Keto Calorie Counting: Achieving Your Daily Intake

The ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that has gained popularity for its weight loss and health benefits. While the keto diet is often associated with weight loss, it can also be used to gain weight healthily. To achieve the desired calorie intake on keto, several factors need to be considered, including macronutrient ratios, food choices, physical activity, sleep, stress, and individual goals. Calorie counting on keto is generally unnecessary due to the satiating nature of the diet, but it may be beneficial in certain situations, such as a weight loss plateau. Striking a balance between calorie control and a high-quality keto diet is crucial for optimal results.

Eat high-calorie foods like ribeye steak, ground beef, nut butters, and avocados

When following a ketogenic diet, it's important to focus on consuming healthy, high-calorie fats, such as those found in ribeye steak, ground beef, nut butters, and avocados. Here's how you can incorporate these foods into your keto diet:

Ribeye Steak

Ribeye steak is a cut of beef from the rib area of the cow, known for its rich, juicy flavour and generous marbling. A single serving of ribeye steak (3 ounces or 85 grams) contains about 10.8 grams of fat, including saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats. It's also an excellent source of protein, zinc, selenium, niacin, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12.

When preparing ribeye steak, consider cooking methods like broiling, grilling, smoking, or frying in a skillet. Keep in mind that marinating or cooking the meat with additional fat, like butter or oil, will increase the overall fat content.

Ground Beef

Ground beef is a versatile option that can be used in a variety of keto-friendly dishes, such as casseroles or burgers. When choosing ground beef, opt for leaner options, as they tend to have lower fat content. For example, 4 ounces of ground beef (93% lean) has approximately 12.9 grams of fat and 22 grams of protein.

You can enhance the flavour of ground beef by salting and seasoning it liberally and adding creamy or dairy ingredients like cream cheese or shredded cheddar cheese.

Nut Butters

Nut butters, such as almond butter, peanut butter, and macadamia nut butter, are excellent sources of healthy fats and other essential nutrients. When choosing nut butters, look for products without added sugars or preservatives, and ideally made from organic or non-GMO nuts.

For example, a two-tablespoon serving of natural almond butter provides a good amount of calcium, magnesium, vitamin E, and fibre. Peanut butter, on the other hand, offers protein, fibre, magnesium, and vitamin B6.

Avocados

Avocados are a nutritious fruit that provides a rich source of heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and fibre. Half an avocado contains approximately 114 calories, 10.5 grams of fat, 6 grams of total carbs, and 5 grams of fibre.

You can easily incorporate avocados into your diet by adding them to keto-friendly salads, smoothies, or breakfast plates. They are a great way to increase your healthy fat intake while following a keto diet.

Consume healthy fats like olive oil, avocado oil, and fatty fish

Consuming healthy fats is an essential component of the keto diet, as 75% of daily calories must come from fats. Olive oil, avocado oil, and fatty fish are excellent sources of healthy fats and offer additional nutritional benefits.

Olive oil is a liquid fat that can be easily drizzled onto keto meals or consumed by the spoonful. It contains antioxidants that help with nutrient absorption from the small amount of vegetables allowed on the keto diet. Olive oil also improves the flavour of meals and can be used for cooking, as it has a high smoke point.

Avocado oil is another healthy fat option that is naturally refined and packed with good fats from avocados. It has a neutral flavour, allowing the taste of your food to shine through. Avocado oil also has a high smoke point, making it suitable for cooking, baking, dressings, and marinades. Rich in antioxidants like Vitamin E and monounsaturated fats, avocado oil adds nourishment to your meals.

Fatty fish are an important part of the keto diet, providing high-fat, low-carb, and moderate protein options. Some of the best fatty fish for keto include Atlantic mackerel, farmed Arctic char, anchovies, wild king salmon, sardines, and farmed salmon. These fish are loaded with healthy fats, protein, and supernutrients like vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B, and selenium. Fatty fish are also good sources of copper, which is important for producing red blood cells, regulating heart rate and blood pressure, and maintaining bones, connective tissue, and vital organs.

By including olive oil, avocado oil, and fatty fish in your diet, you can ensure you are consuming enough healthy fats to meet the keto diet's high-fat requirements. These foods will not only help you achieve your calorie goals but also provide additional nutrients to support your overall health.

Prioritize protein to increase calorie burn and satiety

When following a keto diet, it's important to understand the role of macronutrients in achieving your desired calorie intake and supporting overall health. Here's a deep dive into why prioritizing protein is crucial for increasing calorie burn and satiety:

Understanding Macronutrients in a Keto Diet

Macronutrients, or macros, are essential to our bodies and include protein, fat, and carbohydrates. While carbohydrates are not essential, dietary fiber, a type of carb, is necessary. On a keto diet, the focus is on limiting carbs and sufficient fat intake, but protein is often overlooked.

The Benefits of Prioritizing Protein

Protein is made up of amino acids, which are the building blocks of our muscles, organs, hormones, and enzymes. A keto diet that includes adequate protein offers several advantages:

Increased Satiety and Reduced Overeating:

Protein has a higher satiety value than carbohydrates or fat. This means you'll feel fuller for longer after consuming protein-rich foods, naturally reducing your calorie intake by curbing cravings and preventing overeating.

Increased Calorie Expenditure:

High-protein diets have been linked to increased calorie burning. This is because protein requires more energy to process and convert into cellular energy (ATP) compared to carbs or fat. As a result, you burn more calories simply by eating more protein.

