Keto Workout Calories: How Many Are Needed?

The ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high-fat, moderate-protein diet that has been linked to a range of health benefits, including improved blood sugar control and decreased hunger levels. While it has been associated with improved endurance and fat-burning during exercise, it may also decrease energy levels and impair muscle growth due to restricted carbohydrate intake. To optimise the benefits of the keto diet and support weight loss, it is crucial to monitor calorie intake and ensure a caloric deficit. This involves consuming fewer calories than your body needs, which can be calculated by determining your total energy expenditure and adjusting for your goals. For weight loss, a moderate calorie deficit of 10-15% is recommended. Additionally, the type of calories consumed is important, with a focus on healthy fats, protein, and low-carbohydrate sources.

Calorie surplus/deficit

On the keto diet, calorie management is essential to ensure optimal results. The keto diet is characterized by its low-carb, high-fat approach, which promotes a metabolic state called ketosis. While keto's focus is primarily on carbohydrate restriction and fat intake, calories still play a significant role in determining weight loss or gain.

To lose weight on the keto diet, creating a calorie deficit is necessary. This can be achieved by reducing your calorie intake, increasing physical activity, or a combination of both. However, it's important to note that simply eating fewer calories is not enough. The quality of your food choices also matters. Opt for nutritious, whole foods and avoid processed keto-friendly options that are high in calories but lack essential nutrients.

On the other hand, if your goal is to gain weight or build muscle mass, you need to be in a calorie surplus. This means consuming more calories than your body burns. However, it's crucial to ensure that these additional calories come from healthy sources, such as healthy fats, proteins, and non-starchy vegetables, rather than just adding more fat or oil to your meals.

Determining your ideal calorie intake on the keto diet depends on several factors, including your daily energy expenditure, activity levels, and goals. You can use tools like the Mifflin-St. Jeor equation or online keto calculators to estimate your calorie needs based on your specific circumstances.

It's worth noting that while calorie management is important, it's not the only factor influencing weight change. The keto diet's effectiveness also lies in its ability to suppress appetite, increase satiety, and promote hormonal shifts that encourage weight loss. Additionally, the type of macronutrients you consume (fat, protein, or carbohydrates) and their thermic effect can impact your metabolism and overall calorie balance.

Calorie intake

The number of calories an individual should consume on the keto diet depends on their daily energy expenditure and their goals. Factors such as sex, total weight, lean mass, diet, exercise levels, and daily activity should be taken into account when determining calorie intake.

To calculate your daily calorie needs, you can use formulas such as the Mifflin-St. Jeor or the Katch-McArdle equation, which take into account your basal metabolic rate, non-exercise activity, exercise activity, and the thermic effect of feeding. Alternatively, you can use a keto calculator, which is a quick and easy way to estimate your calorie intake needs.

If your goal is to lose weight, you will need to create a caloric deficit by consuming fewer calories than you burn. This can be achieved by reducing your calorie intake, increasing physical activity, or a combination of both. However, it is important to ensure that you are not restricting your calorie intake too much, as this can lead to muscle mass loss, nutrient deficiencies, and impaired overall health. A mild to moderate caloric deficit is generally recommended for optimal weight loss.

On the other hand, if your goal is to gain muscle mass, you will need to be in a caloric surplus, consuming more calories than you expend. This can be achieved by increasing your calorie intake by 10-15% of your total energy expenditure.

It is worth noting that the keto diet can make it easier to maintain a caloric deficit due to the appetite-controlling effects of fat, protein, and ketones. However, it is still possible to consume too many calories on the keto diet by eating large portions or snacking on high-fat foods throughout the day. Therefore, portion control and mindful snacking are important to maintain a caloric deficit.

In addition to calorie intake, it is crucial to consider the quality of the food you are consuming. Eating whole, nutritious, low-carb foods is essential for optimizing weight loss and overall health on the keto diet.

Calorie counting

Calculating Your Calorie Needs

To determine your calorie needs, you must first calculate your total energy expenditure, which includes:

• Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): The calories needed if you're completely sedentary.
• Non-Exercise Associated Thermogenesis (NEAT): Calories used for daily activities like walking, showering, etc.
• Exercise Associated Thermogenesis (EAT): Calories needed for planned exercise.
• Thermic Effect of Feeding (TEF): Calories used for eating and digestion, usually around 15% of your meal.

The sum of these components is your Total Energy Expenditure (TEE) or maintenance calories, which is the daily calorie intake to maintain your weight. To lose weight, you would need to create a calorie deficit by reducing your calorie intake by 10-15%.

There are various equations to calculate your BMR, such as Mifflin-St. Jeor and Katch-McArdle, which take into account factors like age, weight, height, and gender. Once you have your BMR, you multiply it by an activity factor based on your daily activity level, ranging from sedentary to extremely active.

Calories and Macronutrients

On the keto diet, about 70% of your daily calories should come from fat, with the remaining calories from protein and carbohydrates. While fat has more calories per gram than carbs or protein, the keto diet's focus on fat doesn't necessarily mean consuming more calories. In fact, a calorie deficit is still necessary for weight loss on keto.

The satiating effects of fat and protein on keto can help suppress appetite and reduce overall calorie intake. Additionally, the metabolic shift to using fat for energy can lead to increased calorie burning. However, it's important to note that calories do matter, and a sustained calorie surplus will lead to weight gain even on keto.

