi Craig! Just a quick question regarding the calculator. I am 5’2 137lbs and I would estimate body fat % at 40. I am currently doing P90X3 5 times a week, which is a mix of cardio and weights. My goal is to get down to 115-120 with 20% or less body fat. But the calculator is telling me only 49g of protein? Is that truly accurate????

Reply
- [email protected] says
  
  February 6, 2016 at 10:58 am
  
  That doesn’t sound accurate, no. Did you increase the protein ratio? By default it’s on 0.6 for sedentary, though you should be at around 1.0 or 1.1 if you’re doing P90X.
  
  Reply
  - sickerthnothers says
    
    March 1, 2016 at 9:10 pm
    
    I’m 5’2″ and 130 pounds and the calc gave me 49g protein too. I’m
    Pretty confused about the body fat estimator also. Another calc gave me 1041 calories a day with 80g protein, so I’m not sure where to go from here. This calc gives me 1288 which I find way more appealing.
    
    Reply
Gemi KP says

February 7, 2016 at 5:32 pm

I’m nervous bc I’m starting keto. This seems complicated at first but then it doesn’t seem too bad. I guess I’m going to find out!

Reply
Dan A. says

February 13, 2016 at 11:50 pm

Hi Craig 10 days in, feeling great and still reading up and alwaysctweaking carbs on mfp. I need help picking activity level. It asks about workouts, but theres an exercise section as well for adding maintenance calories. Should we select activity level solely on the description of average day excluding exercise program?

Next up is calorie goal and mfp exercise auto recalculating. If my calculated goal from your site is 1957 cals, and I burn 500 cals running; should I eat 2457 cals and “net” the 1957. That seems wrong since the calculator has exercise cals built in.

Dan

Reply
[email protected] says

February 14, 2016 at 8:58 pm

Hope you enjoy your ketogenic journey – once you get the hang of it, it’s super simple 🙂

Reply
[email protected] says

February 14, 2016 at 9:26 pm

Hey Dan. You can use the activity level as sedentary, then fill out the actual calories burnt; or you can use the “levels” as a way to kind of gauge it (as I know most people don’t go with heart rate monitors). I think that also answers the second question. Hope that helps!

Reply
stanbicknell says

February 17, 2016 at 4:57 pm

Hi Craig, I’ve been strict keto for 6wks now and have had fantastic results. I’ve lost about 7kgs of fat now at 15% BF, and my strength has actually gone up a touch.
I just redid my macros on the keto calculator and it’s bumped me up 200cal a day, based on my new weight and BF. Does that sound right? Im dubious. I’m still on the weight lose mission, aiming to get to 12%, so don’t want to go up 200cal a day if it’s wrong… Cheers!
Im 6’1, 88.45kgs, and the new daily cal is
2632 kcal Daily Calorie Intake
20g Net Carbs (3%, 80 kcal)
99g Protein (16%, 395 kcal)
239 Fat (81%, 1978 kcal)

Reply
[email protected] says

February 18, 2016 at 12:05 pm

That’s great news! That sounds about right. As your bodyfat decreases, you have to increase the amount of dietary fat you’re taking in as you can’t rely as much on bodyfat for energy anymore. If you think about it, 200 calories isn’t too much more – only 2 tbsp. worth of butter.

Reply
Debbie says

February 20, 2016 at 9:04 am

I had been following the Keto diet for about a year and lost 53 lbs. Was feeling great, etc. However, when I went for my annual physical my total cholesterol was 337 with my LDL in the mid 200 range. My doctor of course went ballistic. Before Keto my LDL stayed around 140 – 150. She immediately said needed meds – which I do not want and declined. So she put me back on a low fat diet with a 3 month “probation period” to come back and recheck cholesterol. I LOVE the Keto diet and want to stay on it. Any suggestions as to modifications I can make to keep both my doctor and myself happy? I have tried to modify it myself but I have gained 6 lbs back in the last month and a half.

