Make Keto Simple.
Join 312,000+ ketoers in the Keto Academy
Updated May 5th, 2026 – Written by Craig Clarke, Founder & Keto Diet Practitioner
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.
If you're sedentary, we suggest between 0.6g and 0.8g protein.
If you're active, we suggest between 0.8g and 1.0g protein.
If you lift weights, we suggest between 1.0g and 1.2g protein.
Do not miss this special offer and opportunity to achieve your weight loss goal!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 >
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.
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:
After you entered all of your data and calculated your macros, you will get results that look something like this:
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:
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:
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.
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.)
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.
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.
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
Do Eat
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.
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:
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:
To add extra protein and fat to your meal:
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.
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:
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:
To add as much fat as possible to your diet:
For more high fat and/or high protein keto meal and snack ideas, check out our keto recipes.
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.
Hi, my blood Urea Nitrogen(BUN) levels are marginally high, can I follow the Keto diet ? do i need to consult the physician ?please advice.Thanks
Hey Ravi,
According to the research on low-carb and ketogenic diets, it looks like BUN levels remain stable (and, in some cases, decrease) when people restrict carbs. I would definitely consult a physician and have my BUN levels checked after a couple of weeks to a month after starting keto if I were in your position. If BUN levels are still high or higher than before, then I would decrease my protein intake to the lower end of the reccomended range from the keto calculator.
my husband has alzhimer his memory is very bad. Can you help?
I have him on bread free diet with meat and vegs and fruit.I have him on multi vitamin prostate vit. n extra c. (recommended by Dr.
after inputing my info these are the values I was given…
How much should you be eating per day?
0 calories
-45 g fats
20 g carbs
82 g protein
Based on your inputs, we suggest you eat: 0 calories. From those, -45g fats, 20g net carbs, and 82g protein
That’s definitely an error. Main problems with the calculator right now seem to be Firefox browser, or inputting decimals. You might not be doing any of those things though. If you are comfortable posting your info I’d be happy to calculate it for you.
Ha. Tried to enter my data, 5 ft, 9 inches, 140 lbs, 82 years old and that is as far as the calculator let me go. Kept throwing me back to the beginning. I guess that is what one gets for being a newbie. Ha.
If you’d like I can calculate it for you, but I need your best estimate on body fat percentage. 🙂
I had to toggle the metric / imperial back and forth for it to work for me.
Hello everyone. I work 8 am to 5 pm at your typical desk job. I do make sure I get up and complete a minimum of 250 steps per hour including my lunch hour (thanks to Fitbit reminders to move.) I also do 1 hour of cardio 6 days a week. Would I still be considered sedentary or do I qualify for any of the other levels of activity??
Hey Yasmin,
From what you told me, you fit into the “moderately active” category.
Can someone explain why the protein makeup of the macros seems higher on this calculator than using other calculators with the SAME input data? I believe that having too much protein can be detrimental to reaching and staying in ketosis. Thoughts or comments appreciated.
Hey Mike,
The keto calc app may have glitched, so try refreshing the page and trying again.
If that doesn’t help, then you may have to double check the numbers that you are putting in. The results that you get from our keto calculator depend heavily on the body fat percentage that you put in and how many grams of protein per pound of lean body weight you want to eat based on your goals. Make sure you enter both of those numbers in correctly or else you may get some funky numbers.
Hi there, does the special meal plan bundle give you recipes that will hit my specific macro amounts that were calculated? Or is it more general, one size fits all? My macros look like this “1711 calories. From those, 143g fats, 10g net carbs, and 95g protein”. I want to make sure that I can stick as closely to them as I can. Thanks!
