Keto Macro Calculator

For those who struggle to find out how many calories they should be aiming for, this keto macro calculator is a great start. As I always say, use this keto calculator, and do some trial and error testing to see what works for YOU.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What Is A Macro Calculator?

A Macro Calculator basically tells you how many grams of macro nutrients you should be getting from carbs, fats, and protein. This keto macro calculator is optimized for the ketogenic diet.

If you don’t understand what macronutrients are, you can Click Here.

Why are my macros here different to other sites?

Most sites will give you different keto macro results, and this is because each website will be calculating your Basal Metabolic Rate differently.

The keto calculator is based on my studies as a nutritional therapist, advanced sports and exercise nutritional advisor, plus backed up by the Journal Of Medical Sciences who have done extensive research into these types of calculations.

Do I need to hit my macros to be successful on a ketogenic diet?

The only macronutrient you need to religiously watch on a ketogenic diet is your carbohydrate intake. You must not exceed this value in order to stay in a state of ketosis. Everything else is secondary.

Protein is your next macronutrient to look at. Try not to go under your protein levels, as you could potentially begin to lose muscle as a result (which in turn can slow down your metabolism).

The last macronutrient you need to worry about is fat. Even though the ketogenic diet is based heavily on fat, your body is smart enough to switch to stored body fat if you are not ingesting enough dietary fat.

To summarize, carbs are a limit, protein is a target, fat is to be consumed to remove hunger and meet macros requirements.

What is a ketogenic diet?

A ketogenic diet is a high fat, moderate protein, and low carbohydrate diet.

The ratios are generally mapped out as being 75% Fat, 20% Protein, and 5% Carbs.

The amount of carbs depends on each person, but it is usually below 50 grams of total carbs per day. This limited amount of carbohydrate intake will switch your body over to burning ketones as your primary source of fuel.

Alternatively, you can look at your body switching from being a sugar burning steam train with all the black dirty soot covering the engine, to a clean-burning Tesla that runs on fat and ultimately does less damage to your body.

Read my full guide on the ketogenic diet here.

If you need a helpful list of foods you can eat on a ketogenic diet, click here to read my full keto foods list.

What Are Keto Macros?

The main building blocks of food are carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. These are called macronutrients. Just remember, macro means big, and micro means small.

Every piece of food is made up of a ratio of these building blocks.

For example, chicken breast is high in protein, and pasta is high in carbohydrates.

Currently, most people eat a standard diet containing around 20% fats, 30% protein and 50% carbohydrates. It can be hard to venture outside of these well-known macro ratios.

The ketogenic diet simply changes the ratio of these macronutrients. By limiting carbohydrates, moderating protein and increasing your total healthy fat intake, you put your body into a state of “ketosis.” Instead of burning sugar and glucose for energy, your body starts to burn “ketones,” which is an energy source that your body creates from fat.

Unfortunately, the general public hasn’t necessarily been exposed to the truth about nutritional ketosis, and therefore don’t believe that it’s a healthy state to be in.

Your body will become what is called “fat adapted” whilst you re-teach it to use the stored fat as energy, all without feeling any starvation or typical diet hunger issues.

How much protein on a ketogenic diet?

The amount of protein will differ for each person, but throughout the phases of your diet, your protein should stay the same. This macro calculator calculates your protein by assuming you have 20% body fat, giving you 1g of protein per 1 lb of lean body mass.

In a caloric deficit, meaning lower total calories than your daily caloric burn, and when your carbohydrates are low, the ketones present in your body will prevent muscle wastage, so consuming a lot of protein doesn’t make sense on a keto diet.

Your protein levels will also depend on your activity levels, as I find that the more active you are, the more protein you are likely able to tolerate before you begin going into gluconeogenesis.

What Are Net Carbs?

Net Carbs are basically Total Carbs – Fiber.

So, if you eat 10 grams of carbs, but that contains 5 grams of fibre, you will have consumer 5 grams of net carbs.

Sugar counts towards net carbs, So please make sure that any naturally occurring sugar (or added) is below 20g per day.

You can read more about net carbs vs total carbs here.

What Sort Of Exercise Should I Do?

Okay, so unless you’re super dedicated, I’d be joining some classes at your local gym. Something like a Step Class or some sort of instructive class. They cut out the willpower altogether.

If you’re okay with the willpower, I actually use an app called Freeletics. It’s cheaper than the gym, and you just do bodyweight exercises. Sign up for the coach and see what it tells you to do.

What do I eat on the Ketogenic Diet?

As far as what you can eat, keto diets are done differently by different people. Eat dark green leafy vegetables, fatty red meats, chicken with the skin left on, fish, offal (organ meat), eggs, seeds & nuts, full-fat dairy, or anything else you can find rich in nutrition, fat, protein and fibre.

This keto macro calculator will help you find the numbers but use the post below to find the foods you can eat.

Full Keto Foods List Printable PDF

How to use those foods to easily eat a keto diet

How many calories to stay in ketosis?

Eating a certain amount of calories won’t keep you in ketosis. Eating low amounts of carbohydrates WILL keep you in ketosis. The only thing that will knock you out of ketosis is too many carbs or too many hidden carbs.

Generally, eating fewer calories than it takes for you to maintain your weight will put you into a deeper state of keto, but that generally isn’t always the goal.

The keto macro calculator above will help you calculate your personal calories.

What number of ketones will you need to be in ketosis?

I’ll list some of the levels below to make it clear for you:

*Keep in mind that the measurements in acetone would be mmol/L which is the same as the setting that shows you g/100ml of alcohol. The video shows you a more detailed version of this.

• Improved Athletic Performance / Weightloss: Above 0.5mmol/L
• Improved Mental Performance: 1.5mmol/L – 3mmol/L
• Therapeutic: 3mmol/L – 6mmol/L

You can read more about testing ketones here.

How Do I Sustainably Track Macros On A Keto Diet?

If you are playing “macro puzzle” with your macros every day, you will inevitably burn out. Being glued to an app like Cronometer or MyFitnessPal is troubling. Let me show you how to sustainably track macros using a very simple technique HERE