Reply
Amy Mull says

February 28, 2016 at 9:54 am

Hi name is Amy
Need to get some feed back on diet
I have a seizures and I have been struggling with my weight every since I started the meds they put me on I am 249 lbs and I want to lose like 80 lbs
I wan to feel better and have more energy I lose about 10 to 15 lbs then I jump right back up please someone help me

Reply
[email protected] says

February 28, 2016 at 11:52 pm

Hey Debbie – sorry for the late reply here, I thought I had responded already. Typically speaking there are around 30% of people that get raised levels of LDL because of keto. What matters though is the particle size and the counts. The general cholesterol you get in a normal blood panel does not give you these numbers. I’d certainly recommend reading this article as I went much more in depth: //www.ruled.me/the-ketogenic-diet-and-cholesterol/

Reply
Lisa Bendimez says

March 2, 2016 at 7:36 pm

Hi Craig.

Female 5′ 11″ 189lbs, 25% body fat
I go to the gym 3-4 times a week (more strength training than cardio) and hike (intense) at least once a week.
Recently lost 20lbs over a 6 month period.I hit a plateau with my current approach – Basically diet and exercise. I ate well most of the time and had cheat days here and there. I know it will be different on Keto – No more cheating. I want to lose 20 more lbs and gain muscle.

My required calorie intake seems very high? I am also wondering if I will need to make up for the calories when I work out?

Here are my results:
2322kcal Daily Calorie Intake

20g Net Carbs (3%, 80 kcal)

85g Protein (15%, 340 kcal)

211g Fat (82%, 1901 kcal)

Thank you so much for your help!

– Lisa

Reply
Donna wynn says

March 4, 2016 at 10:31 pm

Ellonda, you remind me of myself…. I am cutting out sugar alcohols completely I feel they are really holding me down… no more Dr. Atkins snacks 😉

Reply
robert says

March 9, 2016 at 9:46 am

Hello this seems like an interesting thing i am lacto and gluten intolerant so im not really worried about dropping my carbs low because ive been doing so however i have been eating few calories i justwant to know if you can tell me what types of foods should i be eating that are low carb high fats thankyou

Reply
[email protected] says

March 11, 2016 at 2:48 pm

Hey Robert – just check out the recipes on the website. There’s so many options out there that it’s hard to just give a few examples. As far as being lacto and gluten intolerant, most of the dairy used in keto is free of lactose (since it’s got 0 carbs) so you shouldn’t be worried on that front. Almost all of my recipes are gluten free as well; if they aren’t it only takes 1-2 simple substitutions to make it gluten free.

Reply
[email protected] says

March 11, 2016 at 3:14 pm

It really depends on your daily activities. If you’re truly sedentary, I can see it being pretty low on protein as the ketogenic diet is naturally muscle sparing. Though if you’re working out, you will certainly need more protein.

Reply
[email protected] says

March 11, 2016 at 3:16 pm

You have to fuel your body when you work out, though it’s not really plausible to lose weight and gain muscle. The rule of thumb is you do either, or. Normally if you want to gain muscle, you over-feed your body in some regard so you end up putting a little extra fat on. Afterward, you do a cut with mainly cardio and some lifting to keep muscle intact but lose body fat. I would definitely recommend trying out eating that much, but if you can’t just eat what your body is comfortable with.

Reply
[email protected] says

March 16, 2016 at 12:25 pm

There’s plenty of options – mostly fatty fish and chicken thighs. You just want to make sure that you’re getting fatty cuts of meat rather than lean cuts of meat. This will make it seem like you’re getting more food, but it’s more nutritionally balanced when it comes to the protein macros. At your size, I wouldn’t worry too much about going up to ~65g protein.

Reply
Paula M. says

March 23, 2016 at 8:15 am

Hi Craig! I started investigating keto diet last week, found your site and went grocery shopping on Sunday. I begun the new diet yesterday. I live in Argentina so many things are hard to find here, like the sticks, and some meals. But I tried to keep it simple and basic. I’ll let you know how it goes… I just wanted to thank you, because the site is very clear, full of information and easy to understand. Great job!