Calories and Exercise

Combining exercise with the keto diet can maximize its health and weight loss benefits. However, the keto diet's low-carb nature can impact certain types of exercise that rely on glucose for fuel. Lower-intensity exercises that utilize fat for energy, such as yoga, walking, or biking, may be better suited for the keto diet.

If you're engaging in high-intensity workouts, you may need to adjust your carb intake. The targeted ketogenic diet (TKD) involves consuming 25-50 grams of carbs 30 minutes before a hard workout, which can provide energy without kicking you out of ketosis. Alternatively, the cyclical ketogenic diet (CKD) involves choosing a day or two a week to eat more carbs, but this is more suited for high-performing athletes.

Tips for Working Out on Keto

• Ease into your workout routine: Start with lower-intensity exercises as your body adjusts to ketosis.
• Choose a keto-friendly pre-workout: Opt for supplements like Pure C8 MCT oil, which provides long-lasting energy.
• Focus on strength training: Aerobic exercises like yoga and strength training are ideal as the body uses fat for energy during lower-intensity workouts.
• Boost carb intake for high-intensity workouts: If doing high-intensity exercises, consider consuming additional net carbs from simple carbohydrates 30-60 minutes beforehand.
• Ensure adequate calorie and nutrient intake: Nourish your body with quality foods to fuel your workouts and support recovery. Include healthy fats, omega 3, avocado, and quality meats.
• Listen to your body: Adjust your workout routine, nutrient intake, or carb intake before intense training as needed.

Caloric requirements

The number of calories you need to consume while working out on a keto diet depends on several factors, including your daily energy expenditure and your fitness goals. Do you want to build muscle or lose weight?

To determine your caloric requirements, you need to calculate your total energy expenditure (TEE). TEE is the sum of four components: Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), Non-Exercise Associated Thermogenesis (NEAT), Exercise Associated Thermogenesis (EAT), and Thermic Effect of Feeding (TEF).

BMR refers to the number of calories your body needs to maintain its current state while at rest. You can calculate your BMR using formulas such as Mifflin-St. Jeor or Katch-McArdle, which take into account factors like age, weight, height, and gender.

NEAT represents the calories burned through daily activities like walking, showering, or working. EAT refers to the calories burned during planned exercise routines. It's important to note that the number of calories burned through exercise may not be significant unless you're engaging in intense and prolonged workouts.

TEF accounts for the calories used in eating and digesting your food, typically amounting to around 15% of your total meal's calories.

Once you've calculated your TEE, you can adjust it based on your fitness goals. If your goal is to lose weight, you should aim for a caloric deficit by reducing your calorie intake by 10-15%. On the other hand, if you're aiming to build muscle, you should increase your calorie intake by 10-15% to achieve a caloric surplus.

It's worth noting that the keto diet itself can impact your caloric requirements. By reducing your carbohydrate intake and increasing fat consumption, your body undergoes a metabolic shift. This shift can lead to increased fat burning and weight loss, even without a significant caloric deficit. Additionally, the satiating nature of high-fat and high-protein foods on the keto diet may naturally lead to reduced calorie intake.

However, it's important to monitor your calorie intake and ensure it aligns with your goals. While keto can be effective for weight loss, overeating high-calorie keto-friendly foods can still lead to weight gain.

In summary, determining your caloric requirements on the keto diet involves calculating your TEE and then adjusting it based on your specific fitness goals. Remember to pay attention to your macronutrient intake and overall calorie consumption to ensure they align with your desired outcomes.

Calorie-sectioning

The keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that can be challenging to adjust to, especially when combined with a new workout routine. While calorie counting is not necessary on keto, it can be beneficial, especially when starting or if you hit a plateau. This is because a calorie deficit is required to lose weight, and it's possible to overeat and consume too many calories on keto, especially with high-calorie foods like nuts, cheese, avocados, olive oil, and full-fat dairy.

Calculating Your Calorie Needs

The number of calories you need to eat daily depends on your total energy expenditure and your goals. To calculate your total energy expenditure, you need to determine your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), which is the number of calories you need to maintain your current body if you are completely sedentary. You can use the Mifflin-St. Jeor formula to calculate your BMR:

Men: BMR = [4.53 x weight in pounds] + [15.88 x height in inches] – [4.92 x age in years] + 5

Women: BMR = [4.53 x weight in pounds] + [15.88 x height in inches] – [4.92 x age in years] – 161

Next, you need to factor in your daily activity levels and multiply your BMR with an activity factor to get your Total Energy Expenditure (TEE). The activity factors are as follows:

• 2 for sedentary lifestyles
• 3-1.4 for light activity
• 5-1.6 for moderate activity
• 7-1.8 for very active
• 9-2.2 for extremely active

Adjusting Calories for Your Goals

Once you know your TEE, you can adjust it based on your goals. If you want to lose weight, subtract 10-15% from your TEE. If you want to gain weight or bulk up, add 10-15% to your TEE. Monitor your results over 3-4 weeks and make adjustments as needed.

Calories and Macronutrients

While calories are important, they are not the only factor to consider. The macronutrients (macros) that make up those calories also play a crucial role in determining weight change. On keto, macros typically look like this:

• Fat: 70% of daily calories
• Protein: 20% of daily calories
• Carbohydrates: 5-10% of daily calories

To optimize your diet for muscle growth and/or fat loss, you need to consider not just calories but also where those calories are coming from in terms of macros.

Frequently asked questions