Setting Keto Macros: A Guide To Customizing Your Diet

The keto diet is a popular way to lose weight and improve health. It involves shifting your body's metabolism by changing the proportion of macronutrients you consume. Typically, a keto diet consists of 70% fats, 5% carbohydrates, and 25% protein. To achieve this, you need to understand your macros and calculate your calorie intake based on your fitness goals and current weight. This process requires strict control over your macronutrients, especially carbohydrates. You can use keto macro calculators to determine the right proportions and reach your desired weight.

Calorie Needs: Determine if you want to lose, gain or maintain weight

Calorie Needs: Determining Weight Loss, Gain, or Maintenance

The first step in setting your keto macros is to calculate your calorie needs, which is based on your fitness goal: lose weight, gain weight, or maintain weight. This will determine the number of calories you need each day. For weight loss, you will need to create a calorie deficit, and for weight gain, you will need a calorie surplus.

Calculating Your Calorie Needs

To calculate your calorie needs, you must first determine your basal metabolic rate (BMR), which is the amount of energy you spend per unit of time while resting. Your BMR can be calculated using your gender, age, height, and weight. Here is the equation to calculate BMR for women:

> BMR = 655 + (4.35 x weight in lbs) + (4.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age)

For men, the equation is:

> BMR = 66.47 + (6.24 x weight in lbs) + (12.7 x height in inches) – (6.755 x age)

Next, you need to determine your activity level:

• Little to no exercise: 1.2
• Exercise a few times a week: 1.375
• Exercise 3-5 times a week: 1.55
• Exercise 6-7 times a week: 1.725

Finally, multiply your BMR by your activity level to get your daily calorie needs.

Setting Your Calorie Intake Goal

Once you know your daily calorie needs, you can set your calorie intake goal based on whether you want to maintain, lose, or gain weight. To maintain weight, keep your calorie intake at 0%. For weight loss, create a calorie deficit by reducing your calorie intake by 10-20% for moderate weight loss. For weight gain, create a calorie surplus by increasing your calorie intake by 10-20% for moderate weight gain.

For example, if your daily calorie needs are 2,000, a 10% deficit would mean reducing your calorie intake to 1,800 calories per day.

Estimating Carb Needs

Estimating your keto carb needs is an important step, as carbs are typically limited on a keto diet. Research suggests that a carb intake of less than 20 to 50 grams per day is sufficient to promote ketosis in most people. As a starting point, aim for 20-25 grams of carbs per day, and you can adjust from there.

You can also estimate your carb needs based on your calorie intake. If your calorie intake is less than 2,000 calories per day, aim for 20 grams of carbs or less. For calorie intakes between 2,000 and 2,500 calories per day, aim for 25-30 grams of carbs. For higher calorie intakes, you may need slightly more carbs.

Counting Net Carbs

When calculating your carb intake, you can count your daily net carbs instead of total carb intake. Net carbs are calculated by subtracting the amount of fiber from your total carb intake, as fiber is not easily absorbed by the body and does not affect blood sugar levels in the same way as other carbs.

Sample Calculation

Let's take the example of a 30-year-old woman who weighs 150 pounds and is 6 feet tall. Using the equation for BMR for women, we get:

> 655 + (4.35 x 150) + (4.7 x 72) – (4.7 x 30) = 1,504.9

If she exercises 3-5 times a week, her activity level is 1.55. Multiplying her BMR by her activity level, we get her daily calorie needs:

> 1,504.9 x 1.55 = 2,332.6 calories per day

If she wants to lose weight, she can create a 10% deficit by reducing her calorie intake to 2,100 calories per day (2,332.6 x 0.90).

Based on the guidelines for carb intake, she should aim for 20-25 grams of carbs per day, as her calorie intake is less than 2,000.

In Summary

Determining your calorie needs is the first step in setting your keto macros. This involves calculating your BMR based on your gender, age, height, and weight, and then adjusting for your activity level. Once you know your daily calorie needs, you can set a calorie deficit or surplus depending on whether you want to lose or gain weight. Additionally, estimating your carb needs is crucial, as carbs are typically restricted on a keto diet.

Carbohydrates: Keep carbs under 10% of calories

Carbohydrates are the body's primary source of energy, but on a keto diet, the body switches to burning fat and ketones instead. This means that carbohydrates are kept to a minimum. The general rule is to keep carbs under 10% of calories, but this can vary depending on the individual's activity level and health goals. For example, an active person may benefit from a Cyclical Ketogenic Diet that allows for 1-2 high-carb days per week to refill muscle glycogen. On the other hand, a sedentary or obese person may want to keep carbs under 5% of calories (20 to 30 grams of net carbs per day) to promote ketosis, suppress appetite, and facilitate weight loss.

Keeping carbs low is crucial to staying in ketosis. Carbohydrates raise insulin levels more than other macronutrients, and rising insulin levels will quickly kick you out of ketosis. Research suggests that a carb intake of less than 20 to 50 grams per day is sufficient to promote ketosis in most people, but the exact amount can vary. Therefore, it is recommended to start with a carb intake of 20 to 25 grams per day and adjust as needed.

When determining your carb macros, it is important to consider your total calorie intake. Carbohydrates provide roughly four calories per gram. So, for a lower-calorie diet of less than 2,000 calories per day, 20 grams of carbs would be adequate for reaching 5% of your calories from carbs. For a higher-calorie diet, you may need slightly more.