Hi Mark, it’s more general. The 30 day plan is around 1600 calories a day. I don’t remember the bundle off the top of my head but it should be similar. You may need to add a little extra food to hit your macros. I would maybe make a few batches of the pepperoni chips, or some of our other snack-like recipes to keep on hand so you can hit your specific macros when working the plans. 🙂
struggling. Is the accelerated plan all heavy cooking ? I find that having quick options on nights after a long workday are helpful. When I’m exhausted the last thing I want to do is cook. I tried keto before and was overwhelmed by it all. I lost some but no where near what everyone else loses and I certainly have the weight to lose (at least 50 lbs) based on my height. I actually tried this program but did something wrong I guess since I didn’t have the success that everyone else gets.
Hi Monica, there will be quite a bit of cooking. You might be interested in our slow cooker recipe book. You can set these up earlier in the day and have food ready when you get home. (Many of the recipes cook for less time than a typical work day so you’d probably want to have a cooker that can change itself to “warm” when it’s done cooking.)
Sometimes when I have really busy weeks I’ll do all slow cooker meals. I put all the meals into large ziplock bags so I just have to dump them into the cooker in the morning/afternoon. Some of the meals for later in the week I might have to freeze then thaw the night before.
https://www.ketocookbooks.com/keto-slow-cooking/
Since I am the only one in the house on Keto, I also like to just pick large casseroles and bake them on my meal prep day. Then I just grab and go the rest of the week. If you don’t mind eating the same thing for several days in a row that’s also a way to simplify things.
I was able to figure out some things but I wasn’t able to change my activity level from Sedentary to Moderately Active. I generally (4-5 days/week) walk 3-5 miles/day. I’m having trouble getting into ketosis because I’m not eating enough calories, a few too many carbs (11 too many) and not enough fat. I’m not hungry like I used to be when I ate lots more carbs.
Hey. Trying this keto plan. I have food allergies. I am allergic to nuts, not peanuts, coconut and all derived products, dairy, egg, and other products not included with this diet. Could use some help with a meal plan.
Hi Anna, that sounds really tough. It sounds like you will be eating pretty simply (meat and vegetables) on keto.
started keto 9/1 not in ketosis yet but have lost 5 lbs already how is this ?
If you’ve been eating within your macros since 9/1 you’re in ketosis. (Or your macros weren’t calculated correctly.)
Hi Craig, The calculator didnt give me actual numbers for calories to consume . Do I only see this with a purchase?
No! It might be an input issue (it doesn’t like decimals) or a browser issue. (It doesn’t seem to work for some people but it’s been tested in a LOT of different browsers.) If you can’t get it to work and are comfortable posting your info I’d be happy to calculate that for you.
Hi Craig.. I recently purchased the Keto Academy bundle and while reading the Batch Cooking on a Budget I noticed the meals are the same everyday. Do I need to follow exactly or variations are allowed? Please advise..thanks
As long as you’re tracking and staying within your macros you’ll still see results, so feel free to switch things up!
you are awesome , thanks for making my life easy
Hi Craig. Thank you for your website. I am an avid tea drinker and I drink it with semi-skimmed milk. Am I allowed semi-skimmed milk on this plan? Thank you.
Hey Jane,
It depends on how much you have with your tea. Semi-skimmed milk has around 11 grams of net carbs per cup, so it can potentially take you out of ketosis and slow your progress.
I’d recommend using heavy cream instead because it has such a small amount of carbs compared to milk. However, if you can’t do without the milk, then I’d suggest measuring how much you have per day and adding that into your calories, total carbs, and net carbs for the day. This is a bit more complicated as it requires you to be tracking your carbs already, but it is worth it if you want to ensure you get the most out of your keto diet.
almond milk, any nut milk should be ok.
its in the food list.
I’m probably asking a really stupid question, but how do I work out 20g of carbs into calories? I’m trying to keep tabs on how I spend my calories and knowing how many grams of carbs, fat, etc equal how many calories would make my life easier. Thank you.
It’s not a stupid question at all! This is such an important concept to understand and many people have the same exact question.
1 gram of carbs = 4 calories 1 gram of protein = 4 calories 1 gram of fat = 9 calories 1 gram of alcohol = 7 calories
So, this means that 20 grams of carbs = 80 calories
Thanks for the great question!
