Keto Bodybuilding: Counting Calories For Maximum Results

The ketogenic diet is a very low-carb, high-fat diet that is often used for weight loss. It can be challenging to build muscle on keto, but it is possible. To build muscle, you need to be in a calorie surplus, consuming more calories than you burn. This is because your muscles need calories to grow. The number of calories you need to eat per day to build muscle depends on several factors, such as your weight, height, lifestyle, sex, and activity levels.

On the keto diet, it is important to monitor your protein and fat intake in addition to your calorie intake. You need to ensure you are eating enough protein to support muscle growth and repair, with researchers recommending between 1.6 and 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. To stay in ketosis, it is also important not to eat too much protein, as this can kick you out of ketosis.

In addition to diet, resistance training is key to building muscle on the keto diet. This involves lifting weights or doing other strength-based exercises to build strength and gain muscle mass.

Calorie surplus for muscle growth

Calorie surplus is when the total intake of calories in a day is more than what you burn. It is essential for muscle gain.

To build muscle, you need to consistently eat more calories than you burn. The number of calories you need to eat per day to build muscle depends on several factors, such as your weight, height, lifestyle, sex, and activity levels.

Firstly, determine your maintenance calories, which is the number of calories you need to consume per day to stay the same weight. To do this, weigh yourself at least three times a week and record your food intake over the week with a calorie-tracking app. If your weight stays the same, that is roughly your maintenance calories.

When you're trying to build muscle, it's recommended to increase your calorie intake by 15% above your maintenance calories. For example, if your maintenance calories are 2,000 per day, you should eat 2,300 calories per day to build muscle. As you build muscle, it's a good idea to adjust your calorie intake around once a month to account for changes in your weight.

It is recommended to gain no more than 0.25-0.5% of your body weight per week to prevent accumulating too much fat.

The optimal diet for increasing muscle size should contain the following nutrients:

• 6 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of your body weight daily
• 5 to 1.5 grams of fat per kilogram of your body weight daily

3 to 5 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of your body weight daily

It is important to note that a calorie surplus can cause you to gain fat instead of muscle, which may not be desirable. Therefore, it is recommended to monitor your calorie intake and make adjustments as needed.

Additionally, resistance training is crucial for building muscle. It is recommended to incorporate exercises such as squats, bench presses, pull-ups, and push-ups into your weekly routine to encourage muscle growth.

In summary, to maximize muscle gain, a calorie surplus is necessary, but it should be done in a controlled manner to minimize fat gain. Along with a proper diet, regular resistance training is essential for achieving your muscle-building goals.

Calorie deficit for weight loss

To lose weight, you need to eat fewer calories than you burn. This is known as a calorie deficit. When you eat fewer calories than your body needs, your body will start burning body fat for energy.

The first step to achieving a calorie deficit is to calculate your total energy expenditure. This includes your basal metabolic rate (BMR), non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT), exercise activity thermogenesis (EAT), and the thermic effect of feeding (TEF).

There are several formulas you can use to estimate your BMR, depending on your body fat percentage. Once you have your BMR, you need to factor in your total activity for the day by multiplying it with an activity factor to get your total energy expenditure (TEE).

To achieve a calorie deficit, you need to reduce your calorie intake by 10-15% of your TEE. This should result in steady weight loss over a period of 3-4 weeks. It's important to note that a mild to moderate calorie deficit is recommended for optimal weight loss, as restricting calories too much can lead to muscle mass loss, nutrient deficiencies, and impaired overall health.

While achieving a calorie deficit is crucial for weight loss, it's not the only factor that matters. The macronutrients that your calories come from also play an important role. On a keto diet, your macronutrient intake should consist of high fat, moderate protein, and low carbohydrate.

To optimize your diet for weight loss, you should ensure you're eating enough protein. Protein is essential for preventing lean body mass loss as you lose weight. Additionally, eating a moderate amount of protein can help you build and maintain muscle mass, even in a calorie deficit.

While fat is an important part of the keto diet, overeating fat can lead to weight gain. It's crucial to monitor your fat intake and make sure you're not consuming too much.

Carbohydrate intake should be kept low on a keto diet to promote ketone production and stimulate fat burning. Restricting carbs can also lead to water weight loss, which can be mistaken for fat loss.

In summary, to achieve weight loss on a keto diet, aim for a mild to moderate calorie deficit by reducing your calorie intake by 10-15% of your TEE. Ensure you're eating enough protein to prevent lean body mass loss and optimize muscle growth. Monitor your fat intake to avoid overeating, and keep your carbohydrate intake low to promote ketosis and stimulate fat burning.

High-protein, low-carb diet

Calorie Intake

To build muscle on a keto diet, you must consistently eat more calories than you burn. The number of calories you need to eat per day depends on several factors, including weight, height, lifestyle, sex, and activity levels. It is recommended to increase your calorie intake by 15% above your maintenance calories. For instance, if your maintenance calories are 2,000 per day, you should eat 2,300 calories per day to build muscle.

Protein Intake

Protein is essential for building muscle, as it is the building block of muscles. Most studies suggest that eating 0.7–0.9 grams of protein per pound of body weight is ideal for building muscle. However, on a keto diet, excessive protein consumption can kick you out of ketosis, so it is generally considered a moderate protein diet. An effective ketogenic diet should include 15-20% of total calories from protein.