Reply
- [email protected] says
  
  March 31, 2016 at 4:48 pm
  
  Please do keep me updated, I’d love to hear about it!
  
  Reply
  - Paula M. says
    
    April 1, 2016 at 10:57 am
    
    Hi Craig! One week and a half in and I lost 3 kilos!!! I am amazed. The last few days have been hard on a personal level, and I did not drink as much water as I should, and the loss stalled a bit. But I am taking care of it now. I wish to lose 10 additional kg. And then keep on with this way of life. I love it! Thank you!
    
    Reply
Natalie Rischbieter says

March 23, 2016 at 4:52 pm

Hi Craig, I’ve used the calculator and it keeps telling me my daily calorie intake should be 7794, 20gCarb, 70gProtein, and 826gFat. Is that correct for the calories? I currently weight 160, 5.6 and 38 years old. I just had my second baby and Paleo stopped working for me. I am doing intermittent fasting so my last meal is before 8pm and nothing to eat until noon. Now I will stop that if it is recommended in order to make this work. I work out daily for 30 minutes, whether its core, weights, or cardio. I am just not sure how 7794 in calories is going to work for me?

Reply
Teresa Bowser says

March 25, 2016 at 1:05 pm

Let the Keto Begin! I have been following Paleo for a few years and hit a plateau. Ready to switch things up!

That being said… when I do my calculations for someone who does high intensity workouts 6 days a week and wanting to build lean muscle and lower body fat am I correct in upping the protein to about 1.0 and doing a 15% deficit to start?

Reply
- [email protected] says
  
  March 31, 2016 at 4:43 pm
  
  Hey Teresa – that sounds about right. Just keep in mind that it’s not going to be significant gains at a 15% deficit. With muscle growth, you need a surplus. It’s a bit unrealistic to want to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time.
  
  Reply
  - Teresa Bowser says
    
    March 31, 2016 at 11:04 pm
    
    Very true! I want to lower body fat for sure but i know you can do that by building muscle at the same time…. should i go into surplus mode. Or just stick with deficit to loose first then work on building muscle after if that makes sense. U really appreciate you taking time to reply i know you are super busy! 👊🏼😊
    
    Reply
[email protected] says

March 31, 2016 at 4:51 pm

Hey Natalie – that sounds incorrect. Are you sure that you have the correct body fat %? 5.6% for a woman would pretty much be deadly (exposure for organs).

Reply
Vladimir says

April 4, 2016 at 9:31 am

Hello Craig
From some sources I hear that on first-second week you should keep fat/protein ration on 1/1. That is for the body does not burn muscles to get energy. And then, when the body gets used to consume fat, you can change to 1/3 of protein and 2/3 of fat.
What do you say? I’m new to keto.

Reply
- [email protected] says
  
  April 5, 2016 at 3:16 pm
  
  You can just keep your macros the same throughout. You shouldn’t be starving yourself, calorically speaking (max of 30% deficit), so you wouldn’t be digging into muscle for energy. In general, keto is a muscle sparing diet, so as long as you keep your protein moderate you should see minimal muscle loss.
  
  Reply
  - Vladimir says
    
    April 5, 2016 at 4:46 pm
    
    Thank you! And regarding this “so as long as you keep your protein moderate you should see minimal muscle loss”. Does that mean that if I intake more than moderate protein it will lead to some bad consequences?
    
    Reply
    - [email protected] says
      
      April 9, 2016 at 12:40 pm
      
      It can lead to lower ketone production, which in essence you don’t want. You want to be in nutritional ketosis, rather than dragging your body on low levels of ketones.
      
      Reply
      - Vladimir says
        
        April 9, 2016 at 4:22 pm
        
        Well, more than moderate protein intake leads to lower ketone production… Ok, Craig, thank you very much for your reply!
Mila says

April 4, 2016 at 3:41 pm

Hi,

I just started. I am 5″2 about 124 lbs wanting to lose a few lbs. im about to start keto diet with macros
25g carb
60g protein
85g fat

does this seem right?