Hi! So I have been doing a different. Redoing of keto – <20 g carbs, 50 G protein and 135 g fat. This after I hit a stall – lost a few lbs but stalling again. Lost total of 22 lbs since I began, but nothing much recently. Desperate to lose 15 lbs in 6 weeks for daughter’s wedding. Still have a lot to lose, but really curious if your accelerated might help. How do folks do who are already in ketosis? Thx!
Hey Nancy!
My apologies for the delayed response. It may be after your daughter’s wedding now, but I think you may still benefit from knowing the answer to your question in case you want to lose some extra weight in the future.
I think the accelerated weight loss plan would really help you if you want something that is simple and easy to follow.
If you’d rather figure everything out on your own, we have plenty of articles that will give you all the info you need as well:
We recently updated our article on breaking through weight loss plateaus, which you can find here:
https://www.ruled.me/ketoge…
And if you want to understand the science behind weight loss, check out this article:
https://www.ruled.me/how-to…
With these articles, you’ll have all the information you need to create your own plan to drop those extra pounds.
I am overwhelmed with all the info out there. I have been stuck at the same weight (yes, the wedding has passed), but still want to drop a load of weight. Every calculator offers different numbers – Maria Emmerich has a very different model to yours to Keto Karma to Ketoevangelist. I’ve tried all of them trying to move numbers, but basically need to get this weight off, need to keep it simple (travel a lot) and need to get off high blood pressure medicine and rashes. Do you have a program that addresses skin rashes (yeast prob) that seems to have now popped up. Aging is not fun:(. I need something fast and easy for food prep and feels somewhat healty:). I will check your pages, but really would appreciate some help – have spent a ton of money on stuff – ugh.
Hey Nancy,
Starting a diet is very overwhelming, so let me see if we can make it much simpler and personalize it to your lifestyle.
Since you travel a lot and want to keep it as simple as possible, you may find intermittent fasting and eating only keto foods to do the trick. By doing this, your rashes and blood pressure will both probably get better as well.
For more on intermittent fasting, here’s an article for you: https://www.ruled.me/intermittent-fasting-on-keto-diet/
For a comprehensive look at what you should eat: https://www.ruled.me/ketogenic-diet-food-list/
And for more ideas on how to travel on keto: https://www.ruled.me/keto-and-fast-food-on-the-go/ https://www.ruled.me/traveling-on-keto/
I think as long as you stick to keto foods and intermittent fast, you will eat much fewer calories and lose weight at a steady rate naturally.
If you plateau before you reach your goal, then try implementing some of the strategies in this article: https://www.ruled.me/ketogenic-diet-weight-loss-plateaus/
I know I just gave you a lot more info, but the concepts in these articles are simple enough that you can implement them right away and get back on track.
Good luck! Let me know if you need anymore help.
I’m trying to calculate my macros but the calculator isn’t working? Can you please let me know? I’m 5’5, active is sedentary, body fat I’d say is 30-40, trying to loose weight, my current weight is 160lbs. Please help
Here are the results based on what you’ve told me. 🙂 https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
Hi, My name is Ron.I am on the other end of the spectrum for body composition. I need to gain weight, but on the Keto diet. I so enjoy the way Ketogenic Diet makes me feel. I am six feet four inches and weigh 185 pounds. I am a fitness instructor and been one for the past 20 years (part-time in the evening), so I’m pretty fit and very active. BTW, I will turn 60 years young in 30 days. How will your program help me?
Hey Ron,
To gain weight on the ketogenic diet, you’ll have to maintain a calorie surplus of 10-15%, and if you want to gain mostly muscle mass, I recommend eating between 0.8 and 1.2 grams of protein per pound of lean body weight.