Muscle Preservation and Growth:

Protein is crucial for muscle repair and growth. If you're engaging in resistance training or strength training, sufficient protein intake becomes even more vital to support muscle synthesis and help you achieve your fitness goals.

Improved Overall Health:

Prioritizing protein can also positively impact your overall health. For example, it can help maintain healthy skin, hair, nails, and bones. Additionally, it provides the building blocks for creating vital hormones and enzymes that regulate various bodily functions.

Practical Tips for Prioritizing Protein on Keto

• Choose protein first: When building your meals, start by selecting a generous portion of protein. This will help you meet your daily protein target and ensure you're getting the most satiating effect from your meals.
• Incorporate high-protein foods: Include a variety of keto-friendly animal and plant-based protein sources in your diet. Animal proteins like meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, and dairy are considered complete proteins, containing all the essential amino acids. Tofu, soy-based products, nuts, and seeds are also excellent plant-based protein options.
• Aim for adequate daily protein intake: The recommended protein intake varies based on individual factors, but generally, aim for 1.2 to 2.0 grams of protein per kg of reference body weight. This range has been shown to preserve muscle mass and improve body composition.
• Consider your activity level: If you're engaging in resistance or endurance-type exercises, you'll likely need more protein. Strength training individuals should aim for the higher end of the recommended protein intake range to support muscle growth.
• Don't fear exceeding protein limits: Many people worry that consuming too much protein will kick them out of ketosis. However, studies show that high-protein keto diets are compatible with fat loss and muscle maintenance.
• Replace some fat with protein: While fat is essential on a keto diet, it's calorie-dense and easy to overconsume. Consider replacing some fat with protein to support your weight loss and health goals.

Prioritizing protein on a keto diet is a powerful strategy for increasing calorie burn and satiety. By understanding the role of protein in our bodies and making conscious food choices, you can enhance your keto journey, improve your health, and achieve your fitness goals.

Track calories if you're not losing weight to ensure you're not overeating

If you're not losing weight on keto, you may be overeating. To ensure you're not, track your calories.

To lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit. This can be achieved by reducing your calorie consumption or expending more calories through physical activity.

Many keto-friendly foods are calorie-dense, so it's important not to overindulge. Avocados, olive oil, full-fat dairy, and nuts are all high in calories. While ketogenic meals and snacks are often more satisfying due to their fat and protein content, it's still possible to consume too many calories on a ketogenic diet.

To avoid this, pay attention to portion sizes, increase your physical activity, and snack in moderation between meals. Calorie tracking can be a useful tool to help you stay within your calorie needs. Additionally, consider calculating your calorie needs and how much you need to cut back to meet your weight loss goals.

Remember, the key to healthy weight loss is consuming nutritious, whole foods. Relying on processed foods, even if they're keto-friendly, can hinder your progress.

Exercise to deplete glycogen stores and increase ketone production

Exercise is a crucial component of the ketogenic diet and can help deplete glycogen stores while increasing ketone production. Here are some tips and strategies to maximise the effects of exercise while on a keto diet:

Understand the Basics of Ketosis

Firstly, it is important to understand how ketosis works. Ketosis is a metabolic state in which your body burns stored fat instead of glucose for energy. When there is a lack of glucose, your body turns to fat as its primary energy source. This process results in the production of ketones, which can be used by the body for energy or excreted through urine.

Increase Physical Activity

Increasing your physical activity is a simple yet effective way to deplete glycogen stores and promote ketone production. The more energy you expend during the day, the more fuel your body will need, causing it to turn to fat as an energy source. Any form of exercise will help, whether it be endurance-based, high-intensity interval training, or resistance training.

Focus on Endurance Exercise

While all exercise is beneficial, endurance exercise is particularly effective in depleting glycogen stores. During endurance exercise, the body preferentially burns both fat and glycogen for fuel. Once the glycogen stores are depleted, the body is more likely to shift into ketosis. However, this may require a significant amount of time, such as walking at a brisk pace for 3-4 hours.

Opt for High-Intensity Exercise

If you're looking for a quicker way to deplete glycogen stores, high-intensity exercise is the way to go. CrossFit, resistance training, and other forms of intense activity force your body to burn through glycogen rapidly, leading to increased fat burning during recovery. Additionally, high-intensity exercise improves insulin sensitivity, which can lower insulin levels and increase the likelihood of using fat and ketones as fuel.

Be Mindful of Overdoing High-Intensity Exercise

While high-intensity exercise is beneficial, too much of it can be counterproductive. Excessive high-intensity exercise can increase cortisol levels, which activates gluconeogenesis—the process of converting non-sugar compounds into glucose for fuel. This can hinder your body's ability to maintain ketosis.

Incorporate Low-Intensity Activity

In addition to your chosen form of exercise, ensure you're getting more than an hour of low-intensity activity each day. Walking, cycling, and doing housework are all examples of low-intensity activities that can improve insulin levels and promote ketosis.

Combine with Intermittent Fasting

To further enhance the effects of exercise, consider combining it with intermittent fasting. After a fasted exercise session, allow a couple of hours for recovery without food. Then, after fasting for 16-20 hours since your last meal, consume a high-protein ketogenic meal. This strategy takes advantage of increased insulin sensitivity after exercise, allowing your body to effectively use protein for muscle rebuilding while burning fat and ketones for fuel.

Frequently asked questions