Carb Intake

To reach and maintain ketosis, most people need to eat fewer than 50 grams of carbs per day. Timing your carb intake around your workouts can be beneficial, and this strategy is known as a targeted keto diet.

Fat Intake

After accounting for protein and carbs, fat should make up the rest of your diet. Both protein and carbs provide 4 calories per gram, while fat provides 9.

Other Factors to Consider

Resistance Training

Resistance training is crucial for building muscle on a keto diet. It typically involves lifting weights or doing other strength-based exercises. According to a review of 10 studies, resistance training at least twice a week was more effective at promoting muscle growth than training once per week.

Supplements

While not required, supplements may aid in building muscle. If you're struggling to meet your daily protein goals, consider using a protein powder supplement such as whey, casein, pea, or hemp protein. Additionally, a creatine monohydrate supplement can aid in gym performance and lead to more muscle gain.

Sample Diet for a 230-lb Bodybuilder

• Dietary calories: 2,700
• Protein and carbs: 287.5 grams each
• Fat: around 50 grams

This diet includes a ratio of 42.5% protein, 42.5% carbs, and 15% fat. As you progress, the protein amounts will decrease, resulting in a higher percentage of carbs in the diet.

Ketosis and ketogenic diets

The ketogenic, or keto, diet is a very low-carb, high-fat diet. It involves drastically reducing your carb intake and consuming fat instead. This helps your body transition into a metabolic state known as ketosis.

Ketosis occurs when your body has limited access to glucose or carbs, its preferred source of fuel. To compensate, your body uses fat to make ketone bodies as an alternative fuel source.

To transition into ketosis, people typically need to consume fewer than 50 grams of carbs per day, while getting the rest of their calories from a high-fat, moderate-protein diet. Generally, it takes 2–4 days to enter ketosis, but some people may find it takes a week or longer.

The number of calories you need to eat per day to build muscle depends on several factors, such as your weight, height, lifestyle, sex, and activity levels.

The first thing you need to do is determine your maintenance calories—the number of calories you need to consume per day to stay the same weight. To do so, weigh yourself at least three times per week and record your food intake over the week with a calorie-tracking app. If your weight stays the same, that is roughly your maintenance calories.

When you're trying to build muscle, it's recommended to increase your calorie intake by 10-15% above your maintenance calories. So, if your maintenance calories are 2,000 per day, you should eat around 2,300 calories per day to build muscle. As you build muscle, it's a good idea to adjust your calorie intake around once per month to account for changes in your weight.

Keto Bodybuilding

When it comes to bodybuilding, the keto diet is primarily used as a weight-loss tool. However, ketogenic bodybuilding is a growing topic of interest.

To build muscle on a keto diet, you need to eat enough protein and calories to support muscle growth. It's also important to train with enough intensity and progressive overload to subject your body to a strong enough stimulus for muscle growth.

• Eat enough protein and calories: Ensure you're eating at a maintenance level or a surplus to promote muscle growth.
• Train with intensity: Focus on strength training and progressive overload to challenge your muscles and stimulate growth.
• Prioritize rest and recovery: Allow your body to recover properly between workouts by getting enough sleep, reducing stress, and engaging in active recovery exercises like walking or yoga.
• Stay hydrated and maintain electrolyte balance: Drink plenty of water and consume potassium- and magnesium-rich foods or supplements to support your body's fluid and electrolyte needs.
• Consider supplements: While not necessary, supplements like creatine, MCT oil, salt, and vitamin C can support your keto bodybuilding efforts.

Macronutrient ratios

The standard ketogenic diet (SKD) consists of a macro content of 75% fat, 20% protein, and 5% carbohydrates. However, for bodybuilders, the macro ratio is adjusted to 60% fat, 35% protein, and 5% carbohydrates. This adjustment is made to allow for more protein in the diet, which is essential for muscle growth and maintenance.

The amount of protein consumed directly affects muscle growth and fat loss. Research has shown that a higher protein intake leads to greater fat loss and increased muscle mass. For this reason, bodybuilders should aim for a protein intake of 1.0-2.0 grams of protein per pound of body weight.

It is important to note that consuming excessive amounts of protein on a keto diet can kick you out of ketosis. This is because the body can convert excess protein into glucose. Therefore, it is recommended that bodybuilders on a keto diet limit their protein intake to 15-20% of their total calories.

To ensure they are consuming enough calories and protein, bodybuilders on a keto diet should focus on eating high-quality protein sources such as eggs, whole-fat milk, Greek yogurt, cheese, chicken, turkey, pork, beef, lamb, fish, and seafood.

In addition to protein, bodybuilders on a keto diet should also ensure they are consuming enough calories. This means eating at a maintenance level or at a surplus to promote muscle growth. It can be challenging to eat enough on a keto diet as the high-fat content of meals is very filling. However, as long as protein goals are being met, additional fat can be added to increase calorie intake.

To summarise, the macronutrient ratio for bodybuilders on a keto diet should be adjusted to allow for more protein while still limiting carbohydrates. This can be achieved by consuming high-quality protein sources and ensuring adequate calorie intake.

Frequently asked questions