Reply
[email protected] says

April 5, 2016 at 3:25 pm

Awesome – keep it up!

Reply
Zeno says

April 8, 2016 at 9:30 pm

can you explain a little how this calculator works in regards to exercise? first it asks me to put my activity level which adjusts the amount of calories burnt in a day, but then it also asks me again if I exercise and adds more calories on top of that…
Also if I do about 10-12 hour of cardio a week but have a very sedentary job (sit at desk all day) would I be consider active, very active, sedentary?
Thanks,

Reply
Lili says

April 9, 2016 at 8:26 pm

Hello Craig , I got big numbers , total 2858 cal and 279 gr of fat !!!?? Are you sure your calculator works well, sorry. Just get confused. Thanks

Reply
- [email protected] says
  
  April 11, 2016 at 1:11 pm
  
  Lili – can you tell me what you filled in for the numbers? That would help me determine if it was correct or not. Depending on what you do on a daily basis and your current weight/body fat %, it could definitely be correct.
  
  Reply
  - Lili says
    
    April 12, 2016 at 9:10 pm
    
    Sorry, after 6 month on Keto I’m little bit upset and tried to correct with my details. When I’ve started in November, everything was perfect, but finally: my sugar is jumping, my hair is fell out and my nails are not strong like it was. So , I need some help from professional:) I found your website and I’m soo excited, here is my Wikipedia for Keto! i found your Keto calculator and put 1) Body weight-137 lbs, 2) body fat -20-24%, 3) I didn’t feel an Energy Expediture ? 4) Moderatly active, 5) I need Gain Mass, 6) Daily Protein Ratio -0.6 7) Daily Carb Intake-20 ??? Thanks a lot and good evening.
    
    Reply
    - [email protected] says
      
      April 14, 2016 at 12:32 pm
      
      Lil – are you currently exercising and if so what are you doing? Gaining mass and losing weight at the same time is not possible, just so we are clear from the beginning. To gain mass, you need to gain both fat and muscle, then subsequently use a “cut” (losing bodyfat and preserving muscle while in caloric deficit).
      
      I’ll re-run your numbers once I have an idea at what kind of workouts you are doing. Though if you are trying to gain mass, the calories sound correct to me.
      
      Reply
      - Lili says
        
        April 15, 2016 at 9:30 am
        
        Thanks , I’m fit girl , I want to gain mass to be more firmer then I was before Keto, you know?!
[email protected] says

April 11, 2016 at 1:10 pm

From what I’ve read and stories I’ve heard, you probably want to add around 800-1000 extra calories in while breastfeeding (just make sure this is 75% fat, 20% protein, 5% carbs).

Reply
[email protected] says

April 11, 2016 at 1:10 pm

Sure thing!

Reply
Mary Montilla says

April 16, 2016 at 4:35 pm

I would use MyFitnessPal to track what I’m eating, but most of the stuff that’s keto-friendly are hard to put in the app. This makes me end up having to guess my way into ketosis. What’s a good rule of thumb for tracking carbs/fats/protein in home cooked foods?

Reply
Deborah Andersen says

April 22, 2016 at 5:34 am

Hi Craig! I started my weight loss journey nearly two years ago and have lost 34kg. I’ve been about 5kg from my goal weight since late last year. I’m 157cm and now weigh 62kg.
I took a break from trying and fortunately didn’t put weight on …. and now I want to reach that goal. I’ve managed to drop about .5kg in 4 weeks (not a lot). Have put immense focus into increasing my blood ketone readings – started at 0.2 and now have it between .8 and 1.2. I’ve set my calories at roughly 1200 – 6g (2%) carb, 100g (77%) fat, 60g (21%) protein. I’m not overly active.. do about 6k steps a day and swim twice a week.
My body fat % varies between 31-33%. I have a set of Weight Watchers biometric scales – hopefully they are accurate.
Would your program help me?
Thanks, Deb

Reply
- [email protected] says
  
  April 26, 2016 at 1:46 pm
  
  Is that what the keto calculator has given you for the values (1200 calories)? If so, the plan would be a bit high in calories for you, but on average people are usually around 1500-1600 calories. The Weight Watchers scale may give you a ballpark figure, but it is probably not 100% accurate.
  
