Keto Macros: Half The Calories, Double The Benefits?

The keto diet is a popular eating plan that focuses on keeping daily carbohydrate intake low and boosting healthy fats. The diet is based on the idea of reaching a state of ketosis, where the body burns fat for energy instead of sugars. To achieve this, keto dieters must carefully monitor their macronutrient (or macro) intake, which includes carbohydrates, protein, and fat. These macros are essential for supporting health and fitness goals and provide the calories needed to fuel the body. While the specific ratio of macros can vary depending on individual needs and goals, a typical keto macro breakdown includes 5-10% calories from carbs, 20-30% from protein, and 60-70% or more from fat. This involves significantly reducing carbohydrate intake, often to less than 50 grams per day, while increasing the consumption of healthy fats.

How to calculate your keto macros

The key to success on a ketogenic diet is eating the right amount of daily calories in the right proportions of fat, protein, and carbohydrates. The keto diet is a low-carb diet, so you'll be eating very few carbs and most of your calories from fat.

Step 1: Calculate Your Calorie Needs

First, you need to determine your calorie needs based on your fitness goal: are you looking to lose weight, gain weight, or maintain your weight? This will determine the number of calories you need each day. For weight loss, you require a calorie deficit, and for weight gain, you require a calorie surplus.

Step 2: Estimate Your Carb Needs

Estimating your keto carb needs is one of the most important steps. The recommended carb intake to promote ketosis in most people is less than 20 to 50 grams per day. A good starting place is 20 to 25 grams per day, but if you find this difficult to stick to, you can start at 50 grams.

Step 3: Calculate Your Protein Needs

Protein intake is important as it supports your lean body mass and other essential bodily functions. Your keto protein needs can be estimated based on your activity level and fitness goal.

• Little to no exercise: 0.6g/pound of body weight per day
• Moderate exercise 2 or more days per week: 0.9g/pound of body weight per day
• Hard exercise 3 or more days per week: 1.1g/pound of body weight per day

Step 4: Calculate Your Fat Needs

Finally, your keto fat needs can be calculated based on your remaining calories. Each gram of fat contains roughly nine calories.

Here's an example calculation:

• Take your carb amount (step 2) and multiply your grams of carb by 4 to get your calories from carbs. For example, 20g x 4 = 80 calories from carbs.
• Do the same with your estimated protein needs (step 3). For example, 150g x 4 = 600 calories from carbs.
• Now add your carb and protein calories and subtract this number from your total daily calorie needs. For example, 1800 daily calories - (600 calories protein + 80 calories carbs) = 1,120 calories remaining.
• Now divide your remaining calories by 9 to get your grams of fat per day. For example, 1,120/9 = 124 grams of fat per day.

Keto Macros Percentage

To calculate your macros as a percentage, divide the calories from each macro into your daily calorie needs and multiply by 100%.

For example:

• (80/1800) x 100% = 5% of calories from carbs
• (600/1800) x 100% = 33% of calories from protein
• (1,120/1800) x 100% = 62% of calories from fat

The total amount should equal 100% (5% + 33% + 62% = 100%).

Tips for Staying on Track

• You can use a keto macro calculator to help you figure out how much of each macronutrient to eat to reach your goals.
• You don't have to meet your macros perfectly every day. It's not an exact science, but it is one of the best ways to keep you on the right track.
• You can also calculate your macros on a weekly basis. If you eat more calories one day, you can make up for it the next day by eating fewer calories.
• If you're new to keto, it's a good idea to start by counting all your macros. Over time, as you become more familiar with hidden sources of carbs, you may find it easier to just track your carbs.
• Plan your meals ahead of time and do meal prep to help you stay on track.
• If you're trying to lose weight, watch your intake of nuts and dairy.

The importance of tracking macros

Macros, or macronutrients, are the essential building blocks of your body that you get from food. They are also the part of your food that directly converts into energy for your body. The three macronutrients are fat, protein, and carbohydrates, and they each play their own essential roles in your body.

The importance of tracking your macros is clear when you consider the unique role each of these macronutrients plays in your body. For example, protein is broken down into amino acids, which have a wide range of vital functions in your body, from supporting your immune system to playing a crucial role in the function of your DNA. Carbohydrates, on the other hand, provide a vital form of energy called glucose, which fuels your cells. However, in the absence of carbohydrates, your body can make its own glucose via gluconeogenesis. This is why carbohydrates are considered the most optional macro.

Fat, another essential macronutrient, plays a crucial role in several processes in your body. Every cell is surrounded by a membrane of fat that serves to protect the cell and allow waste out and nutrients in. Fat is also necessary for the absorption and assimilation of fat-soluble vitamins and phytonutrients, and it plays a role in hair and skin health, the production of hormones, and protection of your organs.

When it comes to the keto diet, tracking your macros is especially important because it is the role of carbohydrates in energy metabolism that determines whether or not your body enters a state of ketosis. By limiting carbohydrates, you can enter a state of ketosis, where your body burns fat for energy instead of sugars. This is why tracking your macros is so important—it helps you understand how the food you eat is working in your body and ensures you are getting the right balance of nutrients to meet your health and fitness goals.

The role of macros in ketosis

The keto diet is a high-fat, low-carb, and moderate-protein diet. The diet's macro breakdown typically includes restricting carb intake to 5% to 10% of calories, increasing fat intake to 55% to 70% of calories, and allocating the remaining 20% to 35% of calories to protein. This specific macro composition aims to promote ketosis, a metabolic state where the body burns fat instead of glucose for energy.