While you are using the Keto Academy plan, you will have to add extra fats to your meals or eat a slightly bigger serving at one or two of your meals to gain weight rather than lose it. To figure out how much extra you need to eat to gain weight, use what you get from the keto calculator to guide you.
https://www.ruled.me/keto-calculator/
0 calories-41 g fats20 g carbs73 g proteinBased on your inputs, we suggest you eat: 0 calories. From those, -41g fats, 20g net carbs, and 73g proteinthis is what I keep getting after trying 3 times. I’m 5′ 220# and estimated bmi as 45% according to your calculator. I’m 65 and slightly active. Kept the protein at .6 and the deficit at 20 and carbs at 20. Wish I could do 0 calories a day…but that’s not gonna happen! Please let me know what these numbers should be and thank you for having this site up and all this wonderful information.
I’ve been doing Ketogenic for about a year now, and it helped me slim down from about 240 to 180 a lot quicker than it took me to get down from 380+ to 260. I’ve got to say that I love the ketogenic diet, its by far one diet that hasn’t failed me. I will give a warning to anyone that likes to cheat on their diets, cheating on this one with sugar or starchy foods can lead to some hell of headaches and what not from your body being switched back and forth, so think wisely before cheating on your diet.
Great advice Kalin!
Thanks. Are you allowed to drink coconut milk on this diet. I can’t seem to find it anywhere?
Yes you can! Look for unsweetened.
i use unsweetened almond milk instead of milk for shakes and ice cream.
Wow. I’m full of admiration. You’re a superstar for losing that kind of weight. God bless you – you must be strong. I have to lose 70 and I always mess up after a while – far too soon to do any good. Good for you.
Hi I’m new to keto/low carb. I was injured in the USARMY, most days bed bound, really bad seizures and I was hoping anyone might have any suggestions on shakes or bars for days when I can’t cook? Thanks
Hi, I started this yesterday however am wondering if there is a problem with your calculator? I wanted to input the macros into my net diary so that I can keep track of them to this morning I went back to recalculate and the numbers I got differ to yesterday. Also the “calculate’ button which I am positive I saw yesterday appears to have disappeared.
Today I have tried using different browsers. Both say I should be eating 1173 calories (yesterday it was 1184) and 20g carbs, but one says 96g fat vs 92g (yesterday it was 89g), and 58g protein vs 67g (which yesterday was 77g).Why do these figures differ so much?!
Hey Simone,
Try putting in your data again, it should be more consistent now.
Just make sure you put in the same exact info each time. Slight differences in just one of the values it asks you for can lead to a noticeable change in the macros that it gives you.
Let me know if it works well for you this time. Thanks!
hello. i don’t know if it is alright to ask this here but here goes. Please delete if inappropriate. is this a Keto calculator that i can use on my phone to track food along with meal plans? thank you.
Hi! This calculator will only tell you what macros you should be aiming for daily. You will need to use an app like MyfitnessPal, or Spark People to track the food you are eating.
“Based on your inputs, we suggest you eat: 0 calories. From those, -41g fats, 20g net carbs, and 72g protein”I’m sorry – What?!?
Try refreshing your browser and putting your info in again.
Let me know if you are still having problems. Thanks!
When I entered my information it said I should eat 0 calories, -56 grams of fat, 20 grams of carbs, and 10 grams of protein…not sure what I did wrong.
Let me know if you still are having problems. Thanks, Carole!
It seems I cant add in the details of my result from the calculator into to the daily goals in My fitness pal, in grams without upgrading on to the premium account. They are stuck in percentages except the calories which I can manually add for the daily target. Anybody have another solution or insight to this?
Yeah, I think that is their limitation. I’ve been trying the Spark People tracker lately and it does let you do more specific macros as goals – but the website is a little harder to use. (I had to search for help on how to change some things.)
Would like to thank you very much for this opportunity to learn how to eat healthy and feel better at my age. Like many people, once some of us reach a certain age, our bodies seem to respond differently and thinks we are in STARVATION MODE! most the time. LOL! Mine holds onto every morsel of food and stores it very well! LOL! My husband, Donald and I have found a snack food call “WHISPS” which are nothing more than Parmesan cheese aged over 14 months and baked into little bites. About 15 Whisps equal one serving …9g.protein, 1g.carbs, fat,22%. They are very tasty and with a little melted butter drizzled over them, tastes very good. Would this be classified as a meal?, or a Fat bomb?…or just a snack?