  Reply
  - Deborah Andersen says
    
    April 26, 2016 at 7:43 pm
    
    I’ve just purchased the diet plan but need to adjust it. Down to 10 carbs a day and 1200 calories. What is the best way to do this? Reduce the qty in the recipes by 20%?
    
    Reply
Theresa Davis Shea says

April 23, 2016 at 10:19 am

Just getting prepped to start. I downloaded the accelerated keto plan that you offer. I noticed that it is based on 1500 cal approximately daily. Mine should be around 1200. Would you suggest cutting back on amounts or cutting out lunch instead?

Reply
Gordana says

April 24, 2016 at 3:03 am

Hi Craig.I want to ask you how can i pay the 30 day program with euros or marks,i am from Europe ,from Bosnia and Hercegovina… Does this diet help with cancer patients that have glioblastom multiforme (GBM).

Reply
- [email protected] says
  
  April 26, 2016 at 1:40 pm
  
  Hey Gordana. I would not recommend any of my meal plans to cancer patients as it’s more centered toward weight loss while cancer patients should follow VERY strict dietary rules. Some of these rules cut back on dairy and protein and some of the more processed ingredients that I use in some meals. As far as the currency, it automatically converts from your credit card/paypal.
  
  Reply
  - Gordana says
    
    April 26, 2016 at 3:29 pm
    
    Thank you for your time.Thank you for your honesty and kindness.My mother recovered fast from the operation. We were using all alternative solutions,all kinds of ingridients,plants,vegetables and results are very good.I want to explore all kinds of solutions including cetogenic diet. I read that it helps. Do you know anyone that has some kind of dieting programs that can help cancer patients , with brain cancer (glioblastom multiforme stage IV).Do you know something about curring with meal plans aranged by blood type. My mother is nulti negative.Im sure that your can offer more opportunities.
    Thank you for your time.
    
    2016-04-26 19:40 GMT+02:00 Disqus <[email protected]>:
    
    Reply
    - [email protected] says
      
      April 27, 2016 at 12:58 pm
      
      Gordana – unfortunately I don’t when it comes to keto. There’s not too much information out there. If she wants to do a ketogenic diet, make sure that she is just eating VERY simple meals. All natural/whole foods with absolutely no added products/chemicals. Should be fine just doing it on your own that way 🙂
      
      Reply
      - Gordana says
        
        April 27, 2016 at 1:52 pm
        
        Dear Craig,i am glad that you are honest and trying to help.Thank you for your time and effort.
        
        2016-04-27 18:58 GMT+02:00 Disqus <[email protected]>:
[email protected] says

April 26, 2016 at 1:40 pm

Hey Theresa – send me an e-mail and I’ll make sure I get everything sorted out for you.

Reply
[email protected] says

April 26, 2016 at 2:05 pm

You will have to input the ingredients one by one – the same way it sounds like you are doing now. Though MFP gives you their own idea of what you should be eating, so you can ignore this and follow what the keto calculator gives you.

Reply
[email protected] says

April 26, 2016 at 2:07 pm

You will have to decide what is more important for you. Generally speaking you want to build muscle by going into a surplus so your muscles have plenty of energy/nutrition. Afterward, you want to do a cut to lose any excess body fat you put on during that time.

Reply
[email protected] says

April 27, 2016 at 12:53 pm

Please send me an e-mail at [email protected] and I’ll help you out.

Reply
[email protected] says

April 28, 2016 at 3:35 pm

No problem at all!