Carbohydrates

Carbs are typically restricted to a minimal amount in the keto diet, with a recommended intake of 20 to 50 grams per day. This amount can vary depending on individual needs and goals, but it is generally agreed that keeping carb intake below 50 grams per day is necessary to maintain ketosis.

Proteins

Protein intake on the keto diet is moderate and usually makes up about 20% to 30% of calories. It is important to ensure adequate protein intake to support lean body mass and other essential bodily functions. The recommended amount can vary based on activity level and fitness goals, ranging from 0.6g/pound of body weight for sedentary individuals to 1.1g/pound for those aiming to gain muscle.

Fats

Fat is the predominant macronutrient in the keto diet, comprising 55% to 70% of total calories. This high-fat intake is intended to provide the body with an alternative energy source to glucose, promoting the utilisation of fat for energy.

Flexibility in Macro Targets

While it is important to aim for these macro targets, strict adherence is not always necessary. It is more important to focus on the overall trend and ensure that weight loss goals are being met. Minor deviations from macro targets can be corrected by adjusting intake on subsequent days.

Benefits of Ketosis

The keto diet has been associated with various health benefits, including weight loss, improved blood sugar control, and potential therapeutic benefits for certain medical conditions such as epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Achieving Ketosis

To achieve and maintain ketosis, it is crucial to monitor carb intake closely and ensure it stays within the recommended range. Additionally, incorporating healthy fats, such as fatty cuts of meat, fatty fish, avocados, and nuts, is essential to provide the body with an adequate energy source.

In summary, the role of macros in ketosis is crucial, as the specific composition of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats directly influences the body's ability to enter and maintain the ketogenic state. By manipulating macronutrient intake, individuals can tailor their diet to promote ketosis and potentially reap the associated health benefits.

How to adjust your keto macros

To adjust your keto macros, you must first understand what macros are and why they matter. Macros, or macronutrients, are the essential building blocks of your body that you get from food. They are also the part of your food that directly converts into energy for your body. The three macronutrients are fat, protein, and carbohydrates.

On a keto diet, the typical macro ratio is:

• 5% of calories from carbohydrates
• 25% of calories from protein
• 70% of calories from fat

This macro range is intended to promote ketosis and trick your body into burning more fat for energy instead of sugars. However, it's important to note that there are differing opinions about the "right way" to do keto, and little research backs up the varying methods. Therefore, your keto macro ratio may differ depending on your unique physiology and health goals.

• Determine your calorie needs based on your fitness goal (weight loss, weight gain, or maintenance). This will help you calculate your daily energy needs and build your macro goals accordingly.
• Estimate your keto carb needs, which is crucial for promoting ketosis. A good starting place is 20-25 grams of carbs per day, but this may vary depending on your calorie intake.
• Calculate your protein needs, which are important for supporting your lean body mass and other essential bodily functions. Your keto protein needs will depend on your activity level and fitness goal.
• Determine your fat needs. On a keto diet, fat is your friend, and you can have as much fat as you want without kicking yourself out of ketosis.
• Use a keto macro calculator to help you figure out your optimal macro ratio based on your age, height, weight, gender, activity level, and body fat mass.
• Track your macros using a keto-friendly nutrition app like MyFitnessPal or Carb Manager. This will help you stay on top of your daily ranges and make adjustments as needed.
• Be mindful of your protein intake, especially if you are doing therapeutic keto to manage seizures, cancer, or Alzheimer's. While protein is essential, too much can interfere with ketone production.
• If you're very active, consider bumping up your carbs and protein and reducing your fat intake. Conversely, if you're less active, consider reducing your net carbs to accelerate the transition to burning body fat for energy.
• Remember that meeting your macros doesn't have to be an exact science. As long as you get close to your macro needs and are losing weight at a healthy pace, you're doing well.

The benefits of counting macros

Counting macros can be beneficial for people on the keto diet for several reasons.

Firstly, it helps ensure that you are eating the right ratio of nutrients to maintain a moderate weight. Macros, or macronutrients, include proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, all of which are essential for providing energy and keeping people healthy. By counting macros, individuals can tailor their diets to include the correct amount of each macronutrient, depending on their caloric needs, body composition goals, and any health conditions. For example, someone following the keto diet and aiming to lose weight would want to get most of their calories from fat and very few from carbohydrates, while also creating a calorie deficit.

Secondly, counting macros can help prevent certain health conditions. Some studies suggest that tracking macronutrients may help protect against Alzheimer's disease, as well as treat and protect against diabetes and cardiovascular conditions. Additionally, a 2017 study found that counting macros may help people maintain a moderate weight by tracking the amount of food and nutrients consumed over a longer period.

Thirdly, counting macros can aid in reaching fitness goals. A 2017 review suggests that high-protein diets, which are typical of the keto diet, help maintain muscle mass during resistance training.

Moreover, counting macros can provide an awareness of any imbalances in your current nutrition. Many people believe they are eating a well-balanced diet, but when they start recording their food intake, they may realize that certain things are missing or that they are consuming more of certain nutrients than they thought. For instance, people often think they are getting enough protein, but when they start tracking, they realize they are not meeting their protein needs.

Lastly, counting macros can be beneficial for those on the keto diet as it helps ensure that the ratios of macronutrients are precise. The ketosis diet requires the body to use fat as its main energy source, and consuming too many carbohydrates or protein can interrupt this fat-burning state. By counting macros, individuals can keep a precise track of their consumption and ensure they are staying within the desired ratios to maintain ketosis.

Frequently asked questions