Hi Brenda! I’m not sure how to classify it, but as long as they fit into your daily macros it doesn’t really matter what you call it. They sure are tasty. 😀
Thank you so very much!
The special price on the Keto Academy Books at $54.00, is that price in Canadian Dollars as well?
This would be US dollars, your credit card or Paypal should make the conversion for you. 🙂
The Keto Calculator shows I should consume ZERO calories. With this information it will be hard to achieve my macros! Whats wrong iwth the calculator
Try deleting your cache and refreshing your browser.
Joined the community today and will update every few weeks. Happy to see so many people adopting the ketogenic diet and the awesome results.
I look forward to seeing your progress! 🙂
Hi Craig, I’m getting some weird results from the calculator. I’ve tried reloading the page a few times, and playing with the numbers a bit, but I can’t get a non-zero result for calories, nor a positive result for daily fat intake.
Inputs:Imperial UnitsMale6′ 0″ 245 lbs30 years old35% BF (estimated)Sedentary30% Deficit20g net carb.8g protein
Results:0 calories-51 g fats20 g carbs96 g protein
I get 1890 calories, 159g fats, 20 carbs, and 96 grams of protein.
I think they were working on the code recently so you might need to press ctrl+f5 (if on a desktop) to refresh it.
Thanks! It’s working now without a refresh, but only for whole numbers in the % deficit box.
When I increment or decrement the deficit percentage (.1 increments), the recommended cal/day breaks. Works again if I type in a whole number. Just FYI.
Oh! Yeah it really hates decimals. Sorry about that. 🙁
Hi Laura, I’m running into the same problem. I tried re-loading several times, I’ve tried increments in the deficit, nothing works. Currently I’m using the Batch book and going to accelerated this Monday. Eventually, I need to know my macro’s so I can use the cook books…
I’m not sure what’s going on with the calculator. Since it seems to be working for me, I can at least help you get your info in the mean time. If you can post it here (or send it privately to the Facebook page) then I can calculate it for you. Just don’t forget to include all the info it asks for. 🙂
Hi Laura, not sure this sent right. Trying again, below are all my inputs, Still getting weird results. Can you tell me what I’m doing wrong or run the numbers for me?Sex femaleHte -5’7″Age -59BF% -45Act L -Lightly ActiveGoal -Lose weightDefic -20Net C -20prot -70(I don’t really understand the protein. .8*260 lb’s =208 grams, I tried it as well as the 70, which is around the grams in the accelerated cook book) below is a screen shot of my results. What am I doing wrong?
How much should you be eating per day?0 calories-4457 g fats20 g carbs10007 g proteinBased on your inputs, we suggest you eat: 0 calories. From those, -4457g fats, 20g net carbs, and 10007g protein
Hi! Sorry about the trouble, some people seem to not be able to get this calculator to work. I’m not sure if it’s a browser issue. I got both of your comments, but we have the comments set to not post until a moderator approves them so that’s why they seem to disappear.
With your inputs I got 1787 calories, 152g fats, 20 carbs, and 86 grams protein.
Thank you, right now I’m in the accelerated book, so losing at a good clip. This let’s me know if I’m hungry I can add a bit!!
Hi – wondering if you can advise me on the recommended intakes https://uploads.disquscdn.c… … I am 319 lbs and trying to lose weight but recommended calories are 2039 and 149g of fat per day… is that right? I am concerned that i wont be able to create a 1000kcal daily deficit (lose 2 lbs / week). I don’t work out a lot (knee and back injuries prevent rigorous cardio).
What did you use as a fat percentage? In my experience if the fat percentage is too low then the calculator thinks you’re more muscular than you really are and wants you to eat more.