Reply
terabri says

May 16, 2016 at 11:57 am

Hi Craig,

I have been doing keto diet for 6 weeks. The first weeks went very well, I consistently lose weight and overall feel fantastic with more energy. However, these past two weeks have been tough since I have my period, it never really stop, so I have been bleeding for two weeks. My energy level dropped and I generally feel tired all the time. I also have problem with my digestion system, I haven’t been going neither do I have the urge to poo (sorry). I gained weight, and I feel hungry all the time.

I do 6 hours intermittent fasting everyday and once a week do 42 hours fasting. Usually I would drop lots of weight after the weekly fasting, but not this time. I generally eat around 900-1200 total calories a day, less than 15g net carbs, around 50-70gr protein, and the rest is fat (track it religiously on my fitness pal). I drink at least 3-4 liters a day, sometimes 5 liters (I keep track of this too) I am really frustrated!

I am actually in the range of ideal body weight (Iam 30 years old, 152cm, 48.3kg this morning) I was 46.9kg before. I have quite a lot of body fat which I want to get rid of with keto. I do HIIT for 10 mins 5-6 days a week and run 5km 4 days a week. Plus I walk for a total of 75mins most days. Lately I have to drag myself to do all that as I am feeling so so tired even though I have 7-8 hours of sleep. I also take omega 3 and multivitamins supplement daily and MCT oil most days.

Any idea about how to get through this? Today I started binge eating (still keto food, total net carbs 19g), and I don’t want to continue doing that. But this frustration is making me doing mindless eating!! Can it be the fact that my hormones is messing with my body?

Hope you can direct me to the right direction as I don’t want to give up.

Thanks a lot!

Reply
Deb says

May 24, 2016 at 11:20 am

Craig, I’ve been following a keto diet for about 6 weeks now, using the macros 5/15/80, 1200 cal. (I’m 5’3″, 176 lbs now). I’m loving this diet, never hungry, and started intermittent fasting, also with no problem, since never hungry. However, I periodically check my ketones by blood, and lately they’ve been 2.9 – 3.4. Does this mean I need more protein (and calories)? When I did your calculator (guessing on body fat %), I got macros of 5/21/74 and 1522 cal. I’m wondering if I should make that jump when I’m trying to lose weight. Thanks.

Reply
Diane Bowman says

May 24, 2016 at 4:02 pm

I lost all my extra weight 5 years ago, (100 lbs) and have maintained by eating low carbs. Recently learned about the benefits of LCHF/IF so for the last month I have tried LCHF, but I am not doing so well, I can’t eat that much fat without feeling ill…I have really been working on it but I am not nearly where I should be, I was hoping to lose 5-10 lbs but so far I have been playing see-saw with 2 lbs…

Reply
Stacy Rich says

May 25, 2016 at 12:06 pm

Craig, I think you’re a God sent and I will be doing this plan. Keto diet has so many benefits. How often should I redo my numbers for macro changes. After I lose 10 pounds?

Reply
Brook says

May 25, 2016 at 4:13 pm

I’m very interested in this Keto diet. I’m at a standstill with my weight and body fat percentage and want it to move! I’m a 28 year old female. I am 5’6″ and currently weigh 129 and have roughly 20-22% body fat. Now, I know I am fairly healthy, but my personal goal is to lose body fat. I want to show off my abs and I’ve got a layer of fat around my mid-section and thighs that just won’t budge! I’ve been trying to stick to around 1500 in calories per day. I also do intermittent fasting so my eating window is 8 hours. What are your thoughts on incorporating the Keto diet and intermittent fasting? It seems like the intermittent fasting helped me drop 5 pounds and I was pretty toned about 8 months ago and at my lowest weight of 123 but then I went back up 6 pounds over the recent last few months and have plateaued. I exercise 6-7 days per week. I mix it up between weights, & some heavy lifting, plyometrics, cardio (cardio kickboxing or cardio machine), and some running. Usually at least 40 minutes per day. Suggestions?