• Calorie range <2,000 calories/day: 20 grams of carbs or less per day
• Calorie range 2,000 to 2,500 calories/day: 25 to 30 grams of carbs or less per day
• Calorie range >2,500 to 3,000 calories/day: 30 to 35 grams of carbs or less per day
• Calorie range >3,000 calories/day: 35 to 50 grams of carbs or less per day

Additionally, you can count your daily net carbs instead of total carb intake. Net carbs are calculated by subtracting the amount of fibre from your total carb intake, as fibre is not easily absorbed by the body and does not affect blood sugar levels in the same way as other carbohydrates.

Protein Needs: Prioritise protein for muscle and hormonal health

Protein is an essential macronutrient for anyone following a keto diet. It is particularly important for muscle and hormonal health.

Protein is made up of amino acids, which are the building blocks of muscle, hormones, and enzymes. A keto diet that is too high in fat and too low in protein can hinder body recomposition goals and make it difficult to maintain lean muscle mass.

The amino acids from protein are responsible for structuring every tissue in the body. They are needed to build and repair muscle, bone, connective tissue, skin, hair, nails, and internal organs. Additionally, amino acids are required to synthesise hormones and enzymes. For instance, insulin and growth hormones are proteins.

On a keto diet, it is recommended that protein makes up 25% of your daily calorie intake. This equates to 0.8-1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass on normal days, and around 1 gram per pound of lean body mass on active days. For those engaging in resistance training, a total protein intake of up to 1.6 grams per kg per day may help increase muscle mass.

It is important to note that older people may need a minimum of 1.2 grams of protein per kg per day to counteract muscle loss and other age-related changes.

Fat Macros: Fat is the most ketogenic macro

Fat is the most ketogenic of the three macronutrients, providing 9 calories per gram. On a keto diet, fat intake is typically very high, making up 55% to 75% of your total calorie intake. This equates to around 125 grams of fat per day on a 1,600-calorie keto diet.

Fat is so important on a keto diet because it helps you feel full and satisfied between meals. It is also a "preferred" energy source for the body, alongside carbohydrates. Additionally, fat plays a vital role in building cell membranes and absorbing fat-soluble vitamins like vitamins A, D, E, and K.

However, it is important to note that overeating fat will lead to weight gain and cannibalize your protein intake, so it is crucial to find the right balance for your body and health goals.

To calculate your fat macro needs, you can use the following formula:

Calories per day x percentage of calories from fat / number of calories per gram in fat = grams of fat per day

For example, on a 1,600-calorie diet with 70% of calories coming from fat:

1600 calories x 0.7 / 9 calories per gram = 125 grams of fat per day

It is worth noting that the exact amount of fat you need may vary depending on your activity level and fitness goals. For instance, an active person may benefit from a Cyclical Ketogenic Diet that includes one or two high-carb days per week to refill muscle glycogen.

Additionally, the quality of the fat you consume is important. Prioritize healthy fats like fatty fish (salmon, tuna, trout), dairy products (eggs, butter, yogurt, cheese), nuts and seeds, oils (olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil), dark chocolate, and meat.

Keto Macros Percentage: Calculate macros as a percentage of daily calories

To calculate your keto macros as a percentage of your daily calories, you'll first need to calculate your macro goals in grams. This involves determining your calorie needs, carb needs, protein needs, and fat needs. Once you have these numbers, you can calculate your keto macros as a percentage of your total daily calories.

Step 1: Determine Your Calorie Needs

Your calorie needs depend on your fitness goal: are you trying to lose weight, gain weight, or maintain your weight? If you're trying to lose weight, you'll need a calorie deficit, and if you're trying to gain weight, you'll need a calorie surplus.

Step 2: Estimate Your Carb Needs

Estimating your keto carb needs is an important step. Research suggests that a carb intake of less than 20 to 50 grams per day is sufficient to promote ketosis in most people. However, you can use your total calorie intake as a guide. Carbs provide roughly four calories per gram, so if you're consuming less than 2,000 calories per day, 20 grams of carbs would be enough to reach 5% of your calories from carbs.

Step 3: Determine Your Protein Needs

Protein intake is important for supporting lean body mass and other essential bodily functions. It's recommended to base your keto protein needs on your activity level and fitness goal. For example, if you're sedentary and trying to maintain your weight, you may need about 0.6g/pound of body weight per day.

Step 4: Calculate Your Fat Needs

After determining your carb and protein needs, you can calculate your fat needs based on your remaining calories. Each gram of fat contains about nine calories. Subtract the number of calories from carbs and protein from your total daily calorie needs, then divide that number by nine to get the number of grams of fat you need per day.

Step 5: Calculate Macros as a Percentage

To calculate your keto macros as a percentage, divide the number of calories from each macro by your total daily calorie needs and multiply by 100%. For example, if you're getting 80 calories from carbs, 600 calories from protein, and 1,120 calories from fat, your macros percentage would be:

• 5% of calories from carbs: (80/1800) x 100% = 5%
• 33% of calories from protein: (600/1800) x 100% = 33%
• 62% of calories from fat: (1120/1800) x 100% = 62%

The total percentage should add up to 100%.

Frequently asked questions