When I look at a muscle builidng profile above, my macros come out at 56% fat, 39% protein & 5% carbs. That is at a 10% caloric excess and 1.2 g per pound of lean muscle. Is that not too low a percent of fat?
Love your site!
Cheers,Ben
Hey Ben,
Whether or not eating this much protein will impair your ketone levels depends on your activity levels, how you spread your protein intake throughout the day, and your genetics. Some people can eat that much protein every day and be in deep ketosis while others may struggle to stay in ketosis consistently. If you are struggling to stay in ketosis, then try decreasing your protein intake to 1 gram per pound of lean body mass and see if you can maintain the ketone levels that you desire with that.
With that being said, if you are just trying to build lean muscle and don’t care as much about maintaining deeper levels of ketosis throughout the day, then you should be fine with using those macros.
Hello Ruled.me
I have a question to your “Ketogenic Calculator”. I don’t quite understand the end result… I do a lot of training on a daily basis, including on my bike with a power-meter, which is very prices and converting the many watts into how much energy (calories) that I have burned…
A typical day:
AM workout (fasted) is between 60 – 80min of running (intervals) ore HITT. This will take up 700 – 900 Calories.
PM workout (non-fasted) is between 70 – 120min on the hometrainer (intervals or strength) This will burn 700 – 1.200 Calories.
With a 1.700 net-calories of food as a baseline, this will add up to (1.700 + 700 + 1.200 = 3.600 Calories) on a typical Thursday.
Based on your calculator, I should only eat 2.364
Male:Height: 168cmWeight: 58.5KgAge: 37Bodyfat: 5%Very ActiveMaintainProtein: 1.5%
Based on your inputs, we suggest you eat: 2364 calories. From those, 172g fats, 20g net carbs, and 184g protein
I hoipe you can help me here 🙂 I realy want to try out a Keto diet.
Since you are tracking your energy expenditure pretty thoroughly, I recommend putting the calories you burned into the keto calc rather than clicking the “very active” category. You can do this by clicking “add your own custom level”, and putting in the calories burned that you calculated yourself. This will replace the calories that the keto calc will add to your recommended intake and give you a more accurate measurement on what you need to eat based on your activity level.
Hiya I’m hoping you guys are able to help me as i’m pulling my hair out at the moment.
I started Keto 3 weeks ago and am struggling so looking for some help and advice from everyone on this site who maybe doing this process longer than I have.
I lost 14lb in my first week using Ketodiet app for my macros.2nd week I stayed the same 3rd week I’ve put on 5lbs.
My stats are as followsFemale 49yrs290 lbs and I’ve worked out BMI as 61% on your link yesterday using my measurements,so hoping that is ok
My current macros are1703 cals / 20g carbs / 150g fat / 67.6 protein.
I dont understand why I’ve put on weight and why I’m not losing due to the amount I have to lose overall.
I havent felt the energy surge people have mentioned ,but do feel slightly better than when I eat lots of carbs.
I have been in ketosis previously when I did Lighterlife (shakes ) so know how I should feel.
Could you please give me suggestions for what I maybe doing right or wrong based on above info.
thanks so much everyone really appreciate your time on this
What did you use as the body fat percentage? 61? How tall are you?
Hi, I started keto around 3ish weeks ago and am going to be starting IF tomorrow. I am planning out my next week and I was wondering how much of a calorie deficit would be too much? The calculator says that my macros should be 1,537 calories, 125g fats, 20g net carbs, and 83g protein which is a calculated 30% deficit, but the meals that I have planned out for my next week have three days of 1,434 calories, 117g fats, 15g net carbs, and 80g protein/ two days of 1,415 calories, 117g fats, 13g net carbs, and 79g protein. Would this be too much of a deficit? I know it might not seem like a massive difference, but I have had problems with starving myself and eating too little (around 600 calories at most a day) in the past so I want to make sure to do right by my body this time around. Also I have gained a couple pounds back during the 12 hour intermittent fasting from week 3, is this normal?