Reply
ACL says

May 29, 2016 at 3:15 pm

Hello Craig and all, great to read this! I am also feeling a bit perplexed as I start this. I’m just out of the gate, but am curious if you can thwart your ketosis with protein; this is what I have read elsewhere. I’m also really confused about why you focus on calories/macros so much when folks like Gary Taubes says if you keep your carbs under 20 g you will go into ketosis, and the calories are not really that important. It’s such a stretch to already keep the carbs under 20, that worrying about fat/protein ratios as well as total calories consumed seems like overkill. I am already fit, and at a good weight, but want to lose fat as I’m at 24% and feel heavy and more importantly want to lower my risk of diabetes as I have a strong family legacy. My breakdown recommended was this: 1769kcal Daily Calorie Intake20g Net Carbs (5%, 80 kcal)103g Protein (23%, 410 kcal)142g Fat (72%, 1278 kcal). Would love any insight. Again, just finished “why we get fat” and I feel like this calorie discussion doesn’t really make sense in light of his arguments. Thanks! ACL

Reply
Carol Gualtieri says

June 3, 2016 at 3:12 pm

Hi Craig! I’m so confused about my macros. I have lost almost 40 pounds in the last 2 years on keto. However, I’m at a stall so I’m tweaking my calorie intake. This calculator says I should be eating 1740 calories a day and others say @ 1500. I’m a 58-year-old female, 5 feet 1 inch, 255 lbs, sedentary, body fat % 47. When I calculated I used a 20% weight loss deficit and came up with 1740. If I eat 1500 calories, I’m starving by mid-afternoon. I would like to go up to the 1740 but I’m so afraid I’ll gain. Your thoughts?

Reply
- [email protected] says
  
  June 16, 2016 at 3:34 pm
  
  I’d stick to eating the 1740 calories and go through and re-track everything to make sure you’re hitting all of the numbers. Make sure you’re drinking plenty of water, too.
  
  Reply
  - Carol Gualtieri says
    
    June 16, 2016 at 4:57 pm
    
    So basically the calorie count does not matter as much as making sure I hit my macros on point and not go above or too much below?
    
    Reply
    - [email protected] says
      
      June 16, 2016 at 4:58 pm
      
      Well the macros and calories go hand in hand. Fat is 9 calories per gram, protein and carbs are 4 calories per gram. So if you hit your macros exactly, you will also hit your calories exactly 🙂
      
      Reply
      - Carol Gualtieri says
        
        June 16, 2016 at 5:12 pm
        
        Ok, – just one more question: I’m just worried I might gain going up on my calories at 1740. I’m assuming that staying at 1500 is the reason why I cannot go between meals without eating something??? Thanks for all your help!!
Lynda Earle says

June 8, 2016 at 1:21 pm

Hi Craig: I started keto 2 weeks ago with great success. 13.5 libs in 12 days. How are you counting eggs? As a protein or a fat?

Reply
[email protected] says

June 16, 2016 at 3:26 pm

Sounds like things are going well! Eggs actually have a bit of everything in, but I love them because they’re versatile. I don’t count them as a protein or fat, though, because they’re both. (5g fat, 6g protein, 0.5g carbs per large egg)

Reply
[email protected] says

June 16, 2016 at 3:50 pm

Hey ACL – too much protein is anti-ketogenic, so that’s why it’s important to try to keep protein at a moderate amount. Keto is a muscle sparing diet, but protein is important to keep muscle loss at a minimum. As far as calories go, I’ve just seen so many people eat what they want and keto stops working for them. I find it important, especially if someone is very overweight. Generally in that regard, their hormones are out of whack and they can’t just follow an “eat until your full” type of lifestyle. That’s why I support tracking calories.

If you’re fit, you can usually get away with that mentality, though, as you most likely have a healthy hormone balance. If it doesn’t work, you could always track until you get the hang of the ratios.

Reply
[email protected] says

June 16, 2016 at 3:58 pm

Sorry for the late reply here and thanks so much! Yep, I suggest every 10-15 lbs. lost to redo the macros.

Reply

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