Thanks so much for your time! Kaitlyn
Hey Kaitlyn,
For you, I think sticking with a 20-30% calorie deficit would be one of the better weight loss strategies. It would probably best to add some extra fats to your meals or have a keto snack in between meals if you are falling below 1500 calories for the day.
Regarding gaining weight with IF, it is less likely, but still possible if you aren’t in a calorie deficit by the end of the week.
We recently updated an article on weight loss plateaus that will have some more specific info that may help you a lot. Check it out if you’d like to learn more about weight loss and different methods of losing weight on keto: https://www.ruled.me/ketogenic-diet-weight-loss-plateaus/
good morning i am new to keto ,, i am learning how much i need to have ,,
Good morning Jennifer! Please let us know if you have any questions. 🙂
I am about to start this, but two quick questions. On labels I see “1g Total Carbs” on things like cheese and even eggs. Are these included in Net carbs? I don’t know how to calculate this stuff properly.
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.
the only question i have is HOW many calories.. I can eat low carb all day.. but calories count.
Yes, they do – once you fill in the keto calculator you will be able to find that information.
Hi Craig,I have read a lot about the ketogenic diet and I find this site quite interesting.I train 4 days a week, and try to do intermittent fasting every day. Do my carbohydrates have to be so low since I workout, or can I lift a bit more?Thank you.
You could approach keto with a TKD or CKD variation, but it’s really up to you. If you’re doing well on a standard ketogenic diet (SKD) then I’d recommend following it. If you’re having performance decreases and trouble finishing your workouts, then some additional carbs may help with the endurance.
Hi there. I just bought your 30 day plan. Have really been studying keto for the last couple weeks and I keep running in to different opinions about calories. I’ve heard a podcast person say no woman should be eating less than 2000 kcal, then others say calories matter. Your calculator says I should be around 1000 kcal per day, probably because I’m under 5’ and my body fat % is 36%. Do you have any thought on this? I chose sedentary because I walk a couple times per week, about 3-4 miles each time, but am not doing more exercise than that. I’m also not sleeping more than a few hours each night, which of course, is a problem in itself (not much extra energy). I’d really appreciate your input. I’m 55 and postmenopausal.
Hey Leslie,
Calories do matter regardless of whether you limit carbs or not. It’s best to stick to eating roughly what the Keto Calculator says because it gives you numbers that are specifically for you and your goals. Eating 2000 calories, on the other hand, may cause you to gain weight or plateau because your maintenance calorie needs are probably a bit lower than the average woman.
Would these numbers need to adjust if I plan to do IF as well? I will be doing a 19/5 fasting/feeding schedule. Am I to consume my full days worth of calories and macros within my 5 hour feeding window? The calculator gave me the following macros: – 1014 calories – 82 grams of fat – 15 grams of carbs – 55 grams of proteinPlease let me know if this needs to be adjusted while I am IF. I am so far down 40lbs since February and have stalled. Looking to get the scale moving again as I have another 20lbs or so to lose.
Congrats on the awesome results, Melissa!
Yes, you should aim to eat what the calculator recommends in your 5-hour feeding window.
If you’d like to learn more about the science behind weight loss plateaus and how to bust through them, check out this article: https://www.ruled.me/ketogenic-diet-weight-loss-plateaus/
It will probably help clear up any confusion that you may have regarding losing that last 20 lbs.
Hi Craig. I’m 240lbs looking to get down to 170 over the next year or two. I’ve struggled in the past with keeping up with this beyond 3 months. However during that time, I’ve had success. Financially and schedule wise, I’m looking to find ways to make things a bit simpler. That may include canned foods (canned chicken, canned green beans/spinach/greens), frozen chicken breasts/tenders, hotdogs/sausage, packaged pork rinds, etc. Is sodium or “processed meats” any major issue I need to watch out for if I’m trying to “bigger picture” stay consistent and effective? I understand fresh clean chicken breast is better than something like canned or processed meats (little to no sugar processed meats). However, are they really that far off on this method? Also does cheese create problems for some people more than others? I’ve found that cheese is a “go-to” when I’m extremely hungry or struggling. Thanks for any help!
Hey there,
Craig actually uses shortcuts liked canned chicken in several of his recipes. I haven’t seen a lot of people report issues with too much sodium from things like packaged snacks or hot dogs – but with the processed meats you do have to watch out for added sugars. Always check the labels and count any carbs. 🙂
If you’re not dairy intolerant there’s no reason why you can’t snack on cheese. You just have to track it, like everything else, because cheese does have carbs and can add up if you’re not careful. Serving size on cheese is usually smaller than what a lot of people are willing to consume in a sitting.
You might also want to check out the frozen vegetable section. A lot of times they are “fresher” than the fresh produce department, because they are frozen in the fields they are picked from. Most grocery stores will run sales on these and you can buy frozen very cheaply. Just watch out for the ones that add sauce.
Thanks you! That’s very helpful.
I put in my parameters and this is what I got. What should I do?
How much should you be eating per day?0 calories0 g fats0 g carbs0 g proteinBased on your inputs, we suggest you eat: 0 calories. From those, 0g fats, 0g net carbs, and 0g protein
Hey Cynthia,
Try refreshing your browser and make sure you inserted all the info that the calculator asks for. If you are still having trouble, please let me know. Thanks!
Hi there,I am trying to calculate my macros for the first time. How do I take into account the fact that I’m breast feeding? I know that this usually means a woman is burning more calories each day. Should I up my activity level from light to active? Thanks!
Hey Emma,
There are two things that will help with breastfeeding while you are on keto:
1. Increasing protein intake to 1-1.2 grams per pound of lean mass. 2. Adding in 30-50g extra carbs from fruit and dark green vegetables per day.
When you are using the keto calc, this means that you will be setting your protein intake to 1, 1.1, or 1.2 grams, and your net carb intake will be anywhere between 50 and 70 grams. There’s no need to change what you mark as your activity level if you do these things.
Congrats on your newborn!
What would you recommend be the best way to transition into kept after not being anywhere near a ketogenic diet for months? Should I have a day of fasting? Should I just load up on any kind of fat until my stomach is churning? Drink water and drink fats? I find some trouble transitioning with traditional keto meals/recipes. I feel I need a hard reset.
Keto is definitely a awesome diet. Started back in August for a trip in December and have lost almost 50lbs. Go to the gym 1 to 3 times a week. Meaning some weeks I go 1 day a week some weeks I go more just depends. But just shows it all depends on your diet. As well I don’t do any cardio all I do is lift weights. And as well I only drink water and when I do I just drink hard alcohol. I as well incorporate intermittent fasting. Start eating at 12 pm finish eating at 8pm.
Congrats on the awesome results, Kris!
It sounds like you have a super healthy approach to keto. Thanks for sharing your story.
Hello im bit confused trying to use the calculator above… I want to lose my fat but to keep my weight, or simply replacing my fat with muscle. So when i try to use the calculator what to choose: “Lose Weight” or “Maintain” ?
if i choose LOSE WEIGHT im getting this numbers: 2001 calories // 135 g fats // 20 g carbs // 177 g protein—if i choose MAINTAIN: 2501 calories // 191 g fats // 20 g carbs // 177 g protein
Thanks
Hey Kice,
I recommend aiming for a small calorie deficit (10-15%). This will ensure that you burn off some of your own fat.
Also, make sure you are eating 1 to 1.2 grams of protein per pound of lean mass per day and that you are slowly increasing your weight lifting training volume. This will ensure that you give your muscles the stimulus and the protein that they need to grow.
For more information, check out our guide to keto bodybuilding: https://www.ruled.me/comprehensive-guide-bodybuilding-ketogenic-diet/
The guide won’t answer your question directly, but it will give you some ideas as to the why and what behind using keto and weight lifting to gain muscle.
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